Thread: calibre for short barrel(18-20")longer range(-600m) rifle

What do you guys think re best calibre based off experience for a carbine rifle(superpig as they say)that still has good grunt out out about 6-700ish

currently in the process of load development for my 19" 300wsm super pig hoping it will do the business out to 600ish yards.
likely there are other calibres that will do this more efficiently but this is what I have chosen to work with.

Ive got a 17" 284 win running 162's thats got plenty enough grunt to 700 yards. A 7mm or 300 Saum would also be fine at 20 inch. People have done 20" 7mm Rem Mags which go fine.

300 wsm as mentioned.

With the short cases like the WSM and the SAUM you actually get a little bit extra barrel (for the same total length) over the longer cases like the Rem Mag due to the case being shorter.

If you use a high BC bullet, even if it starts out a bit slower (due to the shorter barrel) it doesn't slow down as fast as a bullet with lower BC, therefore retains more velocity and energy compared to a lower BC bullet.

You could purchase my 21in 300wsm. Plenty of horse power.

7mm and 30 would be the go to calibres for that sort of hunting distance.

308

Show is the numbers

I like where this post is going as I have a modern rifle build planned for the near future

I shoot deer out to 600 yards in my 20" 308. 155gr dyer/berger/tmk/eldm etc

Originally Posted by m101a1

308

This with a quality dial-up scope

284, 7mm SAUM, 7mm WSM, 7mm RM, 300 WSM etc

If you wanna shoot that far accurately I’d go with the 284, 6.5 or 7mm so you get the best bc

my 300 win mag has a 20 inch barrel. it shoots 178s at 2900fps. im happy to shoot anything out to 600+ yards (610 being the farthest iv shot an animal so far) and has plenty of grunt left to shoot further if want to.
magnum calibers with a short barrel will have no problem killing that far you just need to make a load to suit. 2217 works well with my bullet weight and barrel length. find something you like and give it a crack.

18" .308 running 168gr eldm @ 2670fps seems to do a bit of this and that at any range, much better than sst at close range. Just wouldn't use it on a red at 15m in the roar apart from that it's the closest to an all rounder I've found. In the north island the 130s ttsx was my favourite and down here in the south the eldm is hard to beat for everything.

Never bothered 'upgrading' from the .308 as it's been too good to me over the years, can't recall any ammo being inaccurate either.

Reckon a Tikka T3 running a .270/.280 AI/.30-06 with Hornady Precision Hunter ammo would get out to 600m just fine with a suitable scope.

My old 18inch 7mm08 was good from 10 meters out to 550meters on fallow and goats with the 162gr pills.
Longest was a 602meter shot.
Preferred it over my 284 win