what calibre

wirehair

Well-Known Member
i am thinking of changing my 308 but am unsure of what calibre to go to, could anyone give me advice on the merits of 270,30.06, 6.55x55,300wsm,etc.
 
Hi Wirehair (ps do you have one?)

Depend what you are doing with your rifle, bit more info' on what and were you are shooting and I am sure you will get loads of advice. ;)

B-B
 
Depends on why you are thinking of changing your .308.

How about a 6.5-08? Should do all you ask and more besides.
 
I too changed from a .308. Although I owned it for decades and it did the job, I never loved it. When trying to decide which calibre to plump for, I was looking for less recoil (much less if possible) and something I could love.

I whittled down to:

6.5x55SE Which will lay low anything the UK.
.25-06 Which will lay low anything the UK.
7mm-08 Which will lay low anything the UK.

I chose the 6.5x55SE because it's such a sweetie to shoot, and has such a huge range of bullet weights (although I'll just start with factory 140gr).

Because a lot of SERIOUS and knowing stalkers use the Swede and so much positive press has appeared about it, both here, and in the States, there is an inevitable back-lash from some folks. I would just say - TRY ONE. If you don't fall in love with this calibre, you probably don't actually have a heart, but simply a half-brick on a piece of string, swinging from side to side. My experience with it in the field is NIL. But, I loosed off at the range over a morning, and it's a revelation.

My Sako 75 Hunter has arrived, and it feels absolutely RIGHT. Now, others may know what I mean here. It feels as if it has always been with me: almost an extension of my arm. If it shoots straight, and kills as cleanly as I'm sure it will, then this will be MY rifle, and MY calibre for the rest of my stalking days.

Changing rifles is like changing wives: expensive, and uncertain. Try the shortlist at the range, and choose something you can love. That's it, and all about it.
 
Now Now chaps wait until you know what Wirehair wants to do with his rifle before you give advice, and recommend you pet calibre. That way you can give objective advice. For the record I too used to be a .308 user.

B-B
 
I would just like to echo Bambi Bashers sentiments... calibre choice is about choosing the right tool for a job that suits the individual... I use a 243 and 270,and have done for years... they work for me. I know people who use 6.5*55, 308 and 30-06's... not my cup of tea... cannot say why they just do not feel as comfortable :confused: But all perfectly adequate for there owner and perfectly adequate at knocking over beasts...

I would just recommend that Wirehair tries as many calibres as possible and selects the one which is offers the most confidence when taking aim!

Cheers

Chops
 
calibre

this must be everyones favourite.

I would stick with .308 or .30-06.

they are good for all deer you will see in the uk and also for the occassional pig. you can get loads of bullet choice. recoil is not really an issue for me becuase i only take 1 or 2 shots a stalking trip and when i have a beast in the cross hairs it doesn't matter - i don't feel the recoil.

swamp boy
 
Wirehair,
C'mon give us a clue, what do you intend to use it for? Will it be a deer only gun or will you be trying to use it as an all rounder?

John
 
JAYB said:
Wirehair,
C'mon give us a clue, what do you intend to use it for? Will it be a deer only gun or will you be trying to use it as an all rounder?

John
Sorry i didnt give a bit more info,i shoot a good mixture of deer ,mainly roe and reds with the occasional fallow and rare sika.I shoot woodland by and large but do have a trip or two to the hill.Other rifles in the cabinet are sako 243 (1st pick) and 22.250 which i use on foxes and while i have been happy enough with the 308 i feel there is something better out there for shooting some of these heavy woodland stags,the more advice the better guys ,cheers.
 
Hi Wirehair.
In my lifetime I have shot large woodland stags with much LESS than a .308 so stay with it and save your cash.
If you reload brew up some with 165grain Game King or 180grain Nosler Partition.
The .308 will stop any measily deer which we have on our island.
I only believe in change when there is a material benefit in sight.
In this case unfortunately there is NONE.[Unless of course you progress to something like the .300 Win.Mag.]
 
The 30-06 is my choice.But I mat be a bit old fashioned,I like a good quality heavy bullet, and 180 grns in my 30-06 stops alll I shoot at.
I not into "modern" whizz bang fast bullets.
101 yrs old and the 30-06 is still doing what it says on the box.(yes 101 yrs,the 30-06 was developed in 1905,brought onto civilian market in 1906).
Things can be shot with smaller calibres,but IMO theres no such thing as overkill, dead is dead.
But then again, I am biased :lol:
 
.30-06 magic

Yeah it is a great calibre. I use 150 grain for all of my stalking, but i don't have any big deer. I have been tempted to step up to a 165grain bullet which is an excellant combination. when you look at bullet weights above 150gr the '06 starts to stand head and shoulders above .308 win. (imo)

swampy
 
Wirehair,

I think you have a touch of the recurring fever, It has already been pointed out to you by stag 1933, you already have enough gun to meet all your needs. I think it is your "wants" that are troubling you. You have been struck by the very nasty and expensive , "I want another gun" fever. No cure for it, you either give in and get another gun, go cold turkey until the fever passes, or seek counselling.

I think that by asking the question on here you are seeking counselling, and very wise too. Try changing your load for the .308 that you already have, play with the, weight, OAL, velocity etc until you find what you want or the fever passes.

For what it is worth I think you already have a battery that is capable of dealing with anything on our fair Island very capably.

Best of luck

John
 
wirehair said:
Sorry i didnt give a bit more info,i shoot a good mixture of deer ,mainly roe and reds with the occasional fallow and rare sika.I shoot woodland by and large but do have a trip or two to the hill.Other rifles in the cabinet are sako 243 (1st pick) and 22.250 which i use on foxes and while i have been happy enough with the 308 i feel there is something better out there for shooting some of these heavy woodland stags,the more advice the better guys ,cheers.

If you can't grass a heavy woodland stag with a .308 shooting a 150grn to 165grn well constructed bullet designed for the job in hand , you'll not do it with anything bigger, faster, or heavier. What you will do is suffer more recoil, hearing damage, and expense.
 
Watermain said:
I too changed from a .308. Although I owned it for decades and it did the job, I never loved it. When trying to decide which calibre to plump for, I was looking for less recoil (much less if possible) and something I could love.

I whittled down to:

6.5x55SE Which will lay low anything the UK.
.25-06 Which will lay low anything the UK.
7mm-08 Which will lay low anything the UK.

I chose the 6.5x55SE because it's such a sweetie to shoot, and has such a huge range of bullet weights (although I'll just start with factory 140gr).

Because a lot of SERIOUS and knowing stalkers use the Swede and so much positive press has appeared about it, both here, and in the States, there is an inevitable back-lash from some folks. I would just say - TRY ONE. If you don't fall in love with this calibre, you probably don't actually have a heart, but simply a half-brick on a piece of string, swinging from side to side. My experience with it in the field is NIL. But, I loosed off at the range over a morning, and it's a revelation.

My Sako 75 Hunter has arrived, and it feels absolutely RIGHT. Now, others may know what I mean here. It feels as if it has always been with me: almost an extension of my arm. If it shoots straight, and kills as cleanly as I'm sure it will, then this will be MY rifle, and MY calibre for the rest of my stalking days.

Changing rifles is like changing wives: expensive, and uncertain. Try the shortlist at the range, and choose something you can love. That's it, and all about it.

Ever thought of .260 remington ?
.243 case shooting a 6.5 head
better than a 25.06 and as good as 6.5-55
 
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