One caliber away from contentment... who else?

[ftrovato]

After the kids went off to college, I downsized considerably from the big rambling house they had grown up in. So my collection of calibers and rifles is pretty small since I don't have a lot of space any more. For the hunting I currently do, I really have everything I need which unfortunately is not synonymous with everything I want. At the moment, I'm currently in the process of cobbling together a 35 Whelen because I always wanted one of those which will bring my chambering count to an even dozen.

The problem I have is at the left end of the lineup below. There's a 55-grain 22-250 and then a significant jump to a 140-grain 6.5x55 SE. I need an 80~115 grain bullet to fill that gap because it's messing up the feng shui of my gun safe having that hole. The question is "What do I put there?": 243 Win? 257 Roberts? 25-06?

The struggle is real...


22-250, 6.5x55, 275 Rigby, 300 HAM'R, 303 British, 30-06, 9.3x74r, 375 H&H, 405 Winchester, 44 Mag, 458 Win Mag

I vote 243. You have a great range of calibers but are missing a few on the smaller end. a 22 Win Mag & a 243 Win would help to fill those gaps if I were spending your money.

 

[odonata]

I vote 243. You have a great range of calibers but are missing a few on the smaller end. a 22 Win Mag & a 243 Win would help to fill those gaps if I were spending your money.

The 243 Win does have a lot going for it. It is one of the chamberings that is possible to find in left-handed rifles (e.g. Sako 90, Bergara B-14, Tikka T3x, etc.). But no decision is final until I spend way too much time over-thinking it. I have a lot of traditional wood & blued steel rifles but the thing that's giving me pause is the thought of possibly going lightweight, carbon, stainless & suppressed on what could be a "final" (ha!) purchase. As I'm filling the last few slots left in my safe, I'm being overly picky about it being something unique.

I listed my centerfire calibers earlier. I do have a LH Browning T-Bolt in 22LR & another varmint model with a heavy barrel in 17 HMR that are super accurate & a lot of fun to shoot.

 

[KCSafari]

I’m there with you. Not sure I need anything else but for some reason I look through GB every week.
.22
.222
.223
.243
.25-06
.270
7x57 x2
7mm Rem Mag
30-30
.308
300 Win Mag
35 Whelen
9.3x62 x2
375 Dakota
375 H&H
416 Rigby
404 Jeff
500 NE

Itching for a 6.5x55 since everyone speaks so highly of it.

 

[odonata]

I’m there with you. Not sure I need anything else but for some reason I look through GB every week.
...
Itching for a 6.5x55 since everyone speaks so highly of it.

A kindred spirit & a nice assortment of chamberings! My rifle purchasing has tapered off considerably since I hunt with everything I own & I don't have enough time to shoot them all as it is. But I can't break myself of the habit of continually scavenger hunting for that one special item at a great price...

Last season I was at a friend's farm in Mississippi & he asked me if I would mind taking some of the does he had on his property. I said no problem at all. My venison brat supply in the freezer was getting low so hunting for some food sounded like a good way to spend the weekend. My Ruger No. 1A in 6.5x55 shooting 140gr Nosler Partitions did an excellent job on the two that I took. Both of them dropped in their tracks at around 125 meters. It is a pleasant & effective round to shoot. I absolutely positively do not need another 6.5x55 rifle. But if Sako makes a LH Bavarian 90 in that chambering, I might crack. A LH Steyr SM12 would do the trick as well.

 

[Bandera]

Let’s see
22 Short
22LR
223
243
25-06
6.8 SPC
7 Mag
30-30
30-06
375 Ruger
38-40 WCF
450-400
45-70
I thought I was there and then while visiting the LGS Larry’s Pistol and Pawn West, the manager walks by, knowing my love for Ruger No. 1’s, with a 458 Win Mag Ruger No.1.

 

[odonata]

I thought I was there and then while visiting the LGS Larry’s Pistol and Pawn West, the manager walks by, knowing my love for Ruger No. 1’s, with a 458 Win Mag Ruger No.1.

As a right-handed person who shoots left, I have a real fondness for ambidextrous rifles so I have four 1885's and four Ruger No. 1's that I hunt with a lot. It's nice to open one of the safes & have the option of a falling block or a falling block or another falling block...



But when it came time to add a 458 Win Mag to the lineup, I opted for a LH Ruger MkII in 7mm Rem Mag & then I made a project out of putting in crossbolts, pillars and a stainless rod through the grip to reinforce it for a 23" McGowen barrel. I really enjoy shooting this particular round a lot: