Help me pick a retirement rifle caliber

Shy of felt recoil. My proposal. ~~257 Roberts.
Potent medicine for anything wild grown down in Dixie. 6mm bullets are to tiny. 7mm -30 cal garner felt recoil. 25 cal j~ust right. ;)
 
remington model 7 in 7mm-08
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I actually know where there is one for sale (I'm talking the original with the 18.5" bbl). Member of my MS shooting forum has been trying to sell one.
 
Forget the deer, like pork?
Hogs, my man!
NV gear at night when it's cool(er)...

What part of the state? If you're anywhere near Manatee County, it has the only 1K yard public range in the state.
 
I actually know where there is one for sale (I'm talking the original with the 18.5" bbl). Member of my MS shooting forum has been trying to sell one.
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that is mine, wood stock with a 18.5" barrel. i shot quite a few with a 7-08.
 
Yea, Tdoyka. I've got that exact same rifle in .260 and I love it. I stupidly let one in .243 go that I had traded for and thought I didn't need. I'd love to buy that 7mm-08 but just can't justify it.
 
CZ527 carbine, chambered in the intermediate recoiling 7.62x39 round --- Cheap ammo available, with a 30 caliber punch for hogs or deer under 200 yards --- Though the Mauser bolt must be worked vigorously.
 
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The energy of the 123 gr. 7.62X39 at 200 yards is about 950 ft lbs
The energy of the 140 6.5 Creedmoor is about 1900 fl lbs

If you're talking punch or energy the 6.5 at 1100 yards equals the energy of the 7.62X39 at 200 yards.

No need to discuss the accuracy difference.
 
I'm a 270 guy now, changed when I moved to Montana (grizzly country), but I hunted deer and elk successfully with my 243. On deer it was like a lightning strike. 100g bullets worked like magic.
 
You might find a WIN 670 bolt on gunbroker..

then rebarrel that to the caliber you want, keeping within the case head type.

The Win 670's were made on the the post-64 long action M70 reciever and barrels.

Just the stock was different wood.

The magazine need to be changed to the case length.

I have a 7mmMag that I reloading, using a different powder that allows me to set the case for essentially being a 7X57 Mauser load.

Good Luck.
 
Well I'm getting closer to deciding.
It's between the two very similar rounds 7mm-08 and 6.5 Creedmoor.

Looks like the 6.5 Creedmoor is a little lighter in recoil. Something to think about 10 years from now that will matter most.
 
Well I was going to suggest .308 Winchester but since you mentioned the 7mm-08 that is another cartridge I am fond of. I retired three years ago at age 63. Today at 66 years old I am doing well but sure as heck no longer have the body of when I was 30, 40 or likely even 50 anymore. There was a time when I was big on the 7mm Remington Magnum and haven't shot that rifle in years, there was also the 444 Marlin and that collects dust in the safe. Heck, I still have at least 400 rounds of 7mm Rem Mag laying around, factory loads.

This summer I shot .308 Winchester and .223 Remington for the most part. I can send a few hundred .308 down range wearing light clothing and I like that. I also really like the 7mm-08 Remington but have not shot any in awhile. My shooting is purely recreational now and I have not hunted in a few years. Heck, last outing with my 03A3 shooting 30-06 Springfield was even a little punishing. Then too I don't have much beef in my shoulders. :) I can't speak for the 6.5 Creedmoor since I don't have one but the cartridge has a strong following. Being the spawn of the .30 TC cartridge it has to be good. Heck, whatever you decide enjoy being retired, it is great.

Ron
 
I live and hunt in south Florida
Most older hunters here use a 243 because of recoil
I use a 308 but may go with a 243 when I get a couple of
years older
308 or 243 is all you need
100 to 200 yards will be what you will shoot at
for deer ( heavy brush and very high grass )
Most hunters here will not take a shot past 200 yards anyway

Florida law prohibits using a 22 to hunt deer
and they consider a 223 a 22 cal.
 
Late in life, I "discovered" the .243 Win as an eastern coyote cartridge and have been pleasantly surprised by its effectiveness on deer.

Last year, I took my Tikka T3 Lite when carrying my portable blind uphill to a good spot for my son-in-law to hunt in the rain the next day. When setting up, I was surprised to see a 140 lb. spikehorn standing in the old snowmobile trail, 190 yards away. One shot anchored the buck where it stood.

I use 80 grain Hornady GMX solid gilding-metal HPs for that and all other cartridges we use for deer in Maine. For Florida deer, 100 grain factory loads should be fantastic.
 
At 264 diameter, 6.5s neatly split the difference between 243 and 284 and since Creedmoors come with a 1 in 8 twist they will handle anything from 70 grains to 142.

243 Win and 708 Rem can't do that. When you get into the heavy for caliber bullets you need a special, non-factory quick twist. There may be some exceptions that I'm not aware of but most factory rifles are 1 in 9 (or slower ) for the 708 and 1 in 10 for the 243.
 
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Retirement

When I retired in 2002, I bought myself an Anschutz biathlon target rifle with a Fortner straight pull bolt. It gets a lot of range time.
 
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