Need a beanfield rifle

[andriesdeklerk]

I have a close to a complete collection of rifles. In the near future I will get a double but for the time being placid about the bunch. That is until three days ago when innocent hunting banter got me into trouble. A mate of mine is looking for a small rifle that his son and wife will be able to shoot. I mention to him about my 223rem MINI my dad bought me when I was much younger and it is especially made for kids or anybody small of frame. Well I don't shoot with it much these days for I have grown into a sturdy 6foot 3inches frame. He immediately inquired about taking it over from me. I love this rifle, no recoil, with the silencer and heaps of military rounds it was and still is any boys dream. It will be sad parting with this rifle but the idea that another hunter may be able to relive my childhood and join the hunting comunity warms my heart.
But all this is fine. The calamity lies within the fact that I have to replace this rifle. I need serious help for this is keeping up at night. I love my Dad's 22-250 but I want faster, more accurate but more important some very few have here in the Western Cape of South Africa. Something in the 6mm class, no bigger. Speeds way into the 3000 feet per second but not a barrel eater. Super stable and accurate like the 6mmPPC. Forum open to bench rest shooters but also important that hunters have their say for this will be a hunting rifle!

 

[Ole Bally]

.338 win mag or if you have the money for it and the reloading experience a .30-378! Just way out thoughts of what I'd like!!!
More seriously, how about a 7mm Ultra Mag or a 7mm WSM?

 

[35bore]

andries,

I know it probably won't meet your velocity requirements of 3000fps, and I don't know the availability of ammo in your part of the world, but, I have a 6mm Rem in a M700 that my son uses. It is very flat shooting and just a step up from the 243 win, but it is a fantastic and accurate rifle. I came across a really good deal for some Remington Core Lokt's 3 years ago 100 gr, for around $15 per box, bought 200 rds. Don't know if I was much help, but, it really is a fantastic caliber, and not every Tom, Dick or Harry has one.

As far as the 22 caliber cartridges out there, (I love the 223 but don't own one, just don't have the need at this time) I won't knock anyone for using them, but, there are better alternatives (in my opinion) for hunting furbearers.

Good luck in you search.

Another route might be to consider the 25-06...

 

[35bore]

Okay, learned something myself today, just did a quick check on some reloading sites. Some of these guys chronoed 75gr handloads at 3500fps and the 90 and 100gr. variants around 3100-3200fps, so I guess it does fall into the velocity requirement you set. Yeah 6mm Rem.

 

[DOC-404]

Andries, if you have the time and a few bucks lying around doing nothing, have a look at a .223 Ackley or even a .243 Ackley. Should be a lot of fun to put together..

 

[andriesdeklerk]

Spoke to a friend about the 25-06 but he mentioned the recoil and short barrel life. The 6mm Rem sounds very interesting. I will be reloading so availability off ammo not of such big of a concern. Know some blokes who have the 243 Ackley. So need something more unique. Keep the comments coming.

 

[Norwegianwoods]

I would rather have a Norma 6XC. Great cartridge!

 

[35bore]

Spoke to a friend about the 25-06 but he mentioned the recoil and short barrel life. The 6mm Rem sounds very interesting. I will be reloading so availability off ammo not of such big of a concern. Know some blokes who have the 243 Ackley. So need something more unique. Keep the comments coming.

I have no experience personally with the following 2 cartridges, but if you want unique here you go, the 240 Weatherby Mag oooorrrrr the 244 H&H... How's that for unique? Again, I have never fired either, but check the internet on the reloading data, these things scream down the barrel, there the problem with barrel comes into play. Good luck.

 

[Norwegianwoods]

I have no experience personally with the following 2 cartridges, but if you want unique here you go, the 240 Weatherby Mag oooorrrrr the 244 H&H... How's that for unique? Again, I have never fired either, but check the internet on the reloading data, these things scream down the barrel, there the problem with barrel comes into play. Good luck.

The problem with those 2 cartridges is that they eat barrels like hungry Hyenas.
But unique they are

 

[35bore]

The problem with those 2 cartridges is that they eat barrels like hungry Hyenas.
But unique they are

That's what I figured with, some of the velocities I read were upward of 4000fps, that's nuts. Think the 6mm Rem is what he is after.

 

[Wolverine67]

Barrel wear are a function of bullet velocity and bearing surface. That mean its virtually impossible to combine high velocity with long barrel life.
You want someting unique with high precision. I would go for some of the 6 mm cartridges. 6mm Norma BR, 6 XC or some similar wildcat.

 

[desertloper]

The critters would be limited to the Tiny 10...but I have a Savage .204 that is nasty! ZERO recoil..and 5 shots in one jagged hole @100yds is the norm.

The 32 gr V-max isn't going to take a Kudu but it will turn a jackal into a mess.

 

[andriesdeklerk]

244H&H looking very nice. 6mm Remington little more practical I think. Only reason I would lean towards the 244 is that it launches a bit heavier projectile then the 6mm at close to the same speeds. I will only be doing culling and head shot hunting with it.

 

[Norwegianwoods]

What bullets do you plan to use?
With all bullets you can use for a 244H&H, even the heaviest, you will get very high speeds if you load close to max and it will shoot out the barrel very quickly.
And it is no point to have a cartridge like that and download it.

I really think it would be a fun cartridge to own, but I would have it in a gun that I use in situations where I would only shoot one or 2 shots at the time before the barrel would get time to cool totally down again. This would greatly increase the barrel life.

If you plan to use it in situations with much shooting, making the barrel hot, I would either use the 6mm Norma BR or the Norma 6XC.
They are both extremely accurate and the barrel life is long with them both.
And as said earlier, the Norma 6XC would be my choice for that

 

[enysse]

6mm Rem, 270 WSM and the 7mm Rem Ultra Mag are all pretty flat shooting.

 

[BARTFRNCS]

I stand on the side of practicality 223 suits all your requierments with ease. Brass is easy to come by dont have to worry about barrel life. really its the only logical choice.

 

[ablebonus]

I am looking for a similar rifle and had decided on a 6.5 mm - leaning toward the .260 but also happy with 6.5x55, 6.5 creedmoor, 6.5x284, etc. 260 has the short action advantage but not quite as much case capacity. Anyway, I really wanted something super accurate - well under .5" at 100 yards, but still a hunting rifle rather than a tactical or benchrest rifle. After researching many custom rifle shops, I started zeroing in on a custom build based on a Stiller or Defiance Machine custom action, Jewell trigger, Krieger or Broughton barrel, Mcmillan stock. Those parts with a few other substitutions seem to be what the most accurate rifle builders are using. I finally settled on William Roscoe at LA Precision to build it and was looking for .25" type accuracy. Unfortunately when I went to order last month I found the wait to now be 12-24 months and William wasn't taking new orders. I already have some hunts booked for the fall so I didn't place the order. Instead I heard about Hill Country Rifles accurizing service. Since they are in my backyard I took an old Sako 7mm Rem Mag to them last month and it came back shooting .335" groups. Since I could spend a lot of money and not get something that accurate I put the smaller custom rifle on hold for a while and picked up a CZ 550 full stock in 6.5x55 yesterday to satisfy my immediate itch. I'm headed out to try it out tomorrow. GA Precision, Louisiana Precision, Hill Country Rifles, and many other great builders are out there and can put together a beanfield rifle exactly like you want it using those components. Not sure any of that helps you but good luck in your quest!

 

[Norwegianwoods]

I am looking for a similar rifle and had decided on a 6.5 mm - leaning toward the .260 but also happy with 6.5x55, 6.5 creedmoor, 6.5x284, etc. 260 has the short action advantage but not quite as much case capacity. Anyway, I really wanted something super accurate - well under .5" at 100 yards, but still a hunting rifle rather than a tactical or benchrest rifle. After researching many custom rifle shops, I started zeroing in on a custom build based on a Stiller or Defiance Machine custom action, Jewell trigger, Krieger or Broughton barrel, Mcmillan stock. Those parts with a few other substitutions seem to be what the most accurate rifle builders are using. I finally settled on William Roscoe at LA Precision to build it and was looking for .25" type accuracy. Unfortunately when I went to order last month I found the wait to now be 12-24 months and William wasn't taking new orders. I already have some hunts booked for the fall so I didn't place the order. Instead I heard about Hill Country Rifles accurizing service. Since they are in my backyard I took an old Sako 7mm Rem Mag to them last month and it came back shooting .335" groups. Since I could spend a lot of money and not get something that accurate I put the smaller custom rifle on hold for a while and picked up a CZ 550 full stock in 6.5x55 yesterday to satisfy my immediate itch. I'm headed out to try it out tomorrow. GA Precision, Louisiana Precision, Hill Country Rifles, and many other great builders are out there and can put together a beanfield rifle exactly like you want it using those components. Not sure any of that helps you but good luck in your quest!

I have a 6.5-06 that is a Shilen Select Match Grade barrel fitted to a Winchester 70 post 64 action and put into Bell&Carlson stock unbedded.
The barrel job was done by an army gun smith.
It shoots .25" 3 shot groups at 100 meters with my best loads. 0.5" with most loads and I have only experienced one bullet I have not managed sub 1" 3 shot groups with when I have found the optimum loads for each bullet.
I love the cartridge and I guess I have been very lucky to get such a accurate gun without using expensive custom gun smiths specializing in precision rifles

 

[andriesdeklerk]

The reason for the 6mm is the better quality of the bullets. The .224 just too soft, premature blow ups in blesbuck head shots. Sometimes there is this trophy buck you just have to have that does not present a head shot and body shots the only option. I have taken two impala with shoulder shots with a 22-250. I found them, far from dead but I found them. This is what impairs the .223/.224 class rifles when it comes to hunting. The twist of the 223Rem and the 22-250 barrels not short enough to stabilize monolithic hollow points like Barnes. The idea is to have a 243 with all the extras and personally I think this the best medicine for our animals that fits in the size class off between Coues and whitetail deer. 85gr at 3600ft second will split a stubborn Blesbuck's head at 300yards. Spoke to my Friend at Safari and Outdoor a few days ago and he mentioned to me that they have a consignment of best grade (exhibition class) wood blanks coming in from Turkey. He said I haven't seen blanks like this from before. The one thread reads gun porn? Blank porn for sure, I can star at beautiful piece of wood all day long. So I have first pick when they come. This will be the first step in my new rifle. The best piece of wood money could buy. Secondly the calibre, which we are busy sorting out on this tread. Then it will become a barrel and action discussion. I have a Shilen barrel on my 416Rigby so maybe one of those match grade ones. The telescope will be a Leopold!

 

[andriesdeklerk]

Met with the gunsmith yesterday. So exiting! After a lengthy conversation with him it seems a custom rifle should be in a more traditional calibre, something more like a 240 Apex or 244H&H. But loading data from South African BR shooters will be hard to come by. Where the 243AI is much more in abundance. Real head scratcher. So what is he really saying? One thing is sure; the wood is going to be the real head turner on this rifle. Manage to drag old Dad into the project as well. This means the budget doubled! For now I will chew on what calibre, I have some time. Will have more updates when the wood arrives.