Mountain Rifle Caliber? Ya- I know...

[Brian in Montana]

It ain't sexy but the .308 is hard to beat for light weight, general purpose, pull off the backpack and shoot stuff on a mountainside from WT deer to elk.

I've said it before, but there's not any one area in which the .308 really stands out, it's just that it does everything well.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

I don't understand the hangups around the 6.5 CM either. It's simply a case of a certain size propelling a bullet of a certain caliber within a certain range of speed.

What Hornady did with it that was noteworthy, is design the case at the proper length, so that bullet with a BC in the high 5s or low to mid 6s could fit in a short action magazine without constraints. If you like long actions, then great, it's probably not for you.

It's also at a sweet spot in the recoil vs performance spectrum. Almost anyone can shoot decent volume with it without getting beat up.

Remington made a ton of mistakes with the 260 Remington with twist rates, marketing, etc. Hornady did an exemplary job of fixing those. I've had both, and while the 260 is a great cartridge, it's not hard to see why the Creedmoor is quite a bit more popular.

If the 6.5 CM gives you heartburn, you'd better get used to it, because it's not going away.

Ford Fiesta could go off road too, but why that when we have better things?

 

[woods89]

View attachment 270275
Ford Fiesta could go off road too, but why that when we have better things?

Better is, I suppose, in the eye of the beholder..........

 

[MTLabrador]

A couple points which you might appreciate OH.

The four big game rifles which sooth my old hunters soul while also reviving my hunters spirit all have one thing in common.

They lack any form of rubber recoil pad and have hard vintage putt plates. My model 54 Winchester 30-06 bolt gun has a simple steel plate with groves forged into it. The same for my old model 94 30-30. My 1952 standard weight model 70 in .270 has the most ornate steel butt plate on any factory rifle ever. I love it and my 30-06 Belgium Broening has a fancy figured molded plastic butt plate.

Often I think about getting and fitting an African black buffalo butt plate as was used in the production year previous to mine.

The rubber butt pads look so yuch to me. At most i can tolerate the thin red hard rubber ones used on early Winchesters.
So recoil does count to me.

One great way to reduce it is going to Barnes bullets. They are lighter adn work better. Just look at the reviews from African PH's.

Regarding needing more gun when seeing Grizz tracks, I can understand that only from past tense. I used to live in NW Wyoming and saw Grizz tracks when fly fishing.

The most recent Herrero/Smith study was definitive. Bear spray in all ways, blows away any type of firearm in any and all circumstances..

The last time I saw some grizz tracks I was hunting elk about 50 miles north of my place. I wanted to take an easy trail back to camp. Then I saw the unmistakable tracks of a sow grizz with a cub.

Hmm, going around would add a hard 3/4 hour hike.

So I shouldered my 30-06 and kept the spray right in my hands as I made noise and took the easy way back to camp.

Any open minded examination of the facts in this issue leaves no option for firearm use as the primary method of defense.
Do I like having a firearm as back-up for bear spray, sure, but the spray is the real solid first defense.

 

[USAF Ret]

It ain't sexy but the .308 is hard to beat for light weight, general purpose, pull off the backpack and shoot stuff on a mountainside from WT deer to elk.

I've said it before, but there's not any one area in which the .308 really stands out, it's just that it does everything well.

This!

 

[Tikka06]

7-08, 20in #3 fluted and threaded, carbon fiber stock. That is a mountain rifle in my mind all day.

 

[TN2shot07]

7-08, 20in #3 fluted and threaded, carbon fiber stock. That is a mountain rifle in my mind all day.

This is about perfect, just prefer it on a 700 platform vs the Tikka!

 

[Addicting]

This is about perfect, just prefer it on a 700 platform vs the Tikka!

Tikka wouldn’t be my first choice either.

Remington made the 700 mountain rifle and it was popular. Seeing it was taken out of production prices have steadily rose. Clone reproduction is where I would have gone.

 

[3855WIN]

I didn’t see 257 WBY on the list.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Tikka wouldn’t be my first choice either.

Remington made the 700 mountain rifle and it was popular. Seeing it was taken out of production prices have steadily rose. Clone reproduction is where I would have gone.

I had a Remington Mountain Rifle in 280 Rem. Very accurate. I was on a four day deep deer hunt. That first morning a real bad dust storm came up. My trigger pull went from under three pounds to over 5. That boxed trigger was a trap for dust.
Another time I had a Remington model 7 in 260 Rem. I shot it a lot and one day the trigger got real heavy. I took it to a gunsmith and found out that the trigger was made of cheap cast metal and was hard plated where the contacts were. I had worn through the plating and the trigger was trash.

Sako's are an all out statement of quality and durability as are Winchesters.
Yes as I said in my early post I really admire the 7mm-08. That said I have three mountain rifles already. All are tack drivers.
A 5.7 pound Kimber Hunter in 280AI
A 6 1/8 pound Sako Finnlight in 308
and a Winchester stainless featherweight at 6.5 pounds in the 6.5x55.

They have all served well under all conditions, mixing them together into one it would be a Sako Finnlight in 7mm-08.

By the way. I sold all my Remington's an never looked back. Final straw was having that accidental discharge because they saved 5 cents/rifle on the trigger, cheapening the original design. "BCQ"

 

[Nick87]

I voted 280 AI, 6.5 would probably sell the best but I hate trends. If it were for me in particular I'd love a lightweight .243

 

[brockel]

I don't understand the hangups around the 6.5 CM either. It's simply a case of a certain size propelling a bullet of a certain caliber within a certain range of speed.

What Hornady did with it that was noteworthy, is design the case at the proper length, so that bullet with a BC in the high 5s or low to mid 6s could fit in a short action magazine without constraints. If you like long actions, then great, it's probably not for you.

It's also at a sweet spot in the recoil vs performance spectrum. Almost anyone can shoot decent volume with it without getting beat up.

Remington made a ton of mistakes with the 260 Remington with twist rates, marketing, etc. Hornady did an exemplary job of fixing those. I've had both, and while the 260 is a great cartridge, it's not hard to see why the Creedmoor is quite a bit more popular.

If the 6.5 CM gives you heartburn, you'd better get used to it, because it's not going away.

I’m going to hunt with one this year just from all the complaining on this sight

 

[millerkiller77]

I voted 6.5prc, but you lost me at Tikka

 

[nhenry]

I’m going to hunt with one this year just from all the complaining on this sight

I’ve about bought one for the same reason

 

[nhenry]

I voted 6.5prc, but you lost me at Tikka

Why?

 

[brockel]

I’ve about bought one for the same reason

I’m even cutting its nuts off and having it threaded at 20”

 

[millerkiller77]

Why?

I think I still have three and they are a mediocre platform at best. Great marketing and a very loyal fan base, but they just don't ring my bell. I rate them in the same class as Vortex and Savage...not my cup of tea

 

[mtmuley]

I’m even cutting its nuts off and having it threaded at 20”

Keeping my nuts and six more inches of barrel. mtmuley

 

[Dsnow9]

I voted .308 but I’m already in the bull pen for one of those ! Looking forward to seeing this project take shape though!

I feel like the first rifle you will have to put out to bid @p_ham on a thread like this. The HT special production number 00001.

 

[millerkiller77]

I voted .308 but I’m already in the bull pen for one of those ! Looking forward to seeing this project take shape though!

I feel like the first rifle you will have to put out to bid @p_ham on a thread like this. The HT special production number 00001.

Get in line bud, when mine is finished you can start pestering the man