Caliber Selection Help

T

trooper3385

New member
I have a Remington 700 long action magnum receiver that I'm fixing to mail off to the barrel maker next week for a custom build that I'm working on. Problem is, I'm still not quite decided on caliber. I was dead set on a 264 win mag, but then started debating about going with a 257 Weatherby. I have also considered the 300 Weatherby. ive been stuck on the border for the last week on surveillance and have been reading up on the new 6.5-300 Weatherby that sounds like a beast. Give me some suggestions on calibers. Not limited to just what I mentioned. This will be strictly hunting rifle, so I'm not too worried about being a "barrel burner." It would be used for mainly for white tail, mule deer but I do hunt a variety of game animals. I have several hunts planned in the future, so to keep it simple, lets say deer size to elk size game.
 
I can't get excited about anything 25 caliber. I'd say your initial thoughts are still the best.
 
I've tried to build accurate ammo for a 264 in the past and just couldn't make it happen with the bullets my customer wanted to use(lighter weight-up to 129 grains).
I currently own a Wby Vanguard in 257 Wby but the 24" barrel loses too much of what the 257 is famous for. That rifle isn't as accurate as either of my 25/06 Savages and only marginally more velocity at the cost of 15 grains more powder.
The advantage of the 257 over one of the wildcats mentioned is over the counter ammo. I've had pretty good luck with the "generic-made by Norma" 100 grain 257 ammo. I bought 2 cases of that to use in my first 257 and still have a good supply. If you want to shoot an elk with a 257, the 110 Nosler AccuBond is a good choice IF it shoots well enough in your barrel.
Probably just me, but it seems the 300 Wby is too much of a good thing about 95% of the time--meaning it has more recoil than is prudent for something like deer.
 
You mentioned the 6.5-300 Weatherby and I must say its a beast. It pushes a 140gn load at 3400 fps but dang ammo is expensive at close to $100 a box. As flat as it is in South Texas you shouldn't have a problem reaching deer in the next county.
 
Yep, the ammo for the 6.5-300 is ridiculous at the moment. It was just released last year, so I would imagine it will get a little cheaper but not much. I did reload for all my rifles, but here recently I have had great luck with the Nosler Custom ammo loaded with the accubonds. It shoots as accurate or better (less than an inch) in all my rifles that I was reloading for. I'll buy 3 or 4 boxes when it goes on sale and that last for quite awhile for hunting rifles. I might have to break out the reloading equipment again if I go with the 6.5-300.
I don't have much experience with the 264, but I want to say the more common grain is 140 gr. At least that's what I see the majority of the ammo in. It might have been to slow of a twist for the lighter weight bullets.
While I like the 300 Weatherby round, I already have a 300 win mag and WSM, so I think I have the 30 calibers covered.
 
Any of the above is fine, but if elk is on the menu I'd recommend going to a 270 Weatherby, a 7MM Mag or one of the 300s.
What actually does the killing is the bullet hole, and bullets that hold together on elk do better then bullets that don't. Such bullets of tough construction are much more common in .277, .284 and .308 then they are in .264 or .257 sizes.

This is not to say you can't get good elk bullets in the 25 and 26 calibers. You can.

But you cannot get any 25 cal or 26 cal that will do better than a 27, 28 or 30 cal, and the fact is if we compare apples to apples (or lets say, Barnes to Barnes or Partitions to Partitions) the larger and heavier bullet is always going to penetrate deeper and/or give greater cavitation than the smaller one, at any given velocity.

In the hands of a good shooter and a good hunter it may not matter. Any one will do if you do a good job with the rifle
 
I was unaware (till now) that the 6.5/300 WBy was a commercial round. It's not new, as a concept, Pennsylvania shooters were winning 1,000yd benchrest matches with it as a wildcat, back in the 70s.

When it comes to bullets, and game, high velocity wildcats suffer a bit, due to the majority of the standard game bullets being "overdriven". There are, however work-arounds for that, and as time goes by, normally, someone will craft a bullet to take advantage of the higher velocity.

They hunt moose in Sweden with the 6.5x55, so I think elk with a 6.5/300 Wby is not too far fetched. Might want to look at the 160gr slugs, over the 140s or lighter, though. The Swede 160 RN (FMJ) driven fast enough will punch a hole through anything lighter than a Panzer III, so I think the SP version would do well enough for elk, despite a slight loss of velocity over a full spitzer design.

I'd say yes if you handload, and no, if you don't, primarily due to the cost of ammo vs components. However, if your wallet is fat, then by all means, go ahead!
 
Sounds like a mixed bag--but my over-all reaction is if your chosen chambering is flexible enough to allow you to load up and down in both projectile weight and velocity and still shoot 'em accurately (a very tall order for any rifle) then go with it. ;)
 
A good all around deer to elk caliber would be the 300 Winchester Magnum.

The 300 Win Mag has a very deep following and ammo is available most anywhere, but if you are a handloader, no problem.

Another good choice for all the above is the 300 RUM if you can handle the recoil. With a good fitting straight design stock, that should be attainable.

Both calibers are good to long range hunting as long as you use the right bullets.

Nosler's Accubond fills the bill with that. They can take a close shot without fragmenting and provide good performance at the other end of the distance spectrum. Use the 180 to 200 grain and they will kill deer and elk.
 
The 700 action does not have the best features, finish, looks or performance to select for a custom rifle.

Look at finished rifles of other brands and sell that one.
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Of the calibers you mentioned I would go with your initial thought of the 264 win mag. Shouldn't be punishing to shoot and you have quite a bullet selection should you choose to range it out or shoot at larger game.

If it were my gun if be looking at 25-06, 30-06, 280, or 260 simply because I don't care for magnums and feel any of these cartridges would cleanly take game at 300 yards and allow me to tailor a wider array of loads with less recoil.

It's your gun, go with what gives you a big grin and stop agonizing over it (like I always do:D)
 
Lots of good points and suggestions out there. Thanks for the reply's. I bought this Remington 700 action like 10 yrs ago and have kept procrastinating on getting it built. Im finally going to pull the trigger and get it done, so I'm going to stick with it for this one. I'll probably look for a CRF action on the next. I do have a 7mm Weatherby as well as a 300 WM & WSM. So if elk,bear, moose, larger was on the plate, I would probably go to one of those. I guess I'm kind of looking for something to fill the gap. The .26 nosler and .28 nosler look great on paper and I hope they make it. I think they are a few years out on finding out it the are going to stick around or not. While I have reloaded for all my rifles in the past, these last few years, I have not had the time. The 264 has never been super popular, but it's been around for 50 yrs, so I doubt it will disappear. As long as Weatherby is making their own ammo, I doubt the 6.5/300 will ever disappear also.
 
The difference between 264 Win Mag, 257 Weatherby, and 6.5-300 Weatherby is going to be negligible. .007" difference in diameter, the 264 and 6.5-300 both can launch heavier bullets. All three will shoot pretty flat at about the same velocity. The biggest question is how well is that bullet going to work on elk? Like Wyosmith, I think bigger and heavier bullets work better for elk, and 7mm or 30 cal launches heavier bullets, 338 or 375 even heavier. On the other hand, if you are going to shoot deer, you can kill them pretty easy, no need for a howitzer.
 
Many shooters applaud the ballistics of the 264 magnum which is impressive , but you yourself must realize is those were shot from 24" and 26" barrels.

If you intend to use it for hunting only you should question yourself if you are going to carry a 24" or 26" barrel to a have the same ballistics. If not I would choose a caliber that is readily available and inexpensive , such as a 270, or the very flexible and reliable cartridge , the wonderful 30-06.
 
If elk hunts are simply day dreams or a topic of conversation with friends there is little benefit in owning a elk (belted magnum) cartridge for hunting deer only year after year.
300 mag Winchester is my suggestion. If? elk are hunted many times over one's lifetime. Fine & dandy.
If deer are the primary hunted. A traditional non belted magnum caliber is the most appropriate. ie. 270-30-06-308.

I'm saddened to see a hunter in my area toting a huge elk magnum for deer hunting. I know when he harvests his animal there is more than good chance his high speed bullet will hit or glance off a bone. Causing lots of damaged unusable meat. But~~ I'm not the one eating such a poorly harvested animal so it is what it is. "Bone appétit Mr."
 
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