18" Barrel

Which of THESE would give the best long range performance? for banging steel and deer/Axis hunting ??

with handloads, shooting suppressed

1. .308, 1-10 twist
2. 6.5 Creedmoor, 1-8 twist
3. 6mm Creedmoor, 1-7 twist
4. 7mm-08, 1-8 twist

Either of the 08's because of the barrel length and I don't want a Creedmoor anything

Your question is 2 part. Just getting a round on steel is not the same as hunting with it and having good terminal performance once the bullet gets there. I want good expansion when the bullet gets there. So, I'd lean towards something faster with high BC. A 147 ELDM or 156 Berger out of a 6.5 CM would do well. For the shorter barrel, it's hard to go 308 or 7-08 and keep up the terminal performance with the heavy bullets. But a 308 with a Berger bullet would allow for some easy expansion at longer ranges. Honestly, you'd be splitting hairs with the 6.5, 7 and 308. I wouldn't consider the 6mm, as it lacks just having enough [censored] once it gets there.

Chad....LR to you and Buzz are two different things. He could shoot a 150 in the 308 and a 120/140 in the 7-08....It would do everything he would ever need.

how far out do you intend to hunt with?

3-400. with a solid rest

Any of them will work fine though I’d go 6.5 or larger myself. Pick the bullet you want to use and work backward from that for the answer.

I'd cull out the 6mm and pick which ever of those other three I liked best. For me it would be the 6.5 if I was target shooting more, or the 7-08 if I was hunting more.

Buzz, 300-400 is not long range.

7-08 with the 150gr ELDX

308

It's all relative....to some that is a long [censored] ways.

I have a 16" 308 I run with the 178 ELDX
17" 7mm08 140g Accubonds
22" 6.5 Creedmoor with 143ELDX
all bolt guns
20" 6mm Creedmoor, AR10 with the 87g VMAX for headshots on does!

any of those will work great at that distance and farther

If I was dead set on 18" and hand-loaded I would probably go 7mm08 AI

That is just blasphemy Judd!!! The gods of accuracy will not shine upon you.

Buzz, go with the 6 Creed since you already have one in 22 and 6.5. Then you'll be one of the cool kids.

7mm

7mm-08, 162 gr is the answer.

And it is the answer to 1400 yards.

Next question?

95+% of game animals are shot at less than 200 yds I'll take the 7-08/140 Accubond combo.

Go retro cool and get a 308.

Same scenario except 6mm

16”???????????

as much fun as it is to play with all of this stuff I don't think it matters that much frankly

put a decent hunting bullet in the right spot and they fall or don't go far

Right on.

17” 7-08 with 162 is good stuff.
Although I’m leaning toward eldx vs eldm. This axis was taken with eldm.

You’ve made a couple of hints-what did the M do? Not expand? And congrats on a beautiful Axis buck!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What he said!

There is a cartridge designed as a hunting round that is efficient from a short barrel rifle ...
300 RCM
I almost went with the 300 RCM but since I had a bunch of 300 WSM brass I went that route with 20 inch barrel for my mountain toting rifle this year.
Dropped a cow elk at 514 last Friday in Colorado with it.