Review it - offer opinions - pros and cons - basically start a non-divisive discussion about rifle or pistol calibers.

I will offer this

6.5x55mm Swede Mauser

MY FAVORITE caliber of all time. Invented over 100 years ago and originally chambered for the 1896 Mauser (Carl Gustav, Husquavarna) Military Mauser rifles....

This is a fine caliber for almost any north american hunting and is the dominant cartridge for 300m shooting in Europe...

85-160gr 6.5mm Bullets are available for this caliber and the moderate weight bullets of 120gr or so seem to offer plenty of performance on deer and smaller sized animals - Elk can cleanly be taken with this wonderful little caliber with the heavier bullets. The Ballistic Coeficient of this caliber is nearly perfect offering a flat trajectory with minimal recoil offering great extended distance hunting options.

This is a great caliber for smaller - or recoil sensitive shooters - this is a well rounded caliber offering performance for small - as well as large game within its useful range.

I load 120gr. Nosler ballistic Tips moving at about 2850 fps for this caliber - using H4831 Powder - it is giving me sub MOA accuracy at 100 yards... Hard to argue with that kind of performance.

For larger game or woods hunting - i use a Speer 140gr Grand Slam - not quite as aerodynamic - but hits like a hammer at 200 yards - I took a doe with this bullet at that distance - clean through and through shot - instant humane kill with no hold over... Dead center hit... Drop of about 1.5" this is a very flat shooter within reasonable distances...

Performace is similar to the 260 Remington which is nothing more than a 308 necked down to the 6.5mm Bore.. (6.5/308 Wildcat adopted to a factory loading - another great choice... ) BUT it operates at a lot lower pressure (the Swede)

Case capacity is good - long heavy bullets dont itnerfere with powder space... Velocity is just about perfect for getting anything done that needs to be done.

Basically - if you are looking for a neat little caliber to play with - this is the one to look at.... Ruger, Winchester, and Remington have chambered this round as well as CZ in their fine 550 Series rifles...

I am passsioante about this caliber as I have found that it offeres balanced performance - not too much - but just enough - with options to keep even the pickiest rifle dude happy....

I have used the 85gr bullets and they move along at warp speed - this is not a number that you would want to load a ton of ammunition for an dtake out to the dakotas doggin - BUT you could.... 85 Gr bullets feel like a .22 - FUN TO SHOOT.

This is a good first rile for a kid - or an adult. Commercial ammunition is available froma number of makers - handloading is a breeze - there are plenty of compoenets out there.


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AAHHH the Old 30-06

what can you say about the 30-06? Lots of things - this is a old reliable caliber - over 100 years old now in its present form - a plethora of data and bullets out there for anything from Coyotes to Brown Bears...

The 06 is the king of the 30 Cal Hunting rounds - there are more sold than any other caliber which is a true testament to its capabilities... There is nothing in the Game fields of North America that cannot be taken with the 06...

150 grainers are made by almost every manufacturer of projectiles... They are perfect for deer and even elk if they are properly constructed.

Barnes Makes a 150gr X Bullet that performs well out of proportion to its weight. A great option for larger Deer and Elk this bullet is almost perfect if you have a recoil sensitive shooter that chooses not to shoot a more properly suited 180 Gr bullet....

I have never shot an animal with the 06 that needed another bullet...

The 165 gr. Class bullets make interesting combo bullets.... Great for deer - great for elk - great for target Shooting at longer ranges.. Perfect bullets for just about any need.

Sierra makes an old bullet called the 165 gr. Hollow Point Boat tail game King - an EXPLOSIVE performer... Dont hit a shoulder with this one - it is going to ruin it - but the deer is not going to move - not an inch...

My do it all load for the 06 is a 180gr Sierra Game King at around 2700 fps... There is nothing that you cannot make that do within reason. Good Deer Load if you like recoil or dont mind it so much...

A 220 gr Hornady round Nose offers TREMENDOUS potential for larger dangerous game.... Read - Brown Bears... if I had my druthers... That would be the bullet that I would carry into bear country for protection where I would not want a handgun.... Hey pistols are great - an 06 puts up a hell of a lot of stopping power if there is such a thing.

Versatility is the name of the game - a lot of people ask me what is the best caliber for me to buy - I almost always recommend the 30-06 - you can get ammo for it ANYWHERE - you can take anything with it in North America - you can certainly take it to Africa to take plains game and smaller species (remember that the largest lion ever killed was killed with a 270 Winchester... in the dark... long story....)

I had a 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser surplus carbine in 1959. It was very accurate and had little recoil. I used it to hunt deer in the N.Y. Catskill mountains where I was living at the time. After I was transferred to North Dakota in 1960 I traded it in on a Winchester Mod. 70, 30-06. I still have the Mod. 70 and I bagged a lot of deer over the years with it. Now it sits in the safe because I only hunt with a handgun since about 1983. They are both good rounds, the '06 can be used to hunt anything in North America where the 6.5x55 is more or less limited to deer size game. I would say it's pretty close to the .243 for hunting use.

I'll throw in my .02:

7.62x54R. Fun to shoot; milsurp (corrosive) and commercial (non-corrosive) ammo available relatively cheaply, surplus Mosin-Nagant M1891/30s and M44s available inexpensively, and hits fairly hard.

I've seen brass available at Gunstop on my exploratory trip there, for reloaders (which I hope to someday soon become).

Try Fleet Farm for the rifles, or any number of online sources.

Jeremiah

P.S. Pinnacle- this is a great thread idea!

Thanks

The 7.62x54mm Russian round huits like a ton of bricks and is just about equivalent to our 30-06 in power - however, it is as sccurate as any other bench rest cartridge out there in a proper rifle.. Good round...

Hey we are here to talk about stuff that interests us and not bicker - I am getting tired of the bickering...

Hey there are a ton of itneresting calibers out there - someone else pick something and post your thoughts about it.

Anyone up to reviewing 5.7x28mm?? I've seen a couple articles on the FN FiveseveN that seem intriguing, but can't find a whole lot of info about the caliber.

Be glad to when I get a minute...

.22 Long Rifle

One of the most powerful cartridges known to man and very affordable, too!

I'm a fan of .38 Special. Inexpensive to reload, and very flexible -- you can do remarkably squibby loads with light bullets, or pretty darned hot ones. And with the size of the case, you've got quite a lot of flexibility in terms of powder choice.

Ditto, for rifles, for .30-06, although for most purposes, .308 is close.

308 is another one - just take off 150 fps in almost any weight of bullet for the 30-06 and you are there - inherent accuracy is better with the shorter powder column of the 308 - it runs at a high pressure to make velocity.

308 is ideal for targets (to about 800-1000m) and hunting all but the largest of North American Animals. A dominant benchrest caliber - it is the basis for a lot of other excellent calibers - 243 Win, 260 Remington, 7mm-08, 358 Winchester, and a whole host of wildcats - 338/08 (interesting that this is called the 338/08 Federal Now...), 22/08 etc.... Great short action caliber and a base for other neato calibers...

The 308 does not work well with the longer heavy bullets over 180 grains - limited powder space precludes efficieny with the heavier bullets of 200-220 grains (you can do it - but - that is what the 30-06 is for.) Plenty of power with tolerable recoil.

38 Special is a great caliber - agreed - lots of versatility there.

Potential accuracy is also very good with the 38... it is only 1/10" shorter than the 357 MAG - everything else remains the same. Magnums were lengthened to preclude use in older weaker revolvers that were chambered for 38 Spcl mag.

Hummmm - a caliber invented to solve a problem that does not really exist.....

Shooting a light weight bullet at a relatively high velocity - it is a high pressure number that shoots a couple of different projectiles that are mission specific - lead core - hollow point or - steel core

Intended for law enforcement - it has been opened up for civilian use - it is outlawed for hunting - and would be a marginal defense round at best...

23 grain bullets traveling 2100 fps generate little energy - offer a lot of potential penetration in soft targets - and are not easily defeated by soft only body armor - the bullets are fully jacketed and are stoutly constructed.

The rationale used to develop this caliber (this is really nothing new) was the premise of penetrating a PASGT helmet at 200 yards...

WHY?? A 223 will do it at far superior distances. This is a pistol class caliber and shooting it from a P90 makes little sense... It is marginal at best - and you cannot make it perform with certainty like a 223 will from a carbine...

Expensive to shoot - hard to reload for (hornady makes dies) - limited use - BIG GAWKY EXPENSIVE firing platforms for use - a solution to a problem that did not exist...

Are they fun to shoot - YUP - so is a 22LR... At about 1/36th the cost per shot...

I should throw http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ca ... _(weaponry),_pistol_and_rifle
into the conversation.

Wikipedia has more information then you could ever read.
Pinnacle tells better stories.

We hear a lot about stopping power and such, as well as having read extensively what those knot heads out at Pinnacle have to offer us from a scientific standpoint.

But I have to tell you guys, there is absolutely nothing that can persuade me more vigorously than the inherent reliability of the firearm (#1) and my own ability to hit the target with consistently devastating accuracy (#2).

I have an excellent target model .22, which I have poured a lot of money into. However, I can still show greater success with my 1911’s. For me, this demanding task requires a rather refined version of the1911-A1 pistol and the .45 acp 230gr fmj cartridge.

Now don’t get all huffy. I grew up with a .22, and respect their uncanny ability to drop a crow out of a tree for fractions of a dollar (see my new Avatar of a much younger me). However, who do you know who can do that in .40S&W or 9mm with any consistency?

A well mannered gentleman with a finely crafted 1911 will easily accomplish this task, and keep you and yours safe to boot.

Some 357 Sig info http://www.handguninfo.com/Archive/www.Pete-357.com/ it's a snappy little bugger. A 9mm seated in a 10mm shell.

Stopping power is a MYTH

Hitting the target power is the real story... Good COM hits from a 9mm beat the hell out of peripheral hits with a 44 mag any day......

It IS about hitting the target - but I sense a thread drift.......

Thanks Pat..... Go play with your Dickel... I am playing with mine...

LOL