Thread: New to hunting, advice required :)

Hi all, really nice to be in a great forum of like minded people.

I am currently looking at obtaining an "all round rifle" (yes I know no such beast exists) I initially focused on a 6.5x55 swede, however I would love to enter some comps that shoot out to 1km and short of building a custom rig, I was eyeing up the savage arms model 111 long range hunter chambered in 6.5x284. granted the factory ammo for this is not only expensive but probably pretty rubbish. Have any of you had any experience with this calibre? I'm not too keen on something that's going to dislocate my shoulder every time I fire it.

Thoughts and suggestions would be welcomed.

Cheers,

Chris.

I've played with a 6mm-284. It's a headshot only beast.

If you are after a good all rounder something like a 7mm08 can be loaded down to 100 grain varmint rounds and I know it'll still stabilize big 160s (haven't tried heavier). It's pretty versatile. It'll drop big game, small game, anything in nz.

I would think the 6.5-284 has a bit more of a specific Purpose, would be harder to find rifles for and would cost a lot in ammo. You'd probably want to reload if you are thinking about competing.

That's just what I'm thinking. Like i said I've only used the 6mm one

yeap 6.5x55 or 6.5/06 has my vote yes reloading needed but that just adds to the fun. the 6.5/06 i think ballisticly is pretty close to the 6.5/284. i am building .264 Win mag that may be bit more to your liking. about $3.50 a round

My main hope is that I can get a load that will be able to go to 1000 yards while being versatile, I know that loading my own is a give in, that's half the fun

What is the recoil like on the 284 norma? I've got a Millet 6-25x56 scope that should be the business.

In a factory rifle there's a 6.5x55 howa, tikka, sako, CZ. The howa would require restocking.

Look at .243 or 7mm08 as well, in the correct twist rates they're equally capable and commonly chambered. Also .260.

You think the 6.5x55 would get decent penetration at 1000m? A 22"-24" barrel is a give in but with such a light bullet Ive read of very mixed results. Thanks for all the really interesting comments thus far.

What does the community think a viable 1000 yard rifle might be? calibre, barrel length, etc?

Your new to hunting mate. Dont even dream of shooting out to 1000mtrs just yet, Start small and grow. Rembering half the fun is buying and building different guns.

And the slower your bullet gets the more it will penetrate,not necessarily do any damage at all but penetrate yes.

The .264 looks like a nice round, I'd be very interested in your results Mucko

Thanks 199p, I'm new to hunting deer etc in NZ, I'm not new to shooting in the likes of Afghanistan and Iraq.

What sort of competitions are you shooting where you want penetration at 914 metres?


For target shooting to that range a 6.5mm is perfectly adequate. I would not use one for hunting that far. If you wanted to a 7mm Rem Mag or similar would probably be a rough minimum.

Thanks Gimp, good advice, I hope to be punching paper at 1000, not taking down deer etc beyond 600 (such a long way to walk). Do you think a decent 6.5x55 could send this far?

Originally Posted by Tussock

You were on the right track with the 6.5x55 for an all rounder. Both 6.5x55 and 6.5x284 will require reloading. Good factory ammo available for the 6.5x284, I still have a box from when I had one. Never fired any. Too expensive. Cost me $90 for a box of hunting ammo.

If you were going to compete, you probably want to reload. Then 6.5x284 is a good option. I really liked it, I had the Savage F-Class. Amazing rifle, I couldnt justify it with two other rifle ballistically the same, but man it could shoot. Crzyman did a load for it you could knock blow flies off the paper with at 100m

The Savage would be a good option. I would start worrying about scopes.

Hi Vanpire,
Welcome- you'll get lots of good advice on here.

The rifle Tussock mentions above, he sold to me several years ago. It's a Savage in 6.5-284, and it still shoots really well. Great accuracy for the price. Actually, great accuracy for ANY price.

Savage's often shoot really well (especially for the cost). Some people give them a hard time- historically they weren't that flash, but the modern ones I've shot (only 5) have all been quite accurate. Try the "accutrigger" in the shop and see if you like it, it's pretty good for a factory trigger on a relatively cheap rifle.

6.5mm Calibres are pretty good in my opinion: Quite a decent sweet spot in terms of ballistic performance vs. recoil. And the high SD (sectional density) of the projectiles seems to perform well on game.

Have a look here:
6.5-284 Cartridge Guide
(and check out the other calibres while you're there).

As for 6.5-284. It's a nice calibre. Seems to be one of those calibres that is touted as "inherently accurate". Compared to 6.5x55 it pushes the pills slightly faster, but there's not a whole lot in it.
For longer-range the 140 grain Berger VLDs and Hornady A-Max are both good performers with high BCs.
The recoil is quite manageable. Not what would generally be called "stiff". Certainly doesn't hurt the shoulder.
Reduced barrel life is often stated as a downside to the hotter 6.5mm chamberings (6.5-284, and the even hotter 6.5mm Magnums). But realistically you will most likely get a good 1000 rounds out of them before accuracy starts to deteriorate. -That's actually quite a lot of shooting. I suspect you will want something new/different long before you get to 1000 rounds if the bug bites you

There are others on here who have used the 6.5-284 a lot, so hopefully they'll help you with their thoughts.

As Gimp said:
6.5x55, 7mm-08, .243 and .260 will all do what you need them to, and with less recoil than the 6.5-284.

As Tussock Said:
The Savage would be a good option. Now start looking at Scopes!

Unfortunately, as 199p said:
(Assuming you are new to this): Don't even worry about 1000m just yet. You will get there, but there's a bit of ground to cover first 1000 really is a hell of a long way. The variables and physics involved are massive. You'll do it if you want to- but you'll have a whole lot of fun at 100yds, 200yds and 400yds on the way there (and that's a good thing).

Hope that helps

A 6.5mm works for me, others prefer larger calibres.


I'd definitely look at upgrading your scope.

Originally Posted by Vanpire

You think the 6.5x55 would get decent penetration at 1000m? A 22"-24" barrel is a give in but with such a light bullet Ive read of very mixed results. Thanks for all the really interesting comments thus far.

What does the community think a viable 1000 yard rifle might be? calibre, barrel length, etc?

i wouldnt try to kill deer beyond 600 meters with a 6.5x55 even with carefully selected bullets and custom loads, the energy available to enable the bullet to do its job would most likely not be there to ensure consistant effective kills. you are talking about how much recoil will be there, most rifles able to kill at 1000 meters will boot. 1000 meter rifle .338 lapua mag or the .338 edge should see you right