Which gun to buy next

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Wendyj

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Since started reloading for 7 mag and 308 I'm thinking of another trade. Have smith and Wesson M and P sport AR. Sits in safe more than it gets shot. Don't reload for it or intend to. Wanting a 7-08 but have considered the 6.5x55. Would be another deer gun. Really like the short bolt on the 7-08. Have owned one before. Not too familiar with the 6.5. I'm certain I can get an even trade on either one. Thought about the 270 but don't know if it can do anything the 7 and 308 can't do. Shucks, I'm just looking for another gun to reload for. Would like the Ruger 77 in the 7-08 but it seems the 7-08 and 6.5 tend to be found more in the Ruger Americans. Few Remintons in 7-08. Any advise on good twis rates or specif rifles in these 2 calibers?
 
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Im about to build a 6.5x55 off a Savage 110 30-06 action. Lots of barrel makers make them. My M38 is such a great shooter, I really want to see what a modern action and new barrel will do for the caliber.
 
If you are buying off the shelf rifles I doubt you will find much variation in twist rates per caliber. The only time it would be an issue is if you are looking for a long range specialty rifle with a fast twist for extra long (high BC) bullets.
The bullet weight difference from a 7-08 to a 6.5 isn't very large in big game bullets. The cases don't have the high capacity to drive the heavy bullets and the difference on the light side is only about 15 grains if that. The important thing is that you enjoy which ever new gun that you buy.
 
I've never been hot on the 6.5x55, but the 7mm-08 is a great modern cartridge. A female neighbor has a Rem Model 7 synthetic and I'm very impressed with both performance and accuracy.

After pillar-bedding the factory stock, the one I sighted-in with 140 grain factory Core-Locts shot a perfect clover-leaf with all shots touching - dead center in the bull at 100 yards. I also shortened the stock about 3/4" for the woman and re-used the factory pad.

If I wasn't so heavily invested in the .270 Win, I'd seriously consider it as my primary deer caliber.
 
Between the 7 mag and 308 you don't really need a different cartridge for anything in NA. The possible exception would be large bears, but even then the 2 you have would work with proper handloads. The advantages of 6.5 and 7-08 over 308 are small.

What you don't tell us is anything about your rifles and how they are set up. That is more important than the cartridge stamped on the barrel. To simplify things I could pick almost any cartridge, 270, 280, 30-06, 300 mag, 7 mag, 308, 7-08 etc. and build 3 very different rifles all in the same chambering. Set one up as a general purpose rifle with a 22"-24" barrel at about 7.5-8 lbs with a versatile 3-9X scope on it. Build a 2nd with a 26-28" heavy barrel and scope it with a high magnification scope for long range work and a 3rd with an 18-20" barrel with a 1-4X scope set in a lightweight stock weighing 6-7 lbs for tree stands, mountains, or thick brush hunting.

By hand loading I can choose different bullets and get very good results with any one of the above cartridges as well as several others. I'm partial to 30 and 7mm calibers because there are so many options for good bullets but you can pick one. Staying with the same cartridge simplifies reloading components and data.

Based on what I see I'd keep the 7 mag as my long range gun and buy another 308. But buy one set up very differently than what you already have. You could do the same and go with a different caliber, but you'd gain little or nothing and have the time and expense of buying different components and developing new loads.
 
7 mag is Remington 700. 26 inch barrel. 1-9.5 twist. I think. Older 700. Topped off with 2-10 scope.

308 is Stainless Tikka T3 Light. 6x20x50 Vortex viper. 1-11 twist. 24 inch barrel. Going to upgrade to Nightforce when cash allows.

30-30 1981 made Winchester. 2-7 Redfield.

Ar 15 Smith M and P sport. Sight mark red dot.

That's it for rifles. Have a 2.5 to 10 Zeiss conquest to mount later. One leupold Var x III 3x9x40. To mount later

6 hand guns
Bersa Thunder 380
Fnx 45
Smith 686 plus
Ruger sps 101
Colt defender 1911
Glock 27
 
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You could always build a 6.5 Creedmore. Im having one built on a turk mauser action with a 24", 1-8" twist for high bc bullets....I think it's the very same case as .308, so brass isn't an issue..you already have a scope for it, after Nightforce purchase, put the Vortex on it...I plan to hunt and target shoot with mine so Im looking into light stocks right now.
 
I have a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08 that is just a joy to carry, and shoot. It is about the perfect size for that cartridge. So much so that I also got one in .243. I'd love one in 6.5x55 but they don't make it for that action length, although Remington did make a 700 Classic one year. They are always pricey and longer, heavier. If you like the 6.5mm cartridge then try a Model 7 in .260 Remington.
 
I'm pretty sure the 6.5 Creed case is based on an Ackley Improved version of that Savage case.

I have a Tikka T3 Lite in 260 and am quite fond of it. Shoots great. I do like that the parent case is the 308. There should always be brass available.
 
Wendyj said:
Have smith and Wesson M and P sport AR. Sits in safe more than it gets shot. Don't reload for it or intend to.
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I don't really understand this, the .223 is what got me into reloading. Before I bought my H&R single shot in .223 all I owned was a .22 LR and .243 Win, I shot that little H&R Handi rifle so much that I paid for my reloading kit the first year. I realize that reloading on a single stage press for an AR isn't the most fun thing to do, but it can be done rather quickly. On a single stage press I could knock out 1K rounds of .223 in about 10-12 hours of reloading during a work week so I could hit the prairie dog towns on the weekends.

Wendyj said:
308 is Stainless Tikka T3 Light. 6x20x50 Vortex viper. 1-11 twist. 24 inch barrel.
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I remember you asking about this scope, and I gave advice there on it as well. You never said what kind of rifle you were putting it on, I'd be pulling that scope off of your .308 and put the backup 2.5-10 Zeiss Conquest you have on it. That's a much better scope for a deer rifle than the Viper you have now.


With your current stable of rifles you really don't need another "deer gun". You have actually deer and larger covered from dense brushy country to wide open plains and desert hunting, so adding another 7-08, 6.5X55, or other rifle isn't going to do anything better than what you already have. So what you really need is a range rifle that's going to allow you a bunch of trigger time and improve your shooting with your current stable of rifles.

With your current stable of hunting rifles I'd be looking for a good bolt action .223 in a varmint/preadator style. That's the rifle I'd put your Vortex on, and buy a set of dies and start reloading for. You'll be able to put a ton of lead down range cheaper than buying anyting else in a larger caliber, and it will improve your overally abiltity shoot because of the affordabiltity to pracitce.

Buying in bulk (and local on powder and primers) I can relaod my .223 cases for $0.20 a round for FMJ bullets. If I use a style of bullet like a ballistic tip I can do it for $0.27 a round. If I'm buying cheap steel cased ammuntion I'm still paying $0.24+ a round and quality bullets like Hornady V-Max, Nosler BT, and Sierra BK will cost you $0.45+ per round.

Just a little food for thought!
 
The vortex is only on it now so I can go try some distance with it. Zeiss will go on during hunting season. Old eyes don't see quarter size targets as good as they used too. 6.5 power too much for hunting. Won't take but 5-6 rounds on scope change to zero back in. The Zeiss is my go to hunting scope. Have one on the 7 mag now. Husband has it on 338 ultra mag now but rarely uses the Sendero here. Too heavy to carry all day. He uses the 7 mag as his primary rifle here. The 223 he bought a 1000 rounds in bulk about 10 years ago. Probably eat up a few hundred here and there. It does just sit in the safe mostly. Has red dot and close up laser. He wanted to scope it but doesn't want front sight off and new gas block. Tried an older 2-7 Redfield that we have on a Henry 22 on it but it ghosts out with the sight on it. Barrell supposedly has 1-8 gain twist on it. Never used for precision but shoots some silhouettes out to 200 with it.
 
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Own several 6.5x55 rifles. Two are military action ones and other is built on a Savage/Stevens 200 action. They shoot well for accuracy and the recoil of them makes them enjoyable to shoot from benchrest.

With the Stevens action 6.5x55, I've had a minor problem using European brass in it due to the rim diameter being made to its original specs. American brass, such as Winchester or Remington has a smaller rim diameter. In short, bolt head face of my Stevens is a might tight for the European brass's rim and I have a habit of removing some of the rim to a smaller diameter. One of these days, I'll open up the bolt face of the Stevens. Mentioned this problem to a fellow shooter who'd built a 6.5x55 on a Savage action and he will open up his bolt face to accept European brass better.

Keep this in mind about the 6.5x55 reloading info found in most manuals. It is based on shooting in model 94/96/38 Swedish military rifles. A modern commercial action 6.5x55 rifle can handle higher pressures better. To give you an example. Alliant's load data for the 6.5x55 cartridge shows one for a military action and another for a commercial action. What is max load for a military rifle, is lower than the start load for a commercial action rifle. Shoot with a gent who has a custom BAT action 6.5x55 long range rifle that sends bullets downrange with a heck of a velocity for a 6.5x55 rifle. Mind you, his 6.5 cartridge is kinda an A.I. improved one.
 
i have custom 6.5-55 with a cut rifled krieger barrel,i love it

but the 7mm-08 is great too

the 6.5-55,.260 rem ,7mm-08,6.5 creedmore and grendle,7-57 mauser are all about the same and why the last 5 mentioned guns were invented ill never know.

even the 6.5-284 norma only bests the 6.5-55 and .260 rem but 100 fps.

if people wanted better than 6.5-55 then what was wrong with the .264 win mag that only burns barrels with the 120 gr
 
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