Remington 700 caliber suggestions

[Tactical Flannel]

In a nut shell, I'm purchasing a Remington 700 in the near future.
However given my lack of experience with bolt guns and the associated calibers, I was curious as to suggestions on what caliber and why?
My purpose for it will be primarily a 'plinker' as I don't hunt (yet?), wouldn't carry it for work, and really don't foresee me sniping zombies at several hundred yards .
Just wanting some thoughts from those with a bit of experience.

Stay safe

 

[cjfarmer]

I would say .223 for the ammo price. But if you want something bigger .308 is the way to go.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

.223, cheap, short AND long range round, excellent teacher of ballistics. .308, all around sniper/hunter round. Hits like a ton of bricks, fully capable of long range shots. Bucks crosswinds better than .223. 30-06, the original "good ol' boy round" of what we think of as modern centerfire rounds. Hits harder and at longer ranges than .308.

 

[42769vette]

I'd go 223

 

[Yeah]

I'd go 223 Rem, and if the day came when I wanted to slap .308"s around I'd rebarrel it to 8" twist and buy a reloading press.

 

[chuddly]

i would also suggest the .223 if you dont plan on doing real long shots. The 308 is a good choice if you think you may get into hunting larger game later down the road. The 30-06 (have one) is a great round but the price to shoot it goes way up and its really over kill for most things around here (unless you want to vaporize gophers)

 

[dagibson1507]

300 rum. Only 2$ a round for plinking ammo.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I would suggest .223. Unless you plan on hunting out of state, or plan on shooting long range, the .223 will fit the bill. Ammo is cheaper, so that means more time behind the trigger.

 

[Dave Doehrman]

I'll confuse the issue and suggest the .243 caliber. Bigger than the .223, with the ability to shoot out to 1,000 yards and a little less expensive to shoot and a little less recoil than the .308. I have 2 of the .308 bench rifles and I am sold on the .308, but I have seen the .243s perform well at all yardages. The .243 works well for varmints, paper, steel targets and has killed quite a few deer as well.

 

[avboiler11]

+eleventy for a 223. Ammo everywhere and fairly inexpensive, and no recoil. Great way to cut your teeth with a bolt action.

I'd recommend the 1:9 SPS Tactical though; with the Varmint's 1:12 barrel you're pretty much stuck with 55gr, maybe 62gr ammunition.

Other option: 308, as you can shoot milsurp or high quality factory ammo. But unless you NEED what a 308 provides (bullet diameter and energy) its more expensive to shoot and has way more recoil...especially if you're just hitting steel or putting holes in paper.

 

[bdybdall]

I'll confuse the issue and suggest the .243 caliber. Bigger than the .223, with the ability to shoot out to 1,000 yards and a little less expensive to shoot and a little less recoil than the .308. I have 2 of the .308 bench rifles and I am sold on the .308, but I have seen the .243s perform well at all yardages. The .243 works well for varmints, paper, steel targets and has killed quite a few deer as well.

I'll second Dave Doehrman. The .243 can kill varmints, deer, pronghorn, and hit at long range. The 6mm Remington is a ballistic twin but I don't know if Remington still chambers it. It's supposed to be easier to handload for because of its longer neck. If you just want to plink and will NEVER hunt game larger than coyotes then maybe the .223 for cost reasons. Better yet, buy a .223 and a .243 (and a .260, 7mm-08, .308, .358; that way the .243 will have family around for the holidays).

 

[CBR1000rr]

Better yet, buy a .223 and a .243 (and a .260, 7mm-08, .308, .358; that way the .243 will have family around for the holidays).

This.

I miss my .243. I will have another.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Caliber pile on! Raise your hand if you didn't know "THIS was gonna happen. . The bad thing is, they're all right. Too too many choices.

 

[downzero]

I'll confuse the issue and suggest the .243 caliber. Bigger than the .223, with the ability to shoot out to 1,000 yards and a little less expensive to shoot and a little less recoil than the .308. I have 2 of the .308 bench rifles and I am sold on the .308, but I have seen the .243s perform well at all yardages. The .243 works well for varmints, paper, steel targets and has killed quite a few deer as well.

.243 is a great caliber, but it will not shoot 1000 yards out of a factory barrel twist. The bullets necessary for that distance will not stabilize in a factory barrel.

.243 is a great caliber for someone who handloads. It would not be a good choice for someone who doesn't, if they want to shoot a lot.

.223 does not have the ballistic performance that .243 has by any stretch, or, as you state, the range of potential uses from varmints to deer (at least arguably). .243 is miles better than .308 in the ballistics department. But it's also not cheap to shoot for someone who doesn't handload. It costs more to shoot than both .223 or .308. That makes it poorly suited to a new shooter.

I'm surprised so many people have responded .223, and while I'm not a huge fan of .223's performance for beyond 300 or so yards depending on barrel length and twist, I couldn't agree more that for this poster, .223 is the obvious and clear winner, with .308 being a very distant second. .243 or .260 are probably 3rd and 4th on the list, but still, not good choices for someone who does not handload.

 

[Colt556]

Yup....223 or 308. Both have a multitude of loadings available and should do anything you could think of using it for in the Midwest.

 

[caneman]

Several answers.
.223 for cost of ammo
243 to extend effective range by 200 yards
260 Remington for even better performance (roughly a 6.5X55 level)

After that you are into the 7's, 30's etc which get into more money with every bang and more recoil to go along with it.

 

[Yeah]

.243 is a great caliber, but it will not shoot 1000 yards out of a factory barrel twist. The bullets necessary for that distance will not stabilize in a factory barrel.

Interested to know what bullet you'd want for 1k, that won't stabilize in a 9.25".

.223 does not have the ballistic performance that .243 has by any stretch, or, as you state, the range of potential uses from varmints to deer (at least arguably)

Though I'm an unapologetic 0.243" aficionado, I'm interested to know what animals between varmints and deer you've pointed a 243 Win at that you'd not have were you holding a properly fed 223 Rem, their range from you, etc.

 

[ssdoug]

I vote for the .223 then go from there . Thats how it starts.

 

[downzero]

Interested to know what bullet you'd want for 1k, that won't stabilize in a 9.25".

I'm more interested in hearing what bullet you shoot from your 9.25 twist, as my friend's 9 twist doesn't even seem to like 100 grain bullets, and another friend's 243AI seems to love the 107s and 115s--out of an 8 twist.

95 will get too 1000 supersonic--but the performance is more like a .308 than a 6mm with the heavies.

I have to shoot far, usually I will choose the heaviest bullets that are practical from the tube and cartridge I'm shooting them from.

Do you shoot 107s in a 9.25 twist?

I shot the tightest group I've ever shot out of that same .243AI with 115s, btw. That thing shot like a laser.

 

[Yeah]

I wouldn't shoot a 107 MatchKing in any twist, unless I was playing a joke on myself. But I have plenty of 700s on the rack wearing factory 9.25"s that will send 105 AMaxes to the line in great shape. Among the few oversights of Remington's twist police are their 0.243" barrels.

107 Matrix won't work out of them, nor their 117s, so those are reserved for rebarrels.