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
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.