Best Cartidge for Ultralight Sheep Rifle?

[Ludo]

I currently hunt with a 20” 7PRC, and a 22 Creedmoor. I want something to fill the gap, and settled on building an ultralight (6lb bare) mountain rifle optimized for sheep, mountain goat and deer. I’d like it capable out to 700yds. but I don’t want to overlap the 7PRC too much. Is that over thinking it? Is the 6.5 PRC perfect for this build or do I go with something else? Also need help deciding on barrel length.

A few other data points:
-I’m Considering a suppressor.
-I don’t hand load
-I have a replacement barrel (caliber of my choice) coming from Proof. I just need to pick one.
-This will be a custom build

Any thoughts on the topic would be greatly appreciated.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

6 creedmoor

 

[glock233]

6 creedmoor

Totally a 6 Creed. Maybe a 25 Creed if you’re very worried about wind.

 

[glock233]

Adding more: the 6.5 PRC doesn’t overlap the 7 PRC much, but you’ll shoot better with one of the creeds.

The 6.5 PRC use case, for a non-hand loader with a 7PRC already, is you want to lighten the recoil up a bit but still want to shoot 1000 yards. Apparently that’s not you.

Also your 22 creed with 80 gain bullets is also just fine for this use case if you just want to stick to limited calibers.

Overall my vote would be 6 Creed flinging 103 grain ELDX.

 

[Pescetism]

6 creedmoor or stick with 22 creedmoor.

I don't think there is a wrong choice from 16" - 20" but shorter is definitely handier.

 

[glock233]

Barrel length: 18-20” is all you need for 700 yard shots with 6 and 25 Creed. I’d probably do 20 just to keep my range up a bit.

 

[6.5x284]

I went with a 20” 6SST. If I did it again I’d just do it shorter. Something 16-18” exceeding 6creed velocities would be pretty rad.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ludo]

Adding more: the 6.5 PRC doesn’t overlap the 7 PRC much, but you’ll shoot better with one of the creeds.

The 6.5 PRC use case, for a non-hand loader with a 7PRC already, is you want to lighten the recoil up a bit but still want to shoot 1000 yards. Apparently that’s not you.

Also your 22 creed with 80 gain bullets is also just fine for this use case if you just want to stick to limited calibers.

Overall my vote would be 6 Creed flinging 103 grain ELDX.

Why the 6mm CM over 6.5CM?

 

[Antares]

Why the 6mm CM over 6.5CM?

Because you get the same ballistics with 30% less recoil.

I'm currently putting together a new mountain goat/deer rifle. It's a 14.5" 6CM.

"Ultralight" is overrated. Save weight somewhere else. For shootability reasons, I like rifles in the 7.5-8 lbs range.

 

[Ludo]

Because you get the same ballistics with 30% less recoil.

I'm currently putting together a new mountain goat/deer rifle. It's a 14.5" 6CM.

"Ultralight" is overrated. Save weight somewhere else. For shootability reasons, I like rifles in the 7.5-8 lbs range.

8lbs (with scope) is what I mean when I say ultra light.

 

[streamerfish]

I mean realistically.....Anything between 6 dasher and 6.5cm is going to be just peachy.

I would go more along the lines of....I want to shoot X bullet or bullets at around Y speed, and figure out what does that.

 

[nm.otter]

8lbs (with scope) is what I mean when I say ultra light.

My 20" 6.5 CM is 7 pounds 15 ounces scoped and suppressed.
I want less recoil in that weight, so 6mm GT is next.

 

[glock233]

Why the 6mm CM over 6.5CM?

As someone said above, it’s a lot less recoil. That’s very important in a light rifle and it’s very noticeable.

It’s also flatter shooting in a way many people like. I’m one of them. For the way I shoot, it has a little more margin of error.

The only meaningful advantage the 6.5 CM has over the 6, for your use case, is variety of factory ammo. But 6cm has the projectiles you should be using anyway, so it’s still fine.

I’d get a 6cm. Shoot Hornady grey box 103eldx. Kill anything in North America under 800 yards.

 

[S-3 ranch]

6.5-284 Norma, 6.5 prc , 264wm , 6.5-300 , I like speed and recoil during a hunt doesn’t matter to me ( but loud noise does, I hate muzzle brakes ) .

 

[Ludo]

Yeah I’m not sensitive to recoil at all. And I’m not a PRS shooter or anything, so the recoil doesn’t matter to me in regards to repetitive shooting.. BUT, I would love to be able to stay on target in the scope for those longer shots.

 

[glock233]

Yeah I’m not sensitive to recoil at all. And I’m not a PRS shooter or anything, so the recoil doesn’t matter to me in regards to repetitive shooting.. BUT, I would love to be able to stay on target in the scope for those longer shots.

I would have said the same thing about recoil sensitivity until I shot 20 rounds of 300 win mag and 20 rounds of 6.5 creed head to head in basically the same setup. I was so much more accurate with the 6.5 creed.

Recoil is not a sensitivity of manliness issue, but an accuracy issue. And the lighter the rifle the more acute it gets and the more recoil matters.

The reality is that nearly all shooters anticipate recoil enough that it affects accuracy. I think it’s something that can be trained around but 99.9% do not practice enough (or well enough) for that to work.

 

[nm.otter]

The reality is that nearly all shooters anticipate recoil enough that it affects accuracy. I think it’s something that can be trained around but 99.9% do not practice enough (or well enough) for that to work.

...and yet they still shoot lower-recoiling rifles better.

 

[BCDJR]

I currently hunt with a 20” 7PRC, and a 22 Creedmoor. I want something to fill the gap, and settled on building an ultralight (6lb bare) mountain rifle optimized for sheep, mountain goat and deer. I’d like it capable out to 700yds. but I don’t want to overlap the 7PRC too much. Is that over thinking it? Is the 6.5 PRC perfect for this build or do I go with something else? Also need help deciding on barrel length.

A few other data points:
-I’m Considering a suppressor.
-I don’t hand load
-I have a replacement barrel (caliber of my choice) coming from Proof. I just need to pick one.
-This will be a custom build

Any thoughts on the topic would be greatly appreciated.

Sheep hunting? Where are you going?

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Yeah I’m not sensitive to recoil at all. And I’m not a PRS shooter or anything, so the recoil doesn’t matter to me in regards to repetitive shooting.. BUT, I would love to be able to stay on target in the scope for those longer shots.

Then why would you even consider anything but your current 22 Creed?

 

[nuffgun]

A 22 creedmoor shooting 80 eldx or eldm would make a great sheep rifle. If you have to have something to bridge the gap between the 22 creed and the 7 prc with factory ammo only, I would pick the 6 creedmoor shooting 108 eldm’s. Recoil matters more than most people want to admit. Especially in sub 10 lb rifles.