Comparing Rifle Calibers

[KMM696]

If I'm going to build a rifle chambered in something not popular, I like to stick with bullet diameters I already load for. Makes load testing easier when I already have bullets on the shelf. Besides that, all the usual things people have mentioned already. If it's the sort of rifle I'm going to be eating a lot of ammo with, I tend to stick with calibers that I can buy easily if I want to.

Of course, I just bought a 260 AI barrel for a Savage from Dean - my first 6.5, which kind of trashes my theory. Sure, I could have gone 7-08 and used the variety of 7mm bullets I have already. What the hell, I never claimed to be consistent.

 

[tk421991]

You forgot budget....
Unrestricted budget
Target shooting... one of those crazy space or TUBB guns that cost 7k plus in on of those crazy 6something cartridges. 6BR, creedmore or what ever
Hunting well a 308 or 30 06 will do
Small bore
Anschutz target rifle in 22 not the crazy Olympic style one just a nice wood stocked one. Could be used in the field also.
I have 9,pistol cal and and 10 rifle cal. I only really stock up on
22 , x39 and 223
Right now my most versatile cal for covering a large area of uses is my RRA national match rifle.

I didn't really mention budget because the caliber doesn't usually determine how much the gun costs unless you're talking a safari rifle or a .50BMG. Benchrest calibers like say .260 Remington are based on common parent cases for the most part too, like .308 or .30-06.

If you were to look at a rack of rifles at a store that are all the same make and model, they usually won't vary in price too much by caliber. The big money comes when you're talking about truly exotic or obsolete cartridge, like say .44-77 Sharps or .50-70. Those are not cheap when it comes to brass or unique bullet diameters unless you make your own bullets and DIY brass.

This thread slightly deviated from it's original inquiry.

Dean

Yup

To give some background info, I was over my dad's house yesterday and I mentioned how next year I'm going to Montana to buy a Shiloh Sharps (I posted about it here). Got to discussing calibers and I did some research - I was looking for ways to compare calibers that are available in the same rifle, since they're custom order guns. I wouldn't be competing yet so I don't have any restrictions except for how much I want to spend on components.

Came down to .30-40, .38-55, .405 Winchester, .44-77, .45-70 and .50-70.

I think my best bet would be .30-40. It uses the most common bullet diameter in America, it has lower priced brass in comparison to the other cartridges, and I did some numbers with an online recoil calculator. Here's recoil data for .30-40, 7.62x54r, .44-77 and .45-70 - the 7.62x54r data is a "control" and is being shot out of a M91/30. I used to own a M91/30 and I found the recoil to be pretty tolerable and pleasant. The other info is assuming a 14lbs Sharps:



I'm going to keep an open mind however because supposedly the best way to get the maximum accuracy out of a Sharps is to work with a black powder cartridge and a large diameter bullet.

 

[Steve Marshall]

Check out prices on 30-40 brass before you commit.

 

[todd c]

i like to stick with what i already shoot. .22, 5.56, 308, 30-30