Not .223 Rem or .308 Win. Probably not .270 either . . .

[TEC]

Years ago, I made the decision to stick with .223 and .308 as my bolt action rifles. I reload and though I enjoy shooting shooting and occasional hunting, I am neither a competitive target shooter nor an avid hunter.

The problem, of late, is that I am having trouble finding quality reloading components in these most popular calibers, so I am thinking of a third bolt action rifle, perhaps CZ or Savage, and perhaps in one of the several 6.5 mm calibers, for general purpose shooting.

For the reloaders out there, any suggestions on which of the "less common calibers" still tend to have readily available reloading components -- (ie, not as subject to the current run on all the common, popular calibers), are know for accuracy, and are in the medium capacity range similar to .308 and a relatively fast twist for a variety of bullets in the 125 gr to 175 gr range?

I am not interested in 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag, etc. and not really anxious to buy a very expensive, custom rifle in an unusual caliber. The largest game I might shoot would be eastern whitetails or ferral hogs.

Specific suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Mike Sr.]

ammo.....

""The problem, of late, is that I am having trouble finding quality reloading components in these most popular calibers""....at this time you're not the only one!


I sure as heck would not buy an odd ball caliber! Do you think you're gonna find odd ball ammo out side a major city?

I'd get a lever action....

 

[WoodchuckAssassin]

I think a Savage in 25-06 would be a nice combination. I haven't started reloading yet, so I don't know how difficult 25-06 components would be to find...but the round itself is under rated, and will do everything you'd need it to do, be it big or small. http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11InternationalTrophyHunterXP

If you wanted to swing for the fences, you could always get something STUPID big like a 375 H&H...but you might not be able to find enough of the animal after you shoot it to make it worth while.

 

[TEC]

Actually, I don't shoot much off the shelf ammo -- I reload. And what I see on line at the usual sources is that any good .308 or .223 bullet is "out of stock, no back order". Where as, with a 100 rounds of Lapua brass and access to online supplies of bullets, I'd be just fine.

Can no longer find my favorite 30 cal Berger 308 168gr VLD Hunters on line, anywhere. And any supply of bulk .224 55 gr bullets are rare as hen's teeth.

Should have said that I am specifically looking bolt action rifle, and a heavy enough bullet to reach out to 200 yards, sub MOA with lethality up to the size of a very large hog (500#)

 

[mooner]

7mm-08?

Not going to run 175 gr bullets all that well, but in general very comparable and common enough to easily find ammo for. Uncommon enough to...um...find now?

 

[TEC]

25-06 is a necked down 30-06, I believe, and therefore, a long action cartridge. It is also and over-bored barrel burner. So if, like me, you you enjoy an afternoon spent sitting down and popping off 50 rounds at the local range, it would be pretty hard on the throat of the chamber over time. That factor was one of the big pluses for the military .223 and .308 rounds. I suspect that the 6.6 mm would also be easier on the barrel over time.

7 mm-08 might be a very good choice. 308 action. Will have to check twist rates and availability. Thanks.

 

[dprice3844444]

243

 

[firesky101]

Bolt: 6.5x55
Semi: 6.5 grendel (brass is the only tough part, but they last pretty well if you are kind with the loadings)

 

[sixgunner455]

.243, .260, 7-08 are all possible to find some components for.

 

[targetshooter22]

Haven't had problems getting components other than primers for 243, and my friend has no issues (other than primers) for his 6.5 Swede. Both are accurate and fun to shoot with less recoil than the big boys.

 

[Kachok]

Bolt: 6.5x55
Semi: 6.5 grendel (brass is the only tough part, but they last pretty well if you are kind with the loadings)

+1 on the 6.5x55 is my all time favorite without question, very flexible reloading much like the 30-06 but much more pleasant to shoot and a little more accurate in general. It is about the perfect level of power for deer hunting inside 400 yards though it's effective range can extend well beyond that. 7mm-08 is a fine choice too, but the reason I prefer my 6.5x55 is because even when component crunches hit I can use everything from W748 to H1000 without skipping a beat, and it matter little if I have to change from interlocks to hot cores or whatever the Swede shoots everything great, load development is simply picking one out of the book and dialing the scope in.

 

[7.62 Nato]

I enjoy reloading, and shooting also. 308, and 223 have been my favorites. I "accidentally" got into 243 and was pleasently surprised by it. It's basically 308 necked down to 6mm (243). The 6mm is long regarded as very accurate. I found the bullets to be a lot more affordable than the 30s. I now also shoot/reload 6x45 which is 223 necked up to 6mm. Even during the shortages I had less trouble finding the 6mm bullets. The prices seemed to be less affected also.

Did I mention they're fun to shoot?

 

[mdauben]

I'd look into either .260 Rem or 7mm-08 Rem. They are both based on the .308 Win case, while not near as popular as .223 and .308 are not too obscure, and provide more than good enough accuracy for casual target shooting and enough power for hunting deer size game.

 

[viking499]

My 3 top rifle choices are 243, 7-08 and 6.5x55. All similar, but different. My last choice is my favorite.

 

[Reloadron]

Actually, I don't shoot much off the shelf ammo -- I reload. And what I see on line at the usual sources is that any good .308 or .223 bullet is "out of stock, no back order". Where as, with a 100 rounds of Lapua brass and access to online supplies of bullets, I'd be just fine.

Can no longer find my favorite 30 cal Berger 308 168gr VLD Hunters on line, anywhere. And any supply of bulk .224 55 gr bullets are rare as hen's teeth.

Should have said that I am specifically looking bolt action rifle, and a heavy enough bullet to reach out to 200 yards, sub MOA with lethality up to the size of a very large hog (500#)

Not .223 Rem or .308 Win. Probably not .270 either . . .

The problem I see is that while .224 and .308 bullets are scarce right now those bullets alone take in a wide range of calibers.

OK, so we look at a cartridge like the 7mm-08 Remington. New problem is the 7mm-08 Remington, 243 Winchester, and the 260 Remington as an example all are based on the 308 Winchester cartridge. They use for the better part the same primer and common powders which right now are also scarce. So unless one can find all the components needed getting a new 7mm-08 rifle wouldn't slve the root cause of the problem.

Little by little this shortage is slowing down with ammunition and components to build ammunition becoming again available. Personally I would just wait things out and stock up as components become available.

Just My Take
Ron

 

[jon_in_wv]

Just pick one you can get components for. Most rifle loads are pretty much comparable especially when you reload. You can load them slower or faster and use whatever bullet type works for your purpose.

 

[denton]

The 6.5x55 is one of the nicest cartridges ever developed. It's just a very sweet balance of characteristics, non-fussy, and widely used in Sweden for moose. The recoil is mild.

On the other side of the ledger, it's an intermediate length cartridge like the 7x57. It won't fit in a short action. That, plus you have to really look to find recipes that load it to its potential in modern firearms.

You can get very similar performance with the 260, and that does fit in a short action.

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

I'm thinking .25-06, 6.5 Swede, or 7mm-08.

 

[Browning]

""The problem, of late, is that I am having trouble finding quality reloading components in these most popular calibers""....at this time you're not the only one!


I sure as heck would not buy an odd ball caliber! Do you think you're gonna find odd ball ammo out side a major city?

I'd get a lever action....

I'm still seeing plenty of ammo for hunting calibers. .243, 30-30, .270, 30-06, 7mmRM and .300WM are all present at the two local Walmarts, BassPro, Academy and Cabelas.

I've also seen some almost all of the other slightly less popular calibers (.260, 6.5 Swede, 7mm-08, .25-06, .280 etc) in stock at Bass Pro as well.

Personally I've always been a big fan of the various 6mm's, so 6.5 Swede or .260 Rem for me.

 

[oneounceload]

I have owned a Swede- excellent accuracy. I also own a 7-08, another good choice. Mentioned above, the 260, 25-06, 243, and add 257 Roberts, 7X57 Mauser are all excellent

 

[Hopkins]

Bullets,brass,primers and powder are in varying short supply for reloaders. Target shooters burn ammo and components and are partial to .224,6mm,6.5mm,7mm and .308 in rifle calibers. The .257's aren't used much by the target shooting community so logic would point you there if you are seeking an untapped bullet supply.

 

[C-grunt]

243 is a great target round and has enough power for deer and pigs.

 

[Abel]

243, 7-08, 260

 

[witchhunter]

.243, 6mm, .260 or how about a .250 Savage or .257 Roberts? Either one would compliment your other two.

 

[InkEd]

The 3 calibers you don't want are the 3 most abundantly available. You can still get factory ammo for them off the shelf in all the box stores.