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The Range
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Hunting Rifles - Need a new one
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<blockquote data-quote="DarwinWasRight" data-source="post: 3022696" data-attributes="member: 9305"><p>Late to the game - but since you said you want, or are thinking about a NEW rifle...</p><p>First I think what you already have will handle anything you'll find in Oklahoma. The .308 for larger animals, that 5.56 for varmint out to around 300 yards.</p><p>Disclaimer: I'm not a hunter, if I need meat I head to the butcher shop, but a few times while out in the boonies shooting I have stumbled across the odd wild hog or two. Which is a PITA after the shot, 'cause then I have to deal with the carcass.</p><p></p><p>But for new, I'd vote for a 6.5 Creedmoor chambered rifle. For hunting I think about things like weight and repeatable cold bore shots. I have a Browning X-Bolt Stainless Stalker. Until recently I had a Leupold 4.5-14x50 VX-3L mounted on it - but thought I'd try out the Burris Eliminator III that I hear good things about, but haven't hunted with yet. With either scope it's light enough to haul around through the brush and on up the hill. With Prime 130 grain loads (most consistently loaded I've tried) it consistently puts the cold bore shot less than 1 inch from point of aim at 100 yards and can consistently shoot 5-shot groups sub-MOA with almost boring ease out to 500 yards. The bullet in the Prime load is a hunting round of match quality: it's basically a Norma open tip boat tail with same specs as their Diamond Line. Hornady makes several 6.5 Creedmoor loads, from a 129 grain "American Whitetail" up to their new 143 grain ELD-X (Precision Hunter) that's match grade and designed to expand properly across a wide distance range.</p><p></p><p>When you compare a 6.5 Creedmoor to a .308 you'll find that the 6.5 shoots flatter and has less wind drift at all distances, and at longer ranges is definitely retains more energy. The Prime 130 grain should easily take deer out to over 700 yards. The Hornady 143 ELD-X will take game up to 1,500 pounds according to Hornady. </p><p></p><p>Some will still ask "is a 6.5 big enough?" and I'd just say they've been using 6.5 for years in Europe and "back in the day" W.D.M. Bell took literally hundreds of elephants (yes, elephants) with a Mannlicher-Schoenauer in 6.5x54mm. As for using it as a varmint rifle, I found a few sources for a 103 grain Precision Hunter load from Hornady, but can't actually find it on the Hornady site. I think the Prime 130 grain load provides me with the best balance of cold bore shot consistent accuracy and power - and while a little overkill for groundhogs and prairie dogs, would be great for coyotes and wild hogs - and deer.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DarwinWasRight, post: 3022696, member: 9305"] Late to the game - but since you said you want, or are thinking about a NEW rifle... First I think what you already have will handle anything you'll find in Oklahoma. The .308 for larger animals, that 5.56 for varmint out to around 300 yards. Disclaimer: I'm not a hunter, if I need meat I head to the butcher shop, but a few times while out in the boonies shooting I have stumbled across the odd wild hog or two. Which is a PITA after the shot, 'cause then I have to deal with the carcass. But for new, I'd vote for a 6.5 Creedmoor chambered rifle. For hunting I think about things like weight and repeatable cold bore shots. I have a Browning X-Bolt Stainless Stalker. Until recently I had a Leupold 4.5-14x50 VX-3L mounted on it - but thought I'd try out the Burris Eliminator III that I hear good things about, but haven't hunted with yet. With either scope it's light enough to haul around through the brush and on up the hill. With Prime 130 grain loads (most consistently loaded I've tried) it consistently puts the cold bore shot less than 1 inch from point of aim at 100 yards and can consistently shoot 5-shot groups sub-MOA with almost boring ease out to 500 yards. The bullet in the Prime load is a hunting round of match quality: it's basically a Norma open tip boat tail with same specs as their Diamond Line. Hornady makes several 6.5 Creedmoor loads, from a 129 grain "American Whitetail" up to their new 143 grain ELD-X (Precision Hunter) that's match grade and designed to expand properly across a wide distance range. When you compare a 6.5 Creedmoor to a .308 you'll find that the 6.5 shoots flatter and has less wind drift at all distances, and at longer ranges is definitely retains more energy. The Prime 130 grain should easily take deer out to over 700 yards. The Hornady 143 ELD-X will take game up to 1,500 pounds according to Hornady. Some will still ask "is a 6.5 big enough?" and I'd just say they've been using 6.5 for years in Europe and "back in the day" W.D.M. Bell took literally hundreds of elephants (yes, elephants) with a Mannlicher-Schoenauer in 6.5x54mm. As for using it as a varmint rifle, I found a few sources for a 103 grain Precision Hunter load from Hornady, but can't actually find it on the Hornady site. I think the Prime 130 grain load provides me with the best balance of cold bore shot consistent accuracy and power - and while a little overkill for groundhogs and prairie dogs, would be great for coyotes and wild hogs - and deer. [/QUOTE]
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