Custom Rifle Caliber Advice

So I'm starting to think about doing a full custom rifle in the next year or so. I already have one Semi Custom from Hill Country in .270 Win and will likely have another Semi Custom in 300WSM in a couple months. If you guys were only going to ever have one fully custom rifle, what caliber would you get it down in? I just want to hear some choices and reasoning behind why you chose that caliber. It will help me start to think about which I want and what to plan for when I finally get it done. Thanks!

I have one and it is a 243. I am shooting the 105 Berger hybrid at 3050 fps with very small groups. I picked it because of the components are easy to get. Lapua makes brass for it. I can shoot the heavy bullet fast. There is hardly any kick and I can easily watch my hits. In texas it will kill anything I want it to. And it will shoot farther than I have room to take it.

Walter

6.5 saum

What's the rifle for? That matters on what to build.

I got the bug for a 7mm-08 with an 18" threaded barrel bad for hunting out to 400 or so..

I'm a 6mm whore but if I could only have one it would be a 6.5 or 7mm just so I could hunt anything in North America with it. 6.5 SAUM while a good choice, brass is limited and if you ever did want to rebarrel you are limited on the magnum cases. So for those 2 reasons I wouldn't do that one. I also would want more than a 6mm for elk, moose, bear so that would eliminate those calibers all together.

I'd probably end up with a 6.5 Creedmoor or 7-08...mainly because I don't like recoil and those two would get the job done without killing on one end and wounding on the other

No one can answer your question until we answer this ^^^^. Give us some parameters you have- recoil, cost of ammo, long range, hunting, etc?

Creedmoor of some type. I personally would go with the 22 creedmoor thats what I am running and 3350 with the 75 grainers out of a 22 inch barrel puts the hammer down.

Sure we can...unless he comes back with shooting cans at 20ft in his backyard in town my answer wont' change Then I'd tell him to get a nice Gamo I can't tell him what stock/action/scope/bottom metal (if at all) but we can tell him calibers.

7mm-08 is my next build.....

If I was gonna build a rifle it would be a fancy wood stocked blued job in .257 wby or .270 wby mag

Hunting anything the US has to offer except maybe Grizzleys. I want a good all-arounder if I'm gonna drop that kinda money on one rifle. I'm probably leaning towards 280ai or 7mm.

Whatever caliber you pick, I'd have the barrel threaded, so I could hang this off of it...

300WM with a 208 A-max, 210 VLD, 230 Hybrid or Hornady 225 BTHP. I like big bullets (bigger than 7mm). But a 7 mag with a 180 is no slouch. A 225 or 230 will hit a lot harder than a 180 in a 7mm.

If it were me I would go with 30-06. It can take anything in North America except the big bears. You have a wide range of bullets available and ammo is generally available. It has been said you can hunt mice to moose with a 30-06 and that is pretty much true. Some will say that it is not a long range cartridge and they may be right but I have never found that to be an issue. As an alternative I have a personal affinity for long forgotten 8mm (8x57). That big 32 cal bullet is hard hitting and has never failed me. Biggest problem with it is you must handload for it as factory ammo is hard to find and generally under powered. I have seen an 8mm 175 grain Sierra bullet knock a 200lb hog backwards at 80 yards. That's my kind of power.

as Chad said 300wm w/ a 200+gr bullet is the bomb and will more than enough to take down a Grizzly if you ever get a chance..

I don't like long action as a personal preference so I'm partial to my 300wsm 185's at 3010fps.....

kt

300 Win Mag and 205-230 bullets.

Or a 7 Rem Mag, 1:8.5" twist and 180 Bergers. I have that combo and it is stout medicine. Dropped a bull elk at 200 yards in one shot.

Personal preference only...I think .280ai sounds great, but already have a .280 in the safe and I'd want something different. A .30-06 would be very utilitarian but I'd have the barrel stamped ".300 Whelen." Kinda joking, but kinda not! Another one I'd look at is the .264 Win Mag, always appealed to me and it would be very versatile.

I love my 280AI, great caliber

Thanks guys. Some great opinions in here so far.

If I was calling Horizon with my order, it would likely be either 7mm Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag.

I really like the 6.5-284 shooting a 140 gr pill. Handle pretty much anything you need it to around here

My current build will be either 6.5-06 or 7-08ai. But if there was only one rifle I think 280ai would be my choice. If there's more than one choice 90% of the time the lower recoiling rounds are adequate.

Like the post above.... if it were one rifle only, I'd build a .280AI with a 24" barrel. You can load it heavy or load it light, lots of reach.... lots of options... else, I'd look at something in 6.5 or maybe a classic 7x57.

I hate recoil and long barrels. I would pick something a 22" barrel would work and the total weight be between 8-9 lb with scope.
Depending on what it's for , 6.5 creed, 708, 308 and pick a bullet to fit your style.

I'm going to be building either a 6.5 Creed or 260 hunting rifle, not a heavy target rig. Already got the Tikka action. Need to decide on a barrel and if I want to use the Bell and Carlson stock I already have or order a McMillan. 21-22" barrel that's just a little heavier than a sporter contour. Everything I'm finding is 26" or 28" blanks. How much does it cost to chop to 22" and re-crown? I'd settle for a varmint contour if I could get it fluted. But flutes usually run to the within an inch or so of the end? Do I have to special order a 22" blank if I want it fluted? How does that work?

We can do the rebarrel any contour you want, but is sounds like you are wanting to do the work yourself minus the fluting?

The blanks are that long so that the end user can have a long barrel if he wants it. But you decide exactly how short you want to cut it down. The barrel blanks has to be crowned anyway. So no matter what the smith has to center the shank, turn down to O.D., thread and chamber. Then he's got to take the barrel out of the jaws and flip it around and start all over centering so that he can cut it to length and crown it. This is the same time he would thread the muzzle if you want him to. Threading for suppressor only is easier than for a brake, because the brake has to be in his hand and he has to time the brake to the threads. Lots of 26" and 28" blanks get lots of barrel cut off their ends depending on how long you want the finished barrel to be.

You can get some contours already straight fluted, and depending on who you are buying the barrel from you can have them measure to where the flutes stop so you will know the minimum barrel length you can finish to. Or you can buy the contour you want and send it to Horizon or to Kampfield and have them flute it, telling them how long the finished barrel will be.

The only thing limiting you is your imiagination.

280AI is a good choice IMO if you reload.

6.5 Grendel bolt action will most likely be the next build for me. But I have a couple nice rifles in different performance levels already.

Bam. Use Lapua brass. It'll last you longer than the barrel does if you load enough of em. By buddy is lights out with that gun of his. Dang

Keep em coming guys. This is great info.

6.5-284 is a great round just get it in a standard action not a short action. I also would not recomend if you do mot reload.

I do reload if that helps. I don't know much about the 6.5-284 yet though.

It's accurate for everything and it'll put the smack down on em. Do some reading on it. You won't find much negative other than bullet, powder and brass hoarders.

But I'm just going off of someone else's info. He has this gun. One bad mamma jamma
http://www.slickguns.com/search/apachesolr_search/011356181558?solrsort=fs_rating%20asc

When I got my first custom I thought it would be the only one I would ever build and I went with 7mm-08.

my recommendation? Get whatever the #$&%* you want! Every single one of us has either a pet cartridge or one we always wanted but for some reason never had the opportunity to own. I'm sure you have something in mind, we all do

No sir, I can not, nor want to, do any of the work myself.

I thought I read somewhere....that if your barrel isn't fluted by the barrel maker, it voids any warranty.

My Remington 5r Milspec 308 with 24" bull barrel is heavier than I like to carry spot and stalk. Not sure if chopping to 22" and fluting would be enough weight saved. My SF Sendero wasn't really TOO heavy, but didn't balance very well with the 26" barrel. Either an unfluted magnum contour or fluted varmint is probably what I'll end up with. Chad @ Dallas reloads will be my ammo source since I don't roll my own yet.

Thats no problem. Fluting might for some but we pretty much use exclusively Benchmark barrels and I have never heard that. I would consider that more of a smith warranty if something was wrong once the barrel was finished. If you chop and flute your short one I would think 8-10 oz. Sounds like you need a 22inch barrel that is bout .685-.720 at 22 and then fluted. My personal gun is .800 then spiral fluted really heavy with only 3 huge flutes looks like triangle that twists. Will post pics later.

Another vote for the 280AI... if I could only have one rifle. But you have others, so I would say get whatever tickles your fancy. The 6.5-06 is also very intriguing to me...

For the 6.5-284 to shine it needs to be done on a long action if not you'll have a 260 that uses more powder.

270 WSM works in a short action, with a quick bolt throw and half a pound or so less weight.

For hunting smaller deer up close, just load up with starting loads from the reloading manual, and then you'll have 270 Winchester velocity.

Max loads closely approach 270 Weatherby performance, starting loads emulate 270 Winchester, and all in a short action that is lighter and faster to operate than a long action.

Be sure the barrel is 24" long, a few inches longer if you don't mind waving it around.

A 24" barrel with a short action makes the gun the same length as a long action with a 22" barrel.

Versatile, powerful, and it's not such a bad kicker. I'd go with 270 WSM, but that's just me.

You'll look at 270 Winchester guys and say, "Why would I go with a heavier gun with a longer bolt throw so I can have 200-300 fps less velocity with the same bullets?

Why indeed.

** 270 Winchester owners: Just skip past this post, I obviously do not know what I'm talking about.

while I agree with you, the only problem I would have with this chambering is it has only been around a few years and over the past 15 years or so I've been noticing most deer hunters going with lower powered loads and most elk/moose/bear hunters going with 30 caliber rounds so I would be hesitant to spend that much on a custom gun in not 100% sure I'll be able to find ammo off the shelf for 15 years from now.

7-08, .308, or .30-'06. You can load down the '06 to have minimal recoil and still kill deer, using a 125 gr bullet, or you can load a Berger 185 Hunting VLD and shoot just fine at 1,000 yards, for fun. I wouldn't recommend shooting an animal that far, but it could be done. Factory ammo available everywhere except church for the '06 (and it's probably available in the church parking lot). .308 can use cheap Lake City surplus cases, which are plenty accurate and it will also shoot for fun out to 1,000 yards, with the right long-range bullet. Ditto for the 7-08, but brass and loads are not quite as plentiful as the others, although no sweat on either. Any of these can be fairly cheaply accurized by bedding the action and lapping the factory barrel, and likely shoot under 0.65" for 5 shots with good rest, scope, and handloads.
Jim

I would use 270 WSM on elk without hesitation, but probably not on moose and definitely not on the large bears.

A .338 Winchester Mag would be a good cartridge for the bigger stuff. The 325 WSM would handle those, too.

The Remington SAUM cartridges seem to be on the way out, the WSM cartridges appear to be here to stay.

I'm very intrigued with the 270wsm but already have a 300wsm that I'm going to get rebarreled soon most likely to either another 300wsm or a 270wsm. I'm hesitant to have more than one WSM in case the round does lose popularity in the future.

With all the 7mm choices I can't, for the life of me, understand why anyone would intentionally build a .277" anything, much less a WSM.

Well I don't have a 7mm yet so it'll be high on my list.

Both will drift less in the wind, maintain more velocity, and hit harder than a 270.

But again, a full house load of 300 Win Mag and a 205 gr or heavier can hunt anything. Same as the 180 gr out of a 7 Rem Mag.

I have a custom being built now that should be the last one I need. After a lot of going back and forth I decided on the 7MM Long Range Magnum.

I do like the 270 WSM with the 150 LR accubonds. Have had good luck killing deer out to 850

All of the 270 WSM owners I've heard from are enthusiastic about the round. Me too.

Not much kick, plenty of grunt, accurate as well.

It'll be around for a long time, several gun-makers chamber the round and you don't hear a lot of complaints from those who have actually tried it.

270 Winchester owners get all hare-lipped about it sometimes, but that's only to be expected.

Is there really competition between 270win and 270wsm owners? I had a 270 WSM as my first rifle and traded it a while ago. I regret it. I now own 2 270 wins and like them both.

Berger VLD Hunting .270 cal. 150 gr. G1 BC .531 @ what velocity?

Berger VLD Hunting 7mm 180 gr. G1 BC .659 @ 3000 fps MV 7 Rem Mag

Berger VLD Hunting .308 cal. 210 gr. G1 BC .631 @ 3050 fps MV .300 Win Mag


That's my problem with it. Bullet makers don't offer a competitor in 270 cal. And I just showed the best of the best in bullet BC offerings.

And before anybody jumps on me for bringing up BC telling how shots are inside 400 even on elk, BC always matters. High BC translates to less wind drift and more energy delivery.

.280AI or 6.5creedmoor

And Berger VLD Hunting 168 gr G1 BC .604 @2875 fps out of a 280 A.I.

Dropped down a bullet weight and velocity, and it still out does a 270.

Nosler publishes the factory loads at 2960, I was running 2890, but that 180 in your 7 is a hot load. I run that one too but typically 2955 with a long throat

Virgin brass and new barrel I started at 2935.

Nosler factory what bullet at 2960 in what cartridge?

the 150 LR accubonds in the 270 WSM

Alright 2960 at the muzzle. So?

Won't maintain percentage down range.

And I don't trust Nosler's published data anymore than I do 0-bama.

That made me laugh pretty hard haha

www.jbmballistics.com

Go to ballistics, then trajectory and plug in those numbers I posted and see what you see. It will show everything.

The math and science tells the tale.

I just told ya I shot them on deer on video at speed of 2890 on deer at 850. Its math. may take a few clicks here or there gut its doable and has the energy to do it.

In the 6.5s the data is pretty close for the LR Accubonds, in some other calibers not as much. Played a little today with some Nosler ammo in the 6.5-284 not my reloads just thought would try something different since I got them cheap, but those shots are in another thread.

Interesting typo of gut instead of but, at 850 yards a deer has plenty of time to take a step and turn a good shot into a gut shot. Just my thought about shooting long range at game. Steel doesn't move critters do.

I have spent way too many hours running ballistic programs and looking at loading manuals, as well as buying, or building, shooting then selling guns and buying more. I am not finished but today I am a 4 rifle man. I can't do it with one. My everyday rifle has always been a 223 with my handloaded (bulk) ammo and several different ballistic plex scopes. I like long range and dialing, and it works for many situations but the truck gun has a ballistic reticle of some type and a chart taped on the stock in easy view. I have missed a coyote on the run at 100 yds then connected at 400 because of the ballistic plex reticle and the 10 rd magazine. The everyday rifle during deer season has changed several times from 243 to 260 and just recently to 6.5 creedmoor. Creedmoor is now my go to rifle it kicks less than my 260, (a lot less) and there are only 2 oz difference in weight. I bought 129 gr sst loaded ammo for about the same price as brass + bullets so I don't have to reload for a while and it's accurate and the rifle was cheap. My next custom will fill the next role for larger longer game and it will be a custom 300 win mag with 210 bergers and 208 amax. (I have many rifles that fall in between the creedmoor and the 300 win mag but they never leave thesafe anymore. I might do a custom 6.5 creedmoor at some point. I have an accurate 338 Lapua mag that will take care of just about anything else.

Limit me to one gun... 6.5 Creedmoor and I don't really even have to think about that one.

Yeah thats a typing error, not a shooting error. Here are 2 videos sent to me from a customer on a 270WSM that we built as a rebarrel off of a ruger. Think it worked fine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFcEw395Q2c&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qti3f1gM8MI&feature=youtu.be

That round would be there in 1.09 seconds. An fast compound bow at 50 yards would take 2.33 seconds.

Yep! but I have moved to the 22 creed now and not sure I will go back

Just saying a critter can move in a second and make a great shot turn into a not so great shot. When shooting long range with any gun or bow the animal being calm is IMO an important consideration. By the way check your math on the arrow, a recurve can get an arrow 50 yards in about a second, todays fast compound can get 50 yards in just over a half second with hunting weight arrows.

Good videos

22 Creed has to be a good one, have a 22-243 that sure is a lot of fun. Same relationship between the 22 Creed and 22-243 as between the 6.5 Creed and 260 Remington. When it comes time to replace the barrel on the 22-243 it might just become a 22 Creed.

Again I ask. Why build any 270 when there are clearly better performers? Starting from scratch and a guy could build a hot rod for no more money and decides to build a minivan.

No other reason but "becuase I want to".

Much less one when you're tied to one bullet option only.

I am not saying thats my favorite, you know I am a creedmoor and 7 guy, but I don't think its a terrible short action round thats mild recoil and run them in a lighter gun for deer and elk. There are a lot of wsm actions you can get cheap kinda like old 30.06 long actions to do 6.5-284s,

Ok. If I found a WSM action I wanted I'd chamber the barrel for 7 WSM.

Bud of mine has one and it's a baaaaaad mo-fo!

6.5-284 (LA) or 280AI, these are the ones that I would be torn between.

Yep my math was Way off Thats what I get for doing math at midnight


350 Feet ........1 Yard................................................. 1 Second...........50 yards
______ X _________ = 116.66 Yards per second so ___________ X ___________ = .43
1 Second........ 3 Feet ................................................ 117 yard............... 1

I love it, I have it in a bolt gun and the 22-243 in an ar. I prefer the creedmoor cause of the short case and I can run more powder in it. If you look at the Predator masters forum I have a guy over there running 3656 with the creed in a 26 inch barrel just smoking round. I like how flat it is with low recoil and a really easy reload

With a Short action 7mm mag, why go 7WSM instead of 7SAUM? Didn't Win cut the neck short on the wsm to keep dummies from chambering it in a .270wsm, which makes shooting bullets like the 180VLD tough?

Done the 7 saum in the model 7 for Dstroud. thing shoot awesome. Think he ended up with lighter bullets but couple elk one I know was over 700 yards gun working. Brass harder to find. lot of it going to 6.5 Saum

Been easier for me to find factory ammo for the 270 wsm that shoots awesome. Those videos were all shot with factory 140 accubonds back when federal had them in the premium ammo.

One post above - "6.5 Creedmoor kicks ALOT less than 260"

Huh? Laffin!

Shot 22-416s, and even air rifles. Subtle diff in 260 and CM in like weight rifles.

OP - K.I.S.S. - buy a 7mm RM since you have an interest in it.
Yes, BUY - Tikka T3. Have it professionally bedded in a McMillan or Manners stock. Turn trigger down to about 2 lbs, its crisp! Buy a few extra mags just in case, and a good light sling. Now mount a reasonable optic of choice, quality but not a hubble scope. Something topping at 10-12x is all you should want for a rifle scope. You want your cheek tight on the stock - so a 42mm will allow low mounting, and all the performance you should ever NEED. A good bino is best for glassing anyways.

Now after your rifle is set w/glass, get some good ammo rolled w/PROVEN bullets for what you are doing, remember a target bullet is not always best for larger critters....

Thank me later.

Me? I run a 6.5x47, have run many either side of that, and would happily chase anything but large bears in North America w/this round, using a good bullet. If I could not handload I'd run a 270 or 7 Rem Mag. Quality reasonably priced Ammo easier to find in a pinch than many others.

Yes, a 30-06 is never a bad choice proper loaded/steered...and a 308 is on it's heels.

In the end, there is no substitute:

Good Bullet, Thru vitals.
#2 - see above....

Are you serious?? There are different bullets? I thought you just matched up the numbers on the box and went hunting!!

How does he get brass?? Seems very hard to find. Do you neck down 300wsm?

He bought his a while ago. He has noticed it is hard to find.

Might as well go 7 Rem Mag.

It's hard to go wrong with 7mm Rem mag. If I were looking for a powerful 7mm, that's what I would go with.

7mm Weatherby mag is good too, if you are not on a budget.

The 7mm rem mag is a good cartridge I have to admit but look closely at a. Reloading manual and decide if the extremely small ballistic advantage over the 270 is worth the extra recoil... If you want the heavyweight bullets but don't like the 300win mag looking into the 7mm wheatherby. Reloading keeps the cost well within reason.

If he's building a custom he can buy a 1:8.5" twist and run 180 gr. Bergers.

The "extremely small ballistic advantage" becomes a wide margin of ballistic advantage. Even so, most mass produced 7 Rem Mags will run a 168 Berger just fine, which will also make a significant margin of ballistic advantage over the 270.

I'm speaking of hand-loads only of course. If someone doesn't have that option then there may not be such an large advantage.

7WSM

Unfortunately I'm hesitant to use the Bergers as a hunting bullet. You never plan on a bad shot but I would be worried if I made a bad shot and caught a shoulder with one. Aren't they far less effective when hitting bone rather than a heart/lung shot?

I took the advice of a friend of mine that has used them for years. He raved about them, so I went with them. The ultra high BC doesn't hurt either. The shot I killed a bull elk with missed the shoulder and hit vitals, so I can't tell you personal experience of how they will behave on heavy bone. I think if they were a known problem bullet a company like Berger would fix the problem. YMMV

I understand what you're saying but my understanding is that bullet is designed to fragment completely 2-3 inches after initial penetration. That makes me nervous on bone just like I wouldn't want to hit big bone with most ballistic tips.

I understand what you're meaning as well. So the best advice I can give is to avoid the sholder and go just behind it, if possible. And I realize that's not always possible...

Quit reading and try them. They work quite bad azz and I would always recommend shooting a shoulder. I'm impressed with the damage and death they give

So you've done shoulder shots with bergers?

Bone didn't stop mine. I shot a spike Tuesday. Just behind shoulder came out right in the middle of the other side shoulder deer dropped in its tracks. I am shooting a 105 gr Berger hybrid at 3050 fps. And it didn't have any problem with the shoulder on the whitetail.

Walter

.


you just might have a point. I've never used the 168 Berger and my only 7mm REM mag is a off the shelf model 7 that hasn't seen the light of day in a year or two. Think I might have to brush it off and try them.

High Shoulder on this 8pt, DRT, 140gr Berger VLD hunting @ 3000fps, couldn't even see the entrance hole, upon autopsy, his shoulder blades and spine were CRUSHED.

That's awesome buzzsaw! What gun did you shoot the turkey with?

Thanks !! It's Sako Quad Varmint .22lr with Meopta scope. We have SO MANY turkeys on our place we have been instructed to fill our tags. I take both guns to the blind. After I shot the buck, all the other animals stayed (see pic below). I have the .22 sighted in at 50yds, 9" drop at 100. I just held a little high on this hen at 112 yds and she dropped CCI Mini Mag HP's FUN!!!

If you look way off in the distance you can see my "pop up" I hunt it in the afternoons with the sun setting to my back.

Awesome. Did you head shot the hen or to the vitals? I might do the same thing over Thanksgiving at my inlaws place and carry two guns.

Love the Meopta scopes by the way. Great quality scopes equal to much higher priced brands IMO.

Buzzsaw, nice turkey and deer. Considering moving to the Dallas area, like to know where you hunt/shoot, PM if can. Thanks.

OP - came across this... not mine nor do I know the seller.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f25/fs-tikka-t3-lite-stainless-7mm-rem-mag-144096/

Hell I was lucky just to judge the right hold over, maybe, if they are closer, I'll try a head shot. I'm always worried, if I take a shot, there might be a big Axis about to show him/herself and I'll scare them off.

It is fun though..

The Meopta are great optics, a hidden gem in the Optics world...