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good high powered rifle

Posted on 1/17/14 at 11:30 pm
Posted by ninthward
Boston, MA
Member since May 2007
20445 posts
Posted on 1/17/14 at 11:30 pm
ok so I dont know anything about high powered rifles, I want to start to reload for them though, the idea of loading a precision rifle round is fun. any ideas?
Posted by Tigerhead
Member since Aug 2004
1176 posts
Posted on 1/18/14 at 7:34 am to
It is fun. It is expensive to get started. Price per round will be sky high until you break even on the initial cost. Right now components can be somewhat difficult to come by at times. There is also a big learning curve if you want to be successful in loading a round that is accurate out of your rifle. The safety of the round is the most important thing. Years ago when I was getting started, a friend who claimed to know what he was doing helped me load my first box of shells. When I took them to the range I came very close to damaging my rifle. We had loaded brand new cases and he neglected to check the length of the case after resizing. That error meant that the tip of the neck was forced into the area of the chamber where only the bullet should be. So the neck was swedged down onto the bullet causing excessive pressures. All I got was a flattened primer, but when you see a red flag like that, you were very close to causing serious damage or possibly injury. My point is, if you are serious about taking up this hobby, get with someone who reloads a lot! Someone with a lot of experience and technical knowledge. It can be a simple procedure and it can get tricky in a hurry.
Posted by KingRanch
The Ranch
Member since Mar 2012
61614 posts
Posted on 1/18/14 at 7:35 am to
30-06
Posted by Thib-a-doe Tiger
Member since Nov 2012
35459 posts
Posted on 1/18/14 at 7:58 am to
30-06 or .270 is what you're looking for. I know people who like to reload, I just couldn't get into it unless I shot a lot. Even at 40 bucks a box it would take damn near the rest of my life to break even just on rifle rounds
Posted by Got Blaze
Youngsville
Member since Dec 2013
8774 posts
Posted on 1/18/14 at 9:33 am to
quote:

ok so I dont know anything about high powered rifles, I want to start to reload for them though, the idea of loading a precision rifle round is fun. any ideas?


what is your intended purpose ?

deer hunting , target shooting, short range (100-300 yds) v. long range (500-100 yds), varmint/predator hunting, etc....

lots of options ..... 223, 22-250, 243, 308, 25-06, 270, 30-06 ...

ballpark prices
35 - dies
50 - brass 100 rds
30 - powder
40 - bullets 100 rds
40 - primers / 1000 ct
300~400 - reloading kit
Posted by TigerOnThe Hill
Springhill, LA
Member since Sep 2008
6816 posts
Posted on 1/18/14 at 10:05 am to
quote:

any ideas?

Assuming you're also going to be using you high powered rifle for deer hunting, there are a number of good options out there, depending on what diameter bullet you want, how much powder you're willing to burn and whether you want the rifle to have a short or long action. Calibers to consider would include:
25 caliber: 25-06 Rem (30-06 brass necked down to 0.257 diameter bullet).
6.5mm's: 6.5X55 and 260 Remington (308 Win brass necked down to 6.5 mm)
270 Winchester (30-06 brass necked down to 0.277 diameter bullet)
7mm's: 7-08 (308 Win brass necked down to 7mm), 7X57 (AKA 7mm Mauser), 280 Remington (30-06 brass necked down to a 7mm bullet) and 284 Winchester.
30 calibers: 308 Winchester and 30-06.
I'm sure you noticed a recurring theme: all but 2 of these are based on the 308 or the 30-06. For the vast majority of hunting, I don't think a hunter needs a short, ultra or regular magnum. The most useful thing a magnum provides is NOT more "killing power", but flatter trajectory. ANY of these rounds make fine deer hunting guns as they are plenty deadly on deer at typical hunting distances and are accurate. in the current climate of component shortages, it can be very difficult loading for some of the above. For example, I've been looking for 7-08 brass for 5 months and haven't found what I want.
This post was edited on 1/18/14 at 10:23 am
Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
66763 posts
Posted on 1/18/14 at 1:08 pm to
My favorite is 6.5x55 swede, but that may not be the best choice for you.

You can buy a remington 700 in .308 for less than $400 at academy. Find out if you like it first (you will) and you will already have the best platform to start building a custom rifle from. Until then you'll already have a great hunting rifle to learn reloading with.
This post was edited on 1/18/14 at 1:09 pm
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