What calibers are light enough but heavy
- Thread starter notbubba
- Start date
All the above calibers are fine, but to spend a day at the range shooting to me says surplus ammo. From that standpoint, .308 is very economical. Much of the military brass is also heavier and reloadable and there is a huge selection of bullets and weights available for the reloader. I've got lots of military 7.62NATO brass and it is excellent. Most of the 6mm, 6.5mm or 7mm chamberings would be fine for hunting deer, but I see more match rifles in .308Win/7.62 NATO.
I agree with riverdog's statements, it feels much better to be able to purchase surplus in bulk for a day at the range! 
But I think that notbubba's original question stated that he would like to try "for grouping at 200 and 300 yards..." so I believe that he is going for accuracy and surplus normally doesn't cut it. I'm assuming 3 or 5 shot groups at these distances would require high quality ammunition. So that would validate a choice such as .25/06, .270, 7mm-08, etc. As riverdog said the .308 can be reloaded as a tackdriver though! But I wouldn't rule out the other mediums and take the .308 just because it is very commonly available and used.
But I think that notbubba's original question stated that he would like to try "for grouping at 200 and 300 yards..." so I believe that he is going for accuracy and surplus normally doesn't cut it. I'm assuming 3 or 5 shot groups at these distances would require high quality ammunition. So that would validate a choice such as .25/06, .270, 7mm-08, etc. As riverdog said the .308 can be reloaded as a tackdriver though! But I wouldn't rule out the other mediums and take the .308 just because it is very commonly available and used.