Armory Sponsor
Posted: 12/23/2012 11:02:51 AM EDT
|
Newby looking to get into handloading for rifles but am not even sure what caliber or platform to select. I am most familiar with pistols and tend to stick with common calibers like 9mm, .45, .38/.357, and .44. I understand that loading for .44 offers a wide range of performance for many purposes. I would not go with something like .41 magnum because it is so uncommon, even though I hear wonderful things about it. I'd like to learn what common rifle caliber offers a similar wide range of performance, including accurate target shooting up to taking medium to large sized game. I would also like components to be relatively common and not difficult to find (under normal, non-panic times). I have an AR but am looking more toward a bolt action platform for best accuracy. Perhaps stated differently, "What is the one rifle cartridge you would stick with for versatility to cover as many purposes as possible?" I suspect this may be too open ended, but I need a place to start. Thanks in advance. |
|
Quoted:
<snip> Perhaps stated differently, "What is the one rifle cartridge you would stick with for versatility to cover as many purposes as possible?" I suspect this may be too open ended, but I need a place to start. Thanks in advance. First answer nailed it, IMO. The 30-06 is a good cartridge for ALL game in North America. .308 would be my second choice. If you decide on .308 and want it to shoot longer bullets, be sure to get a 1:10 twist barrel. Wildcat cartridge brass is going to be harder to find. Some can be made from other common calibers, however (like 300 Blackout from .223 Remington) |
|
The wildcats speak for themselves. You asked about normal utility, so you shouldn't expect to discuss a rarity in the same thread?.......
As for your original post, the .30-06 is still around for a reason. It gives up nothing in terms of performance until the topic turns to energy level or velocity. It fits your bill in terms of the most commonly available round with versatility and good killing capability out to 500 yards with at least 1000 ft-lbs and 400 yards with enough velocity to get solid copper loads to work. If you have much shorter ranges in mind, then the .308 is probably next lower in the line. |
|
This is kinda like asking, "If you could have only 1 tool, what would it be?" To answer that question, and yours, you have to define what the task is, before you can answer which tool is best to use. But to get back to your question, my first rifle was (and still is) a 30-06. It has taken mule deer, elk, jackrabbits, and grouse. My second choice would be a .243 Winchester. I have seen 243s take mule deer, elk, jackrabbits, and prairie dogs.
|
|
Quoted:
Thanks for the recommendations so far. Some people I know have recommended various "wildcat" cartridges. Is there a downside to them? I would guess availability. A wildcat is a terrible place for a new shooter to start unless he has a mentor at his elbow that is an expert with that exact cartridge and the chamber in the rifle. Your first post begs for a .30-06, and I will expand the bullet weight selection down to 90 grains. Not only that, but every bullet weight can be loaded with mild loads to mitigate recoil, create a subsonic cartridge, or simply one for small game. Cast bullets can be used, too. There have even been .30-06 cases loaded with bird shot to take along on hunting trips for killing a bird for dinner, but I haven't seen one in a long time. Components are certainly no problem and everyone knows how to reload this cartridge for best effect. The .30-06 bumps the .308 Win off the pedestal due to the loads available on the heavy end of the range, although I have data for .308 Win that doesn't show up in most manuals, it's running pretty slow, there's just not enough gunpowder available in the case to get better speed (this data is not hard to find). The .308 Win does recoil just slightly less, everything else being the same, because it launches bullets roughly 150 fps slower at best than the .30-06, and the truth is, they both recoil hard at the bench shooting hunting weight rifles. Accuracy is not a discriminator. Shoot quality bullets in quality barrels in either rifle. On the other hand, we have the versatile .223 Remington with bullets ranging from 35 to 90 grains weight and good hunting bullets for white tails weighing 65 to 70 grains. This is a cartridge that is about impossible to hate, but it's talent doesn't range as wide as the two above. |
Armory Sponsor