Thinking about getting a bolt action for my toolkit. What rifle and caliber do you suggest. Hypothetically, I want to be able to harass communist confiscation robots/terrorists at a distance if they’re committing atrocities in my neighborhood. Again... hypothetical. I’m not looking to hurt a fly. Purely for defensive purposes in a shit-hits-the-fan scenario.
Perhaps as much as 800 yards, so should be aerodynamically efficient, shoot fairly flat and pack a punch on arrival (shoot through stuff if needed). Doesn’t need to be a howitzer though.
Obviously, bigger options like .416 Barrett and other anti-materiel-esque types do this supremely well, but the guns are massive. I’m trying to identify the right trade off between mobility, accuracy and power.
Popular options might be 30-06, .308, 6.5C, 300WM. Just not sure what way I should lean
Yeah that seems like the best one. Ammo is not cheap.. rifles aren’t cheap either seems!
You're not shooting over a mile.
A 308 will be just fine for what you want.
This is what I came for. Thanks. I’ll keep it simple.
Seems like the conversation is really 6.5 and .308. It’s flatter, slipperier... maybe the barrel wears faster.. but as you pointed out, maybe these benefits only matter at longer distances
You mentioned SHTF.
What rounds are more widely available, 308 or 6.5?
Thats the simplest answer
Thanks. I’m such a noob, I really didn’t know the answer for sure. Gun owners talking online seem to own a gazillion guns including the trendy new ones... so I thought the flavor of the month might be more available!
Try a 7mm Rem Mag. Actually any of the Magnum cartridges (7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag, 338 Win Mag) are good choices within 800 yards. If you do choose/have a 338 WM, it's pretty good, but check the ballistic coefficient of your projectile first. In addition to the ones on your list, I would also consider the 270 Winchester if you are looking at only bolt actions. It's rather high velocity (and flat shooting), has good energy, and has a pretty solid bullet selection.