New caliber, wich one?

[Steve300xcw]

Im wanting to get another rifle, one with a lil more balls. My go to gun right now is a tikka t3 243. Usually shoot it 500+ rounds a year. Only really hunt blacktails. I do enjoy shooting rocks and seeing just how far out i can get. I currently push it to 1500yrds. Not precision stuff but its fun. Not really a fan of recoil, im leaning towards a 7-08. No experience with the caliber though. Is this what im looking for or is there something else?

 

[deerhunter628]

How about the popular 6.5 creedmoor

 

[Kotaman]

Or step up from the Creed and go 6.5 PRC...Love mine.

 

[fightthenoise]

Or step up from the Creed and go 6.5 PRC...Love mine.

Are there factory rifles in PRC yet?


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[bhylton]

View All Tikka T3 Rifles - EuroOptic.com

7mm-08 or 270 would get my vote for a stand alone deer round

 

[Kotaman]

Are there factory rifles in PRC yet?


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Not yet, but I believe there will be soon...

 

[WhistlePig]

Christensen arms and Sauer

 

[wind gypsy]

Christensen arms and Sauer

And seekins, gunwerks (might not be considered factory).

 

[JP100]

If your not a fan of recoil I would stick to the small 6.5's and 7mms.

6.5x55, 6.5 creedmoor, .260

7x57, 7-08

Not alot between all these calibers really, but they do offer more bullet selection than a .243 and will be better and shooting game at further ranges. Cant go wrong with any of them really.

Maybe could go to 6.5x284 for abit more gas, be better at long range and is still a mild cartridge to shoot I think. or a plain .284, or a .280, .270, or .280AI. will be a step up in recoil though.
New 6.5 from Hornady might be worth a look, dont know alot about it, and sourcing ammo/rifle may be difficult.

 

[Fatcamp]

Ballistically the 6.5's have a lot going for them. Availability sends the Creedmoor to the top of the head.

 

[elkguide]

Your thought of the 7mm08 is a good place to be thinking.
Great all around caliber with lots of bullet choices and little recoil besides being a very accurate caliber.

 

[Apollo117]

Lots of good choices mentioned already. I don't own a 6.5 PRC, but I'm interested in the caliber. You could buy a used Savage rifle or Savage action and purchase a pre-fit barrel in 6.5 PRC. You can swap the barrel on a Savage with $70 worth of tools. That, plus the cost of the rifle and barrel and you'd have something close to factory rifle prices.

If you aren't interested in that, then the 7-08 has a ton of factory offerings in rifle and ammo. It's a great round and maybe the best "do-everything" round with low recoil.

 

[Jimss]

I would seriously look at a 300 WSM! I've had mine for around 15 years and love it. In fact, I just shot my 5th mt goat with it a couple days ago. Mtn goats are one of the toughest N American critters to put on the ground with 1 shot and all of my billies took only 1 shot. The other nice thing about that round is mine only kicks as hard as my 270! It's tough to get a 30 cal that shoots any lighter than a 300 WSM! I got mine in Sako because it is lighter and durable (Made in Norway). I'm sure you could get it in Tikka for less $. I have used mine for mtn goat, bighorn sheep, elk, antelope, muleys, bear etc...never failed me yet! It's a fantastic all-round big game caliber.

 

[DangerRanger]

7mm-08, 280ai, 7wsm 6.5 creed

 

[Formidilosus]

Im wanting to get another rifle, one with a lil more balls. My go to gun right now is a tikka t3 243. Usually shoot it 500+ rounds a year. Only really hunt blacktails. I do enjoy shooting rocks and seeing just how far out i can get. I currently push it to 1500yrds. Not precision stuff but its fun. Not really a fan of recoil, im leaning towards a 7-08. No experience with the caliber though. Is this what im looking for or is there something else?

Are you wanting it to shoot long range? And, do you reload?

 

[wind gypsy]

Yes i reload. Dunno about long range hunting, but it will be shot long range.

Tikka twists many of their barrels too slowly to take advantage of the best bullets for long range shooting with the exception of the 6.5 chamberings. 243's with an 8 twist will outperform a 7/08 ballistically but I believe yours is a 10 twist limiting your bullet choices.

If you are after a sporter weight rifle to shoot long range, I'd look 6.5 creed, 6.5x55, x284, 284. Put a brake on it and you would likely be able to handle a little more juice.

 

[2five7]

6.5-284 would be a worthwhile step up in power, without having much recoil. 7-08 and 6.5 creed are too similar to your 243 to be a worthwhile purchase, IMO.

 

[Formidilosus]

Yes i reload. Dunno about long range hunting, but it will be shot long range.

6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, or 7-08 with Hornady 180gr ELD-M’s. Do not underestimate the jump from the bullets you can use in the Tolka 243 to the 6.5 Creed with Bullets such as the Hornady 147gr ELD-M.

If you choose something other than a 6.5mm or mild 7mm, you’ll be going backwards.

 

[Formidilosus]

6.5-284 would be a worthwhile step up in power, without having much recoil. 7-08 and 6.5 creed are too similar to your 243 to be a worthwhile purchase, IMO.

Why 6.5-284 over 6.5 PRC? It’s a whole lot of headache for no gain. As well, there is massive difference between a 243 Tikka and the same in 6.5 Creed or 7-08 with good bullets.

 

[Fatcamp]

Pick one and go. By far the most over thought aspect of hunting.