Boom stick questions. Point me in the right direction.

In reply to dean1484 :

It was described to me by my grandpa as a necked-down -06, and the word that sticks out in my memory is "wicked"

Fast and flat. Not that I need to venture into more calibers, but it's fairly high on the list. 

243 Winchester pretty popular around here as a beginner deer hunting cartridge given the low recoil.  My wife has a bolt action Savage rifle we really outta run some rounds through it, give it a good cleaning and maybe try and put some venison in the freezer.

dean1484 said:

Just read up on 243. That is like 6.5 creadmore but better. 

The 6.5 Creedmoor also offers a wide range of bullets, since 6.5 mm was super popular in Europe for a long time. Good for long range shooting, good for hunting, etc.

If they don't introduce new cartridges once in a while, they can't sell new, improved, better than ever firearms to the gotta-have-em-all crowd.   I find it academically interesting, but I have .308 firearms and ammunition already. I don't shoot super long range, so there is no point for me in in switching or picking one up. When I shoot the barrels out of one of my .308s, I might pick up a 6.5 or maybe I'll build an upper for the AR-10 one day. 

Hell, I was debating getting rid of some of my more esoteric projects- like the .277 Wolverine barrel and brass I picked up and did very little with.

Just looked up the ballistics of the .243. 58gr bullet out of a 24" barrel is just shy of 4000fps! 85gr is 3300fps. 

.243 is a very versatile cartridge, and much overlooked these days when everyone thinks they need a .338 Lapua for hunting.

I have a 6.5CM and it's both very accurate and very pleasant to shoot.  That said, it doesn't have a huge ballistic advantage over .308 until you get past 500 yards.  The other side of that coin is the cheaper ammo you can get for .308 isn't that accurate out of a bolt gun.  Handloading is really the answer for centerfire rifle.

In reply to Rodan :

My 6.5 buddy was visibly upset when my 308 loads were doing better than his "match grade" stuff at 400y. I need to buy more bullets. I think I have 30 or so left. 

dean1484 said:

243 or 223?  
 

Edit. Never mind 

Or a .222?

Noddaz said:

Since I know for a fact that the ladies and gentleman here are connoisseurs of fine firearms, I wanted some advice about a rifle I have.

I want to taticool out a single shot .243 that I have.  Adjustable AR style stock, red dot on a picatinny rail, mount a subtle muzzle device and maybe paint it black.  

Silly, I know.   Let you inner Fudd out and please offer me some suggestions.

I really want to do this on a CVA Scout platform.  It would make a great first deer rifle for the kiddos.  If I could find one in .223, I would have already started the project.  I might have to give up the search and do a .243.

This pistol grip is the key element, so I can use an adjustable stock that will grow with them (and so I can shoot it).  Cut the barrel to 18".  Red dot sight until they get a little older, then switch to a SWFA 6x fixed scope or maybe a 3-9x.  It would check a lot of boxes.  The longest shot we have at home is 250 yards.  Either caliber would be perfectly fine in that range.

dean1484 said:

Just read up on 243. That is like 6.5 creadmore but better. 

The .243 is a very fine hunting cartridge, but it has a little too much powder capacity for target use. The 6 XC was first made using a .243 reamer but cutting shy by .200 inches, IIRC. The extra powder gives a little bit more velocity, but not much, and it greatly increases throat erosion. It is a problem if you shoot thousands of rounds every year and compete. Not much of a problem for hunting and non-competitive recreational use.

If you do like the .243, consider the 6mm Creedmoore in a semi-auto, or 6 XC for more bullet options. One of the primary benefits of the shirter cartidge is being able to seat bullets further out in the case and still fit through a 2.800 magazine length. Again, little bits of accuracy gained.

Noddaz said:

Since I know for a fact that the ladies and gentleman here are connoisseurs of fine firearms, I wanted some advice about a rifle I have.

I want to taticool out a single shot .243 that I have.  Adjustable AR style stock, red dot on a picatinny rail, mount a subtle muzzle device and maybe paint it black.  

Silly, I know.   Let you inner Fudd out and please offer me some suggestions.

 

 

I SBR'd a TC G2 frame. I like the walnut stock, but the AR carbine stock adapter will come out to play when it's time for the kids to hunt.

Why SBR you ask? Because contender pistol barrels are 1/2 the money of carbine and rifle barrels. I used to snag 10" barrels at gunshows for like $100-$150 (pre-covid) when the carbine barrels were running $300+. A 10" .38 special barrel is a hoot with a 9mm can and a 4x scope.

Interesting weekend. Started out with the hurricane that was nothing more than some wind and clouds that ended up postponing the action range qualifications till today. My friend and neighbor wanted to give it a try as did my son.

I went as my son was using one of my pistols. A CZ P09 that he has kitted out for IDPA competition.  I also like going as many of the range officers will bring fun interesting things to shoot after the qualifications are over.   
 

Finished the day off by picking up a Sig P320 X5 Legion with a leupold red dot for a very good price. My neighbor that did the qualification with me was selling it to help fund his already on order Atlas gun works Athena 1911 he is getting for competition. I got the X5 mainly because it is an extremely easy pistol to rack and my wife would really like it due to her not having the greatest hand strength. It is also a heavy pistol with the tungsten in the grip that greatly reduces felt recoil.  My wife tried it and really liked it. I think I finally found a pistol that she can shoot and operate. 
 

Oh and both my son and my neighbor passed the qualification test so now they can join me on the action range as opposed to just shooting from tables at the other range at the club. 

I went to a gun show today.  When I returned home I decided to get some gun related things in order.

One was my shotgun.  I bought it used years ago with a scope attached to it.  Unfortunately, the front scope ring did not really mount the scope very well because of how far apart the slots on the scope base were.  With the short length of the shotgun scope and the distance between the slots on the base only about 1/2 of the ring was on the front of the scope tube.   I had taken the scope off of the gun before but could not figure out how to resolve the issue.  While looking at it today I went on-line to see if there was a Picatinny rail available for my shotgun.  Of course there is and the rails started at about $27.  I was all set to order one and my inner Bubba asked me why didn't you just cut a new slot in the rail you have.  I told Bubba to hush because I don't have a mill.  Bubba replied that I do have a Dremel.  

New slot is cut in the rail and while it is not as neat as I would have wanted it, the results ARE under the scope ring and can't be seen.  Don't tell anyone.

In reply to Noddaz :

Don't feel bad. One time Bubba convinced me to fix the mounting points on the bottom of a red dot by tapping threads into them myself. I ended up putting a drill bit clean through the casing of the red dot and into the sight picture. Just imagine a Strikefire with a drill bit stuck halfway into it and you'll get the idea. 

Unless it's safety critical or your jumping out of a helo with it, it's all in good fun. 

Gun show gin show gin show!

Yep another one.  And I found this:

Why can't I just shoot a 30.06?

In reply to Noddaz :

Not sure, but I can tell you why you shouldn't shoot 06. 
Because .308win is cheaper, more plentiful, has 95% of the performance, and 30% less recoil. Also availability of using the AR platform. 
But the biggest reason by far is availability. Even at the worst Covid shortages, I could find 308 on shelves. 
 

Dad just got a Remington 7400 iirc, that I want to shoot, so I can't really dog on 30-06 too much. 

In reply to Noddaz :

https://www.steinelammo.com/product-tag/6-5-x-50mmsr-arisaka/

Also AmmoSeek is useful

https://ammoseek.com/ammo/6.5x50mm-japanese

.30-06 is very nice; wish I had one. It is hard to beat a nice 6.5, though.

I've been debating getting a Remington Model 7400 or 750 chambered in .308. Or, really, any quality wood stock, semi-auto traditional layout hunting rifle. My main reason is that I used a couple as loaners when I was a kid. 

My primary reason not to get one is "I already have an AR-10 and M-14." So, it's not a practical need, it's nostalgia, and I probably won't even use it all that much- pretty much a few rounds at the range and maybe if I go hunting in New England with the family, but I can easily borrow a hunting rifle up there, too.

I really ought to just get a bolt action gun instead- maybe even two, so I can test my reloads out of an accurate platform.


So, go with some bolt action rifles, or get a semi-auto I don't need and may be worse than the rifles I have now?

I have a Savage 99 in .300 Savage, which is just a .308 with a short neck. A quick spin with a .308 reamer and you have lever on the option list. Not that I think you want my 99, just trying to complicate the issue.

In reply to matthewmcl :

I tried Ammo Seek while I was at the show.  It could not find a listing for the 6.5, at least with the parameters I was using.  I will have to try much harder in the future.

A few years ago at a local flea market I found a vendor that sold me some 7.62x39.  I asked him if he had anything else and he told me he had some 6.5 in his truck.  I asked him which 6.5 ammo he had (Swedish, Japanese or Carcano) and received a blank stare in return.  It turned out he had Carcano.  I don't have one of those.

Noddaz said:

  I asked him which 6.5 ammo he had (Swedish, Japanese or Carcano) and received a blank stare in return.  It turned out he had Carcano.  I don't have one of those.

You should have bought it.  That stuff is hard to find.  

If you want to shoot rare and less popular cartridges, you really should get into reloading.  

Finally got the DWX to the range and what a fantastic shooting pistol.  It really is the best of the CZ shadow and a 2011 mashed together.  I highly recommend it!!!!  

matthewmcl said:

I have a Savage 99 in .300 Savage, which is just a .308 with a short neck. A quick spin with a .308 reamer and you have lever on the option list. Not that I think you want my 99, just trying to complicate the issue.

This doesn't help me at all. You, sir, have succeeded in complicating things. 

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

I have thought about this. But I have too many hobbies now.

Noddaz said:

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

I have thought about this. But I have too many hobbies now.

I totally understand.