All purpose cartridge for restrictive state

[Dubbodiver]

so the questions first and the why to follow up.

I want to drive a 130gn copper mono 3100-3200fps with the intent to retain terminal velocity above 2000fps as far as I can and I want to do it out of a 18-20" barrel.
do I pick a 277, 7mm or 30 bullet and what cartridges are going to get me there?

OK now the why?

I Live in NSW Australia Which has just passed some ridiculous gun laws which have made me rethink my firearms battery entirely.

licensed firearms owners have bee restricted to 4 firearms for recreational hunters and 10 firearms for target shooters or landowners/rural workers.
bolt action, lever action and break action firearms are the remaining legal options.

One of my target species (sambar deer) has caliber and bullet weight restrictions of .277 min and 130gn min. although there is not yet copper only restrictions it is coming sooner rather than later.

My need and intention is to build a rifle that meets these criteria but will also double as a ranch rifle- carried on horseback and motorbike, quad, sxs, ute and on foot hence the max 20" barrel.

will it be easier to get a 277/7mm or a 30 cal 130gn copper up to speed and which cartridges will be the best to get it there?

I will probably be building on a tikka t3x, they are available, are available as left handed and they are a fantastic action.

those are my restrictions. other than those limitations I am seeking the rokslide community wisdom, any suggestions, advise or better ideas I am all ears! I fall very much on the side of the smaller cartridges are easier to shoot debate but I am open to hear all ideas.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bnewt3]

The easy button is to go with something known like 300WM.

However, my mind goes toward efficiency.....what meets your needs with the least amount of overkill(and recoil).....no need for 300WM if less can do the job.

270 WIN can do what you are looking for. 130gr in the 3100 range can be found on shelves here, im not sure about in AUS. But thats generally out of a 24" barrel. So a bit less out of 20".....still right around 3000 though.


If you want to stick around 130gr, the smaller the caliber, the better the BC(in general), therefore the flatter the trajectory and carrying more velocity further. If so, then .277 is where you want to be.

If your are looking at 130gr as just being your bottom limit by law, and open to heavier, then lots of things become possible. 7BC, 7RM, 7PRC, 300WM, 300WSM, 6.8W, 280AI, 270WSM, or bigger.

270 does have the distinct advantage of being the lowest recoil out of your options, which in a short(likely fairly light) rifle will be a big advantage.

 

[steelheadmike]

I think 7PRC is the answer. There’s a number of light .284 monos out there and they should be screaming out of the PRC.

Remember that driving a light bullet fast doesn’t always mean longer range. The low BC of those light bullets makes them shed a lot of speed at distance. Run some calcs on a few different bullets and you might be surprised.