Shorty Hunting Rifle Chambering?

[Rivisondali]

where are you located in canada?
also, any smith should be able to chamber an AI cartridge.
Just the matter of having a reamer for it.

Im in Calgary but yes it seems like the 30cal AI reamers arent super common. I'm also not sure about finding dies for them, do you have any ideas where I could find them?

 

[Rivisondali]

I know ppl that can chamber it....we have done maybe 4 of them. 180's usually run high 27's to near 2800 fps which is about 200 fps over factory 308. Not a ton but fun!!!! Manageable recoil for sure at about 47 or 48 grains versus 44 or so with the 308
Would be a great platform to further your hand loading learning.

Many other calibers will work for your needs. Confidence and comfort in the gun and process mean a lot. Always have to start there.

That actually sounds pretty great, possibly achieving standard 308 velocities out of the shortened barrel if that 200fps increase remains consistent. If I can find a die set, this might be the way to go.

 

[ODB]

I have a good friend who has 5 308s. Loves them. Shoots the 168TTSX. I was with him when he shot his lifetime Idaho moose. One shot, ran 50 yards, then started skinning. They will do anything a reasonable hunter wants to do.

 

[Rivisondali]

Thi

@Rivisondali
FYI, Here's my dope. 220 Speer, 2440 MV. 3000' ASL, 49⁰, 50% RH, 10mph wind.

100-500

View attachment 681599

This is pretty much identical to the 308 range but way harder hitter. I might have to check the 358 out again...

 

[robtattoo]

Thi

This is pretty much identical to the 308 range but way harder hitter. I might have to check the 358 out again...

The future.
I'm tellin' you.

 

[Seeknelk]

22, 6 or 6.5 Creed will do it and be much easier to shoot well than 308 or 338 fed. 140 eldm from my 16.5 inch 6.5 stays above 1800 fps to a bit over 700 yards. Vast majority of my shots will be well inside that so I'm golden. My daughter dropped a nice muley at 475 with it and son got his first at 350. No drama. Dead animals with good sized wound channels thru the dreaded shoulders. An ultra light rifle with no suppression or brake needs to have recoil minimized to aid placing the bullet where it needs to go in weird field positions. And have a stock that actually aids in the shooting process, not necessarily at light as humanly possible but that's just my opinion after shooting some ultralights that just didn't manage recoil well at all.

 

[Rivisondali]

22, 6 or 6.5 Creed will do it and be much easier to shoot well than 308 or 338 fed. 140 eldm from my 16.5 inch 6.5 stays above 1800 fps to a bit over 700 yards. Vast majority of my shots will be well inside that so I'm golden. My daughter dropped a nice muley at 475 with it and son got his first at 350. No drama. Dead animals with good sized wound channels thru the dreaded shoulders. An ultra light rifle with no suppression or brake needs to have recoil minimized to aid placing the bullet where it needs to go in weird field positions. And have a stock that actually aids in the shooting process, not necessarily at light as humanly possible but that's just my opinion after shooting some ultralights that just didn't manage recoil well at all.

Excellent points! 6mm/243 is the minimum caliber size I can hunt with in Alberta but the minimum size I'd feel comfortable going after elk with is probably 6.5cm. The ELDMs expand sufficiently and retain their weight well despite being more target shooting oriented?

 

[astocks2622]

Not exactly apples to apples, but as I mentioned in another thread recently, I shot 308win 150 grain Core-lokt through a standard 22" rifle and a 16.5" Ruger compact. Velocity was 220fps behind in the 16.5. I assume 7mm-08 would be similar.

 

[eric1115]

I would definitely do a 6mm CM or something similar if your goal is a rifle that light. 6mm ARC even better. I'm not a good enough shooter to hold a steady enough sight picture with a super light rifle to warrant ballistic performance of anything bigger. I'm for sure not spotting my impacts with a rifle that light (unless it's braked, which I hate), so long shots are a non-starter as I hunt solo most of the time.

Check out this thread if you haven't already... https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/6mm-243-hunting-success-on-big-game.284525/

I am in the process of selling off my bigger rifles after seeing the 108 ELDM performance on game. I hunt mostly mule deer and elk, and a .243 AI is going to be my main hunting cartridge going forward. I don't see it ever not being enough, but if I decide I need more a .25 PRC or .25-284 is what I'd likely do.

I don't see ever going back to .30 or 7mm cartridges for my main hunting rifle.

 

[eric1115]

Excellent points! 6mm/243 is the minimum caliber size I can hunt with in Alberta but the minimum size I'd feel comfortable going after elk with is probably 6.5cm. The ELDMs expand sufficiently and retain their weight well despite being more target shooting oriented?

They do expand/fragment well, but weight retention (as well as energy) is not the performance metric that lots of people think it is.

 

[KenLee]

Keep it simple. 7mm-08 w 120 gr NBT or 140 gr NBT.
I'd be confident at least to 400 yards using a 16 inch barrel.
I killed at least a dozen good whitetail bucks from 200-250 yards with a 12 inch barreled Contender pistol in 7-30 Waters with 120 gr factory ammo. That was back when I was a steadier shot than I am now.
The 12 inch barreled 7-30 Waters is probably 400fps slower than a 16 inch barreled 7mm-08.
If you decide on the 6.5 Creedmoor, you'll also be fine. I have a 16.5 inch barreled TC Compass Compact that was dirt cheap about 5 years ago. It rides in my truck 24/7 and will roll a coyote as far as I can see when propped on the side mirror. I haven't shot it at a deer over 300 yards, but wouldn't be afraid to shoot a large game animal at 400 yards with it.

 

[bowshot2]

my kimber 338 federal is my favorite hunting rifle. its not bad pulling the trigger at all.

 

[bowshot2]

super accurate with 185 gr noslers, snappy with the 200 gr stuff

 

[ShadowAviator]

Since you mentioned the 375 raptor; there might be dies available.

Check with CH4D. They sell out quick, which shows demand, but also hurts availability.

LEE might be making a run of raptor dies in the future, but I'm waiting to hear back on that.

PT&G had headspace gauges available last time I looked.

Let me know if you have questions about the 375 raptor.

I wouldn't hesitate to try 358win, though. Buffalo bore makes some hard hitting loads for it.