Scout rifle, circa 2016

[StraitR]

Personally I would much rather hit my target with a heavier bullet than a lighter one.


For a guy who just wants one rifle, I would still recommend a .308 over a 6.5. The ability to load projectiles suitable for varmints all the way up to the biggest bears as well as do some long range target shooting, with proper handloading, makes it a solid choice.

CHEERS

Agreed, all around. In an effort to not get too far into the weeds on caliber selection, I limited my time spent researching. It didn't take long to figure out that 6.5cm would be a superior choice for a person whose primary focus is precision shooting out to the supersonic/transonic limitations of their caliber. While I'd like to explore that for fun and learning purposes, it's pretty much last on the list of my priorities, with the top two being increasing fundamental marksmanship skills and taking small to medium sized game. The 308 is definitely the better choice for me and my defined uses.

[Robinson]

Agreed, all around. In an effort to not get too far into the weeds on caliber selection, I limited my time spent researching. It didn't take long to figure out that 6.5cm would be a superior choice for a person whose primary focus is precision shooting out to the supersonic/transonic limitations of their caliber. While I'd like to explore that for fun and learning purposes, it's pretty much last on the list of my priorities, with the top two being increasing fundamental marksmanship skills and taking small to medium sized game. The 308 is definitely the better choice for me and my defined uses.

Also you mentioned wanting to shoot suppressed. It seems to me a .308 can be had with or cut to a barrel length appropriate for suppressor use. If I were shooting a .30-06 I'd want a longer barrel -- like 24" -- to take advantage of the cartridge and adding a suppressor to that long of a barrel would just make it unwieldy.

[OlongJohnson]

One thing to bear in mind when talking about Tikkas (The modern T3 variant at least) and long range is that they are all built on long actions. People will start talking about how the 6.5 creed is far superior than the .308, but that is really from a limited perspective. When you are shooting factory ammo and speaking in generalities, the 6.5 Creed does offer better downrange performance for target shooting.

For a guy who just wants one rifle, I would still recommend a .308 over a 6.5. The ability to load projectiles suitable for varmints all the way up to the biggest bears as well as do some long range target shooting, with proper handloading, makes it a solid choice.

Some long-range competitors even prefer 6mm to 6.5mm, as the small amount of recoil reduction over the course of a day makes a difference at the end of a long match.

I've OCD'ed on paper a couple times regarding 6mm cartridges, and ended up at 6mm Remington AI both times. Not a popular selection, but it has steeper shoulders that tend to correlate with better accuracy and a longer neck to address the throat wear issue, along with a little capacity edge over any of the .308-based cases without getting silly like a 6mm-06. But if you want to shoot the long bullets, you'll probably still end up with a long action. And the whole thing is a custom-rifle science project.

For one rifle, I agree with LR and others: .308 and go shoot stuff.

[fatdog]

Thanks @fatdog. Did you get the 20" or 24" CTR in 6.5 creedmoor?

Mine is a 20", I bought it after I gained access to a good 1000 yard range and decided I wanted to play with that stuff. It is certainly adequate for that.

[newyork]

For that price, you can have a bespoke rifle built to your exact specs.

Attachment 20487

What is the “poor mans” version of this? 527 CZ the best bet?

[StraitR]

What is the “poor mans” version of this? 527 CZ the best bet?

I have a CZ 455 Varmint, and like it quite a bit. They can build a nice rifle, for sure. I wish they would have chambered the 527 in 5.56mm instead of 223rem, but more importantly, wished they would have made the twist a 1:8 instead of a 1:9. That's pushing it for anything heavier (read longer) than 62gr projectiles.

The other choice is 7.62x39, which is a great short (and medium, which is subjective) range cartridge, but boxer primed brass cased ammo isn't always readily available offline. I realize you live in shotgun only territory, so hunting isn't a factor, but x39 hunting ammunition is extremely limited. I know Hornady makes two SKU's of their SST bullet, and I believe Remington, Federal, and Winchester each make one SKU (maybe two). That said, you could buy online and stock up on $.45 a round plinking ammo from places like TargetSportsUSA.

They don't come cheap, at a $650ish street price, but they are pretty cool carbines. I catch myself looking at the 7.62x39 variant a couple times a year. I still pine for an iron sight bolt action carbine.

[Robinson]

I have a CZ 455 Varmint, and like it quite a bit. They can build a nice rifle, for sure. I wish they would have chambered the 527 in 5.56mm instead of 223rem, but more importantly, wished they would have made the twist a 1:8 instead of a 1:9. That's pushing it for anything heavier (read longer) than 62gr projectiles.

The other choice is 7.62x39, which is a great short (and medium, which is subjective) range cartridge, but boxer primed brass cased ammo isn't always readily available offline. I realize you live in shotgun only territory, so hunting isn't a factor, but x39 hunting ammunition is extremely limited. I know Hornady makes two SKU's of their SST bullet, and I believe Remington, Federal, and Winchester each make one SKU (maybe two). That said, you could buy online and stock up on $.45 a round plinking ammo from places like TargetSportsUSA.

They don't come cheap, at a $650ish street price, but they are pretty cool carbines. I catch myself looking at the 7.62x39 variant a couple times a year. I still pine for an iron sight bolt action carbine.

I think CZ has always claimed that 5.56 is fine in their .223 rifles even if the twist rate isn't optimal for heavier bullets.

[StraitR]

I think CZ has always claimed that 5.56 is fine in their .223 rifles even if the twist rate isn't optimal for heavier bullets.

That's contrary to known best practice and logic when it comes to 5.56 through a 223rem chamber, not to mention their manual ("only CIP/SAAMI compliant ammo of appropriate caliber"). You have a source, or just something you read? I'm not trying to stand you up, I just don't want to leave that here unchallenged and have some dude experience a catastrophic failure from shooting M855 through his 223rem CZ if it's not verified information.

[Robinson]

That's contrary to known best practice and logic when it comes to 5.56 through a 223rem chamber, not to mention their manual ("only CIP/SAAMI compliant ammo of appropriate caliber"). You have a source, or just something you read? I'm not trying to stand you up, I just don't want to leave that here unchallenged and have some dude experience a catastrophic failure from shooting M855 through his 223rem CZ if it's not verified information.

No worries. Go to this page and read CZ's answer to the question:
http://cz-usa.com/support/faq/

[StraitR]

No worries. Go to this page and read CZ's answer to the question:
http://cz-usa.com/support/faq/

Thank you. That's an incredibly helpful FAQ page. Also says their 7.62x39 are CIP spec, so they prefer steel cased ammunition. That makes the x39 even more interesting as a plinker.