philip964 wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 7:37 pm
I guess I can expect a knock on the door from ATF any minute now.
I also didn’t know what Polymer80 was and I searched for that as well.
My Facebook pages is now filled with laser bore sighted
Red dot scopes etc. etc.
I really think its too much of a hobby.
So I’ll ask Lapua vs .308 or 6.5 creedmore?
And is there any place near Houston to shoot these?
One of my retired Facebook friends posted this, seemed appealing.
How far do you actually need to shoot? I’m not a sooperdooper sniping shooter, but I
have qualified at 800 yards with one of my .308s (a gussied up Remington 700). The retired MARSOC sniper who was training me at the time asked me a question.....
Him: how far out do you want to get today, TAM?
Me: if I could get out to 800, I’d be pretty happy. If I could get out to 1000, I’d be over the moon. But I think that’s about the practical limits of this rifle (pictured below).
Him: nah, I’ve had kills in Afghanistan at 1300 yards with a rifle very much like yours. A 1000 would not be a problem for your rifle.
The rifle is nothing fancy by today's standards, but it has "good bones" .... an accurate 26” heavy contour barrel, a good stock, a good aftermarket trigger, and good optics. My point is not to brag on my rifle, but to ask questions like: how far do you intend to shoot,
what do you intend to shoot, and do
you have the skill to wring out the performance that your rifle is capable of?
.338 Lapua is a
dedicated rifleman's game......."dedicated" as in: absolutely committed to learning to wring out the best that it can offer, and being willing to pay the literal price of entry. Also, above and beyond the cost of the rifle, it’s a cartridge that you’ll not be able to get the best that it can offer
without a significant investment in
very good optics. It’s one thing to have a clear image at 1000 yards. It’s another entirely to have that clarity of image at 2000 yards. A $500 scope isn't going to get you there.
6.5 Creedmore is a great choice, the only problem being that ammo is still not quite as easily available and inexpensive as .308, which has the benefit of having been easily available in large quantities for about 70 years now. 6.5 Creedmore is still coming into its own. That said, it’s a solid choice; and had it been as easily and generally available as .308 back when I first got into high-powered rifles, I might easily have gone that route instead of investing in .308. And there is no question that the 6.5 is a better long range choice than .308 is. But again,
how far do you want to reach out? To put things into perspective, the 800 yards I qualified at is just 80 yards short of half a mile. The next time you’re out driving around, watch your odometer to see how far a half mile actually is. It’s a LONG poke for the average rifleman. 1000 yards is for the better than average rifleman. Are you better than average? It’s an honest question, implying no judgement. It’s not a game that is for everybody.
.308..... not much to be said. It’s an honest cartridge that will outperform the capabilities of most shooters, in most rifles. COVID-19/Biden panicking aside, it’s generally and cheaply available in a
broad range of loads....from milspec ball, to "hunting", to long range match. It responds very well to handloading. The optics that will enable you to maximize its capabilities are going to cost less than the optics that will get you out to 1300 and beyond—into the capabilities of the 6.5 Creedmore or the .338 Lapua.