caliber suggestion?

Question

I have a savage Mark ii in 22lr. I use it for target practice. This is my first and only gun so I'm not well versed in firearm knowledge. I like shooting at 100 yards, but after that the 22lr really falls off. I want to try longer distance shooting. Any caliber suggestions, and please say why you suggest it? Thanks everyone.

Answer 1

Wow - you have allot of good choices to choose from.



There are affordable cartridges that are better than the 22LR for distances beyond 100 yards. The big, big, big question - how much are you shooting a month, and, are you interested in learning to reload your ammo to cut costs and make better ammo?



If you don't want to reload - the 17HMR is leaps and bounds better than the 22LR - and it is still an affordable rimfire cartridge. If you want to go a step beyond what the 17HMR does - your next choice is the 22 Hornet (and old favorite) the 17 Hornet (a fairly new cartridge) and the 5.7x28mm. 22 Hornet is pretty easy find ammo, so is the 5.7x28mm, just that the 5.7x28mm can be hard to find an affordable rifle that is not some huge expensive tactical model. All three - 17 and 22 Hornet and 5.7x28 - you can reload if you want, but, you wont save much $$ doing it unless you are going through a ton of ammo.



Next cartridge that is better than the 4 mentioned above - is the 223/5.56mm. Most all bolt action rifles for this are at least 1:9 twist and will let you nail squirrels at 300yds. With practice and the right ammo or handloads you can extend your range to 600 yards.



Nobody in the US makes a bad bolt action rifle. I prefer stainless - I don't have to worry about rust if it gets wet shooting in the rain or in winter. I hate the look of the ugly black tactical synthetic stocks......however - I also hate shooting with a friend who spends all day worrying about getting a ding on his nice walnut stock. A great middle ground - laminated stocks! They can take a real beating and still look great.



My advice. Go visit a really nice big gun store and discover what rifles feel really nice when you bring them up to your shoulder. Then try to get that model in a stainless version with laminated stock. Proper fit - is more important than brand name. I would much rather see you fire awesome groups with a Ruger or Savage than bad or average groups with a Remington 700 tactical rifle all your idiot friends go ga-ga for.



If money was no option - I would go for a bolt action 5.7x28mm. It's better than the 22LR, 17HMR, 17 and 22 Hornet. In the 100-300yd area it is just as accurate as the 223/5.56mm and the ammo is half the cost. I think Savage is the only company making and affordable bolt gun now - it's definitely worth looking into. (I have the pistol that fires it - the thing is awesome for fox out to 150-200 yards - I can only imagine how awesome the rifle would be)

Answer 2

If you just want to target shoot then 223,308 and 260 are good choices for various reasons. The 223 is inherently accurate in most rifles if you match bullet weight to barrel twist and isn't too expensive. It is also highly effective on coyote and smaller sized varmints,but obviously will vaporize a squirrel.

The 308 has lots or factory support for game and range loadings and is quite capable of taking elk and black bear with a good bullet choice. The 260 is based off the 308 case and can have some good ballistic numbers with less recoil;it could also take deer and antelope well, but not elk or bear as well (just a little too low on mass/velocities in most loads-not all).

If you were hunting same basic concepts apply, use the right cartridge for what you hunt. I have a 30-06 because I grew up shooting them and they are still an amazingly versatile choice because of the bullet weight range available over 308. I also have a 300 WSM but I rarely advise a Magnum for average shooters (other than 7mm RM for hunting) because they provide incrementally more performance than 30-06 or 7mm RM with a stout recoil penalty. I see more 30-06 and 7 mags out elk hunting than anything else;they have similar performance and recoil profiles with near same bullet weights.

Most centerfire ammo isn't cheap these days, 223 is affordable,stuff for SKS/AK isn't too bad and most 22-250 isn't bad either,but once you hit 243,308,30-06 you're looking about $18 a box for usable stuff. I reload or I would never have a rifle like a WSM,RUM,Weatherby proprietary, because of the cost of factory ammo,but reloading gives me ammo that shoots well in my rifles and is still under $20 a box with premium bullets.

Answer 3

For a handgun you could try a 9mm, for a rifle 223 Rem. or 308 Win. Why? People who shoot good with a 22LR do so because they don't flinch, because the aren't anticipating the recoil ( since it doesn't make much). 9mm has greater range potential that a 22LR but still has low recoil, in a rifle platform its not a problem so 308 could also be used as it is a common cartridge, it is a full size rifle cartridge so it has better ballistic performance ( than a 223) , greater range and still has manageable recoil. All 3 of these cartridges are common and inexpensive ( compared to other rounds)

Answer 4

A Savage or Ruger American in 22 mag (wmr) would be the next step up. Although the 22 LR should be good out to 400 yards. Then either a 243 Win or a 223 Rem. If you want more versatility, a 30-06 in either Savage or Winchester 70; 1,700 yards. For more expense and recoil, a 7mm mag or 300 Win mag.



Hunt the World with Five Firearms

http://www.chuckhawks.com/world_hunting_firearms.htm



Hunting Guns: From Your First Rifle to a World Class Battery

http://www.chuckhawks.com/hunting_guns.htm



Prime Questions: list your priorities, rank them to your mission

1. How far is your target--max effective range

2. How tough is your target--remaining energy & bullet construction/type

3. How easy to feed the rifle, ammo & component availability

4. How easy to carry & move the rifle, weight, mobility

5. How easy is to make the shot, recoil, trajectory, wind deflection

Not important: lightest bullet with highest muzzle velocity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwG-D0HjCBQ



Good luck, shoot safe.

Answer 5

You are selling yourself short. The skills you developed from shooting your .22lr well can be transfer to shooting rifles of larger calibers. The only difference is that you have to relearn how to judge the windage and elevation for the new rifle which is normal to do.



Since you are going to use the new rifle for target practice, I would suggest something like either the .223 or .243 which are relatively cheaper than larger caliber ammos while still giving you a good reach beyond 100 yards to around 500 yards depending on your skills and type of rifle you get.

Answer 6

.308 or 7.62x39. Online these both show as pretty good bullet calibers but the .308 is a little more pricy. The .308 is about 20 rounds for 15$. The 7.62 is around 6$ for 20 rounds.

Answer 7

For your "next cartridge" to step-up to after using the .22LR, I would suggest .223Remington/5.56x45mmNATO.



This is capable of target practice (up to 500+ yards, depending upon the rifle & ammunition) and harvesting varmints and small game from as far away as you can reliably hit them on the first shot.



If you weren't concerned with long-distance target practice, then the 7.62x39mm cartridge offers low-cost target practice and a variety of ammunition choices, some of which are appropriate for hunting deer-sized game animals.



Other cartridge choices yield different performances and different values for your money.



I suggest sticking with the most popular cartridge choices that will suit your needs and be easy on your budget.

Answer 8

.223 Remington is nice because it will shoot well at 300 yards, and with the right barrel/bullet combo, will reach out to 600, even 1000 yards (though not with your factory rifle).



And, it is very cheap to shoot for a centerfire caliber. And, its recoil is very mild for a centerfire caliber.



Here's a good, cheap option: http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/tactical/centerfire-tactical/model-700-sps-tactical.aspx 1:9 twist rate so it will stabilize heavier bullets, renown for being very accurate, reasonable price for a R700.

Answer 9

243"and 25-6 are perfect for target shooting they are fast shooting guns and shoot very well at 400 yards. They can also be used to hunt midsised game like whitetale.

Answer 10

When the gov't comes to take you guns away, give them one, but keep three at home. This will save 100 people during chaos/anarchy. Live off the land. Get a she-goat with chickens. Plant cucumbers and potatoes. Mossad and CIA will do Statue of Liberty and blame it on Iran. "Old" bridge will "collapse". Explosion in the sea will flood New Sodom (New York); New Gomorrah (Los Angeles) will be flooded right after. America will be last country to switch to Euro (antichrist’s currency). Go hide with Orthodox Christians in Ural Mountains before it’s too late. Mandatory mark of the beast will begin when any of these four happens depending on where you live: 1)Cash will be taken out, 2) Prisoners will be released, 3)Electricity, gas, and water will be turned off. 4)Under-aged will not be able to buy food.

Please, go hide. Don’t take any electronics with you because

antichrist’s minions can make contact then. So, please, no electronics.

Pack one bag in case they take you to a concentration camp, mostly old warm clothes so that nobody will steal them when you’re taking a shower in the concentration camp. Also, get dried bread to last you ten days per person during famine. Don't forget to buy a shovel to bury the dead as cannibals roam the streets and gangs took over the cemeteries. First dinosaur will come out of Volga River in Russia. According to Russian Orthodox Christian Vyatcheslav Krasheninnikov: Humans were created about 7525 years ago. Birds participate in time creation. It’s a sin to kill birds. Feed the pigeons. Dinosaurs live under our level. They will get out through sinkholes and lakes. To kill them, go for their nerves. So, save the birds, but kill the dinosaurs. Antichrist has very pale face with red eyes and flies super fast because he’s possessed by Satan. He wears gloves to hide long nails. Antichrist is surrounded by demons but people will see angels of light. 666 is given by isotope rays on wrist or forehead when people stretch hands to receive small plastic grey card with no name on it (World Passport).

Police will microchip and isotope ray people on highways. Food stores will isotope ray people too. Antichrist will also release prisoners to mark people. Reject 666 at all cost. Go hide with Orthodox Christians in Ural Mountains in order to escape 666.

Don’t go into a UFO to be healed by demons. Those who reject 666 will go to heaven. Also, their direct ancestors will be saved from hell.

Give to charity in the name of Archangel Michael.

Antichrist will rule over the whole world except Orthodox Russia.

There will be a Tsar in Russia to not allow this antichrist to rule in Russia.

So, go hide with Orthodox in Ural mountains before it's too late.

youtube.com/watch?v=94rcOVJBMYQ

youtube.com/watch?v=8dub8PF2d8E

Forgive me.