Help choosing ideal chambering/rifle to shoot lead free projectiles.

[Jason Snyder]

Not sure where I contradicted myself. Also not sure where I suggested a heavier mono bullet

You don’t need fast barrel twist

Fast twist is always helpful when shooting monos. It provides many more options.

It’s slow, and if you drop weight enough to get your velocity up, you’ve just given up any BC advantage and then some.

Okay, not directly stated to shoot heavier bullets, but certainly implied to keep BC up.

I don’t disagree the 6.5 PRC gives more flexibility in using monos, but i do disagree the CM is limiting.

 

[geenhead93]

Yes, I am forced to use monos due to legislation in my home state of CA. However I do have hunts planned out of state so I could possibly switch to traditional projectiles in those cases. The 400yd limit is a personal limit that is based on my current skills that I do hope to improve as time goes on so yes I would like something that I can grow into as my skills improve.

 

[Koda_]

Yes, I am forced to use monos due to legislation in my home state of CA. However I do have hunts planned out of state so I could possibly switch to traditional projectiles in those cases. The 400yd limit is a personal limit that is based on my current skills that I do hope to improve as time goes on so yes I would like something that I can grow into as my skills improve.

Modern monolithic bullets are proving devastating on game well beyond 400yds. Better to really know one bullet well than the time it takes to learn two.

If you would like one rifle that you can grow into for longer ranges and shoot monos well. Id look closely at an 8 twist 280ai.

 

[geenhead93]

DRT Technology Terminal Shock.

79gr .224
95gr .243
135gr .264


Loaded ammo in 223, 243, 6.5cm. Those are the best performing lead free bullets right now.

Oh nice I did not know about these, thank you. Seems like a very good option and pretty affordable too. I see they have loaded ammo in .270win as well. A lot of the loaded ammo is out of stock right now unfortunately.

 

[SouthPaw]

Yes, I am forced to use monos due to legislation in my home state of CA. However I do have hunts planned out of state so I could possibly switch to traditional projectiles in those cases.

CA has a lead-free requirement, not a monolithic requirement. Big difference.

In your situation, go with the .243 or 6.5cm. Shoot the DRT ammo in CA, and a good lead core bullet out of state.

 

[geenhead93]

This depends on what you want to hunt?
Medium game (eg deer) then any of the lighter calibers are more than enough out to 400ys, often farther.
Large game (eg elk) then lean towards the bigger/faster calibers starting with 6.5PRC.

Undecided: A 280ai would be perfect balance here with bullet options down in the 90-100gn all the way up to heavy monos if you ever wanted one rifle to fit all options.

Not really. The 10 twist rifles are common and will shoot up to 120gn bullets fine, there really isnt a lot of bullet options above 120gn where the faster twist rates are needed and you would still need a custom longer throat to use the 257 heavies optimally. A 100 or 110gn monolithic out of the 25-06 would really fly fast and work just as well as its heavier 117-120gn slower counterpart.

A note about handloading: to really take advantage of any calibers potential you need to get into handloading for it. Otherwise your limited to factory selections plus supply chain issues, and thats if the one selection you find shoots well in your rifle.

Black bear and deer are the intended quarry for the near future but would certainly like to hunt elk again someday if I can afford it. .280ai does seem like a very good option but would all but require reloading which I'm unfortunately not set up for just yet.

 

[Koda_]

Black bear and deer are the intended quarry for the near future but would certainly like to hunt elk again someday if I can afford it. .280ai does seem like a very good option but would all but require reloading which I'm unfortunately not set up for just yet.

There is factory 280ai ammo available including monos, and you can still shoot regular 280 Remington ammo thru them if needed.

With any caliber your going to have more difficulty or much less options finding factory ammo loaded with monos. You would be better off getting into handloading in your situation regardless of what caliber you select.

 

[geenhead93]

CA has a lead-free requirement, not a monolithic requirement. Big difference.

In your situation, go with the .243 or 6.5cm. Shoot the DRT ammo in CA, and a good lead core bullet out of state.

Excuse me, that is correct. I was unaware of the DRT option.

 

[ElPollo]

Oh nice I did not know about these, thank you. Seems like a very good option and pretty affordable too. I see they have loaded ammo in .270win as well. A lot of the loaded ammo is out of stock right now unfortunately.

I recommended the DRTs to a friend in CA a while back just based on the following post. I used several types of non-lead for several years and never saw this kind of performance. The impact velocity was just over 2000 fps, which is usually the floor for non-lead bullets where you expect to see reduced expansion and narrow wound cavities. This one looks pretty impressive.

6.5 Creedmoor/260 for Deer, Elk, and whatever else.....

Are any of the cup and core traditional deer factory ammo worth a dang in 6.5 cm? Look to set up a new rifle, something 0-300 that's a little bit more cost effective than eldm. The one deer I shoot with bondstrikes barely left any blood. American whitetail? Fusion? I suppose if I've had success...

rokslide.com

Edit: I see Southpaw weighed in. It was his Roosevelt elk in the post.

 

[JFK]

Fast twist is always helpful when shooting monos. It provides many more options.

100% agree. Helpful, and opens up many more options if someone is looking to optimize a cartridge for monos at longer distances.

Inside of 400 yards there really isn’t a need for non traditional twist rates. The most devastating mono I’ve loaded is a 110gr ttsx from a 270 at 3350fps. Totally adequate for inside of 3-4 hundred. Completely stable in a 1:10 twist. The McGuire .277 has one of the best BC’s and stabilizes in a 1:10 as well.

 

[Caseknife]

The length of the bullet dictates required twist rate and because copper weighs less than lead, same caliber bullets of the same weight, the copper bullet will be longer thus possibly requiring a faster twist to stabilize.

 

[geenhead93]

CA has a lead-free requirement, not a monolithic requirement. Big difference.

In your situation, go with the .243 or 6.5cm. Shoot the DRT ammo in CA, and a good lead core bullet out of state.

I'm leaning towards this in a 6.5cm now. I saw your post on the 6.5 thread in the past and was impressed but didn't pay close enough attention to realize the DRT was a lead free projectile. Very glad I posted here for help. Now I can build a Tikka "Rokslide Super Special" of my own lol

 

[geenhead93]

Sorry to bump this but I am still undecided and am wondering what the consensus is between a 1:8 .243win and a 6.5cm for my use case? I intend on trying the DRT ammo/bullets in either. The advantages I see for the .243win are recoil and velocity in the event that the DRT aren't available for whatever reason and I am forced to use traditional monolithics (.243 is out of stock right now). The advantages for the 6.5cm would be better selection of bullets as well as loaded ammo. Would choosing the .243win be limiting as I improve my skills therefore increasing the distance I am comfortable shooting at game like black bear and deer?

 

[Koda_]

Would choosing the .243win be limiting as I improve my skills therefore increasing the distance I am comfortable shooting at game like black bear and deer?

I use Hornadys website when I want to compare two rifle caliber ballistics because you can select both from their list to compare then click on their different loads and they show its ballistics out to 500yds.

I personally would pick the 6.5CM over the 243win but both are great rounds.

 

[gphil]

I have always wanted a 257 weatherby to shoot 100 grain mono bullets.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[geenhead93]

I use Hornadys website when I want to compare two rifle caliber ballistics because you can select both from their list to compare then click on their different loads and they show its ballistics out to 500yds.

I personally would pick the 6.5CM over the 243win but both are great rounds.

That is a good idea, I will do that. Thank you

 

[HandgunHTR]

Would choosing the .243win be limiting as I improve my skills therefore increasing the distance I am comfortable shooting at game like black bear and deer?

I would say, no. For your intended game, and your current and near future skill level, a .243 will be just fine.

I would hazard to guess that if you progress to the point where you are looking at hunting at distances over 400 yards or you start to add more targeted species, you will just opt for another rifle rather than try to "get by" with the one you have. It is inevitable.

 

[jaredg]

I culled an entire herd of deer one night using a 243. Mine was a Sako in a 10? twist I believe. Well before they went to the fast twist barrels anyway. I ranged them from 387 to 413.

I believe that the 243 has been one the most under-looked cartridges until most recently. But of all the rifles I own, I have used a slow twist 243 to take the most game.

Buy the fast twist 243. Recoil noticeably less than the 6.5. More enjoyable to shoot.

 

[Hoopleheader]

Tikka in 270, grab Barnes TTSX or LRX.

 

[geenhead93]

I would say, no. For your intended game, and your current and near future skill level, a .243 will be just fine.

I would hazard to guess that if you progress to the point where you are looking at hunting at distances over 400 yards or you start to add more targeted species, you will just opt for another rifle rather than try to "get by" with the one you have. It is inevitable.

That is probably true, I'm sure this won't be my last rifle.

I culled an entire herd of deer one night using a 243. Mine was a Sako in a 10? twist I believe. Well before they went to the fast twist barrels anyway. I ranged them from 387 to 413.

I believe that the 243 has been one the most under-looked cartridges until most recently. But of all the rifles I own, I have used a slow twist 243 to take the most game.

Buy the fast twist 243. Recoil noticeably less than the 6.5. More enjoyable to shoot.

Leaning more and more this way after analyzing the numbers as the performance of the .243 seems more than adequate for my purposes and at the lowest recoil with good ammo availability.

Tikka in 270, grab Barnes TTSX or LRX.

The numbers are certainly impressive for the .270 but at the cost of higher recoil.