Tube Gun

[lunchbox]

I know a couple people on here know about the tube gun's. If you got to chose any caliber you wanted in the tube gun:
1: What caliber
2: Why.
I have decided to put the money up and buy one of these kits.
Now I just need a remington 700 short action.
So what do you all think?

[rossman40]

Since your going short action that limits the field. The "king of the hill" right now is probly the 6.5X284 but it is a barrel burner. Then other questions are, how far are you going to shoot? What is your reloading skill? Is this a dual purpose rifle-are you going to hunt with it? Is there a certain gun game you want to play like F-class F/TR which would limit you to .223 or .308? Do you want to be able to shoot factory ammo?

Your basicly looking at from .22 to .30 with a lot of good ones in between. A .223 would be a cheap shooter. As far as match bred ones in 6mm you have the 6PPC, 6BR, 6X47 Lapua. Stepping up to 6.5mm you have the 6.5X284, 6.5 Grendel (which is based on the 6PPC), and the 6.5X47 Lapua. Up a notch more to 7MM you have the 7mm-08, the straight .284 and the short magnums (WSM, SAUM) are starting to make a appearance. In .30 cal the 30BR rules out to 300yds, easy to shoot and load for but the light bullets just doesn't have the guts to go farther. The .308 still has a place and there are guys playing with the short magnums. There are a lot I didn't mention and there are a ton of wildcats that whoever thought them up thinks they are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[lunchbox]

I like all the ideas you bring to the table. I was just asking what everyone else on here would build and why. Im still making up my mind but all the info i get is helping.
Thanks

[rossman40]

You can go over to the IBS site and look at match results and they used to post the equipment the shooters used and look at the results. You just have to remember that some of those guys are super shooters and probly give you a good whooping regardless of what calibers were involved. The general rule is, short fat cartridges are consistent which why most of your match-bred ones look the way they do.

If I was to build a all-around SA tube gun I would lean towards the .308 family. The .260 Remington (aka 6.5-08 A-Square), the 7 mm-08 Remington or the .308. They are not hot rods so barrel life would be good, no problem with brass, would hold their own at 600yds and I would not have a problem taking any of them deer hunting or occasional varmint busting. If I was wanting to strech it out to 1000yds I would want a bit more umph and would look at maybe a 7mm short magnum. As far as barrel I would want at least 26" with 5R or 5C rifling, I would look at Broughton or Bartlein maybe.

[lunchbox]

what is the 5r and 5c rifling? and how does it make a difference?

[rossman40]

You have a odd number of lands so the bullet isn't squeezed between two lands. Then the edges of the lands are not 90 degrees but canted which is less stress on the bullet. Less fouling between shots, higher performance and longer barrel life.



Barrel life is a key, with a hot rod like a 6.5X284 the barrel has a life expectancy on the bench of about 1000-1200 rounds, sometimes even less if your really pushing the envelope. Some guys swap out barrels every year or will have the barrel "set back". With a milder cartridge you can maybe get 5000 rounds. 5R or 5C rifling is one way to get better life, cut rifled barrels will sometimes outlast button rifled ones and the proper use of coated bullets helps.

[thelefthand]

I'm trying to put together a 6BR on an AR frame. It will be set up as a match rifle for cross the course NRA matches, as well as shooting long range out to 1000 yards. It has been a few years now since I did any serious competition. My baby girl takes most of my time and I don't mind I'm choosing the 6br because of it's reputation for accuracy as well as the availability of good brass without having to lots of brass prep (I hate dealing with the brass). Mike Milli builds uppers with a larger bolt face that will take the .223 and .243 WSSM cartridges. That bolt face is big enough to accomodate the 6BR, and magazine modifications look to be straight forward and easy. In the end, I hope to have a rifle that my daughter can shoot at 1000 yard prone matches when she gets older. She already has her own lower, but I still need to get the butt stock for it. Man those white oaks are expensive....

If I did not want to shoot 1000 yards with it, I'd probably go with a 6ppc, or even just a .223. If I ONLY wanted to shoot 1000 yards, I'd probably opt for a tube gun chambered for the 6XC. I really like the 6mm projectiles because it seems easier (and cheaper) to find high B.C. projectiles, and you can launch them at some pretty high speeds with out tons of recoil. Speed rarely beats accuracy, but when you get out past 500 yards on relatively open terrain, and add in Perry's notorious winds, speed starts making a noticeable difference.

Just my 2 bits,
Mark

It would mostly depend on what I actually wanted to use it for.

[screwbolts]

For the barrel there is also the PacNor 3c , these have been shooting well for several 50BMG 1000 yard shooters.

Rossman40, I was wondering why you left the " .260 Remington (aka 6.5-08 A-Square) " out of your first post, and was glad to see you added it later in another post. IMHO the 6.5 and 7mm 08s are true sleepers to allot of people. Mega potential with minimum recoil.

Ken

[rossman40]

I didn't know they got the 5C and 3C worked out, last I heard they were working on it. I'll keep that in mind.

The 260 gets a bit over shadowed by the other bench bred cartridges much like the .243 which is not a slacker in it's own right. You have the 260, the 6.5 Grendel, Hornady's new 6.5 Creedmore and the 6.5X47 Laupa pretty even but some guys just keep pushing the envelope. The .308 family gives a good blend of performance and barrel life. I have one customer that is heavy into F class with two rifles and only has 480 rounds on his primary match gun and has already ordered a new 6.5X284 Krieger 5R for it in case it takes a dump on him before the end of this season.