Calibre for Scotland and pigs

[Rafter]

+1 for 7x64, or 280 Rem if you are a reloader - the factory loads are retarded to keep pressures down for 740/760 pump and auto's. Handholding turns it into the best balance of recoil vs smacko available.
You won't find much that will walk away from a 162 grain 7mm @ 2900 fps, and they work a loooong way out there.

 

[Utectok]

Every time I’ve changed calibre I’ve thought that was an expensive waste of time to shoot the same deer at the same distance as I did with my old rifle…. The only advantage that I can see was for me a move to 6.5mm which is about half the wind drift off a .308 which makes long range work (mainly gong ringing) much easier.

 

[Kalahari]

Is that close to a .270 david?

It is better than a 270 by pretty well every measure.

David.

 

[kenbro]

6.5 prc seems to fit the bill.

I know a chap that uses 257 wetherby mag for all of the above species to great effect.

If you are set on 7mm then the 7 rem mag will have cheaper ammo than the prc.

I used a .257 W mag for a while and enjoyed it.
Only drawback (If it was) was not much bullet choice when I had one.
Kb.

 

[HonestJohn]

What is this thing about ‘Scotland’ by the way? People think we have large game here needing large calibres and all weather rifles like it’s Alaska! Our deer fall over with a .243 and it rains about the same as in Yorkshire. Get a grip

 

[owenlee]

Thanks for all the information guys. I think I’ve made my mind up. Gonna stick to the 308 for now I forget at times it’s all about the stalk. If I ever shoot the barrel out then I will go for a 7 PRC.

 

[finnbear270]

Hubert had it right,

 

[HonestJohn]

It is better than a 270 by pretty well every measure.

David.

Except, perhaps the lack of factory ammo and the belted case.

 

[Rafter]

Except, perhaps the lack of factory ammo and the belted case.

??? 7x64 has no belt.

 

[HonestJohn]

??? 7x64 has no belt.

Indeed, was thinking of the RM

It’s a great round, but esp if you reload or live in Germany

 

[3xspringer]

I use .308 150gr for reds and boar no problem at all!

 

[JH83]

Nothing wrong with the .308, until you are mandated to use non lead, and you are culling on the hill. I push 130TTSX @3000fps and it peters out at 300yds (or there abouts) resulting in runners.

I went 7mm RM which I think is the perfect hill round (and ‘stopping’ sika in heavy woodland). PRC is obviously more or less the same, but you can buy factory much cheaper with the RM which is useful-however I’ll be reloading peregrine 130’s in it as soon as I get around to it.

 

[Bowland blades]

Nothing wrong with the .308, until you are mandated to use non lead, and you are culling on the hill. I push 130TTSX @3000fps and it peters out at 300yds (or there abouts) resulting in runners.

I went 7mm RM which I think is the perfect hill round (and ‘stopping’ sika in heavy woodland). PRC is obviously more or less the same, but you can buy factory much cheaper with the RM which is useful-however I’ll be reloading peregrine 130’s in it as soon as I get around to it.

If i still shot 308 and required to use copper , i would try and find a lighter weight copper bullet than 130 grain , i am thinking as near to 100 grain as i could find ( this weight is what i choose in the .260 rem. ( copper needs speed on impact ) not retained weight like lead ! Reason is simple it needs to open out correctly to do its best work !

 

[JH83]

If i still shot 308 and required to use copper , i would try and find a lighter weight copper bullet than 130 grain , i am thinking as near to 100 grain as i could find ( this weight is what i choose in the .260 rem. ( copper needs speed on impact ) not retained weight like lead ! Reason is simple it needs to open out correctly to do its best work !

Yep, I use 100g in 6.5 too, I would imagine a 30 cal 100g would have a terrible BC in such a short fat bullet, it would slow down really quickly so thus negating the velocity improvement. The 130’s are an excellent general purpose but not ideal for rangey shots on the open hill, the 7mm RM (or PRC to the OP’s point) will be tremendous for this though, and a wee bit more stopping power on tough deer in thick woodland.

 

[HonestJohn]

Here we go again with ‘on the hill’ and the assumption in Scotland we shoot reds at 300-600yds. Most proper hill stalkers will tell you that if you’re any good at using the ground, even a rutting stag holding hinds and a bunch of satellite stags can be snug in on to under 200…if you put the effort in!

It’s the lazy ‘stalker’ who needs to shoot far.

Sure there are times when you cannot get closer than 400,,,walk away

In turn, a ‘hill rifle’ doesn’t need to be fast and flat. I can be, but it does not need to be at all

 

[JH83]

Here we go again with ‘on the hill’ and the assumption in Scotland we shoot reds at 300-600yds. Most proper hill stalkers will tell you that if you’re any good at using the ground, even a rutting stag holding hinds and a bunch of satellite stags can be snug in on to under 200…if you put the effort in!

It’s the lazy ‘stalker’ who needs to shoot far.

Sure there are times when you cannot get closer than 400,,,walk away

In turn, a ‘hill rifle’ doesn’t need to be fast and flat. I can be, but it does not need to be at all

Agree to disagree.

I stalk a couple of estates where at the end of the hind season and they are bunched up, 300yd is fairly standard, or it’s away with nothing, and SNH are pretty keenly looking at the area…so it’s not really an option to routinely blank.

I suspect similar will be echoed by some of the chaps doing a lot of fallow.

 

[Ali]

.308 all day long for sika and red. Nosler 168gr ballistic tips. Fantastic

 

[owenlee]

Here we go again with ‘on the hill’ and the assumption in Scotland we shoot reds at 300-600yds. Most proper hill stalkers will tell you that if you’re any good at using the ground, even a rutting stag holding hinds and a bunch of satellite stags can be snug in on to under 200…if you put the effort in!

It’s the lazy ‘stalker’ who needs to shoot far.

Sure there are times when you cannot get closer than 400,,,walk away

In turn, a ‘hill rifle’ doesn’t need to be fast and flat. I can be, but it does not need to be at all

Completely understand and agree with you, but my problem is I’ve only got a 18” barrel perfect for the light copper rounds but when I use a heavy round the speeds really slow down and for me I’d rather a bit more speed to ensure I get a good killshot. I’ve been stalking for less than 12 months so I will probably learn as I’m going along but for now I would rather go a bit more than needed than a bit less and take a chance of injuring a deer. Regards owen

 

[HonestJohn]

Completely understand and agree with you, but my problem is I’ve only got a 18” barrel perfect for the light copper rounds but when I use a heavy round the speeds really slow down and for me I’d rather a bit more speed to ensure I get a good killshot. I’ve been stalking for less than 12 months so I will probably learn as I’m going along but for now I would rather go a bit more than needed than a bit less and take a chance of injuring a deer. Regards owen

Fully get it, but to be fair, if you’re that new to the game, you should keep shots under 150yds until you’ve got more under your belt. And for that, your 18” is perfectly fine.

Not saying you can’t shoot further accurately, but it’s the wind, and what happens when the bullet lands on the wrong spot on a deer that then starts to travel. That’s why in the first several years I recommend keeping it short and sweet, or walk away and find another deer

There is possibly, the, ‘I want another rifle’ element

 

[Bowland blades]

Yep, I use 100g in 6.5 too, I would imagine a 30 cal 100g would have a terrible BC in such a short fat bullet, it would slow down really quickly so thus negating the velocity improvement. The 130’s are an excellent general purpose but not ideal for rangey shots on the open hill, the 7mm RM (or PRC to the OP’s point) will be tremendous for this though, and a wee bit more stopping power on tough deer in thick woodland.

well of course if we went on imagination ....... ? cant say though because i havent had a 308 for more than 15 years or more and have not used 308 copper. just lots of 6.5 and 223 , The 50 grain copper Barnes and the 50 grain Ecx i am very confident at 100-150 on smaller targets like rabbits accuracy wise
Getting closer is always the best plan though