mainehunt

OK, here it goes.

I have this old Remington (Enfield design) 1917 bolt action, 30-06. The bore is junk, so I'm going to build a new rifle with a little help from a gunsmith friend. I'm going to by a sporter weight barrel for it. I do NOT need another rifle, I have pretty much everything I need and then some for what I hunt. (This rifle is not complete, so don't say "sell the enfield and buy a new one,", it's only worth about a hundred bucks the way it is)

I have a ;
300 Win.Mag, bolt
.308, bolt
7.62x39, semi-auto
.243, bolt
.223 AR15
.223 single action
several .22 rim fire and shotguns of assorted gauges.

So.....I want something in between the .300 mag and .243 besides the .308. I don't want anything bigger caliber than .308. I need to stick with brass that will fit the bolt face of the 30-06 size. So 30-06, .280, .270, etc......

I wouldn't mind something A LITTLE BIT exotic, but not too much. I want to be able to get brass/bullets without spending a fortune or being a pain.

So, what are you all going to talk me into??

swampdog_

how about a 6.5-06? Seems like I heard that people were having good ultra-long range success with this.I may be wrong ( If I am i am sure somebody will let me know)You could opt for a 25-06.Have the need for speed? 6mm-06 .Is there such a round?It appears that like you said have everything you .So just have a ball with it.

mainehunt

That's what I want, Fun that is. I just don't want a lot of trouble when it comes to getting ammo/brass/bullets/ etc.



edited to add- What about the 6.5 x 55?? Will this cartridge fit the -06 bolt face??

Zeak

I'd go with the 270 or the 280. Zeak

mainehunt

.270 Winchester, you know, I think that's leading the pack right now. Anybody going to try to talk me out of the .270??

thndrchiken

257 Roberts on an enfield action would be pretty exotic, or how about a 264 Winchester magnum, or even a 7x57 or 6.5x55. All quite capable of taking anything up to and including elk.

diyj98

Since you don't have a 30-06, why not stick with the origional caliber? It's a great hunting round and you can find cheap blasting ammo easy enough.

mainehunt

thndrchiken,
Would all four of those cartridges fit that bolt face on the Enfield?

mainehunt

diyj98,
I guess I don't want to go with a 30-06 because I have a .308 already, and there just isn't that much difference. And, the 300 mag will out do both in the same caliber.

diyj98

Mainehunt, give me one more shot. How about a 35 Whelen? It's based on the 30-06 necked up. Your bolt won't need to be altered and brass is readily obtainable. You could design the rifle around a bear/medium African game type rifle. I think the 1917 has a classic look that would be right at home in Africa or at least give you the feeling of hunting lions right in your own living room.