Bruce Baer: The 30 caliber gives you the most bang for the buck. It is the easiest cartridge if you don't have time to do a lot of load development. It's not fussy--it doesn't take a rocket scientist to load for it. That's probably why the 30 caliber is still dominant. If a customer asks me what caliber to start with for Heavy Gun, I'll steer them to the .308 Baer, one of the 300 Ackley-type cases. Yes the 6.5-284 will kick your butt from time to time, more frequently than I'd like to admit. But when you look at the whole picture the 30 cal is still the caliber to beat.
The 6.5 WSM, 6.5-284 are good cartridges. But the WSM hasn't been fully explored yet. As to the 6.5-284, I've found (and I've heard this from a lot of people) that it is somewhat temperamental. It requires more of your time, as far as bullet selection, brass selection. I've shot the 6.5 for years, and played with it. I think one main reason it is so competitive is the relatively low recoil compared to other calibers. Recoil is definitely an issue in the 30 caliber and I believe it takes a little better shooter to master a 30 compared to a 6.5. When it comes to recoil, everyone has to be honest with themselves--can you handle it. If you're not honest, a big 30 will MAKE you honest. The 7mm is a very good cartridge. Probably the biggest drawback is bullet selection. In the very early days of the 1K game, we used to shoot a lot of 7mm, but we shifted to 30s because we could tune our rifles easier. The limited selection of 7mm bullets means you have to spend more time at it. You only have a few selections so you have to spend more time tuning to make the bullet shoot. George Tompkins: The thirties and the 6.5-284 are very popular. Very few people use the 338. I think, of all of them, the 7mm is going to end up on top. I think it's superior to all of the others. I've been using it very successfully. The new 7mm bullets have a significant edge in BC--an even higher BC than the 30s. If you can get the right bullets it has higher BC than a 240gr Sierra. The sevens will hold their own better than a 6.5 or 30 caliber in difficult conditions.
For my "775", I use only Cauterucios, both the 165- and 176-grainers. The 176 definitely has a higher BC, but the 165 will shoot in any barrel. All my barrels seem to love that 165. Both of these are VLD designs. These bullets are as consistent as you'd ever want. In the USA, I think Bob Cauterucio makes the best shooting bullets of anybody. He uses Sierra jackets, whereas other guys use J4s. Above about 3100 fps, with J4s, you'll find some of the J4 jackets fail and the bullets blow up. With the Cauterucios, you can't push them hard enough to blow them up. I run fast so I need bullets that hold up. With the 176 Cauterucios, depending on barrel twist, I'm pushing them 3280--3320 fps. I coat the bullets with Danzac--the real Danzac I got before they closed up shop. FYI, for powder, I use the OLD Reloader 25 made prior to March of 1999. This is the best stuff I've found for my big cases. For any of the three cases I've used, my ES is never more than 8-9 fps. With the current Reloader 25 the ES is in the high 20s. Lots DO make a difference.
While the 6.5s have less recoil, I find that recoil is easy to deal with, given the weight of the Heavies, so the 6.5 doesn't give you an edge as it might in Light Gun. As far as brass goes, for my 30 BooBoo, I use the RWS 8x68 brass. Quality is as good as it gets, and it lasts forever. Steve Shelp: The 30 calibers are still King of the Hill in the Heavy Gun game, though other calibers are well-represented, particularly the 6.5-284. We're starting to see more 7mms and they have promise. However I actually tracked the match results at Hawk's Ridge over recent seasons. The big 30s are still dominant by a large margin: 300 Ackley-syle cases (including the 308 Baer) won 70% of all matches. Cases based on the 300 H&H and 355 H&H case also performed well. |
A wide range of cartridges is used in 1000-yard Heavy Gun competition, from 338s to 6mms. Gunsmith Mark King has had great results shooting a little 6 Dasher in his Heavy Gun. But the most popular cartridges are still the large 30 Calibers such as .308 Baer and 300 Ackley, both based on the Weatherby belted magnum case. Second choice would probably be the 6.5-284, a top performer in the Light Gun class. The 7mm is the new kid on the block. There are now many excellent 7mm projectiles available with very high Ballistic Coefficients. George Tompkins' preferred caliber is a 7mm, and Bill Shehane is building two new 7mm rifles for next season, both Light and Heavy. Here's what the experts say about caliber choice for 1K Heavy Gun competition:
30s are a little less finicky than other calibers. You have a LOT of bullets to pick from. This helps tune the barrel. You might have to try 5-6 bullets to get your barrel to perform. With the 30s, you have a wide choice of great bullets. Sierra alone offers 190, 200, 220, and 240-grain bullet weights. And I've heard that Sierra has promised a 210, to come out January 2006--because there's a demand for more of a VLD style bullet. It may be more like a Berger 210.
I used to use a 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum belted, but I've switched to 7mm. Right now I use a 7mm. I call it a "775", because it hold 75 grains up to the neck-shoulder junction. Starting with a 6.5x68 or 8x68 parent case (see photo), I blow it out to a 37° shoulder. I use RWS brass.
Bill tells us: "The 'Maxi Tracker' was designed with the latest CAD system and manufactured with CNC equipment to track 100%. The body and barrel block are billet aluminum, powder-coated for zero maintenance in Black and Silver. The front stainless rails are 8" wide and run on square runners 1" wide and 1/2" high up the sides. The rear rail is 3" wide and also 1" by 1/2" up the sides. Both rails are pinned and bolted to the body. The stock is very low-profile and wide enough to make it virtually impossible to upset in the bags on a fast run. It's designed to use standard-length bolt handles and the trigger guard is an integral part of the stock for added strength. The 9" barrel blocks can be had in either a split type or glue-in version for 1.450" diameter barrels. Barrel block halves are pinned and also pinned to the body and bolted all with stainless tapered socket head capscrews. A very low-profile split block can be had for low scope mounting if needed. The complete system weighs 45 pounds ready for your barreled action. Most Rem 700 long-actioned rifles with 34-36" barrels come in at 60-65 pounds, with provisions for more lead weight if you want. We ship 'Maxi Tracker' stocks in a protective rubber-lined crate. Cost (without optics, barreled action, or muzzle brake) is $1795 plus shipping." |
Bill Shehane, 2004 1000-yard Shooter of the Year, is legendary in the 1K Benchrest Game. Over the years he has devised many innovative stock designs for both Light Guns and Heavy Guns. His "Maxi Tracker" employs metal rails on the underside of the stock for straight tracking and smooth motion under recoil.
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