Thread: LR gong options

so I am looking at getting a 2nd barrel for the short action Savage to use for medium/long range gongs (200yds - 1000yds+).

will probably be a criterion, so up to 29 inches

either 6.5 in 1:18 (creedmoor, x47 or 260) or 7mm in 1:9 (708)

then I can chop the factory barrel to 14" as a bush pig.

I dial for both elevation and windage. Reducing margin of error on windage is the primary aim here.

Now for the questions:

i am already set up for 7mm08 reloading, and have a stash of 162 amaxes and 7mm08 brass. Pretty much any way I swing the numbers, it looks to me that a 162 amax running at 2450 or above, is going to come out as close as damnit to the top-end 6.5 performers like berger vld 140 or amax 140 @ 2800. Am i missing something here ?

what barrel length and profile would you go ? It is for occasional carry, but I do not intend tramping for days. Typical gong compo involves between 2.5 and 10km of walking with a daypack. is there any real benefit beyond 26" ? i would prefer to stay away from fluting ?

You are missing the 142 6.5 lrab. But so is everyone else ha ha!!!

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My advice is the further away you will be shooting the gong the thinner and harder it should be so it "rings" and it may even swing with 30 cal and up

Eben look at the 284 and even if you want to chop if, greg duleys seem to go alright out of a short 16" barrel. A 7mm08 will never push the heavy bullets (168, 180gr) fast enough to make it worth while, chop it to 26 or 28 at the minimum and job done.

or you could look at the 6.5-06, 6.5-284 or 6.5 saum they will all send a 140 at 3000fps no trouble. Theres a company in the usa making 160gr 6.5 vlds if I could put the effort in and get some in, they will no doubt give the 7mm bullets a run for their money. I ran a few calcs and in the wind, a 168 has only a very slight slight advantage in wind drift over a 6.5 140 at similar speeds.

I don't know if id bother with a short action 6.5, they go best in a long action. Barrels are consumable really, and 1000 rounds is a lot of shooting, mines got 380 down it already

Medium contour barrel ish. even at 26 inches, is still ok for a few hours walk id never take my 6.5-284 on a long mission just around farms and what not

stay away from a 308, unless you want to run 200+gr's but youll know all about that

just my opinion though, haters gon hate

26" is good. I have 27" on my 6.5creedmoor. And stick with the Remington varmint profile or profile number 4. If you are gona walk a bit.Mine is a Remington varmint profile and can handle 12-15 consecutive rounds with no problem.
If you go with 6.5 .make sure it is a1 in 8 twist as the 1 in 8.5 don't always stabilise the heavier pills.
7mm should be good as well.

@scoped, should have mentioned that I am at mag limit for 162, so with 284 I would need to single feed, not optimal for gillie comps. Stuck with the short action unless I win the lotto !

I would prefer to stay away from the "consumable" barrel calibers I.e. 6.5-284, saum a etc - then you are looking at 3500-4000 + per barrel at optimal performance. And probably another 500-1000 if you set it back?

Currently running 162 amax at 2345 out of a 20 incher, so assuming 20fps per inch, going up to 26 I should get a good 100-120 fps, by which time the 7mm amax gets pretty close to 6.5 in terms of windage. Longer barrel also means I can experiment with 2213c etc.


@Bagheera @Gillie ... Wise words from your side ?

You way over think it mate.
Go buy a sako, new or second hand rem mag, job done.
In fact any brand will do the job, you don't need anything flash or "custom" for what you want to achieve.

Originally Posted by ebf

@scoped, should have mentioned that I am at mag limit for 162, so with 284 I would need to single feed, not optimal for gillie comps. Stuck with the short action unless I win the lotto !

I would prefer to stay away from the "consumable" barrel calibers I.e. 6.5-284, saum a etc - then you are looking at 3500-4000 + per barrel at optimal performance. And probably another 500-1000 if you set it back?

Currently running 162 amax at 2345 out of a 20 incher, so assuming 20fps per inch, going up to 26 I should get a good 100-120 fps, by which time the 7mm amax gets pretty close to 6.5 in terms of windage. Longer barrel also means I can experiment with 2213c etc.


@Bagheera @Gillie ... Wise words from your side ?

7mm-6.5×47 Lapua — New Mid-Sized Wildcat Cartridge Tested « Daily Bulletin

consider this,

a few people I saw feeding single shot at the field shoots, @lost did and still kept well within times. I reckon, 284 is your only viable option to be honest or the above

3-4000 rounds, check 6.5 saum reviews on snipers hide, a lot of positive feedback about barrel life. and 1000 rounds is a shit load of shooting, probably get 3-4 years worth out of gong shoots and what not. throat burning will happen no matter what the caliber its more to do with how many your putting down in a string, like 5-6 rounds is really a game changer? lets be honest

I can get 2300 with my 12 inch 308 and 168 amax, so with your 7mm08, probably get 2600ish at the max which is fairly pedestrian, why not try the 140 7mm vlds? in hunting terms a 162 will still retain a lot of energy for a long shot, but steel plates, all we want is a hit or miss

there is always the humble 6.5x55, sell the savage buy a tikka load her up and boomfa, even with std 22" barrel I am getting 2840fps with 140s

24-26" 6.5 barrel in .260 and launch the 140 Bergers.
You can neck down your 7-08 brass if you go the .260 route.
Less recoil than the 7mm option and will smash gongs way out past 1000m with ease.
Brads is right, stop overthinking stuff but I wouldn't say you need the Rem mag for what you want to do.



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First off, you can single load in any of my comps. A practiced competitor, familiar with their gear and rifle will not be at a significant disadvantage using a single shot. Every year i have run our long range Woodstock 1000 it has been won with a single shot rifle - including this year.

In a medium action i think the 6.5mm caliber will do what you want easier than a 7mm. Yes, a 7mm08 pushing a 162gr AMAX at 2650fps will slip through the wind just a little easier than a 139gr scenar at 2800fps... The difference is something like a whole 0.1MIL or one click worth of windage. I think you will find it easier to get the 139gr to that speed than you will a 162gr projectile. Any of the 6.5 options (6.5x47, 6.5Creedmore, .260Rem, 6.5SLR, etc.) are pretty good and all are certainly good enough. Don't overlook the 6mm calibers as well. Shooting 108gr to 115gr projectiles they certainly perform.

Barrel burners - running a 6.5mm hot you won't get 3500 rounds out of it. I started noticing a significant drop in accuracy in my .260Rem at about 2500 - that said my 130gr bergers are doing well over 3000fps in a 26" barrel (run that against your 7mm08/162 AMAX and see how it compares!). A hot 6mm won't even last that long. The 7mm will likely give you a little more barrel life. Personally if you are worried about the life or cost of your barrel you might want to have a closer look at the game you are getting into. A shit hot scope will likely set you back the cost of three re-barrels!

Barrel length - personally i wouldn't go over 26" for a rifle i would be expected to carry for any sort of distance. Any of the medium contours will do. I have no idea what contour the sako varmint profile equates to but i use that contour - mainly because it fits my sako. I wouldn't recommend fluting either to be honest - and definitely not on a stainless barrel. Don't underestimate a suppressor on a non-magnum caliber either. I would prefer a suppressor over another 3" of barrel any day. Magnum calibers i think a brake works better on anything other than a bullpup rifle.

Personally i think the shooter almost always makes the difference over the caliber - a good shooter who can call wind will beat an average shooter with a shit hot caliber AND a good shooter with a shit hot caliber should clean up. Hence why i typically recommend new shooters wanting to get into the game get a standard caliber, with standard chamber that won't loose completely on the re-sale value. Once you have been to a few shoots and seen what works for you then get a custom rifle if that is what is going to float your boat.

Originally Posted by ebf

@scoped, should have mentioned that I am at mag limit for 162, so with 284 I would need to single feed, not optimal for gillie comps. Stuck with the short action unless I win the lotto !

I would prefer to stay away from the "consumable" barrel calibers I.e. 6.5-284, saum a etc - then you are looking at 3500-4000 + per barrel at optimal performance. And probably another 500-1000 if you set it back?

Currently running 162 amax at 2345 out of a 20 incher, so assuming 20fps per inch, going up to 26 I should get a good 100-120 fps, by which time the 7mm amax gets pretty close to 6.5 in terms of windage. Longer barrel also means I can experiment with 2213c etc.


@Bagheera @Gillie ... Wise words from your side ?

What powder? 2345 seems pretty slow. I was using 44.5gr of 2209 loaded to mag length 2.80in and getting 2600 easy with a 22in barrel. If you go 26in you might be 2750ish.

Shooting side by side with you and Gillie at the Tarata medium range shoot, it was noticeable that his .260 with 140 gr consistently needed less windage than my 7mm08 with 140 gr. I think you had 7mmm08 with 120 gr ? and needed more windage again. Most of the difference score was of course due to Gillie's positional shooting skill, wind reading and downright cunnning but the windage, which he shared with us, got me thinking that the 260 is marginally but significantly superior for these shoots. He has also trounced the field at Hangawera (500 - 1000m), including someone else using his gun, so the set up is equal to specialist long range cartridges like the 338LM. I'm not so sure the F class approach of extra long barrels is a great advantage either. A bit of quick handling good balance is very helpful. You want to be able to shoot it offhand, sitting or kneeling without a rest. I haven't used a range of calibers and barrel weights myself, preferring to build up experience with one standard load but of course that's not for everyone.

Tx, interesting comments. Ditched the 120 balistic tips, last ditch effort getting amax 162 to go fast enough, then the next stop for me is 140 as well.

You shooting Berger VLD Hunting in your 7-08 ?

Very interesting comments all round.
I have recently began loading 140 Bergers VLD in a 284 shortaction. Not real fast but very happy.