Rifle:skeletonized mauser action, featherweight barrel, and kevlar stock

Use:
deer and the occasional colorado elk

choices:
6mm Rem
257 Roberts
6.5x55

Other info:
I hope to keep the finished weight of the rifle including scope to 6 pounds.
while i am not recoil sensitive to the degree some are, I tend to avoid it. I shoot a 470 NE on a regular basis but it is not my favorite. I had a 300 RUM that was a bit much and a friend made me an offer so it is gone. My current deer rifle is a 223 varmint rifle.

6.5x55, by all means!
Regards, Joe

6.5 x 55

The reason being it is easy on recoil, kills better than you would believe, and it is an accurate cartridge. The only downside is you don't have the assortment of bullets you would have if you were shooting a 308 caliber or a 6 mm caliber.

AKMatt

FinnAagaard called the 6.5x55 the perfect deer rifle.I used mine for 25 years and have to agree.
That really is with real loads not the wimpy ones today.
A good 140Gr at 2750-2800 fps is great.
While it is often stated that in Sweden it's used for moose , remember that the moose their are smaller than ours and only SOME of the loads are permissible.Use a premium like Nosler ,TSX ,etc.

Both deer and elk hunting can require shots a t 200yds and beyond so I would go with a 300WM.The 300WM is the king of practical, real life, North American cartridges,IMO.

Are you going to hunt where you live?
Or are you are going to travel and lay out
big money for these deer and occasional elk?
If you're hunting in your local area you can
be pickier about what shot you'll take; so
you can opt for a smaller cal. But if you're
a traveling hunter and you are on your last
day of your hunt and see a shooter but the
only angle you have is from dead behind you
want the power to take that shot and know
that you will get that bullet into the chest,
heart/lungs.

quote:

Originally posted by BigFiveJack:
Are you going to hunt where you live?
Or are you are going to travel and lay out
big money for these deer and occasional elk?
If you're hunting in your local area you can
be pickier about what shot you'll take; so
you can opt for a smaller cal. But if you're
a traveling hunter and you are on your last
day of your hunt and see a shooter but the
only angle you have is from dead behind you
want the power to take that shot and know
that you will get that bullet into the chest,
heart/lungs.

Great questions. I'll see if my answers will help any.
For deer, i will hunt where i live. I use my 223 for neck shots on deer and 60 grain partitions for shoulder shots. If presented with a "texas heart shot" I take the back of the neck/head every time. I took 2 that way this year. One was feeding away from me and would not pick her head up. I shot between her front feet, through the bottom jaw and out the top of her head. The other one was to the back of the neck.

The deer and elk must be small in your neck of the woods.

Or he knows his rifle and his game--

and uses a scope-

to answer the OP 6.5x55, great cartridge with lots of versatility.

SSR

6,5 too small. Elk laugh loudly when see you.

quote:

Originally posted by BUFFOOLIO:
6,5 too small. Elk laugh loudly when see you.

Are you being for real?

I'd have no issues at all using a 6.5 Swede on an Elk at most any huntable distance. Its not what I would choose, but I'd make it work if I had to.

6.5x55. My favorite caliber...

All are too small for my tastes, so I'd go with the 6.5x55mm if forced to choose.

Let's see,

help you pick a caliber.

Glad to.
Here goes

Take your choices, write each down on separate small pieces of paper. One chambering per piece of paper. Put paper slips in hat. Hold hat over head. Pick out a piece of paper. If what you get is not what you want, keep picking out pieces of paper till you get what you want.

Best

GWB

Add 7X57 to your list then pick it.

Problem solved.

Terry

why stop there,
How bout an 8 x 57

or even

a 9.3


Best


GWB

quote:

Add 7X57 to your list then pick it.

Problem solved

+1
The wife uses one for all her hunting elk and Africa. My second choice out of your list is the 6.5x55.

Given your choices and that elk is part of the equasion I'd opt for the 6.5x55 with a fast twist barrel to stabilize 140-grain Nosler Partitions or Barnes TSX bullets. In my opinion, the 6mm is too small to reliably kill elk quickly short of a shot disrupting the central nervous system, meaning you could be in for a very long follow-up even with a double lung shot. The .257 Roberts is one of my favorite rounds, and is a better killer of large game than the 6mm. However, the 6.5 is more versatile than the 6mm or the .257, offers a great variety of bullets, and with the correct bullets has better penetration than the other two choices.

Dave

I live next door in Utah and I've hunted deer and elk extensively with both the 6.5x55 and the 7x57. The 6.5x55 will work fine on both of these animals - especially with good 140 grain bullets. Sounds like a cool rifle you are putting together.

If you are using a standard length Mauser action I'd go with a 280 AI. It gives you more powder capacity than the others and a wide selection of 7mm bullets.

Or try something different and go with a 6.5mm-06

Why not add the 270 to the mix? I've used a 270 on quite a few moose and never was disappointed. Lung shots on moose or elk with a 270 produce dead animals every time.

Within your parameters, I would choose the 6.5x55. My Sweed shoots inch groups with iron sites, 130gr Nosler Accubonds, and a max load of H4831. Although I'm confident I could take an Elk with it, it would not be my first choice.

Of the choices, definitely 6.5x55
Look at the 140 Nosler Partition and 130 or 140 Accubonds...

quote:

Originally posted by Rine Everett:
Rifle:skeletonized mauser action, featherweight barrel, and kevlar stock

Use:
deer and the occasional colorado elk

choices:
6mm Rem
257 Roberts
6.5x55
.

All three are on my "short list" for a lightweight Mauser sporter, along W/the parent cartridge for 2 of them, a 7X57.

Rine
I would suggest that you take up skeet shooting.
Given enough rounds of skeet you would learn to forget the recoil so you would not have to live with a .223 being your current deer rifle...........................................
The calibers on your list are fair to very good deer cartridges. Only the 6.5X55 would be considered a reasonable elk rifle at some distance. And distance matters. With any of the calibers you can hit an elk at much greater distance than you have effective energy.

quote:

Originally posted by SR4759:
Rine
I would suggest that you take up skeet shooting.

Yep, a few hundred rounds a weekend with a 5 1/2lb 12 guage with no recoil pad eliminated most my recoil issues.
Don

Of the ones you listed, the 6.5x55 gets my vote.

Been hearing/seeing postings on a 6.5 Creedmour or somethinh like that.

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Moore:
6.5 x 55

The only downside is you don't have the assortment of bullets you would have if you were shooting a 308 caliber or a 6 mm caliber.

AKMatt

PLEASE tell me you're kidding? Their are more than enough quality, C&C and premium, 6.5mm bullets on the market!

Alan

I think a 7x57 would be perfect.

Out of those the 6.5x55 without a doubt.

quote:

Originally posted by boltman:
Out of those the 6.5x55 without a doubt.

Yup, no question about it...

6.5 from your options or-

7x57 or-

308

quote:

Both deer and elk hunting can require shots a t 200yds and beyond so I would go with a 300WM.The 300WM is the king of practical, real life, North American cartridges,IMO.

That was NOT one of the choices, I would go with the 375 H&H. That was not one of the choices, neither was the 7x57 or 308.

Of the choices listed the 6.5x55 is the best.

Why the hell can't people stick to the parameters listed??????

Sorry to have killed your thread Rine, my apologies.

I just have a hard time understanding why, people cannot stick witin the parameters outlined by someone when they ask a question such as yours.

You listed 3 specific calibers and folks went to listing their pets. Yes I love the 375 and the 35 Whelen, but those were not choices.

If no calibers had been listed, that is one thing, but when specifics are asked, why go off on a tangent.

I think you will enjoy whatever you choose to chamber the rifle for.

SR4759; i am not living with the 223 as my deer rifle, i choose it because it will do what i need it to do 100 % of the time. With a 60 nosler partition, i can shoot through and through a 200 lb whitetail deer shoulders, with a 55 gr balistic tip, I can place a bullet into the neck or head of a deer and not have to track, follow, or chase it down. If I wish to be greedy, I can and have shot 2 deer in the neck with a 60 gr partition and recovered both deer laying side by side. Heck, my cousin shot 2 smallish does in the shoulder with a 60 partition and got a 2 fer. I think he was showing off because i did it last year. We didn't recover that bullet.

Crazyhourse, no problem, they where starting to get off topic. I'm actually going to take one persons advice... Geedubya. But, with a twist. Im going to write down everyones suggestion, but for each suggestion of a larger caliber, i will take one away from the largest caliber. Hey, my gun, my rules. Then I will add in my choices 3 for first choice 2 for 2nd and 1 for third.
1 6mm
2 257
3 6.5x55

15 x 6.5x55
1 257
1 6mm
-8 from the 6.5x55 for the naysayers who wanted me to go bigger
+3 6mm
+2 257
+1 6.5x55
----------
TOTAL
8 6.5x55
3 257
4 6mm
I will draw in a few minutes and let you know...

quote:

Originally posted by Rine Everett:
SR4759; i am not living with the 223 as my deer rifle, i choose it because it will do what i need it to do 100 % of the time. With a 60 nosler partition, i can shoot through and through a 200 lb whitetail deer shoulders, with a 55 gr balistic tip, I can place a bullet into the neck or head of a deer and not have to track, follow, or chase it down. If I wish to be greedy, I can and have shot 2 deer in the neck with a 60 gr partition and recovered both deer laying side by side. Heck, my cousin shot 2 smallish does in the shoulder with a 60 partition and got a 2 fer. I think he was showing off because i did it last year. We didn't recover that bullet.

+1
My wife uses a .223 and has always killed them just as fast with 60gr partitions as me shooting them with my 7mm-08

Well, it was the 6.5x55. Now to order the barrel.

quote:

Well, it was the 6.5x55. Now to order the barrel.

Congratulations, be sure to post up pics when it is finished.

P.S. I don't know why there are comments about the 6.5x55 being so under-powered. The 125 gr Nosler partition will exceed the factory 7mm Rem. Mag. 140 gr velocity by 100 fps, +/- 100 fps. With the same BC. That's only 10% less power than the most popular load for the 7mm Rem. Mag. (7mm Rem factory 140s only crono at 2,900 fps.)
I shoot 100 gr in mine at only 2,800 fps for deer. That matches factory .243 power.

quote:

choices:
6mm Rem
257 Roberts
6.5x55

Adding the occasional elk.....the 6.5 X 55 is the better option......but all three are excellent deer cartridges.