Ruger Precision Rifle, which caliber?

[GarySTL]

I'm looking at the RPR for general target shooting out to 600 yards and 1000 after our new range is built.

Evaluating 6.5 Creedmoor vs. 243. I've read that 6.5 brass has limited life as do the barrels. Not sure about 243 brass and barrels. I do plan to reload for either one.

I can see shooting up to several hundred rounds a year of both factory loads and reloads.

Any experience appreciated.

 

[MikeInOr]

Personally I prefer the 6.5x55 sweed. It is a little longer, holds a bit more powder, is very accurate and also has little recoil. The 6.5 Creedmoor was designed to shoot 6.5 projectiles from a AR style gun. Since you are buying a bolt action you aren't limited to the Creedmore length like an AR builder is.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

243 will eat barrels as well, lots of powder going down a 24 caliber bore. 1500 rounds is the typical life-span. Brass life is good, its just a 308 case necked down to 243.

The RPR has a fast twist barrel, so the 243 would be a good long range shooter.

 

[MCMXI]

I have a rifle chambered in 6.5CM and there's much to like about the cartridge. I wonder why 6.5 CM has a reputation of short brass life? It might be due to the fact that most brass out there is from Hornady, rather than due to the cartridge itself that runs the same pressure as 308 Win. For ringing steel or punching paper out to 1000 yards it's a good choice.

 

[MCMXI]

and also has little recoil. The 6.5 Creedmoor was designed to shoot 6.5 projectiles from a AR style gun. Since you are buying a bolt action you aren't limited to the Creedmore length like an AR builder is

The CM has a SAAMI max length of 2.825" which is longer than the .308 Win and hardly limiting. As for recoil, the 6.5CM isn't as soft shooting as many make out.

 

[climbnjump]

243 will eat barrels as well, lots of powder going down a 24 caliber bore. 1500 rounds is the typical life-span. Brass life is good, its just a 308 case necked down to 243.

The RPR has a fast twist barrel, so the 243 would be a good long range shooter.

Yeah, of the 3 calibers that the RPR is currently offered in, the .243 probably will have the shortest barrel life. But, I chose it over the 6.5 CM anyway (already had a rifle in .308 and didn't need another just now).

The reason that I chose the .243 over the 6.5 CM was due to the fact that it is capable of shooting the heavy 6mm bullets (with the aforementioned fast twist) and the ballistics of the 105 gr Berger hybrid out of the .243 are a very close match to the 168 gr Berger VLD loads that I already shoot in my 7mm RM. So there is less rethinking when switching between the two than there would be between the 7mm RM and a 6.5 CM. Call me lazy, but...

 

[jmr40]

6.5 Creedmoor.

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/04/25/how-much-does-cartridge-matter/

 

[Gtscotty]

I got the 6.5, and have talked to a couple other folks at the range that have the 6.5, and all of our rifles are shooting an average of hair over half moa with the Hornady ELD 140gr match. That's pretty awesome for a $1,100 rifle and factory ammo in my book. I don't know if there is a lot of good factory long range ammo in .243 out there. I also haven't heard anything about 6.5 brass being soft or particularly prone to short life. My brass only has 3 firings on it at this point, but it looks good, and primer pockets are nice and tight.

 

[Jim Watson]

Think ahead: If you are shooting "several hundreds of rounds a year" of .243 or 6.5, maybe even .308, you will be buying a barrel in 2-3 years and it can be anything you want that fits the action.

 

[GarySTL]

Thanks, you've given me lots to consider and research. More work to do.

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[agtman]

Unless you're going to handload the other calibers extensively, the cheapest cartridge with which to feed a RPR - whether its buying reloading components or factory match-grade ammo - is the .308 variant.

 

[Llama Bob]

I think the reloading situation is pretty good for 6.5C compared to the .308. The 140gr ELD bullets are less expensive here than the 175 SMK. Other components should be similar.

Of the three calibers in the RPR I personally would get the 6.5. I like the ballistics better than the .308 and having good factory ammo support is worth a lot to me.

 

[stoky]

Interesting that they went with a 1:10 twist in the .308, for heavy bullets, rather than a twist for Palma bullets. It looks like the barrels can be changed with AR tools, sort of offsetting some of the downside of going with a barrel burning cartridge.
Purportedly, one of the design criterion for the Creedmore was barrel longevity.
It seems like Ruger is going to hit (yet another) one out of the park with this one.

 

[FL-NC]

You can't go wrong with 308- so many options for ammo, both recipes for roll-you-own, or the factory variety. Also plenty of ballistic data.

 

[Llama Bob]

Interesting that they went with a 1:10 twist in the .308, for heavy bullets, rather than a twist for Palma bullets.

There's no problem with shooting Palma bullets out of a 1:10 twist, but there's no hope of shooting 175s on up out of a 1:13 Palma twist. Easy decision.

 

[agtman]

You can't go wrong with 308 - so many options for ammo, both recipes for roll-you-own, or the factory variety. Also plenty of ballistic data.

Correct. All the Match-type load data for .308 match bullets is known. Not a lot of experimenting to be done. Just pick a propellant that's not sensitive to temp variations (e.g., Varget), pick your match-grade bullet of choice (e.g., 178gn Hornady BTHPs ), consult one of the many .308 load books for match loads using that combination of powder and bullet, and with very little testing and range time expended you'll find one load that shoots little bitty bug holes from your RPR.

 

[Rancher5]

Yeah, of the 3 calibers that the RPR is currently offered in, the .243 probably will have the shortest barrel life. But, I chose it over the 6.5 CM anyway (already had a rifle in .308 and didn't need another just now).

The reason that I chose the .243 over the 6.5 CM was due to the fact that it is capable of shooting the heavy 6mm bullets (with the aforementioned fast twist) and the ballistics of the 105 gr Berger hybrid out of the .243 are a very close match to the 168 gr Berger VLD loads that I already shoot in my 7mm RM. So there is less rethinking when switching between the two than there would be between the 7mm RM and a 6.5 CM. Call me lazy, but...

Plus 243 is only one offered with 26" barrel pick up about 75fps minimum over a 20"barrel ,

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[stoky]

There's no problem with shooting Palma bullets out of a 1:10 twist, but there's no hope of shooting 175s on up out of a 1:13 Palma twist. Easy decision.

................or 1:11, for the conically ambivalent

 

[ZGunner]

I went with the 6.5 Creedmoor as well. I already loaded for the 260 Remington so all I needed was some new dies and a brass supply. I didn't want to dive into brass conversion so I just bought a few boxes of factory Hornady and shot it. The factory loads were very good themselves and the reloads I've come up with have been even better. It's made shooting at my 500 yard range alot of fun. It's definitely the gun I turn to when I'm honing my 300+ skills.

I wouldn't hesitate to get any of them. Pick the cartridge that fits what you want and don't look back.

 

[Gtscotty]

Unless you're going to handload the other calibers extensively, the cheapest cartridge with which to feed a RPR - whether its buying reloading components or factory match-grade ammo - is the .308 variant.

There isn't much difference in equivalent factory match ammo costs for either around here. I can load my 6.5 cheaper than my .308, tough to beat 140 Nosler CC's @ $49.99/250 for performance and cost.

 

[Hopkins]

I'd go with the .243. Factory ammo is widely available in a variety of flavors. The recoil differential is significant to a lot of highly skilled competition shooters so I would consider that. The .243 is hard on barrels but only at hot load levels. You can reload it down if that is a consideration. Brass selection is better (Lapua) for the .243. The barrels will become more and more available for the rifle so the choice is hardly a final one. The .243 holds its own until the wind blows enough to make the heavier and slower 6.5 easier to hold on target. I will admit that a 140gr 6.5mm rings steel louder at 600.

 

[GarySTL]

I do have a Savage 10BA in 308, so I wasn't considering another 308. The rifle's are hard to come by right now, so I'll probably get what shows up first. I have hooks in at two shops at the $1000 range and will just wait to hear from either one. I may find something local as well as I'll be looking around. I'm getting a new hip the beginning of May, so a new rifle will give me incentive to get up and around quickly. It's therapy, right?

 

[agtman]

There isn't much difference in equivalent factory match ammo costs for either around here. I can load my 6.5 cheaper than my .308, tough to beat 140 Nosler CC's @ $49.99/250 for performance and cost.

Good luck on finding 6.5 ammo/components cheaper than .308 in my area.

Common calibers = cheaper; less common calibers = more expensive.

 

[Gtscotty]

Good luck on finding 6.5 ammo/components cheaper than .308 in my area.

Common calibers = cheaper; less common calibers = more expensive.

I can't speak for your area, but around here, 6.5 bullets aren't rare, and I can get the aforementioned 140gr Noslers for $20/100. 178gr Amax's cost me $35/100, and 168gr Nosler CC's cost me $31/100. My case, powder and primer costs are pretty much identical (.308 uses a bit more powder), leaving 6.5 a good bit cheaper to load on the whole.

As for loaded ammo, .308 FGMM runs me $28 at the lgs, and 140gr 6.5 CM ELD match is $29. Both can be found cheaper online with a $3 advantage to the .308. Junk .308 is much cheaper, but if you're shooting the good match grade stuff, the price gap really shrinks, and as good as the RPR's shoot, they really deserve match ammo.

 

[Ks5shooter]

I went with .243 ,as stated before if you burn the barrel up ,you can replace it.