The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles Centerfire Practice caliber...What do you prefer and why?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Centerfire Practice caliber...What do you prefer and why? | Login/Join |
| new member |
Hey guys, I get to shoot somewhat infrequently every few months or so. I have bolt action rifles in 300 Win Mag and 270 Win and a BAR in 308. Practicing with the 300 Win is done brushing up for a trip. I ran about 35 rounds through the 270 today and thought maybe a lighter recoiling caliber would be more fun. I do use a PAST pad during practice sessions and realize that I need to practice with the rifle I primarily hunt with but a short action light recoiling 7mm-08 might be more fun. I do routinely shoot a .22 rifle as well which is a tremendous amount of fun. Shots with all rifles are taken off a rest prone, sitting, kneeling and standing. What do you guys do? | ||
|
One of Us |
I use a Kimber Classic in 22LR It feels about as close as it gets to a full size rifle ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
|
| One of Us |
totally off topic, but registered in 2006 and this is your first post. Now that is lurking!  Best GWB PS: come on in, the water is warm. | |||
|
one of us |
There's not a whole lot of recoil difference between the 270 and 7-08. If you want a noticable difference you might consider a 250 Savage or 243 Win. If you want something more modern there are a slew of new 6.5s like the Grendel or the 6.5 x 47 but those are largely handloaded rounds unless money is no object. "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
|
| One of Us |
223 and 243 | |||
|
One of Us |
I cast for my hunting rifle and a 160gn in the 7x57 at 1900fps is a great plinker as the 350gn at 1900in my 404 and a 125gn at 1750 in my 6.5 GM. Shoot lots for little cost and much practice with the actual rifle, so familiarty and muscle memory is enhanced. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Ben, if you reload it would be easy to assemble some mid-range loads with 4895 and jacketed bullets even if you don't cast your own bullets. If not, consider picking up a 223 that closely resembles your hunting rifles. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
|
One of Us |
For many years, my hunting bullets were Nosler Partitions which were about twice the cost of standard Hornady or Sierra cup and core bullets. So I would use the NPs for hunting and the c&c's for practice. I am now hunting with TSX and TTSX bullets in my .375 RUM and .300 Wby, and I am using the standard (and cheaper) c&c bullets in them for practice. These loads are cheaper to shoot, but their recoil is the same as my hunting loads. For low recoil shooting, I've developed cast bullet loads for many of my rifles. These allow for very low cost and low recoil shooting. Accuracy is about 2 moa and bullet drop is more than my hunting loads, but they make for great practice shooting at steel plates from various field positions. I also have a scoped Rem 541-T .22 LR that has the same LOP and very similar feel as my hunting rifles. It is also good for meaningful practice. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
|
| One of Us |
6,5x55 Swedish  This is the National competition-round here in Norway(and Sweden), therefore the price is lower than the most.. Low recoil, relatively flat trajectory and outstanding accuracy are the resons why.. M | |||
|
| One of Us |
It was .22 LR and .223 Rem, but I cut the stock down to fit my daughter on the .223. So now it is my 6X47 Rem that gets to fill the duty of my .223. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Thirty five rounds through a bolt action 270, past or no, is a lot of rounds fired by someone that does not get to a range often. Perhaps you would be better served by spending more time at the range than by another rifle. There is a lot to be said for a new rifle though. The standard is the 22 rimfire. | |||
|
one of us |
Ben, I practice with the rifle(s) I plan to hunt next. I'll start off the bench at the distance I've got'em zeroed. Then increase that distance on the same target to check trajectory. Then just shoot some for fun off-hand. PS: I too use a PAST shoulder pad. ________ Ray | |||
|
| new member |
lol I thought the same thing when I saw that too. I used to frequent here some time ago and even posted some in the past so I don't know why it reset my post count. | |||
|
| new member |
Thanks for the ideas. A like the idea of a 243 in a full sized rifle for practice. I do have a press and have produced some excellent reloads for my 300 Winchester. I could produce some lower velocity rounds for the 270 with some nonpremium bullets. Yes I need to go to the range more.... | |||
|
| One of Us |
Just shoot 3 or 4 rounds of skeet every weekend. Your hand to eye coordination with improves much more than shooting a rifle. | |||
|
| One of Us |
It should be a 22LR, or a 30-30, something thats a soft shooter. Maybe a .222 that does,nt get out much. Seems like usually, if I,m headin for the range, I,m draggin a 9.3x62 along. Under the pretense of fine tuning a load, or some other excuse. Lack of discipline on my part, need to spend more time with the .22. Got a second 9.3x62 about a year ago, and I,m still in little kid with a new toy mode with that one!  Want to round up a 6.5x55 this summer, think that, .243, something in that size range would be a good practice caliber. For a practice caliber, preferably something in a similar configuration, same barrel length, action, fine tune the ballistics so you get used to the same working trajectory. | |||
|
| One of Us |
+1 | |||
|
One of Us |
 Sounds about right to me.  rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I mostly shoot the rifles that I will be shooting. I do try to go for quality practice over quantity. If I already had a licence for my 22LR I would certainly use it, but the rimfires let you get away with things that don't work with bigger bores, like a loose grip. For my girlfriend, who hunts with a .308 Win, I load 150ish grain bullets at 2500fps. It works great and there are fairly cheap bullets available that still shoot 1MOA in the rifle. It's not as cheap as a smaller caliber, but not too bad and I think the practice with the actual rifle is more transferable. | |||
|
| One of Us |
That is one of the reasons I shoot cast in myrifles. The 404 can have a light load for much of the practice but also has a heavy cast load that almost equates to the jaccketed load for recoil practice. My 7x57 and 6.5GM both have plinking and hunting practice cast loads for them and the plinking loads allow a lot of play for little cost that reinforces muscle memory. | |||
|
| One of Us |
When my wife and I go to the range, we always take our big game rifles that we are about to use (hunt with), plus a 22lr, plus our Ruger African in 223. We 'warm-up' first with the 22lr at 50 yards. The 22lr is cheap on ammo but it is a Ruger bolt action and its size is smaller than our big game rifles. We therefore bought the Ruger African in 223 which is the same size as the bigger rifles, and the ammo is still cheaper than most medium and large bore calibers. We finish the session with our larger calibers. | |||
|
| one of us |
I shoot a bunch of different rifles on a regular basis, but as a dedicated practice rifle, it's more or less impossible to beat an adult-sized .22 LR. Mine is a Savage Mk II FV. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I fell in love with tang safety Rugers way back when they were new. Over the years, I've accumulated a 22 250, 257R, 30/06, 35 Whelen, and 416 Taylor all in RS, and a 250 Savage in RLS, and a 22 rf in RS, but it doesn't have the tang safety. I've had a bunch of others in the lineup, but these are the ones that have stayed. Other than my German guns, these are my primary shooting and hunting rifles. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, 'a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds'. I'm sure others might find my 'foolish consistency' a bit boring, but it works for me. Bfly Work hard and be nice, you never have enough time or friends. | |||
|
One of Us |
Black Fly, I can't argue with that approach. "The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights." ~George Washington - 1789 | |||
|
One of Us |
I shoot Sierra 90g HPBTs in my 270 at 3300 fps. That's a light recoiling and sweet little bullet to practice and varmint shoot with. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
|
| new member |
Thanks Chuck | |||
|
| One of Us |
Although we do practice with a 22 I prefer to use the rifle we will hunt with. Accordingly we use very light handloads with jacketed bullets( dont cast) to practice. EAsy on the shoulder and the gun,plus we are very familiar with the gun. | |||
|
| One of Us |
If you reload, there are a few powders that work well for reduced loads with cast or jacketed bullets. Here is a link to reduced loads for a lot of calibers. http://www.chuckhawks.com/reduced_recoil_reloads.htm I used the 22-250 load of 13gr SR 4759 with a 53gr jacketed bullet yesterday to firelap a rough factory barrel. The velocity average was 1990fps and it gave three ten shot groups that averaged 1.100". It was like shooting a 22lr in the heavy Savage rifle. I've also run reduced loads like this in my light 280 and 308 Palma rifle. It makes a long range session much less tiring and makes you pay more attention to the wind, which I like for LR practice. A .22lr would be cheaper, but this way I'm practicing with the same stock and trigger I'll be using in competition or hunting. | |||
|
One of Us |
MY vote would be for reduced loads for either your .270 or .30-06, or both. It appears you want to stay in practice for hunting season and perhaps sharpen your skill as well. There is no better way to do that than to do your practice shooting with the same rifle(s) you intend to actually hunt with. It is kind of like riding a bike...there is no sense buying a Ducati for riding practice if your user ride is a "hog" (Harley). While you're at it you may also develop some super-accurate mid-range loads which may also broaden your hunting applications and give you more sport in the field. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I practice with a scoped .222 Tikka from the 1970s (my modern rifle) or my .22 High Power Savage 99 Takedown, made in 1932. I reload for both, but they only use 22 grains of powder compared with almost double that for other calibres. | |||
|
| one of us |
You have to do this intelligently and put recoil and barrel life and accuracy above everything.This will lead you to the 308 Win.You need some recoil practice to train your mental control.Nothing can stay as accurate for so long and not burn you barrel like a 308.There is a reason the 308 is the king of highpower and such competitive events too. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Ben S, I practice with the rifles I like that have suitable 'calibers' for how I plan to hunt or target shoot. For instance the rifle that has my attention now is a custom on an old M70 action that's, in fact, chambered for a cartridge that I don't prefer. The .300 Win. Mag. I am hunting on more open land these days. In the fall it will be for deer and now it's just pests. When the snow melts here I will bring that 300 custom to the range for more testing. On the last test it shot 165 gr bullets well however I will still try 150's again to keep the recoil down. I sure don't 'need' a 300 mag. for the game I hunt however it's the rifle of the moment. I also tried 30-06 level loads in it with no better accuracy.  Get the 'power' or optic that your eye likes instead of what someone else says. When we go to the doctor they ask us what lens we like! Do that with your optics. | |||
|
| One of Us |
338wm cause that is what I shoot | |||
|
| One of Us |
I practice with a 223. I like to keep it centerfire and the availability of 223 helps. Free men should not be subjected to permits, paperwork and taxation in order to carry any firearm. NRA Benefactor | |||
|
One of Us |
All sizes. I suppose it is important to mix in an occasional light calibre to keep one honest and make sure that no flinch develops. With that caveat, I enjoy all of the list below in the signature, and others over the years. 500 AccRel Nyati, 416 Rigby, 338 WinMag, 270 Win, 243 Win, they all startle the ears and nervous system when they fire. +-+-+-+-+-+-+ "A well-rounded hunting battery might include: 500 AccRel Nyati, 416 Rigby or 416 Ruger, 375Ruger or 338WM, 308 or 270, 243, 223" -- Conserving creation, hunting the harvest. | |||
|
| One of Us |
boy oh boy do I love to practice, love shooting my .458WM but I don't figure to downsize my need of experience by shooting little guns that have nothing to do with the firearm I need to use at a particular time. like some have mentioned "flinch" is always a big concern, stay calm and be aware of trigger pull and sight acquistion....body stance as well, oh and breathing techn.....have fun. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I practice a lot with a couple 22's and a 223 bolt gun. The 223 is a great practice round out to over 300 yds. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
|
| One of Us |
When possible, I like to practice with light loads and light bullets in my hunting rifle. For example, for my 30-06 I used a 125g bullet with 39g of RL7 for just over 2500 fps. That rifle grouped that load very near the same point of aim as my full up 180g hunting load, with much less recoil. I have a similar plan with my 7mm RM..... I find that using the real rifle helps me get better with getting comfortable breaking the trigger on target and improves my groups. Even if the weights are close, every trigger is different and I can't practice with one and expect the same results with another..... I also try to shoot all 4 basic positions, even though it means bringing a mat to the range or getting a little dirty. Offhand shooting is good practice but if you can get comfortable getting into a more stable position and shooting you'll be surprised how far away you can reliably hit game size targets. I also like to bring a 22 to combat flinching..... Cheers, Dan | |||
|
| One of Us |
About 3 or 4 months before a hunt I start shooting my hunting rifle with mid-range loads. Saces on the barrel and avoids developing a magnum flinch. I hunted with my 7 Rem mag. last year. Shooting 160 AccuBonds and a max load of RL-22. My practice load is 47 gr./ 3031/ 140 gr. Sierra Gameking/ F-215 primer in WW cases. It shoots very close to my full power load with less than 1" groups at 100 yds. Velocity is 2740 fps. This load isn't picky, it will shoot any 139-145 grain bullet good, probably 150's too, so a lot of the time I will just shoot whatever bullets I have left over from other hunts. 4895 also can make good mid-range loads. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
|
One of Us |
Just curious, but what is the purpose of all this practice? I am not trying to be stupid with this, I just don't see the need for lots of practice. Once I get a rifle sighted in, if I decide to check it I set up a target, take a shot and if the bullet hits where I am aiming, I put the rifle back in the case and go on about my business. I have never really understood why some folks spend so much time practicing, when for many, it seems like the more time they spend practicing, the more erratic their accuracy becomes. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata | Page 1 2 |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles Centerfire Practice caliber...What do you prefer and why?
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia