Tactical rifle in .300 wsm?

[rksimple]

thanks everyone for the replies, so may of you ask why the 300 wsm. I have a few reasons. Number one is the fact that allows the bullets to stay supersonic past the 1000 yard mark. Something that the .308 cannot. It also shoots a trajectory that is ten feet flatter than the .308 at the 1000 yard mark.It has slightly less kick that a standard 300 wm and uses less powder than a 300 wm (not really a big deal in my opinion though, i have probably spilled enough powder on my reloading bench to make up for the difference in powder between the two for 1000 rounds, hehe). The short action is also a plus and it reduces overall weight slightly. Probably the bigest reason though is that I have two other hunting rifles in .300 wsm and therefore I already have reloading dies, gauges, brass, etc for the .300 wsm so it helps to consolidate.

Once again, thanks alot for the good info......... feel free to keep it coming.

Is this rifle going to be used for hunting at all or just precision lead slinging? If its the former, then I think you're right on with caliber choice. Even though the 7 wsm's numbers are better, having the whole reloading setup for 300 wsm makes it hard to choose anything else. If, however, the rifle won't be used for game but rather paper and steel at long range, I'd think smaller. The 243 Win can throw some pretty high BC bullets at good velocities. The .585 BC 115grain DTAC bullet will hit 3100 fps no problem. This will fly right up there with the big boys but you'll burn less powder, cheaper bullets, and you'll be able to spot you're own impacts. Barrel life is about the same as the wsm's. The 260 Rem is another caliber that is becoming more mainstream due to its ability to do the same as above with even better barrel life. Something to think about if its going to be a comp rifle.

[StraightShooter]

Rksimple..... thanks for the info (and everyone else as well) i am currently shooting an accurized .243 winchester and i have found that even with 105gr berger vld's trying to get any sort of consistent group past 700 yards is quite a challenge. There might be a better load out there that could get better but so far thats the best i can do. Im kinda in the position where I want to use heavier bullets with higher BC's but unfortunately the twist rate in my rifle has some trouble stabilizing the bullet unless I use maximum powder charges in my reloads. I would use lighter bullets but then wind becomes a problem. Instead of investing more money into a higher twist rate barrell for my 243 and hoping to see improvement, i was planning on having another rifle built. The .300 wsm kinda stuck out to me as an interesting caliber from the stuff I have been reading. Although I would like to consolidate my reloading equipment by sticking with the 300 wsm i would not be totally against a new caliber. My end goal is to have a rifle that can shoot somewhat consistent groups at 1000 yds for around $3800 without having to spend alot more than that for a super custom benchrest gun. I am mainly looking to just have fun and shoot in competition every now and then.

[rksimple]

Understood. I wouldn't give up on the 243 just yet. Get the proper twist barrel and it should do just fine. I shot with a guy at the last Vegas tac match that was using a GAP built 243 with a 7.5 twist barrel. It shot like a laser. Randy at R+D precision can do that rebarrel for you and undoubtedly make it shoot. Either way you go, you're going to end up with a great long range rifle.

[randy]

Sounds like a good idea for a target gun.