New hunting rifle, .233 trainer, or upgrade current .308?

[TaperPin]

My advice is always a 243 as a trainer - it’s easy to shoot all day, but has a moderate pop to it so your brain keeps remembering what recoil is. A rifle with minimal recoil may be more pleasant to shoot, but it doesn’t keep up a recoil tolerance as well. The 243 seems to be the sweet spot for many new and experienced shooters, so they can plink with it 11 months out of the year, and pick up a larger caliber during hunting season and be able to shoot just as accurately with higher recoiling guns.

243s are also plentiful - I used to run 1,000 to 1,500 rounds through one, sell it for its purchase price before accuracy goes to crap, buy another, rinse and repeat. Now the hassle of buying and selling isn’t worth the savings and I’ll simply replace the barrel.

A CM with light bullets doesn’t have a lot more recoil, so that’s not a terrible option, but it’s more and not doing you any favors either. I have both and still recommend the 243.

 

[WCT3]

What factory 243 ammo does everyone like? Preferably something heavy for caliber and cheap enough for training but still effective for hunting

 

[mtnbound]

New scope is in order no matter what I do, if I get the 223 I'll put a drop tested scope on the 308 and my current scope on the 223.

The only reason I wasn't considering the 243 is that I can't find any factory ammo loaded with heavy 6mm bullets. I don't reload and I'm not really interested in starting any time soon.

It varies year to year. This year was probably about 400 rounds of 308, 400 of 223 from my AR, and a pile of 22 just plinking.

I almost exclusively traipse so as light as reasonable will be the goal.

If it was available in a factory Tikka I would definitely consider it

Fixing your flinch would be much easier with the 223. While there is recoil difference between a 308 and 6.5, I don’t know if that is enough to help fix the flinch. Another option would be to go with a different platform and go with 6 ARC. The 6 ARC gives you reduced recoil, cheaper practice ammo, long barrel life and has good terminal ballistics for most hunters needs. The Howa Mini seems to be popular and even comes with a threaded barrel, it’s worth a serious look.

 

[WCT3]

Fixing your flinch would be much easier with the 223. While there is recoil difference between a 308 and 6.5, I don’t know if that is enough to help fix the flinch. Another option would be to go with a different platform and go with 6 ARC. The 6 ARC gives you reduced recoil, cheaper practice ammo, long barrel life and has good terminal ballistics for most hunters needs. The Howa Mini seems to be popular and even comes with a threaded barrel, it’s worth a serious look.

How does the 6 arc recoil compare to 223? The Howa minis seem cool but seem kind of limited on aftermarket support.

 

[eric1115]

Option 3A - buy a 6cm prefit barrel for your current .308 (or 6mmARC and get your bolt head bushed down to arc bolt face diameter), upgrade the scope as planned and add a Rokstok when you're able. Easy and relatively cheap factory ammo, practice and hunt with one super solid rifle.

Buy a .223 in a year or two for more practice, but get your main rifle set up before adding complexity to the system. A trainer rifle with an iffy scope is not nearly as useful as practice with a solid setup IMO.

 

[WCT3]

Option 3A - buy a 6cm prefit barrel for your current .308 (or 6mmARC and get your bolt head bushed down to arc bolt face diameter), upgrade the scope as planned and add a Rokstok when you're able. Easy and relatively cheap factory ammo, practice and hunt with one super solid rifle.

Buy a .223 in a year or two for more practice, but get your main rifle set up before adding complexity to the system. A trainer rifle with an iffy scope is not nearly as useful as practice with a solid setup IMO.

The problem is I can buy a new Tikka for the same price as a prefit, but I'm limited on chamber options.

 

[LeftyWilbury]

if i wanted to practice more, i'd go 223 not 6.5CM just for cost savings per round. you're not really gaining much recoil advantage practicing with a 6.5 over the 308. ammo isn't necessarily cheaper than 308. shoot the 223 enough and you can "save" enough to get a 6.5CM down the road, or rebarrel the 308, or new stock etc etc.

i "downgraded" from my 308 roughtech to a 243 hunter that i stuck in a stocky's VG. the 243 is a little nicer to shoot than the 308. and maybe i'm saving a few bucks per box for practice. no 223 tikkas for us lefties just yet...

 

[Lawnboi]

I would upgrade the 308, and stockpile ammo/components.

223 would be awesome too but it would be hard to argue with a 308 for everything because of barrel life. Unless you’re pushing the envelope on range it will do a lot .

I’d recommend against a 243,6cm for training. It’s not hard to burn a barrel in a year if you’re serious about shooting. I’d also just junk the 243 idea, there’s really no reason not to go 6 creed over it.

6.5cm could be a good rifle for everything but then again your looking at 2-3k rounds to toast a barrel. I guess depends how much you shoot.

All of those cartridges I mentioned would be completely usable with a proper stock and a suppressor on them. I wouldn’t let recoil of any change your opinion.

223 for a trainer has a positive of less heat on the barrel, cheaper to load, but that’s not a huge deal either.

Do you reload?

 

[mtnbound]

How does the 6 arc recoil compare to 223? The Howa minis seem cool but seem kind of limited on aftermarket support.

IMO it’s a tiny bit more than the 223 but not much. What aftermarket stuff do you want?

 

[WCT3]

if i wanted to practice more, i'd go 223 not 6.5CM just for cost savings per round. you're not really gaining much recoil advantage practicing with a 6.5 over the 308. ammo isn't necessarily cheaper than 308. shoot the 223 enough and you can "save" enough to get a 6.5CM down the road, or rebarrel the 308, or new stock etc etc.

i "downgraded" from my 308 roughtech to a 243 hunter that i stuck in a stocky's VG. the 243 is a little nicer to shoot than the 308. and maybe i'm saving a few bucks per box for practice. no 223 tikkas for us lefties just yet...

It seems like I thought 6.5 cm had more of a recoil advantage than it actually does. I wasn't looking at that option to save money training, I thought it would be more effective training due to recoil.

I would upgrade the 308, and stockpile ammo/components.

223 would be awesome too but it would be hard to argue with a 308 for everything because of barrel life. Unless you’re pushing the envelope on range it will do a lot .

I’d recommend against a 243,6cm for training. It’s not hard to burn a barrel in a year if you’re serious about shooting. I’d also just junk the 243 idea, there’s really no reason not to go 6 creed over it.

6.5cm could be a good rifle for everything but then again your looking at 2-3k rounds to toast a barrel. I guess depends how much you shoot.

All of those cartridges I mentioned would be completely usable with a proper stock and a suppressor on them. I wouldn’t let recoil of any change your opinion.

223 for a trainer has a positive of less heat on the barrel, cheaper to load, but that’s not a huge deal either.

Do you reload?

I'm not currently maxing out the range on the 308, I thought that a lower recoil rifle i could train and hunt with might be the best option.

I don't mind burning out barrels if I'm actually shooting enough and getting good practice but that is something to keep in mind.

I don't reload and I'm not really interested in starting right now. I'd also prefer to be able to order ammo by the case from wherever I find a good deal, not go through a custom loader.

IMO it’s a tiny bit more than the 223 but not much. What aftermarket stuff do you want?

Mostly just a good stock, maybe a trigger but I'm guessing any Howa triggers would fit.

 

[Lawnboi]

It seems like I thought 6.5 cm had more of a recoil advantage than it actually does. I wasn't looking at that option to save money training, I thought it would be more effective training due to recoil.

I'm not currently maxing out the range on the 308, I thought that a lower recoil rifle i could train and hunt with might be the best option.

I don't mind burning out barrels if I'm actually shooting enough and getting good practice but that is something to keep in mind.

I don't reload and I'm not really interested in starting right now. I'd also prefer to be able to order ammo by the case from wherever I find a good deal, not go through a custom loader.

Mostly just a good stock, maybe a trigger but I'm guessing any Howa triggers would fit.

Factory ammo…. I’d buy a stock that will mitigate recoil and as many cases of same lot ammo as you can afford.

 

[Stickmark]

That .223 barrel life is a factor.

 

[keystone112]

If I were you, I would determine if I could improve the 308 first. Start with a better recoil pad.

Also consider slightly changing your technique. I recently adjusted the position where I placed the recoil pad on my shoulder and it made a significant improvement.

I had a bad habit of getting it too close to the AC joint. Moving it more towards the pectoral muscle made a world of difference.

 

[WCT3]

If I were you, I would determine if I could improve the 308 first. Start with a better recoil pad.

Also consider slightly changing your technique. I recently adjusted the position where I placed the recoil pad on my shoulder and it made a significant improvement.

I had a bad habit of getting it too close to the AC joint. Moving it more towards the pectoral muscle made a world of difference.

I already have a limbsaver recoil pad. I definitely need to work on my technique. I generally don't flinch when I have plenty of time to set up but when the pressures on I find myself flinching. I need to practice the hunter drill more as well as more field shooting instead of just the flat range.

Can you explain a little more where you hold the butt now? When you say towards the pectoral muscle do you mean more down or just more centered on the collarbone?

 

[keystone112]

I’m holding almost midway between the center of my torso and the AC joint. Moving the buttpad closer to the middle and away from the shoulder joint made a ton of the felt recoil go away. Getting it on the muscle.

For most of my life, I wasn’t shouldering a long gun correctly.

My 30-06 now feels like my 270 used to feel.

 

[WCT3]

I’m holding almost midway between the center of my torso and the AC joint. Moving the buttpad closer to the middle and away from the shoulder joint made a ton of the felt recoil go away. Getting it on the muscle.

For most of my life, I wasn’t shouldering a long gun correctly.

My 30-06 now feels like my 270 used to feel.

I'll have to try that next time I'm out shooting. I'm pretty conscious to hold off the shoulder joint but I don't hold that far over