What caliber would give the highest bullet speed out of a 16" bolt action rifle? I'm am thinking about a truck gun somewhere between 243 and 308.

Probably the same one that would get you the highest velocity out of a 24-inch barrel...more or less.

The smaller the bullet, the faster it is going to go, when comparing equal powder capacities.

That depends.

A 110 can be pushed to well over 3300 fps in a .308...how fast can a .243 push a 100-grain bullet?

.308 Win, 56 gr H20
.243, 54 gr H20


You're not wrong. I was trying to give a short simple answer, above.

Just saying... Chad makes some fast stuff

Bet it shoots like crap.

That would take the cake on speed out of a 308, for sure!

He gave me one criteria and I think I won

Why are you wanting a Ricky Bobby load? Just curious?

You may be right, that's why I'm asking here.

Let me be a little more specific which may help the experts answer my question.

From what I understand, if I shoot a large case caliber like 26 nosler it may not shoot any faster than a .260 would if using a short barrel. I think this is because the shorter barrel will only allow so much powder to burn and you get no benefit of having more powder in a larger case because only so much will burn.

Also I think I read that out of a short barrel a larger caliber bullet will have a faster muzzel velocity because the larger diameter of the barrel will allow more powder to burn than a smaller diameter barrel.

I guess my question is, what size cartridge would give the most complete burn in a 16" barrel without a ton of muzzle flash and would a light weight 308 have a faster muzzle velocity than a similar weight .243?

Actually I'm no speed whore. I just want something that may be able to shoot between 2700-3000 fps out of a 16" rifle. I would like to take medium distance shots (250-300 yards) without having to use a range finder and drop chart. Quick shots out of my pickup window would be mainly on pigs and coyotes but I would also use it to shoot deer on occasion.

The short barreled .26 Nosler might be no faster than a .260 in a long barrel, but the .26 Nosler will always be faster than the .260 when barrels are equal length and bullets are of equal weight. Refer to first response given.

Just keep some ear plugs handy at all times.

Ok, I gotcha. I'm actually doing the same thing. I'm looking at a 16" 308 Win myself to hunt with, for a compact rifle shooting suppressed. Take a 308 Win. I know I can run a 125 SST bullet at 3022 fps in a 20" AR-10 suppressed. Put this same 125 SST in a 16" bolt gun, and you will run about 2950 fps, ballpark. A 150 grain SST should run about 2700 fps.

A 243 with an 87 grain VLD should run about 2900 fps in a 16" barrel.

7-08, with a 120 grain SP you can run it about 2875-2900 fps.

Now there are a few tricks to get your speeds up in a 16" and have a complete powder burn. The bullets listed would work well for general hunting, but the 243 is a little light for my taste.

Chad, thanks for the numbers. I am wanting to run it with my ACC SDN-6. Let me know when you guys are doing another Tikka build.

Ok. I can do a Tikka build any time you want. I have a Tikka in stock now to build on, if needed. I also have a 6.5 Creedmoor ready to go. 6.5 Creedmoor already built. It's 22" now. I'd be happy to cut it down for you to 16.5", if you like.

16" 6.5 CM with a 123 about 2780 fps, or a 140 about 2600-2650.

I'd be ok with the creedmoor cut down to 16.5 and threaded for the ACC muzzle brake. Are there any options out there for a youth size stock for the tikka action?

Feel free to call me to work out the details.

Jay Sheriff
940-781-065eight

Will 100fps make a massive difference in bullet trajectory at 250-300 yards?

Thoughts of a 150sst versus a Berger vld hunting 155?