Opinions on oddish calibers? Encore whitetail hunting

[Gdbyrd]

I really like the look of the 308 case.  As shallow as that may be, heh.


Is there any reason I shouldn't buy a 260?  I'm drawn to it for some reason.  I just don't want to make a mistake and purchase something that's not going to suit me well. 


Thanks again guys.

[Grumulkin]

If you feel drawn to the 260, by all means consummate the deal.  In matters of cost of ammo it makes a lot more sense than a lot of the other ideas that have been thrown around.

[VT30-30]

Another vote for a 6.5x55. I've shot 140 gr. but recently have been shooting 129 Hornadys. I've shot a couple of
deer with the 6.5 and they drop pretty quick. I like the fact that it doesn't have a lot of recoil also. My Encore
has a 24 inch barrel with Pro Hunter forend and buttstock and it weighs less then 7 lbs. I always grab this rifle, it
just feels right.

[Gdbyrd]

Another vote for a 6.5x55. I've shot 140 gr. but recently have been shooting 129 Hornadys. I've shot a couple of
deer with the 6.5 and they drop pretty quick. I like the fact that it doesn't have a lot of recoil also. My Encore
has a 24 inch barrel with Pro Hunter forend and buttstock and it weighs less then 7 lbs. I always grab this rifle, it
just feels right.

Do you feel 24 is an appropriate length barrel or if you had to do it over again would you have extended that to 26"?  Since we're action-less, 26' would probably be about like a 22" bolt gun right?

[VT30-30]

Gbbyrd,
  I like the way this barrel(6.5x55) feels. Its a custom shop barrel and it has a slimmer contour then a reg. 24 barrel.
I've had 26 inch barrels in a 25-06 and 270 Win. and I didn't like the way the rifle carried. Right now I have a 28 inch
Pro Hunter barrel in 280 Rem. and I do not like the way it feels when carrying it. I'm either going to shorten barrel to
24 inches or maybe try trading it for a standard contour.  I've had a few back surgeries and I try to get a lighter rifle
and a rifle that doesn't have lots of recoil. I fact I had a Encore barrel in 338-06 but traded as it had a lot more recoil.
 I was shooting a 24 inch bolt rifle in 280 AI (loaded down) and it feels long compared to a 24 inch Encore.
 Of course everyone has an idea of a perfect carrying rifle, but IMHO a 24 inch encore is just about right for me.
 
Steve

[SHOOTALL]

reality , most any rifle cart. from 22-250 to 458 win mag will kill deer. Some kick more . Some cost more. Some sound sexy others don't. If a 260 floats your boat then ride the boat .

[shvlhead.45]

Hey, I think you are right on track with the .260 Rem.  I believe it and the 6.5 Creedmoor are underrated.

Another round out there that fits this catagory is the .338 Federal.  Looks way better on paper than I expected.  Will try mine this hunting season and see if it lives up to expectations.

[streak]

In your original post you qualify that your are looking for an "oddish" caliber that you would like and also to have to reload cartridges. I guess if the term "oddish" is better defined then the search could be narrowed down a little more precise. A lot of the proposed rounds in these post are fairly common and probably would not be considered "oddish". I would think that "Wildcat Cartridge" would start to get into the "oddish" group. Just my 2cents for what it`s worth!
 

[Gdbyrd]

In your original post you qualify that your are looking for an "oddish" caliber that you would like and also to have to reload cartridges. I guess if the term "oddish" is better defined then the search could be narrowed down a little more precise. A lot of the proposed rounds in these post are fairly common and probably would not be considered "oddish". I would think that "Wildcat Cartridge" would start to get into the "oddish" group. Just my 2cents for what it`s worth!

Ah, I've done a lot of talking/reading in these posts and changed my mind a lot.  Originally I wanted something different than your average variety 243, 25/06, 7-08, 30.06 type caliber.  I honestly have no working knowledge of what other calibers are out there, that are capable of taking deer at my required max range(about 350 yards).  So I left the forum open to suggest stuff to me, everything including wildcats.


After someone suggested the Swede, I started doing some reading about the 6.5mm family and I think that's where I'm at now. 


I do reload.  However, this late in the year with deer season about 2 or so months away, I don't have a ton of time to get a custom barrel made and work up a load.  Especially with time being a factor right now and not being able to go to the range as much as I'd want to. 


For now I'm on the fence about buying a caliber that shines while reloading, but I can still buy factory ammo for, one that's not quite as mainstream as your average stuff.  That way I can get something and use it now, and after season or even during if I get the time, I can wrk something out.  I'm on the fence about it though because I'd still like to have something a little more on the unique side.

[Ladobe]

There are lots of cartridge choices out there that could easily be called oddish but are not wildcats, some of them real odd and seldom seen much anymore, at least in this country.   But with the added want to buy factory ammo, most of them are off the table, and many of them are hard to find brass for.   There's been way more than enough suggested to chose from anyway, so I'll not further cloud the gents mind with more.  If the 260 tickles your toes, go for it.   You can always make it odd by having the new barrel anodized pink.   
 
 

[Gdbyrd]

That's one of the problems, so much to chose from.  I don't mind reloading, but I'd have to get the barrel very very soon so I have time to work something up.  Unless I can pickup something mainstream enough to get solid enough data to where I won't have to screw around too much and just settle on something that'll do for this season.  I just like the idea of factory ammo for the same reasons


And pink...my wife wants me to order a purple stock in honor of our daughter being born.  And I might just do it!

[Gdbyrd]

While we're still discussing:  I just went through my safe today and rediscovered a Shepherd scope in the back of it.  It's practically brand new, it's an older model. 


Something I didn't really add into this budge was the cost of quality glass.  I could steal something from one of my other guns, but I really dont' like doing that.  If I wanted to use this scope, here are the ballistics it'd need to "match."


0"@100, -10.12@300, -39.6@480, -71.03@600, -107@700, -153@800, -212@900, and -286@1000yrds.


The only thing I could quickly find was the 300 Win Mag, loaded with a 130grn at around 34-3500 fps.


EDIT:  I found another caliber that might fit the bill.  the 270 Weatherby Mag.  I can order ammo for it and develop a load for it later on. 



I still really like the 260, but if I could save some money by not having to buy some optics that'd be great.  Plus these weatherby mags are so alluring with their fps and flat trajectories.  The 240 weatherby mag is also a contender, but it seems like the 270 will do the same speeds with a heavier pill.  I also really like the 257 wthb mag, it seems like a really good in between round.  For overall performance though, with a 130grn I think I can't go wrong with the 270...but maybe I don't need a 130grn!


Back and forth and back and forth, too many options; thank you guys for your patience.

[Ladobe]

FWIW I killed a heck of a lot of big western mule deer and elk with my early Ruger 77R 270Win in the 70's and early 80's, all at longer ranges and some deer at much longer ranges that what you propose to shoot.   It wore a 4-12 scope (no scope on it right now).   I used 130's for the deer and 150's for elk, and at first just Federal Premium ammo before I bought dies and started reloading for it.   Not on oddity, but a very viable choice that shoots flat enough for the long shots and still has plenty of ompth to make one-shot kills.   Can you tell I was an avid Jack O reader in the 50's and 60's even if I was hunting all big game in the 60's with my early 40's Win 94 Thirty Gun (that I still have)?   

[Slowpoke Slim]

Gdbyrd,

Well, at least you're not waiting until the last minute to make up your mind.

 

[yooper77]

Gdbyrd,
 
Have you looked at the 7mm STW with a 140 grain bullet, its based off the 8mm Remington Magnum. The 257, 270 and 7mm Weatherby Magnums are shorter cases only case length of 2.560", so why not use full length belted magnum cases for the maximum velocity you desire.
 
7mm STW, 300 H&H Magnum, 300 Weatherby Magnum, 8mm Remington Magnum, 340 Weatherby Magnum, 375 H&H Magnum to name a few that use case length of 2.850".
 
I considered re-chambering a T/C Encore in 7mm Remington Magnum to 7mm STW or a 338 Winchester Magnum to 338-8mm Remington Magnum, since I had over 600 new 300 H&H Magnum cases on hand. I decide to buy a used 338-06 A-Square barrel instead and found one for $225 and sold all the 300 H&H Magnum brass for over $300 on-line.
 
http://stevespages.com/jpg/cd7stw.jpg

Plus I didn't want a barrel burner, because pushing bullets at or near maximum with the amount of powder a belted magnum case consumes will quickly shorten the barrels life.

yooper77

[tatonka]

I have had good success with a 6.5mm Bullberry Improved. It is a 30-30 case necked down and then the shoulder is blown out to 30 degrees I believe. Fanatstically accurate and it has put down many deer here in Indiana. Did I mention that It is a pistol with a 15" barrel. Imagine what it would be like in a rifle. 357 Maximun with a 1 in 20 twist barrel will drive 158 gr bullets
plenty fast enough for up to 300 yard shots.

[one eye joe]

You seem to have changed your mind since the first posts. However, if you are still seeking something "oddish", take a look at the 6.5-06AI. You don't see it very often, brass is easy to obtain, it uses the 6.5 bullets with their great sectional density, and it might come pretty close to the ballistics for your scope. Downside is that it is a reload only proposition, and load information is sparse.
 
I have two 6.5x55's and like the round a lot. It will get right up there with the .25-06 (or .270) with some careful reloading, and loaded ammunition is available. The .260 seems to be losing out because of Remington's lousy marketing, and few rifles are currently chambered for it.

[Gdbyrd]

I spent the good part of the day looking at ballistic tables and reading forums, pretty much like my last few days off.....  I kept going back and forth between the 264 calibers, and all of the smaller weatherby magnum rounds.  What basically sealed the deal was the scope, and what was "in stock" where I ordered the barrel.  If they had had a 264 mag I would have gone that route.  If they had had a 6.5mm STW, I would have been in heaven.


But the hottest 6.5 they had was the 6.5x284. 


So that left the weatherbies.  I compared the 240 to the 257.  The 240 felt like it was way too much of a varmint cartridge.  Basically a super hot 243.  The 243 is an excellent deer cartridge, hell..I've killed a lot of deer with a 22-250, but I wanted something bigger.  I had read way too many forum posts of people complaining about poor expansion on game shot under 100 yards, which is a real possibility.  Also the cost of ammo was a bit steep, although that was a minor issue.  Next was the 257.  It's just about perfect in every regard.  The ONLY thing that made my mind up, was that the 270 and the 257 are very similar in terms of ballistics, but the 270 averages more lead for the same speed. 


Long story short, I picked the 270 weatherby mag.  26" in a 1-10" twist, blued.  I had wanted stainless but the wifes allowing it as a gift so I'm trying to save money where I can...and it worked out that they had a blued version in stock and the stainless woulda taken 4 weeks on estimate.


Am I 100% happy?  No.  Is this something super duper rare?  No.  I can guarantee that I will be the only one in my hunting camp shooting this caliber, but it's not real unique.  Will it get the job done?  Hell yeah.  And I'd like to think it'll do better than some of my other options.  Hopefully it'll work out pretty well for me.


Wanted to thank everyone for your time and suggestions.  Once I get it mounted, shot in, etc.  I'll be sure to post some pictures.


-G

[mcwoodduck]

I don't like 270.  Pick again! 
 
Glad you have a choice and I think any of the calibers you mentioned would have worked. 
Good luck with it and post a picture.

[Gdbyrd]

I don't like 270.  Pick again! 
 
Glad you have a choice and I think any of the calibers you mentioned would have worked. 
Good luck with it and post a picture.

Lol, tell me about it.  I wanted something uncommon...how are people gonna react when I say I shoot a 270?!  I've ALWAYS been a '06 man myself.  Sigh.  I just can't argue with the ballistics.

[mcwoodduck]

But yours is a 270 weatherby.  So the odd bell shaped shoulder and the really long magnum case is going to set it apart from the other 270's . 
The ammo prices are going to kill you untill you start reloading.
In the latest Cabelas catalong a box of ammo for it is in the 55 to 73 a box range.

[yooper77]

The 270 Weatherby Magnum destroys a lot of meat in deer and antelope even at longer distances. I would stay away from any shoulder shots and only broad side double lungs.
 
Curious will your barrel come with a free-bore?
 
yooper77

[Gdbyrd]

The 270 Weatherby Magnum destroys a lot of meat in deer and antelope even at longer distances. I would stay away from any shoulder shots and only broad side double lungs.
 
Curious will your barrel come with a free-bore?
 
yooper77

I've read some do and some don't.  I'm not sure about this particular manufacturer.  Probably something I should have asked!  I'd assume not.
Most of the calibers I was looking at that were abover 3K fps do a lot of dmg to meat.  I can't see it doing anymore than the 7mm STW.  I will have to be careful with shot placement.


I'll see more when I get it in, should be about a week or two. 

[Cheesehead]

That cartridge should shoot flat as a laser beam.
 
Cheese

[yooper77]

The 270 Weatherby Magnum destroys a lot of meat in deer and antelope even at longer distances. I would stay away from any shoulder shots and only broad side double lungs.
 
Curious will your barrel come with a free-bore?
 
yooper77

I've read some do and some don't.  I'm not sure about this particular manufacturer.  Probably something I should have asked!  I'd assume not.
Most of the calibers I was looking at that were abover 3K fps do a lot of dmg to meat.  I can't see it doing anymore than the 7mm STW.  I will have to be careful with shot placement.


I'll see more when I get it in, should be about a week or two.

Yes it will be fast and flat like most magnum cartridges. I personally witnessed a front shoulder hit on a doe antelope and it completely destroyed the shoulder. The shot was over 200 yards with 130 grain bullet out of a 270 Weatherby Magnum.
 
I am just curious if the barrel lacks the free-bore will factory ammo be over pressure?
 
yooper77

[Gdbyrd]

The 270 Weatherby Magnum destroys a lot of meat in deer and antelope even at longer distances. I would stay away from any shoulder shots and only broad side double lungs.
 
Curious will your barrel come with a free-bore?
 
yooper77

I've read some do and some don't.  I'm not sure about this particular manufacturer.  Probably something I should have asked!  I'd assume not.
Most of the calibers I was looking at that were abover 3K fps do a lot of dmg to meat.  I can't see it doing anymore than the 7mm STW.  I will have to be careful with shot placement.


I'll see more when I get it in, should be about a week or two.

Yes it will be fast and flat like most magnum cartridges. I personally witnessed a front shoulder hit on a doe antelope and it completely destroyed the shoulder. The shot was over 200 yards with 130 grain bullet out of a 270 Weatherby Magnum.
 
I am just curious if the barrel lacks the free-bore will factory ammo be over pressure?
 
yooper77

I emailed them asking about it after I last posted, see what they say.  The issues with it being over pressure has come up on some of the threads I've read but no one has seen any ill effects or signs of excessive pressure.  Seems like for right now it's just a worry.


Sucks about your friend.  I have been shooting larger calibers for awhile so I usually don't shoot them square in the shoulder.  My 30.06 and 300 win mag have been known to destroy a lot of meat.  My last deer was with the 06 and it was shy of 400 yards and I wasn't able to salvage everything do to poor shot placement.  Hopefully I'll do ok and will still have something to put in the freezer at the end of the season.  I really want to do a day hunt this year with pistols, but I'm not sure on the game just yet...so if nothing else that should get me something.

[VT30-30]

Gdbyrd,
 If you were interested in a 30 cal. Encore, check out Ed's T/Cs web site. He has about 6 barrels that were rechambered
from 30 cal Encore barrels in calibers 300 H & H and some other 30s. Touching off one of those hot 30 calibers should
be a thrill in a Encore. Check it out.
Steve

[yooper77]

The 270 Weatherby Magnum destroys a lot of meat in deer and antelope even at longer distances. I would stay away from any shoulder shots and only broad side double lungs.
 
Curious will your barrel come with a free-bore?
 
yooper77

I've read some do and some don't.  I'm not sure about this particular manufacturer.  Probably something I should have asked!  I'd assume not.
Most of the calibers I was looking at that were abover 3K fps do a lot of dmg to meat.  I can't see it doing anymore than the 7mm STW.  I will have to be careful with shot placement.


I'll see more when I get it in, should be about a week or two.

Yes it will be fast and flat like most magnum cartridges. I personally witnessed a front shoulder hit on a doe antelope and it completely destroyed the shoulder. The shot was over 200 yards with 130 grain bullet out of a 270 Weatherby Magnum.
 
I am just curious if the barrel lacks the free-bore will factory ammo be over pressure?
 
yooper77

I emailed them asking about it after I last posted, see what they say.  The issues with it being over pressure has come up on some of the threads I've read but no one has seen any ill effects or signs of excessive pressure.  Seems like for right now it's just a worry.


Sucks about your friend.  I have been shooting larger calibers for awhile so I usually don't shoot them square in the shoulder.  My 30.06 and 300 win mag have been known to destroy a lot of meat.  My last deer was with the 06 and it was shy of 400 yards and I wasn't able to salvage everything do to poor shot placement.  Hopefully I'll do ok and will still have something to put in the freezer at the end of the season.  I really want to do a day hunt this year with pistols, but I'm not sure on the game just yet...so if nothing else that should get me something.

I never take shoulder shots on deer/antelope, and I have always recovered them with a double lung just behind the front shoulder.
 
I shot a large adult whitetail doe with my Weatherby Mark V in 338-06 A-Square with hand loaded 200 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip using IMR-4320 at approximately 125 yards. The doe never took a step and rolled over at the shot. I double lunged her and the damage was less than a 150 grain bullet out of my 270 Winchester rifle. There is something special on heavy bullets at moderate velocities.
 
data.hodgdon.com, 338-06 A-Square load data shows 3000 FPS for a 180 grain Nolser Ballistic Tip out of a 24" barrel. I am not surprised this velocity is nipping the heels of most 30 caliber and under belted magnum cartridges all from a 30-06 Springfield parent case.
 
Hopefully this year I can try the T/C Encore 338-06 A-Square barrel I bought used off gunbroker. This barrel started out as a 30-06 Springfield and was re-chambered by Dan Pedersen at Classic Barrel and Gun Works in Prescott, AZ.

yooper77

[spinafish]

then there is the 6.5 Rem Mag..I have one in the Remington 673 Guide Rifle. Wonderfully accurate..

[Two Bears]

What about the 257 Roberts don't forget it.

       Austin

+1 There it is....the 257 Roberts.