OT - Varmint-Target Bench Rest Calibers

capitanchris · Post by **capitanchris** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:58 am

I do a fair amount of reloading for all the calibers I shoot. My question deals with picking a smaller caliber for bench rest 200yd ++ shooting. I am thinking 22 250 or 6mm of some type like .243. I like to work up a load for the perticular weapon to take it to its most accurate capability. Also, I am thinking of shooting from the Remington 700 CDL. Thanks for your thoughts...

AndyM · Post by **AndyM** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:51 am

If you are strickly shooting for groups off a bench - how about the .222 Remington. Mild shooting, cheap to reload for, accurate as almost any other round - still found in factory versions. I beleive the .222 was one of the first benchrest rounds, also one of the most popular back in its day.

If you want to go with something a little bit more wild - how about the 6mm PPC.

homefront · Post by **homefront** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:03 am

I recently took an interest in the same kind of shooting, and picked up a CZ 527 in .204 Ruger. There are a lot of different calibers suitable for the range you mention, and beyond, and reloading can wring out the greatest potential from a rifle.
Cartridges based on the old Remington Fireball brass seem to be very efficient in powder use, and accurate.

Here are some sites I frequent; there's a great deal of information buried in these. Good luck.

http://www.6mmbr.com/index.html
http://www.benchrest.com/
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve ... /f/6711043
http://www.saubier.com/forum.html

capitanchris · Post by **capitanchris** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:12 am

Thank you... I have thought about the 6mm ppc and the 6mm BR. If I go with a 6mm I am thinking .243 because of rifle selection. I do not want to give an arm and a leg for this rifle and scope. I have had outstanding performance from Browning 30 06 with the BOSS. Sub MOA's using Seira 168 Matchking.

Ram Hammer · Post by **Ram Hammer** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:16 am

The ppc cartridges (22 and 6 mm) eclipsed the 222 as the gold standard in bench rest competition. I've no personal experience with them but they say either can justify the extra money on blue printing the action and a premium barrel. This level of project qualifies for Extreme Machines though with associated costs. Keep us posted.

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:09 am

.30 SLAP from a Barrett....

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:12 am

You might want to try looking over on the forums at benchrestcentral.com and see what they have to offer. they're all a great bunch of folks.

jengel · Post by **jengel** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:19 am

I you are looking to be more economical, try www.savageshooters.com and get signed up for their forum. The Savage rifles are easy to modify and you can do it yourself. They have good inherent accuracy too. I have a 12BVSS in .223 that shoots great.

k8bor · Post by **k8bor** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:40 am

They've been doing a lot of long-range work with the .260 remington. BC and cross sectional density factors work out real well.

homefront · Post by **homefront** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:49 am

A lot of guys choose Savage rifles because of the ability to change barrels at home.

marlinman93 · Post by **marlinman93** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:07 pm

I like the .22-250 or the .243, but if there's any wind I'd lean towards the .243 to handle it better. Or even the .25-06, which is a common chambering, and easy to make brass from .30-06 cases, or buy it factory loaded.