I just did a .270. I picked up most things off Rokslide- carbon stock, Tikka rifle and .270 barrel. Did good rings and the SWFA 3-9. so Semi-custom. I had a friend that just finished gunsmithing school put it together and she did some gunsmith wizardry to it. If I did it again I'd get better than a factory barrel. When she scoped it, it wasn't perfect. I haven't shot it yet. Cheap factory ammo was around 1.1+MOA, so I imagine I can get it at MOA fairly easy. but it's not a .5 gun yet. I might have to splurge for a better barrel.
As you know, very few people can shoot well out to 400yrds, much less 5 or beyond. Thus the .270 is practically the same as any other cartridge in the real world for I'd guess 95% of guys that will hunt out west and 99% of all hunters. WE all have a "dream range" that we hope to practice up to, and 400-550 is a good goal for a lot of guys. I'm trying to get reliable first impact at 400 right now.
I agree with what
this article says about recoil.
Most of us can't really shoot our best over 14lbs of it. I also don't think that you don't need as many foot lbs as he estimates for clean kills. Though I DO think you need close to those for good reliable blood trails- ie. if you want the bullet to not just enter, but also exit.
Thus you'll see he think the .260-.243 calibers are a sweet spot for medium sized game. This was written before he 6.5 craze in Creedmoor and PRC.
So the question is: how must does 19+ lbs of recoil really effect your shooting and concentration when making a shot? How heavy a rifle are you planning to build? How much will the suppressor help?
You might find, like the other brother said, a 6.5 Creedmoor, 260 or 7mm-08 just makes more sense.
I can't bring myself yet to shoot a .243 at elk. I might get there. I might not.
