Posted: 5/25/2015 4:51:23 PM EDT
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I'm wanting a .308 for long(er) range shooting, and hunting inside of 500yds, I may try target shooting out to 1000 if I get a chance, but most will be inside of 700-800.
I'm torn between a .308 Rem 700 or a .308 AR. If I get a bolt gun, I'll change the stock, and add DBM. What are your thoughts? Please post pics of your rigs. ETA: this will mainly be used for hog and coyote hunting |
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I am newer into the precision game; so take my advice with some salt & pepper. I would just answer the question as if I were in your shoes trying to decide what to buy.
I would define a priority list for the following variables, and then make a selection for a bolt gun vs. AR10 platform: - Accuracy - Speed of Follow up shots / Volume of accuracy - Ergonomics (weight, personal comfort) - Cost - Maintenance For example: -- If you were hunting Prarie Dogs, an AR10 would be a better platform possibly. -- A normal shooter would be able to provide follow up shots and get back on the target quicker with an AR10 vs. bolt gun -- In general sense, a bolt gun will be more accurate for precision shots and longer distance shots than an AR10.(with all things being equal) -- Maintenance on a bolt gun is much easier than an AR10 (not that either are too difficult really) -- Ergonomics of an AR10 vs Bolt comes down to preference. Both offer lots of customization choices, although an AR10 would allow for much easier changes to try out different grips, stocks, etc. -- Cost; I think getting into the initial out of the box Bolt Rifle will be cheaper than an AR10, but if you go to extremes on customization it can be more expensive in the end. For me - I went with a Bolt Gun. I went a little different route than most people, I jumped in head first into an empty pool. Most people don't pick the ownership of their first bolt gun to be (arguably) the best you can buy in the industry. Yet, I would have done the same if I would have went with an AR10 platform. I have owned lots of ARs, but never a bolt gun and wanted to exploit the best I could from one (accuracy). Tac Ops X Ray 51 
I just swapped out the scope from the Nightforce 3.5-15x50 to a Vortex HD Razor 4.5-27x56. So if you are looking for a good scope in perfect condition, I can hook you up with a NF! (Shameless plug!) 
Good luck! Let us know what you decide. Thanks, Mike |
| Look into .243 Winchester. Flatter shooting than a .308 and a vast range of available bullet weights that are perfect for everything from prairie dogs to large deer. A variety of commercial ammo is available pretty much everywhere. If you reload, then even better. If not, you can sell your brass to offset the cost of more ammo (guys are always looking for once fired .243, myself included). I have a Savage 10 Predator Hunter and it's one of the most accurate guns I've ever owned. It has a 1:9.25 twist, but will still stabilize the 105 grain A-Max out to at least 800 yards. Just be sure of the twist on whatever rifle you're looking into. I would not go any longer than 9.25 and 8" would be even better. |
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Quoted:
Mostly coyote and hog, I was thinking about something flatter, but with enough to kill the animals at longer range. What are my options in a bolt gun? Price and availability of the ammo plays a part though. I'm probably not the best source of info since I went full retard into .308. If I were to do it over again, I'd look hard at 6.5 Creedmore (along with other 6mm options) and .270 first. .308 for the most part only saves you money on the milsurp ammo. Decent enough for plinking with an AR at the range. But if you are measuring groups or hunting, it is useless. Good ammo for .308 is pretty expensive. And it's the first thing to dry up in a panick. |
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Quoted:
Look into .243 Winchester. Flatter shooting than a .308 and a vast range of available bullet weights that are perfect for everything from prairie dogs to large deer. A variety of commercial ammo is available pretty much everywhere. If you reload, then even better. If not, you can sell your brass to offset the cost of more ammo (guys are always looking for once fired .243, myself included). I have a Savage 10 Predator Hunter and it's one of the most accurate guns I've ever owned. It has a 1:9.25 twist, but will still stabilize the 105 grain A-Max out to at least 800 yards. Just be sure of the twist on whatever rifle you're looking into. I would not go any longer than 9.25 and 8" would be even better. Good advice, but I would not use a .243 on "large" deer. I guess it depends on how you define "large," but it is marginal on heavy bodied whitetails and mule deer. Yes, you can usually make the kill, but it is not optimal. If you must use it on big bodied game, go with more heavily constructed monolithic bullets like Barnes TXS. Many 6mm hunting bullets are too lightly constructed to penetrate reliably on larger bodied animals. I have a 6mm Remington which has a larger case volume and longer chamber throat. It is also in a medium length action that permits the bullets to be seated much farther out and still work through the magazine. I can push most bullets, especially longer, heavier handloads, up to 150 fps or so faster than the .243. Even so, I would not use it on anything larger than antelope or similar sized whitetails, especially if shots are beyond 250-300 yards, or if shot placement is suboptimal. I agree that faster twist rate is critical to shoot long 6mm bullets accurately. It is, however, superior to .308 for long range target work due to flatter trajectory and higher BC bullets for the same weight. |
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Quoted:
Good advice, but I would not use a .243 on "large" deer. I guess it depends on how you define "large," but it is marginal on heavy bodied whitetails and mule deer. Yes, you can usually make the kill, but it is not optimal. If you must use it on big bodied game, go with more heavily constructed monolithic bullets like Barnes TXS. Many 6mm hunting bullets are too lightly constructed to penetrate reliably on larger bodied animals. I have a 6mm Remington which has a larger case volume and longer chamber throat. It is also in a medium length action that permits the bullets to be seated much farther out and still work through the magazine. I can push most bullets, especially longer, heavier handloads, up to 150 fps or so faster than the .243. Even so, I would not use it on anything larger than antelope or similar sized whitetails, especially if shots are beyond 250-300 yards, or if shot placement is suboptimal. I agree that faster twist rate is critical to shoot long 6mm bullets accurately. It is, however, superior to .308 for long range target work due to flatter trajectory and higher BC bullets for the same weight. Quoted:
Quoted:
Look into .243 Winchester. Flatter shooting than a .308 and a vast range of available bullet weights that are perfect for everything from prairie dogs to large deer. A variety of commercial ammo is available pretty much everywhere. If you reload, then even better. If not, you can sell your brass to offset the cost of more ammo (guys are always looking for once fired .243, myself included). I have a Savage 10 Predator Hunter and it's one of the most accurate guns I've ever owned. It has a 1:9.25 twist, but will still stabilize the 105 grain A-Max out to at least 800 yards. Just be sure of the twist on whatever rifle you're looking into. I would not go any longer than 9.25 and 8" would be even better. Good advice, but I would not use a .243 on "large" deer. I guess it depends on how you define "large," but it is marginal on heavy bodied whitetails and mule deer. Yes, you can usually make the kill, but it is not optimal. If you must use it on big bodied game, go with more heavily constructed monolithic bullets like Barnes TXS. Many 6mm hunting bullets are too lightly constructed to penetrate reliably on larger bodied animals. I have a 6mm Remington which has a larger case volume and longer chamber throat. It is also in a medium length action that permits the bullets to be seated much farther out and still work through the magazine. I can push most bullets, especially longer, heavier handloads, up to 150 fps or so faster than the .243. Even so, I would not use it on anything larger than antelope or similar sized whitetails, especially if shots are beyond 250-300 yards, or if shot placement is suboptimal. I agree that faster twist rate is critical to shoot long 6mm bullets accurately. It is, however, superior to .308 for long range target work due to flatter trajectory and higher BC bullets for the same weight. Exactly why I also mentioned the wide variety of available bullets, because if you're going to hunt large deer (and in Minnesota we're no strangers to large deer) you'll need a bullet that's up to the task and .243 has it. As to shot placement and ethical ranges, etc. that goes without saying, no matter what caliber/game you are using/hunting. |
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Quoted:
Tell me more about the 6.5 creedmoor. Quoted:
Tell me more about the 6.5 creedmoor. 6.5 Creedmoor
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.270 looks like a great choice for your intentions. Ammo for the .270 seems to start at about $.60 a round. The 6.5Creedmore seems to be more like $1 per round. |