Replacing three rifles with just the one.

[LuckyEddie]

Fail to see the connection between having a baby selling all your gear. Babies don’t stay babies for very long.
If you just want an excuse for a custom 260 or Creed moor by all means tear away.

Obviously you‘re the dad that this group are singing about; around but never there for the important bits in the child’s life, whatever they be, teaching football, life and so on; and it’s the child’s life expierences that count not the parent’s.



Dad’s nowadays tend to put family first and quite rightly so.
Otherwise you risk either alienating yourself from them or your opinion doesn’t count and you’ve lost that precious connection.
So it’s up to the OP to make his mind up and not for us to make it for him

 

[Rory]

.308W. You can configure your loads from 123gr to 180gr, ammo/components are ubiquitous and inexpensive. A million different. 308s on sale anywhere at any time, pick yourself up a nice synthetic/stainless Remington 700 and have at it.

 

[FreshFace]

8

And try to get over this whole ‘kids changing your life’ thing

Totally agree the rifles stayed but a couple of motorbikes went
Anything 6.5 or 7mm will work admirably

 

[TomDeer]

Heck don't rationalise the collection because of children arriving. Build it up instead

Daddys need toys too!

Congratulations on the arrival of baby.

 

[Heym SR20]

There are two ways to deal with children.

1) they can take over your life and you end up giving up everything or:

2) they just fit in - thsys how I was brought up, and how my daughter has been as well. I was first taken duck shooting aged 10 days old, and my little one was stalking with me early on and has spent most weekends in a tent, boat, on skis or shooting.

I am just getting my head around having a youngster and she is now off to university in the Autumn. Cannot work out why things have happened so quickly.

 

[Leec6.5]

30-06 problem solved

 

[Foxyboy43]

There are two ways to deal with children.

1) they can take over your life and you end up giving up everything or:

2) they just fit in - thsys how I was brought up, and how my daughter has been as well. I was first taken duck shooting aged 10 days old, and my little one was stalking with me early on and has spent most weekends in a tent, boat, on skis or shooting.

I am just getting my head around having a youngster and she is now off to university in the Autumn. Cannot work out why things have happened so quickly.

I share your pain. Grandsons who ten minutes ago snuggled into my armpit and are now 6’3” and at Uni. Time really is the enemy......

 

[slider]

.270

 

[Sagebrush]

Since you reload, 257 Roberts might fill the bill. It's just 7x57 necked down. One of my favorites; mild and can take everything from squirrels to deer. Maybe not the best choice for long range gongs.
If you won't have time for reloading much, pick one of the 6.5s that is easy to purchase near you locally.
All of your 6.5 choices are good cartridges. Some have more snob appeal and some have limited availability at the corner store to consider.

 

[geordieh]

Looking after kids is woman's work.Grow a pair and tell her.

 

[Rusty Gate]

Hi,
Due to having a baby recently and consequently having very little time for shooting I'm going to sell three of my rifles and replace them with just the one. This is where you all come in with your greater knowledge and experience etc.
The three I'm getting rid of are a .223, .243 and .300wm
Now, I've not really used the Winmag much except for bashing gongs so not looking for something of that sort of muzzle energy.
I'm thinking something along the lines of 25/06, 6.5x47, 6.5x55, 260 rem, 6.5cm etc etc. Any recommendations and/or suggestions on other calibres I may not have considered etc. I do reload so that's not too much of an issue.
Thanks in advance!

Ben

Mate, your best bet here to cover all of those evenly would be the 280AI for sale on here. He's just had it built but change of circumstance means he's selling it & for a steal aswell!

For Sale: - .280 Ackley Improved

See if any interest out there. Brand new .280 Ackley Improved Tikka M695 action amd Bergara 1-9 twist fluted 22" barrel, action & barrel cerakoted matt Black in a Boyds thumb hole stock. 14" LOP Threaded 1/2 x 20 Selling as need funds for a scope. Looking for £700

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

 

[big ears]

6.5x55 or 30-06.
I have had 30-06 in the past but run a 6.5x55 now. 100gr will take foxes, 123gr copper will take the rest or 140gr lead.
mild recoil easy to load for,
Not the new kid on the block but been around for over 100 years.
if you don’t need a fox gun then the 7x57 would fit as well.
old calibers are the way to go IMHO unless you like hipster beards

 

[Dickie]

Don’t sell any if you need to get some time back use factory ammo until you have gained the time to reload again.

 

[NullMac]

You mention the Creedmoor reputation as if you would be concerned about what others will think of it.
It works, it’s accurate, it hits hard, plenty ammo, lots of choice to reload.

For the life of me I can’t understand why there is so much antipathy towards it. The negative comments are all from people who have never owned the chambering. I don’t k ow anyone who has one that slags it off.

It's not the round, it's the fanboy's bull that gets peoples backs up. I have read articles arguing it outperforms that 300WM etc etc.

The round itself is not outstanding, its the bullets that are available for it that are. In lead. The same is true for 7mm but to utilise that bc you really need a bigger case

When copper comes, that type of high bc design is no longer possible for hunting and its performance will mimic the Swede but in a short action and wi less powder. Nothing wrong with that

Too much ballistics bull talked generally, when the short ranges hunting in the UK are not long enough to see meaningful differences in performance. I find the paper comparisons hilarious as they completely ignore the fact that the shooter is allowed to aim, so the theoretical differences will not be seen on a real world target.

For a new shooter I would tell them to buy a 6.5CM. It is a mainstream cartridge, low recoil, commercial ammo available. I think the 243 in copper will struggle on the larger deer species so the 65CM will take over from that expanding its popularity even further.

Not for me, I am no fanboy, but it is optimised to shoot the 6.5 in the medium actions

 

[Cranborne]

.30-06; wide range of bullet weights in lead / no lead, and will deal with anything other than dangerous game.

 

[Pine Marten]

Looking after kids is woman's work.Grow a pair and tell her.

I assume this is a bit of humorous sarcasm, right?

 

[Muir]

Six point Five MM bullets are hard to get in the States. Thirty caliber, not so much. I have shot 308 with .310" lead round balls for small game and 175's for 1000 yard steel. Versatile and cheap. When I was ordering the then non existent Ruger Precision I had the choice of two that were slated for arrivel: a 6.5 CM and a 308. I took the 308. I have since bought 6,5 CM rifles but the 308 is hard to beat and I still shoot thre RPR regularly. I have a pair of Tikka T3 LITES. One in 7-08 and one in 308. They are set up identically -glass, triggers, sling. Matching pairs. I practice off hand shooting with the 308 and hunt with the 7-08 because the 308 is easier to get components for and so, cheaper to shoot.~Muir

 

[scotch_egg]

Was The Fix the one gun solution?

It certainly was. It’s a great utility rifle, light weight and folds down nicely to sneak into a b&b. I can swap the calibre from a 16” .308 for woodland stalking to the 24” carbon 6.5 Creedmoor barrel on the hill. It doesn’t look traditional and raises eyebrows. It’s lively on the range and not something I like to bang steel with all day.

For me the 6.5 bullets are still too big for shooting fox at night. So I was considering a 6mm barrel for the fix. That’s another £700 at least. Plus messing about swapping a barrel before going out and having to check zero. It’s not a return to zero system.

Along with the need for a more traditional looking rifle for certain situations a Sako 85 in 6mm creedmoor was ordered from @Ronin

Then the steel gongs and practical rifle shoots needed covering. The Accuracy International AX sits in that slot. 6.5X47

Time to reload is hard to find. I currently batch load of an evening when children are in bed. Realistically the only one that gets over 100 rounds a year is the 6.5X47

To the OP you will adapt, it takes time. Bide your time, because it’s hard being a father and let no one tell you otherwise.

The time you used to have is worth double. Don’t put a cost to it.

Let’s be honest the average bloke on here doesn’t have a lease and will shoot one or two deer a year. It’s nice to have the “good” kit to do it.



A golfer has more than one club in the bag. So my work colleague tells me...

 

[AHPP]

It certainly was. It’s a great utility rifle, light weight and folds down nicely to sneak into a b&b. I can swap the calibre from a 16” .308 for woodland stalking to the 24” carbon 6.5 Creedmoor barrel on the hill. It doesn’t look traditional and raises eyebrows. It’s lively on the range and not something I like to bang steel with all day.

For me the 6.5 bullets are still too big for shooting fox at night. So I was considering a 6mm barrel for the fix. That’s another £700 at least. Plus messing about swapping a barrel before going out and having to check zero. It’s not a return to zero system.

Along with the need for a more traditional looking rifle for certain situations a Sako 85 in 6mm creedmoor was ordered from @Ronin

Then the steel gongs and practical rifle shoots needed covering. The Accuracy International AX sits in that slot. 6.5X47

Time to reload is hard to find. I currently batch load of an evening when children are in bed. Realistically the only one that gets over 100 rounds a year is the 6.5X47

To the OP you will adapt, it takes time. Bide your time, because it’s hard being a father and let no one tell you otherwise.

The time you used to have is worth double. Don’t put a cost to it.

Let’s be honest the average bloke on here doesn’t have a lease and will shoot one or two deer a year. It’s nice to have the “good” kit to do it.



A golfer has more than one club in the bag. So my work colleague tells me...

I assume you’re keeping The Fix for the woods and hill stalks though? The ones where you don’t want to look like last century at least.

 

[User00033]

This is where you all come in with your greater knowledge and experience etc.

You’re suffering from baby brain mate. Things are going a bit awry upstairs... if it’s this bad before the bairn even arrives, you might be in a spot of bother down the track! And wait ‘til you see what happens to your missus!



So, time to take a step back, accept some short-term disruption, and remember that in times of (relative) upheaval it’s not usually the best time to make decisions that are easily regretted. Revisit in 12-18 months when things have settled down (which they will).