Best all-round “calibre” aka chambering…

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Foxyboy43 said:
Much has been said on this and other (spit) sites about the “best” chambering for all UK deer. Many elderly be-kilted SD types vouch for the .270 whilst some of the younger (obviously) non-binary types wax their legs lyrical about something called the Creedmoor. Personally, apart from the shorter action/case the latter offers nothing over the Real Man’s 6.5x55SE or even the good ol’ fashioned .260 - unless you have a machine gun of course…
Sooo do tell me why the 6.5x55SE doesn’t reign supreme, go on I dare you?
🦊🦊
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I watched deer central onnyou tube lastnight, apparently 80. Gr in 243 is just the ticket, especially fir the muntjac and Chinese water derr in Northern Ireland!!
 
There are three very popular calibres (243,270,308) and about 7 or eight if you include the next most popular group. You'll find some non lead to work in all of them and they can all legally shoot any deer in the UK. Get a big one if shooting big deer and vice versa.

I think one topic that gets overlooked is recoil management and not just the macho-ness of 'I can handle XYZ combination", but how recoil affects real life accurately and flinching. Its interesting that online tables such as Rifle Recoil Table show that 308/270 have nearly double the recoil energy of say a .243 in the same rifle.
 
AM_Lillycombe said:
I’d like to mess around with some of the older calibres.
Maybe in an over & under, fixed magnification scope, no range finder, deer antler shooting stick, lots of tweed etc.
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Plus one!
In fact in time i, in landscapes which allows for it, pretty much hope to hunt using pirmarily only iron sights, with a vintage 1.5-4x24 scope in a claw mount deatched, but put on and used only as an exception.
That sort of hunting does naturally require the right sort of hunting ground, plus of course getting pretty good skillwise at both stalking quite close and shooting this way.
A Stutzen chambered in 7x57 is my intended rifle for this, but again i need to build up the skills first, of course.

And looping all of that back to the subject of this thread, then yep, the 7x57 might be my answer.
The little old 7 seems to have a decent amount of powder for its caliber, a bit more than the 308 family and about 10 % less than 06 one, and it is known for an excellent ability to shoot everything from quite light bullets to for caliber quite heavy ones , (given the typical twist rates of its barrels, long neck of the cartridge and typical long throats), which should make it good for non leads too, ie fairly future proof.
Furthermore it's a classic, and if you reload there is a vast array of bullet available to chose from too + , as i'm finding out myself currently, it is supposedly a non fuzzy catridge to load for.
Lastly It is supposedly is also a decent option for shortish barrel, whilst being known for having good terminal effect and it should be ok for boar and red in the countries than want a 277 cal min for that sort of prey.

So if one mainly intends to hunt stuff smaller than big african game or big bears, and especially if ones reloads, that would get my vote. Alternatively the 7x64 or 65R would get it. Especially if i was hunting more in the mountains or very open plains, and was expecting longer shofts often.
 
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Because we are all different and there are many deer legal chambering's.
How crap would it be if you walked into a gun shop and all the available CF were 6.5 X 55.
For most of us it would be crap but for a few they'd have to nip out back for a little tug.
 
tackb said:
but you listed the ways it's better already and now you're saying it's not , you'll need to make your mind
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tackb said:
the newby as you put it isn't optimised for paper punching it's optimised for accuracy , i can't see a single reason to purposefully use a round thats delivers the same terminal effect but less accurately on live game , again you are not making sense ?
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The Swede is more versatile and has a 10% edge in velocity. It was designed that way.
The Creed was designed to fulfil a single function. In terms of accuracy it has a slight advantage, very slight, but that edge makes a difference to the long range target shooter, it makes no difference to the stalker.
The availability of bullets from 90 to 156 grains including FMJ makes a difference, the Creed factory offerings are clustered at 140ish, less variety less flexibility.
The new boy may be slightly more accurate. That’s not enough on its own to make it better.
 
This thread actually reminded me - I need an excuse for a 7x57 I have put a variation in for so I better get my story straight.
I have (with their real use):
243 with NV for last light fallow and fox
6.5x55 for gentlemanly stalks
270 which lives at my mums in Scotland (although in truth it will come down south soon)
7mm r m that desperately needs a rebarrel.

So I assume I need the 7x57 for dedicated lead free bullets and wild boar? And I fess up that the 7mm rem mag is useless until re barrelled which I plan to do when funds allow? TBH I could have the rem mag taken down to action only by someone.
 
dunwater said:
The Swede is more versatile and has a 10% edge in velocity. It was designed that way. so it was designed to have a 10% edge in velocity over a cartridge that didn't exist when it was invented , makes sense !
The Creed was designed to fulfil a single function. In terms of accuracy it has a slight advantage, very slight, but that edge makes a difference to the long range target shooter, it makes no difference to the stalker. the 6.5x55 was designed to fulfill a single function too , a military calibre
The availability of bullets from 90 to 156 grains including FMJ makes a difference, the Creed factory offerings are clustered at 140ish, less variety less flexibility. they can both use the same bullets at the same velocity......
The new boy may be slightly more accurate. That’s not enough on its own to make it better. all other things being equal the creedmoor being more accurate absolutely means its better overall thats how it works !
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honestly i wonder which cartridge is your favourite since you explain why the creed is better but then state it isn't ?

do you secretly want a creed?

did your wife have an affair with a creedmoor owner?
 
tackb said:
honestly i wonder which cartridge is your favourite since you explain why the creed is better but then state it isn't ?
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Its not better, unless your definition of “ better “ is narrower than a midges flute
tackb said:
do you secretly want a creed?
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Fcuk no! I know when I’m well suited.
tackb said:
did your wife have an affair with a creedmoor owner?
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I dont think so, she really didn’t like man buns or tattoos.

Maybe I’m not explaining this properly.
If all I wanted was a rifle with a short action capable of taking deer sized animals and excellent accuracy, a Creed would probably suit.
You have to admit thats a fairly tight job description.
Unfortunately for your argument, I want more. I want a single cartridge that I can use for everything from willow grouse to moose and European brown bear with a bit of long range target work thrown in. I want a large variety of factory ammo and if it comes to it, I something that will feed through a belt into a machine gun.
The Swede has it all, you can even find tracer ammo for it.
Honestly, if you were pick a single rifle to shoot everything from small birds and fur bearers through to boar and moose,
( factory ammo only) would you go Swede or Creed?
Thats why it’s better.
In comparison, the Creed is just a one trick pony.
So why is it “better”?
 
dunwater said:
Its not better, unless your definition of “ better “ is narrower than a midges flute

Fcuk no! I know when I’m well suited.

I dont think so, she really didn’t like man buns or tattoos.

Maybe I’m not explaining this properly.
If all I wanted was a rifle with a short action capable of taking deer sized animals and excellent accuracy, a Creed would probably suit.
You have to admit thats a fairly tight job description.
Unfortunately for your argument, I want more. I want a single cartridge that I can use for everything from willow grouse to moose and European brown bear with a bit of long range target work thrown in. I want a large variety of factory ammo and if it comes to it, I something that will feed through a belt into a machine gun.
The Swede has it all, you can even find tracer ammo for it.
Honestly, if you were pick a single rifle to shoot everything from small birds and fur bearers through to boar and moose,
( factory ammo only) would you go Swede or Creed?
Thats why it’s better.
In comparison, the Creed is just a one trick pony.
So why is it “better”?
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Ummm....the Creedmoor has been used for all that game.

But you appear to have a favorite, so carry on then....
 
MarinePMI said:
Ummm....the Creedmoor has been used for all that game.

But you appear to have a favorite, so carry on then....
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I’ve not yet seen a belt fed that takes a Creed. I don’t know of any FMJ factory loads or 90 Gr varmint loads either.
But you are right, I do have a favourite, (it’s actually .270.)
My Swede is for bad weather and general tootling about, for which it excels.
 
dunwater said:
I’ve not yet seen a belt fed that takes a Creed. I don’t know of any FMJ factory loads or 90 Gr varmint loads either.
But you are right, I do have a favourite, (it’s actually .270.)
My Swede is for bad weather and general tootling about, for which it excels.
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Everyone i know who uses the 270, much like the 7x57 or 280 rem, loves it. And i think field earned appreciation over time is probably the best compliment a cartridge can get, really :)
But I've always wondered, what's the opinion of the 7x64 or 280 rem in the 270 camp ? Now of course you can not speak for the world of 270 users, but i mean if ever three cartridges were close to each other in terms of bullet diameter and powder capacity it is those 3, with the main difference perhaps being in how much throat was traditionally present in each chambering, and the typical twist of barrel too.
 
Scipio said:
Everyone i know who uses the 270, much like the 7x57 or 280 rem, loves it. And i think field earned appreciation over time is probably the best compliment a cartridge can get, really :)
But I've always wondered, what's the opinion of the 7x64 or 280 rem in the 270 camp ? Now of course you can not speak for the world of 270 users, but i mean if ever three cartridges were close to each other in terms of bullet diameter and powder capacity it is those 3, with the main difference perhaps being in how much throat was traditionally present in each chambering, and the typical twist of barrel too.
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Honestly?
There isn’t gnats eyelashes between them.
In theory the 7mm has an advantage because of a wider range of projectiles, in practice for game shooting it makes no difference.
If there is any advantage, it goes to the 7x64 or.270 based on availability.
 
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