help me pick next build (small caliber!)

[huntsd]

Torn between a 22cm or 243AI. Either choice will be on a tikka action and not suppressed (thanks CA!). I am a reloader.I will either pick the following:

22cm
20" PBB barrel
7.5 twist
i'd like to shoot the 88 eldm
expected muzzle velo ~3,100

243ai
factory tikka 243 20" barrel modified to AI
8 twist
i'd like to shoot 115 dtac or 108 eldm
expected muzzle velo ~2,800 (115)
expected muzzle velo ~2,900 (108)

90% of my hunting is mule deer. Prone I can shoot 600 yards pretty comfortably with my current rigs.

223
shooting 77tmk

6.5cm
shooting 112 hammer hunter tipped (lead free option for CA)

300wm
shooting 154 hht (lead free option for CA)

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[StupidLightweight]

I'd go .22 Creed. Factory ammo, brass available, less recoil, etc. However, if you can't suppress it, I'd go 22 inches.

 

[SloppyJ]

Either choice will be on a tikka action and not suppressed

You lost me.....

Both are sweet setups but since you already have the .223, my vote is the 243ai. It will be a bit cheaper too so you can have some left over for brass and glass. Could go 6 creed too if you're already budgeting in a barrel. Personally, I'd go for the 108 Berger Elite Hunters over both of those but that's just what I like for the distances I shoot. Be sure to send a dummy round so he can throat it correctly too. 6mm is the sweet spot for me based on my needs. No need to go to 20" either, get some more velocity if you're not going to suppress it and be a heathen.

 

[huntsd]

You lost me.....

Both are sweet setups but since you already have the .223, my vote is the 243ai. It will be a bit cheaper too so you can have some left over for brass and glass. Could go 6 creed too if you're already budgeting in a barrel. Personally, I'd go for the 108 Berger Elite Hunters over both of those but that's just what I like for the distances I shoot. Be sure to send a dummy round so he can throat it correctly too. 6mm is the sweet spot for me based on my needs. No need to go to 20" either, get some more velocity if you're not going to suppress it and be a heathen.

It'll actually be about the same price(ish) by the time I sell the old barrel if I do go 22cm

 

[Castle Rock]

Just get the standard 243

 

[mtnbound]

Torn between a 22cm or 243AI. Either choice will be on a tikka action and not suppressed (thanks CA!). I am a reloader.I will either pick the following:

22cm
20" PBB barrel
7.5 twist
i'd like to shoot the 88 eldm
expected muzzle velo ~3,100

243ai
factory tikka 243 20" barrel modified to AI
8 twist
i'd like to shoot 115 dtac or 108 eldm
expected muzzle velo ~2,800 (115)
expected muzzle velo ~2,900 (108)

90% of my hunting is mule deer. Prone I can shoot 600 yards pretty comfortably with my current rigs.

223
shooting 77tmk

6.5cm
shooting 112 hammer hunter tipped (lead free option for CA)

300wm
shooting 154 hht (lead free option for CA)

Thanks for the feedback!

Have a 22CM and it’s great but be aware a lot of folks can’t get the 88’s to work and there doesn’t seem to be any thing specifically to do to guarantee they’re gonna work.
The 243AI or 6CM gives you more bullet choices.

 

[jimh406]

Go for a 25 Creedmoor. It's going to be a lot more unique.

 

[huntsd]

Have a 22CM and it’s great but be aware a lot of folks can’t get the 88’s to work and there doesn’t seem to be any thing specifically to do to guarantee they’re gonna work.
The 243AI or 6CM gives you more bullet choices.

Thanks ya am leaning towards the .243 cal

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I don’t see the appeal in a .243 AI, but it is obviously your choice. It just seems like more trouble than it’s worth.

A standard 1:8” twist .243 or 6mm CM seems to me to get you where you need to go with less trouble.

 

[StupidLightweight]

I'm with Q_Sertorius on this one. The .243 AI seems like a poor choice long term, and this is coming from a guy who's made a series of poor choices in cartridges, rifles, and life.

 

[huntsd]

I don’t see the appeal in a .243 AI, but it is obviously your choice. It just seems like more trouble than it’s worth.

A standard 1:8” twist .243 or 6mm CM seems to me to get you where you need to go with less trouble.

I guess just milking 100ish fps or so more since i will be hand loading anyhow plus a bit better brass life. I understand the downside of having to fire form tho.

Correct me if I wrong on this

 

[SloppyJ]

I guess just milking 100ish fps or so more since i will be hand loading anyhow plus a bit better brass life. I understand the downside of having to fire form tho.

Correct me if I wrong on this

Seems legit but a lot easier to sell the barrel and put a 6 creed on it. Good brass and factory ammo options.

 

[eLightfoot]

I’m in Ca, I run a tikka 22creed with a 26” #1 sporter from PBB. It’s bad to the bone

 

[bigunit]

Another 6cm vote. Fire forming ai rounds is kind of a pain and a waste of components.

 

[sierracharlie338]

You need a 6mm!

And I say AI all the things!! I have really enjoyed my 257AI so Ill encourage you to go 243AI

And for those talking about fireforming or "wasting components" - it really isn't. you can learn alot from the fire forming process as the barrel settles in. Is it really any different that creating a load on a new barrel that only changes in 150-200 rounds? nope it isn't.

 

[eLightfoot]

No suppressor, 24-26” barrel 22creed. 88 going 3250 will do serious work. The longer barrel is much more pleasant on the ears too if you have to shoot without plugs. 73 grain absolute hammers at 3650

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I guess just milking 100ish fps or so more since i will be hand loading anyhow plus a bit better brass life. I understand the downside of having to fire form tho.

Correct me if I wrong on this

I'm not looking to argue with anyone. Just for me, an extra 100 FPS isn't worth the time spent fireforming and the extra components.

Brass life is irrelevant to me, except for obsolete cartridges (and those don't tend to wear out). Most of my brass is from firing off factory ammo and then reloading it four times. If I can get respectable factory ammo for under $1.50/round, I have a very hard time thinking about reloading. I could spend that time hunting, shooting, or walking around the farm with a rifle.

For me, reloading is a time and money sink that I don't want to get into unless I get a significant improvement in accuracy, precision, or terminal performance. Or to get something I cannot practicably get without reloading (e.g., a .25-06 with a 134-grain ELDM or .41 Swiss to make an obsolete rifle work or 9.3x74R at less than $3.00/round). But going to seek out some wildcat for marginally better performance is just too much work for me.

 

[sierracharlie338]

For me, reloading is a time and money sink that I don't want to get into unless I get a significant improvement in accuracy, precision, or terminal performance. Or to get something I cannot practicably get without reloading . . . . . But going to seek out some wildcat for marginally better performance is just too much work for me.

I think you are the exception and not the rule, at least compared to the people I talk with about reloading. Most enjoy the tinkering and working up different loads. The folks I know who have the same opinion about not wanting to reload, just don’t. They spend the money on factory ammo and go shoot though I understand the need for it at times.

Brass life is a big deal to some people and not having to trim all the time is a big plus also.

Nothing wrong with either side just different points of view.

 

[waspocrew]

Personally, I'd go with a 6 CM over the 243 AI. I have a few AI cartridges and while I enjoy tikering and reloading, it's also nice to just grab factory ammo and shoot away. Lots of great 6 CM ammo options out there.

That said, going AI is not a big deal if you want to - I form brass while shooting prairie dogs and rock chucks. I only need 100 pieces of brass, so cost really isn't that significant.