Short barrel, largish caliber

[Urastus]

You are going to end up with a 223 at some point, everyone does so why fight it.

When you want to go hunting T-Rex, swing past my place and I will loan you something.

Yep. Initially I was going to get the .22, then a .223, based on cost of ammo and a very popular calibre. That was before I found it was not really up to deer hunting A big learning issue; you guys have so much accumulated knowledge. Anyway, I think the 6.5CM should cover my needs / desires. I have other interests (downfalls ), mountain bikes and motorbikes. And I want a handgun or two - revolver or auto? 9mm or .357? No, kidding, not real questions....yet And I'll shoot T-Rex's puny little hands off

[sungazer]

The small primer pocket and flash hole seem to be part of the reason the PPC and 6BR are so accurate. They tried it in the 308 and the jury is still out as to whether it makes a difference. The one thing it does is leave a lot of brass around the primer pocket which stops the pocket loosening up as much when shooting high pressure loads.

The small rifle Primer is widely used if not nearly exclusively in the 308. It has advantages of a better ignition having a smaller ES and SD . Also therre is next to no pressure problems ever encountered.

The 6.5 Creed Lapua brass is good. I tried necking down a 308 and its not worth the trouble. If any of the other cartridges need this give them a miss.
Also use Bench rest Primers no matter what even in Magnum cases ADI powders do not need magnum primers and the BR primers are much better.

[SCJ429]

The 6.5x47 Lapua is an example of a case designed with a small primer pocket and small flash hole, it was a longer 6mmBR for the guy who didn't want to fireform a Dasher or BRX. Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor brass is large primer but Lapua designed their brass with the small primer. It is hard to say if you get better results because of this or because Lapua make better quality brass.

I find that I do not always get the best results with CCI BR4 or BR2. In a 308 I have lowered the SD by using Magnum primers and in a 223 I have had some good results using 450s.

[Urastus]

Some related and relevant info I found re barrel length and velocity for the 6.5 CM (now that I've narrowed the calibre down). This was with Hornady 140gn A-MAX match ammo: 26" = 2860fps, 22" = 2805fps. 22" looks OK; I can live with that hit http://precisionrifleblog.com/2013/07/1 ... -velocity/

[marksman]

you can use that for a guide if you like but you may find your barrel will shoot faster or slower, but you wont know till you run it in and it settles down
better to go with accuracy and precision than speed for targets or for hunting as long as you go for shot placement where the animal will bang flop
fallow are not hard to put down but I still like a brain shot so we eat the whole animal with minimal waste
sounds like you are getting exited

[TassieTiger]

Exactly agree...my barrel is 2.5 inches shy of OEM and apparently shoots faster than it did with the extra inches with certain loads...now as an appreciably well endowed male, I can appreciate both the short and fast and the long and slow but it all gets a bit confusing after a while...

[Urastus]

Exactly agree...my barrel is 2.5 inches shy of OEM and apparently shoots faster than it did with the extra inches with certain loads...now as an appreciably well endowed male, I can appreciate both the short and fast and the long and slow but it all gets a bit confusing after a while...

[Urastus]

you can use that for a guide if you like but you may find your barrel will shoot faster or slower, but you wont know till you run it in and it settles down
better to go with accuracy and precision than speed for targets or for hunting as long as you go for shot placement where the animal will bang flop
fallow are not hard to put down but I still like a brain shot so we eat the whole animal with minimal waste
sounds like you are getting exited

I used to wonder why the whole "aim for behind the shoulder" thing, thinking "why not head shots". Then I actually watched wild deer eating, at distance through some binoculars. Their heads are seldom still. Their torso's are relatively static, but not their heads. I assumed this is why most people go for body shots - they are more likely to be in the same position when the bullet gets there. You live up to your pseudonym

[marksman]

I have missed but it's what my motivation is all about
bang flop and fill the freezer study the animal and you will see there is a time when it is best

[Urastus]

:lol: I have missed but it's what my motivation is all about
bang flop and fill the freezer study the animal and you will see there is a time when it is best

I used to shoot bow. I once shot a rabbit over a brow near the top of a hill - couldn't see him It was like a little plateu; not as steep as the rest of the hill. He had his head up, that's all I could see. I was half way up the hill, I aimed at where his torso should be; as I released his head went down, out of sight. The trajectory of the arrow disappeared beyond the brow and I heard a thwok. Only 35m or so. I can imagine head shots are a little bit of anticipation - taking the shot as soon as they drop down to munch and hope that they don't move a few inches to where something smells a bit better.

[marksman]

I would say that you may not be up to brain shooting because of your response
if you study the deer eating grass a bit more you will see that exactly when they lift there head to smell they pause and you shoot
there head is all over the place when feeding on the ground and they can drop there head very quickly from sniffing the air
did you get a good look at the eyes when you watched the deer, how the eyes move with the head as they drop there head is unbelievable

I do have to say that my gear is well and truthfully up to the job and so far I have been
but if I dont feel right about the shot I dont take it, I let them walk and feel just as lucky to have seen them

[Urastus]

I would say that you may not be up to brain shooting because of your response
if you study the deer eating grass a bit more you will see that exactly when they lift there head to smell they pause and you shoot
there head is all over the place when feeding on the ground and they can drop there head very quickly from sniffing the air
did you get a good look at the eyes when you watched the deer, how the eyes move with the head as they drop there head is unbelievable

I do have to say that my gear is well and truthfully up to the job and so far I have been
but if I dont feel right about the shot I dont take it, I let them walk and feel just as lucky to have seen them

No, I don't remember their eyes. I reckon I was too far away. Your attitude to not taking the shot seems fairly commonplace now; in the states too. Shooters have become a pretty mature bunch. When I was a kid it was caravans full of beer and rifles and off they went pig shooting or whatever.

[marksman]

as deer tilt there heads downward to browse at ground level there pupils remain horizontal the same as when there head is horizontal, quite weird

it was the same with me growing up with adults using shooting for an excuse to get into the grog, especially club shoots
some clubs are still the same just quieter about what they are up to