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> What calibre do you train with?
What calibre do you train with?
@ 02:32 am (GMT) |
Martin TaylorOk all you LR hunters & shooters, what calibre do you like to train or plink with? I was asked yesterday and said 308W is my current trainer.The fellas requirements are cheap to reload, not hard on barrels to keep round count high, wants to train in wind out to 600 yards. Not to be used for game animals only varminting occasionaly but mostly practice/target. I was thinking 243W due to the cheap brass, pills, good barrel life & and the wind will keep him honest. Just wondering what others are using? Cheers Marty |
Replies
@ 03:37 am (GMT) |
Barry ShoneRe: What calibre do you train with?I have a savage axis in 7mm-08 that serves as my LR practice rig and my cover a lot of miles / pack rifle.I shoot 140 gr accubond, 45.5 gr Reloader 17, remington LR primers and remington brass. Good for just over 2800 fps and .6" groups out of the box. |
@ 04:05 am (GMT) |
Bryan WebsterRe: What calibre do you train with?I still do a lot of shooting with a .22 long rifle or rather several of them. It helps a lot to maintain focus, muscle memory etc.I also like to shoot my Remington Model 700 in 7x57 with 22 inch barrel, sits in an HS Precision stock that has been epoxy bedded. Does between .3 and .5 inch groups when I do my part best. No recoil to speak of, loves 150 grain Sierra Prohunter spitzers, 162 grain A-Max, and 162 grain SST. Shoots Winchester factory 175 grain loads sub one inch as long as I have had it (20 years or so. I shoot this one a lot as it is in a sighter weight shorter configuration so is great to carry. For the range or while hunting on stands where longer shots are possible for mule and whitetail deer, I like to use my Remington 700P LTR which sits in an HS Precision steel epoxy bedded stock even though it has an aluminum block. A Jewell Trigger makes this pleasant to shoot as well. Does .5 and under depending on my faults or winds. Got it last September, and have shot it off and on all winter as our climate allowed. Probably 500 rounds down it so far and ramping up given we loaded a pile of rounds all winter for load work ups for it and have not got out to do much of that. |
@ 01:52 pm (GMT) |
Joshua MayfieldRe: What calibre do you train with?I get to shoot my .22 more than anything else, but when I can lay hands on the family .222 that was Grandpa's that is about as good as it gets for me. I have full confidence in the rifle's accuracy, I know (and love) the trigger. Of all the guns I shoot that is the one with which I am most sure that any fliers are 100% on me. |
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@ 04:14 pm (GMT) |
Bryan WebsterRe: What calibre do you train with?Further to my prior response, back in 1970 I bought a heavy barrelled Sako in .243 Winchester. I had a Redfield 4-12 scope on it, put a trigger shoe on it for better feel, glass bedded it. Shot very well with handholds.My notes from way back then show 3754 rounds were fired through it. I loved to shoot that rifle, spending untold hours shooting targets, yellow bellied marmots and gophers all summer long. In the fall each year it accounted for my limits of white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk. Even a moose one year. Should never have sold it, but I did so in order to be able buy a 7mm Remington Magnum for moose hunting, as I had moved up to northeastern British Columbia years back and wanted a better larger game rifle. Always have regretted that sale, but may very well end up with yet another some time soon. One that I can pass on to one of the grandchildren, who also live in the north but really need to start out as I did, shooting a lot, with a great little rifle. |
@ 05:56 pm (GMT) |
Jim MoseleyRe: What calibre do you train with?Go with the 243. Cheap and fun. |
@ 09:49 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: What calibre do you train with?Hi Marty, besides cost and wear, there are two major aspects of this to consider.If the rifle is to be used by a very inexperienced shooter, a cartridge like either the .223 or .243 can be great to work with for low recoil. However; for those who have greater experience and are now shooting a magnum at long ranges, a training rifle which mimics some of the recoil of the magnum can be useful. In this instance, cost is the main factor- all we are looking for a is cheaper to run cartridge and less bore wear. But there are other factors to consider as well. For example, if we are shooting a very large rifle and are prone to developing a flinch, then it is best if our training rifle has some bark but little bite. A .243, 6.5 or heavy barreled 7mm-08 / .308 is a good example of this. With this, we can work out our kinks, then move back into the big rifle. As suggested, other shooters may prefer something that mimics the larger rifle. The Tikka T3 Lite in 7mm-08 or .308 can teach us very good form. I believe one of the reasons why the .308 is so popular for training work / long range plinking, is that it is more commonly available in heavy barreled rifles off the shelf so to speak. The cartridge itself may not be the flattest shooting of the bunch, but it can be hand loaded to suit a range of conditions and game species. |
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@ 11:31 pm (GMT) |
Martin TaylorRe: What calibre do you train with?The fella was shooting 300wm in a heavy Remington basically the same as mine. We were discussing round count, barrel wear and running costs of the magnums.I let him have a go of my heavy Rem 308w/168gn trainer after explaining why l had it. Being similar to shoot with lower recoil & cost but l don't waste the 300 barrel on the range. I suggested the 243 in a sporter barrel such as the Howa or Weatherby S2 in blue. I have just seen them advertised for $550, so with tweak & Nathans stabilizing and bedding you get a cheap trainer with mild recoil. Load up around the 90/100 grain mark and this should keep it lively enough to stop lazy habits and reduce any flinch as you said Nathan. But was just wondering what others are doing and maybe l just have a soft spot for the 243W as l honed a lot of my shooting, reloading and bedding skills on one! |
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@ 12:14 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: What calibre do you train with?Yeah, that makes sense to me. The .243 is plenty of fun to work with. |
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@ 04:38 am (GMT) |
Martin TaylorRe: What calibre do you train with?I've nearly talked myself into needing one! hahahahahaa.............still got the dies, 300 cases & 500 or more projectiles. Doh |
@ 05:05 am (GMT) |
jasonRe: What calibre do you train with?I use a .223. But it's accuracy has now dropped off. So I'm looking for something else as well.The problem I had or dis-liked was the magnum has a good sturdy stock on it and I use a bipod. The .223 (tikka) while it shot well it had the flimsy standard synthetic stock so with a bipod need a different approach to using it. So it didn't really compare. Or transfur skills as a trainer. Also while little Recoil was good it didn't help when switching back to the magnum. so I'm looking for a bit more Recoil and an identical stock would be nice. |
@ 08:31 am (GMT) |
Bob MavinRe: What calibre do you train with?6mm Remington ticks all my boxes .If I didn't so many other favourites, 6mm rem would definitely be my favourite calibre Cheers Bob |
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