Large bore and wind drift?

bowhunter57

bowhunter57

Well-known member
I'd like to purchase a large bore rifle for long range (800 yardsish) that isn't effected by wind drift as bad as some smaller calibers. This rifle will be used for varmints of all kinds, so terminal effects are of importance.

300 Weatherby, 6.5 x 300, etc. are some of the calibers that interest me, but I'm open to other caliber selection suggestions.

Thank you, Bowhunter57
 
Pick a calibre that has fragile bullets of high BC.

It is the higher BC at a given velocity that has less drift, not weight alone.

Also remember that if you are after live game instead of paper, the availablity of "varmint" bullets are necessary, otherwise you will just ice-pick them, and they will run off and die somewheres else.

I have been shooting a 14.7 pound 300WM with 178 A-Maxs for longrange ferel dogs, but my current project in the works is a heavy barreled .264 WM to shoot the 95gr V-Max bullets... it'll shoot much flatter than any of the the 300s, the bullets are more fragile, and the pounding on the shooter is less /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I would suggest a large 6mm (6mmRem to 6mmx284) or a large 6.5mm of any flavor from 6.5x'06 and larger, with V-maxs.

The BC is high with the V-Maxs so down range velocity/energy will also be high.
 
Good answer---
but everything mentioned so far is technically a medium bore. I'd say most rounds shown in a reloading book from the 25-06 up through the various 300s magnums would fit your specifications.

The 264WM is a great round but fell into disfavor when the bullets of 30 and 40 years ago wouldn't hold together when larger game was hit close in. They just fell apart at higher velocity impacts. For varmints that's just what you'd want but you can get better bullets today.
 
Quote:
Good answer---
but everything mentioned so far is technically a medium bore.



Well... that's surely true I guess. I think it's from the prospective of the size of the game and the ranges desired.

In Africa, the .375 H&H is considered little in some camps - I have one (A Whitworth), and I shoot it often, and can tell you, "It ain't no small bore", but on the other hand, against Water buff, it definitly would be light in the loafers.

So I guess it depends on the game. If you're a farmer in Africa and the Elephants are chewing up your crops, then they would be "varmints".

But I think over here, varmints run from ground squirrels to maybe wolves in the 125 pound range, and it doesn't take 5,000 ftp to kill them.

For ground squirrels, the 25-06 or .264WM with V-maxs is way overkill, and on wolves, the .17 Rem is damn light, though all are "Varmint" guns.

When one talks about 800-ish ranges, then velocity and BC rule the day, and I am one of the proponents of the philosophy of "If some is good, then more is better", but it takes a hell of a gun to throw big bore bullets that fast and that far, and guns like that kill at both ends.

I have and shoot a AR-50 bmg, and it does get your attention when you let it loose.

I would NOT like to use it all day for 800-ish yd varmints.

My own (limited, non-African) varmint experence is from PD's to large (70 pound) ferel dogs, and for those I think 6.5 bore is as large as you need both in terms of attainable velocity, and the availability of usable bullets.
 
here is what I use, its a 7mm Allen Mag (338 lapua AI'd and necked to .284) 30" 1-9 #8 fluted lilja, in a richards 2.5" varminter thumbhole, other goodies are badger lug and extractor, HSP dbm, Holland Brake. shoots groups in the .2's with 160 accubonds, 162 a-max's and the like, at about 3600 fps. its 15 MOA low at 1k with a 100 yd sight in
RR
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h274/wv_Ridge_Runner/6076b629.jpg
The work was done by APS in fort shaw montana, he has a whole line of custom LR calibers from 257AM (338 rum case)
to the 338 AM (408 chey-tac, what a beast). anyone wanting contact info just send me a PM
 
Quote:
... it shoots groups in the .2's with 160 accubonds, 162 a-max's and the like, at about 3600 fps. its 15 MOA low at 1k with a 100 yd sight in
RR




... and the barrel life is???

Sounds like a real piece of work.

What is the barrel live before setback - 700-800 rounds?
 
it according to my smith, who's built 30-40 of these should last 1k-1200 rnds if I use ball powder and take proper care of it. one guy I know has a 270 AM and he's beyond 700 rounds and his throat is showing minimal wear, and he's got a fast twist 3 groove barrel.
RR
 
Wind, is like gravity, you can't beat it, only contend with it:) Whether your shootin a 22-250 IMP or a 155 howitzer, it boils down to distance to target, and time of flight.The longer the amount of time the wind can bare on the projectile till it reaches its target, the greater the amount of drift will occur.
 
Lots of shooters are shooting some titty bitty groups at 800+ with the 6mmBR family. They are using VLD's, most in the 100gr range....It's worth looking at. I've got a 6BRX that is awesome out to 1000.



Gari
 
Most of the 6mm chambers make an awesome 1000 yard round shooting the 105 or 107VLD bullets. They are about as good a BC as you can get without going to something that beats you till it affects your hold.
The 243 was fantastic but the newer slightly smaller chambers get the barrel life up over 1000 rounds which will even get you through the Camp Perry matches.

Jack
 
In line with Jack Roberts' recommendations, Tubb's 6XC comes to mind. It is a blown-out necked-up .22-250. A shooting buddy of mine thinks it is awesome all the way out as far as you want to shoot it. Since he attained High Master with it in NRA highpower rifle competition with a Tubb gun, and also is an experienced Palma shooter (with a .308 of course), I have no doubt he is not blowing smoke.

Another excellent round is the 6.5x284. Low recoil, decent barrel life, available brass (from Norma), and great bullet selection.
 
If bowhunter57 is looking for a varmint rifle (and not a paper punching rifle), and something "large"ish for 800 yds, then the whole family of 6mmXC (and relatives) don't make any sense.

Sure they are accurate at long range, but with 105, 107, and 115 bullets, none of these will open up on critters, so you will ice-pick them and watch them run for the hills or die in the bushes.

And, why go through the troubles for the special dies and the pain in the butt for the 6mmXC when a 6mm Rem will run away from the 6mmXC.

The 6mmXC was designed to fit a special niche' and it does that well, but that does not mean it's good for everything - it has less power than an off the rack .243 and I never heard anyone call a .243 an 800 yard rifle.

For a 800yds varmint rifle, I would consider a long throated 6mm Rem at the bottom end in the spectrum, and the 6mmx284 would be more like it.

And personally (owning a long throated 6mm Rem), I think it's light in the loafers at the ranges that he is talking about, which is why I'm building a .264WM.

I think that the standard 6's (243 and 6mm Rem) are running out of ability at 600 to 700 even in the hands of a good shooter. But that's only my opinion.
 
Quote:
long range (800 yardsish) that isn't effected by wind drift



Nothing is going to buck the wind better than VLD's and no other caliber is more accurate than the 6mmBR family (exception 6PPC and that's less than 300 yards only). Yes, the 6mmBR family isn't considered a large bore. In my personal experiences with the 6Dasher and 6BRX...it offers plenty of energy to knock a "varmint" down at 800 and beyond. Also something else to consider...just exactly what does bowhunter57 consider varmints. When I say varmints I mean small animals.....PD's, ground squirrls, woodchucks. So having the pill open up really isn't that important when you're trying to shoot something that small at that yardage....I can tell what is needed ACCURACY. The pill has to hit what it's been sent to first, then worry about opening up. We're talking about 100gr of lead flying at an animal that is less than 10 pounds. Is that not enough to kill a "varmint?" And so what if one or two do make it back to the hole before they die...are you going to keep the hides.



Gari....my .02 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
If you go over to www.benchrest.com and pull up 1000yd forum they have results giving calibers in light and heavy rifle and what size group,powder and bullet etc. Don't see a 6xc on the 1000yd caliber list will see a 6Dasher/6br in light rifle. The latest result from the April 21 and 22 1000yd IBS Iowa match, 6.5x284 was the leading caliber. You see the results from Camp Perry or 600yd matches see alot of different caliber. If condition are right the 6mm is hard to beat @ 1000yd but wind gets you every time. It's funny but been reading about the 7mm in 1000yd maybe it's time has come. Tim North of Broughton barrel can shoot any caliber at 1000yd but he still shoot a 6.5x284 and he pretty much travels all over the country shooting. I looked at doing something with a 30 cal 240gr SMK for a PD rifle to get me alittle further than the 6.5x284 just going to hold off for a year and see how the 7mm work out. I shoot a 6-284,6rem and 6remAI I really like them as varmit rifles but I always take along the 6.5x284. Well good luck.
 
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