Alpine Rifle - Factory Ammo

Time to start dreaming up ideas on rifles with the lock down in place.

What are peoples opinions on what would be a good option for a shortened, suppressed alpine rifle. Essentially a "Super Pig" - 20 to 22 inch barrel - 600y maximum.

The kicker is that it would be with factory ammo only, no reloading.

6.5 PRC seems like it could be an option, although it might not have the knock down of the 7mm and 300 magnum calibers but might be nicer to fire in a lighter, shortened package?

Haven't had any real world experience with them so would be keen to hear peoples opinions if they have.

Currently have a 26inch barreled 7mm rem mag with a suppressor, but just toying with ideas of a more compact and better balanced rifle still capable on the tops with factory ammo.

Tikka 7mm rem mag shortened to 20 - 22 inches suppressed. I have just chopped mine to 21 and done a load for it, but even with factory ammo it would do everything you need plus more. I have a video on mine in the making but with the lockdown that won’t be out for a bit longer now

I have just had my replacement for my Total POS Custom 6.5 SAUM come back from having the barrel chopped from 24 to 20 inches and suppressed. Its a 300WSM, planning on handloading the 175gn TLR projectiles or using 200gn Hornady Precision Hunter factory ammo.
No idea on speeds for either as Lock-down may prevent any testing over next month

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Originally Posted by stagstalker

Tikka 7mm rem mag shortened to 20 - 22 inches suppressed. I have just chopped mine to 21 and done a load for it, but even with factory ammo it would do everything you need plus more. I have a video on mine in the making but with the lockdown that won’t be out for a bit longer now

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I agree with stagstalker, my Tikka 7mm rem mag has a 21inch barrel is 26inches including suppresser. I find it very well balanced even for offhand shots and recently tried the new Sako factory ammo with the 165gr tipped gameking, two shots virtually in the same hole at 100mtrs is good enough for this boy, and there was a good bugger at the range who let me fire those two shots through his crony which came out around the 2730fps mark.
Now i know a lot of people will scoff at those velocities but at 600mtrs/ 650yds it still has 1330ft-lbs of energy and its only a couple more clicks on the turret to make up for the slow speed.
cheers

Ive just grabbed a 300wsm for this very reason. I dread the thought of chopping a rem mag down to 20. Alot of threads on here have shown the wsms responding alot more favorably. You're still getting good speeds out of the 7mm mags etc but using a heap more powder to do so. Then again I dont like cutting barrels full stop.

For those interested my 7rm is running a 162 ELD-X at 2950fps from the 21” barrel. That MV is yet to be calibrated at distance which is the final part of my video to come. My mate has a 7rm with 20” barrel shooting same projectile at 2970fps. The 7rm does damn well even when shortened and the higher BC projectiles allow it to perform. Even with factory ammo going slower at say 2700fps as mentioned above, that higher BC caliber makes it more then enough for all your hunting ranges.

Start reloading and get a 284 :thumbsup:
Failing that 300WSM, or even a 3006 if you stick with 22in bbl

What about the 3006 ?
Good range of factory ammo and moderate recoll but legendary knockdown.
I wouldn't shorten it too much, keep at 22" but slim profile like a T3 liteweight and if you can see your way clear to no suppressor it would balance and carry nicely. You won't be doing much range work with it will you?

Something based on an ‘08 case would probably be adequate to 500-600yd with ELD-X ammo and the right scope. 6.5CM, 7/08, and 308 are all viable options, with a lot less recoil and barrel-raping than the magnums

Haha yeah 284 would be great. Its a shame there is no factory support for it or any other short action 7mm with a bit more grunt than the 7mm08.

Reloading though sounds like you could make whatever caliber you wanted work, like the Duleys 270 etc and all the cut down 7mm rem mags like stagstalkers.

300wsm would seem like a great option, might just kick too much for me in a light and shorter barreled suppressed rifle.

Perhaps the 7mm rem mag cut down could just be a good option, running 154gr Superformance or 162 precision hunter ammo. Just thought something like the 6.5 PRC might be better suited to a chop as it is more of a short action cartridge? Not sure if that holds any truth in it or not. Also not sure how the recoil compares between the two or any real world practicality in it and whether the 6.5 projectiles would be suitable for anchoring down Red Stags and Bull Tahr beyond 400.

I hadn't really considered a 30/06, that could be worth looking into, and correct, I wouldnt be doing much time at the range with the rifle.

Cheers for all the feedback guys. The dreams and ideas continue!

I cant even see that far

I thought of this exact thing last year and decided a 6.5 prc with 22inch barrel would fit the brief perfectly.

My vote goes to a 20 inch 300wsm

Are you back in NZ @GlenM? I'm not too far down the road and have all reloading gear for 6.5PRC and 7mmRM (and a few others) so could probably work something out to allow you to handload if you wanted?

Of course after the lock down expires!

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Originally Posted by The Claw

Are you back in NZ @GlenM? I'm not too far down the road and have all reloading gear for 6.5PRC and 7mmRM (and a few others) so could probably work something out to allow you to handload if you wanted?

Of course after the lock down expires!

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Hey mate, thats an awesome offer thanks! I am still overseas at the moment (unsure how long now with everything going on). Thank you once again though, and when I get back and put plans in to action that could be a great option.

19-20" 300wsm tikka. Shoot 178gr eldms at 27-2800fps and you will be crunching animals from close to far. Important thing is having a good suppressor.

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Originally Posted by Huntfisheat

NZ Hunters DPT canned .270

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Looking for something that ideally would be best suited to the task being able to use factory ammo.

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Originally Posted by GlenM

Looking for something that ideally would be best suited to the task being able to use factory ammo.

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300WSM of the choices listed using good quality factory ammo

Duleys used federal premium 130gr tbt in their 270 superpig. Spoke to Greg and he said it outperforms 708s and 308s in shorter barrels if you are going factory ammo route.

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Originally Posted by stagstalker

For those interested my 7rm is running a 162 ELD-X at 2950fps from the 21” barrel. That MV is yet to be calibrated at distance which is the final part of my video to come. My mate has a 7rm with 20” barrel shooting same projectile at 2970fps. The 7rm does damn well even when shortened and the higher BC projectiles allow it to perform. Even with factory ammo going slower at say 2700fps as mentioned above, that higher BC caliber makes it more then enough for all your hunting ranges.

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Hey mate that's good velocity from a 21 inch barrel , after I had mine chopped I was a bit worried I'd lose too much performance so good to know what a good hand load will do.

Hi all, just thought I’d put up what I ended up doing if someone is searching the forum with this same query and looking for more data or wondered what happened

I decided that the cheapest/easiest option would be to cut down my 7mm rem mag as many suggested.

Took it to Mountain Precision in Queenstown and Dan cut it to 22 inches, put a few different brands of factory ammo through it and chronographed them to see which it shot best and sighted it in. Extremely happy with the service.

162gr Precision Hunter ended up being the most consistent with average velocity of 2867.

Would highly recommend the service he provided for anyone looking to do similar with factory ammo and want to know what shoots best without having to go out and buy different boxes of ammo to find out. And you get the exact velocity to calculate drop charts too as opposed to guessing.

The 6.5 prc is a pussy to shoot unsuppressed would be even softer with a can , but if your not reloading ammo is a problem . My mates short 19 inch 7mm mag even with a can is a noisy prick of a rifle and its not the most pleasant to use . Im running an unsuppressed 284 with a 24 inch barrel and it fits a good balance of grunt vs boot in a light rifle . Seeing how you said you want one that has factory ammo ,plus reasonable grunt how about a 280 ai ticks, the boxes .Just my 2 cents

Nice to hear what youve done Glen.

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Originally Posted by wayno

The 6.5 prc is a pussy to shoot unsuppressed would be even softer with a can , but if your not reloading ammo is a problem . My mates short 19 inch 7mm mag even with a can is a noisy prick of a rifle and its not the most pleasant to use . Im running an unsuppressed 284 with a 24 inch barrel and it fits a good balance of grunt vs boot in a light rifle . Seeing how you said you want one that has factory ammo ,plus reasonable grunt how about a 280 ai ticks, the boxes .Just my 2 cents

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What can is he using? The 20” rem mags i’ve used with DPT and Hardy cans are good as gold

A few years back there was a good video of “Dr Watson” on YouTube shooting a 20-21 inch 7mm Rem Mag out to distance on goats.

Well worth viewing.

@GlenM glad everything’s worked out for you.

Hot barrels 👍

Stagstalker its a greystone . With a 162 handload . I dont if its just this one but its noisy . Having said that the guys i hunt with that use suppressors are not using magnums bar him ,so maybe im used to non magnums . But i was not impressed with it .

May I ask why you were so ( & many others on this thread ) are so obsessed with having an suppressed tops gun.

As a alrounder ( bush, slips & tops gun ) then yes a suppressed magnum is great, but for a tops gun a suppressor is just a cunt. You shorten your barrel, lose speed & fuk up it's balance just to reduce some noise, a decent directional brake is a hundred times better. You're hunting at range so have time to plug ya ears, it's far lighter, reduces recoil & while it seems loud to you it defuses the sound of the gunshot around the hills - animals have no idea where the shot came from ( unlike a suppressor ) & normally you'll only be shooting a couple of rounds off so it's not a problem at all.

All my LR tops guns wear Terminators & it I need to bush shoot while up there & just unscrew it.

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Originally Posted by Philipo

May I ask why you were so ( & many others on this thread ) are so obsessed with having an suppressed tops gun.

As a alrounder ( bush, slips & tops gun ) then yes a suppressed magnum is great, but for a tops gun a suppressor is just a cunt. You shorten your barrel, lose speed & fuk up it's balance just to reduce some noise, a decent directional brake is a hundred times better. You're hunting at range so have time to plug ya ears, it's far lighter, reduces recoil & while it seems loud to you it defuses the sound of the gunshot around the hills - animals have no idea where the shot came from ( unlike a suppressor ) & normally you'll only be shooting a couple of rounds off so it's not a problem at all.

All my LR tops guns wear Terminators & it I need to bush shoot while up there & just unscrew it.

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What he said.

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Philipo

May I ask why you were so ( & many others on this thread ) are so obsessed with having an suppressed tops gun.

As a alrounder ( bush, slips & tops gun ) then yes a suppressed magnum is great, but for a tops gun a suppressor is just a cunt. You shorten your barrel, lose speed & fuk up it's balance just to reduce some noise, a decent directional brake is a hundred times better. You're hunting at range so have time to plug ya ears, it's far lighter, reduces recoil & while it seems loud to you it defuses the sound of the gunshot around the hills - animals have no idea where the shot came from ( unlike a suppressor ) & normally you'll only be shooting a couple of rounds off so it's not a problem at all.

All my LR tops guns wear Terminators & it I need to bush shoot while up there & just unscrew it.

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I did consider a muzzle brake but this is my all round rifle so "As a alrounder ( bush, slips & tops gun ) then yes a suppressed magnum is great" applies.