Stuck in a rut of choices for new Dedicated Deer/sheep rifle
 

Im looking for another rifle for fall... lightweight... dedicated for deer/sheep.. but will do elk and moose in a pinch. But those last two are what my 300bee amd 338wm are in the safe for if only big ungulates were on the menu


Been looking at the vangaurd Talon and 2 versions of the MKV Hunter
Light as hell. . Removable brake.

I am a capable shooter as much of a averege joe hunter... i can and do take shots 400 to 600 yards with confidence. I can shoot the heavy recoilers well unbraked and enjoy doing so.

With that little tidbit about myself.. these are my choices that are wrecking my brain. Cost of ammunition on specific rounds i am well aware of is a bit crazy.

6.5creedmoore
6.5 PRC
6.5-300
257 weatherby mag

This is going to be a gift to myself. Where i spend more than i normally would on something that sits in the safe until its Go Time.... and going to spend a decent chunk of coin on glass. With a dial the range system like a CDS ZL.

I have never owned any one of these rounds. The romance to be an addition to my 300 bee by getting a 257bee is high.. i under stande its Big $$$$$ and reloading these days doesnt really save u any money .

Please those with experience.. sell me these cartridges with pros and cons. 257bee was the original choice though. The 6.5 PRC just sounds good and i read somewhere is beats a 300WinMag in energy past 500 yards..impressive

I have owned three of the four on your list, and I will never own the 6.5×300, because the .264" bore isn't large enough to use the case capacity of the 300wby case. The 7mm bore is the smallest that I would consider with the 300wby case, and that is why I shoot a 7mmstw. The 257wby is a great choice for deer and pronghorn, and I did kill one elk with mine, but the 6.5 bore is a much better choice for larger game, and for the longer ranges, as cartridges like the 6.5CM, and 6.5PRC, are designed for much higher B.C. bullets, so they have faster rates of twist. Between the two, the 6.5CM is a great choice for target use, but I much prefer the 6.5PRC for hunting, because of the extra 300fps. Handloading is a toss up between the two.

Forgot the needmore
6.5 or 7 prc is where you could be looking
Shooting across a windy canyon or on a windy prairie Id want at least a 7mm
Just my opinion

I have shot them all, for a lightweight rig and long distance I would probably choose the
6.5/300, simply because it will pair well with your other Weatherby, and I really like the 6.5 caliber bullets.
Rifle mass will be the deciding factor of course , I am not sure what they weigh these days
In that cartridge .
That being said, one of the fellas was keeping ten inside 1MOA and better at 900 meters today with a Creedmoor off a bipod, and it was a lighter weight rig.
We were running about 6MOA of windage at 900 today
Cat

The 6.5 prc does not have more energy than a 300 win mag at 500 yards.
If you're looking for lightweight it does have a short action but large bolt face.
As much as I think the .257wby is an amazing cartridge, it is going to require a larger action (as will the 6.5/300 meaning a heavier rifle.
Have a look at the 6.5 RPM in the hunter. While not 6.5/300 speed, it is a little quicker than the PRC with a smaller bolt face
6.2 lbs is a pretty decent weight for the money.
Ammo isn't that hard to find. Quick trip to Barrhead will set you up

https://weatherby.com/store/mark-v-hunter/

The one knock on the 6.5rpm, is that it is a Weatherby exclusive, so very limited choices in rifles, very limited ammunition choices, and limited brass choices, along with Weatherby prices for all. The 6.5PRC is being offered by several manufacturers, and brass is available from several sources, including Lapua. I have a Christensen in 6.5PRC myself, and although I load my own, I did try the Hornady Precision Hunter load, and it averaged under 3/8" for three shots at 100m. The Precision Hunter load seems to be very accurate in many factory 6.5PRC rifles.

Im ok on long or short acrions. The rifle itself will be the lightest ive ever owned period. I was just going off something i red about 6.5 prc vs 300wm. I found it a little fishy

As luck would have it he is looking at a weatherby anyways. You would have a hard time improving group size in the couple RPM's I have been around by different ammunition makers or lapua brass. Both rifles shoot interlocks, lrx's and accubonds extremely well. I'm geared up to reload for mine but it is shooting factory ammo so well that until I run low on stock there is no point reloading to try to shrink groups. Both these rifles are the backcountry with the one being a TI (mine). Pretty amazing for a 4.9# rifle.
Last year I bought a dozen boxes of weatherby select with 140gr interlocks for $70/box. Looked again not that long ago....should have bought more back then, prices have certainly jumped.

Just depends how light you want to go when it comes to action sizes

6.5 prc you may have to get the chamber redone with the AW2 reamer or the like, to avoid clickers when you reload. That hadn’t been sorted out when I was looking for a new gun so I stayed away. On paper it’s a solid choice.

The 257 is just plain awesome. Every time I shoot it I smile. Have not reloaded for it yet. 2 inch groups at 300 yards off bags with factory.

Sheep though…that means anchoring them in some situations, and g-bears. Both those warrant a 7 or 30 imo. But if you are ok going with a smaller gun, get the bee.

The whole "clicker" thing depends on the brass, the sizing die, and the chamber, and to some extent the pressure that you load to. I have worked with a few 6.5 PRC rifles, and haven't witnessed it yet.

I shoot a 6.5 PRC for my hunting rifle, and a 6.5 CM for a bench rifle.

The CM I put together after shooting a buddies at the range, and feeling how little recoiling it can be. I push a 140 gr bullet at 2920 fps in a 26" heavy stainless barrel, so I don't go for the talk of "it is way slower than the PRC" crowd.

That said I push the PRC with the 156 Bergers at 2920 from a 22" pipe. I did go the PRC for my main hunting rifle, just because I think it is a bit more capable than the CM for distance hunting. I came from a 300 WM, and enjoy shooting the PRC way more.

The others I have not shot, so can't comment on them.

257 Wby !!!

The 280 ai or 7 Saum would be a good choice too.

Good cartridges, just extremely limited as to factory ammunition and brass.

I'd move from the 257wtby to the 270wtby... Or its exact match the 7mm rem mag. For anything in this country, I've took them all with the 7mm. Zero issues. Lots of components. And can get the weight to 5.75lbs... My mark v ultralight weight... Beauty...

But i think you've already sold yourself on the 6.5 and if you're sticking with that - then I'd run the 264 win mag! Customed.


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There are so many choices out there these days, and fir every person that likes a particular rifle or chambering. There will be someone who doesn't.
The bottom line is buy what you want to, like it or move it!:)
You may find that the 257 Screaming Garbanzo Bean is just the ticket fir you, or after a while decide that you want a 6.5 Robo Shooter!:D
Cat

I’ll throw my vote in for the 6.5-300 Wby, I’ve been shooting one in a MK V ultralight since they were introduced and it’s been very effective in killing a good percentage of the species we are able to hunt in Alberta. I am a fan of the 257 as well but will say that even when hand loading the best bullet choices are much easier to find in 6.5 than .257

I was facing a similar dilemma a few years ago and had a long action rem 700 receiver laying a round so decided to do a 6.5x55 and had the chamber throated for modern 120/140 grain bullets without the usual massive freebore it’s been a great cartridge for me especially as a hadloader however if I was shooting factory ammo I’d likely go with the 6.5 creed or PRC.

Killed my first (and only) bull moose with my vanguard in 257wby last fall. So I'll vote that haha

What's your idea of lightweight? May be helpful with some of the ideas being tossed around.
I would define a lightweight sheep rifle as starting at 6#'s and under. Definitions differ apparently lol

To further define what this rifles purpose is for...

My boomers are for moose and elk as in. " going for moose today. " head to the safe, oull out the 300 bee or 338wm.

This rifle is question.. is for my. " gone deer hunting" rifle go to. Yet, if going for sheep i would take it. If an elk walked out while deer hunting, i would feel confident on the shot. ... kinda rifle.
Long shots on mule deer. Close to long shots whitetails. And whatever a sheep could throw at me

As for lightweight i had mentioned the talon is very light in comparison to what im used to. So r the MKV hunters. . I know sheep hunters like to sacrifice weight to climb the mountains. Ive never climbed a mountain for a hunt. ...yet. i went to a gun shop to handle a Talon... and when the guy passed it to me it was so light in my hand i could have curled it with my pinky finger

If it was my gun, I'd get a Browning AB3 in .280 with a composite stalk and stainless barrel. Mount a 4-16x44mm Zeiss. Good light all round calibre that will take the game you are asking about.

BW

Since I built my 257 weatherby in 2017 it’s the only gun I take big game hunting. Pushing a 110 accubond at 3505 and zeroed at 300 you can hold on hair to 400.

6.5x55 with a faster twist barrel? Brass is inexpensive and easy to find. With a modern action and a tupperware stock you can have your cake and eat it too. My older Tikka T3 shoots lights out and does it with LOTS of room in the magazine so I can seat my "modern" projectiles way out there and still have room to spare. And it does it all for <7 lbs. with scope.

What's your load data look like and how high is it at 100 and 200 yards with that zero?

Mid 80's, I got interested in buying myself a deer gun that I could shoot year round, and a larger boomer, ended up with a 7-08 and a 338WM. The way things worked ot over the years, the 7-08 was what I wound up shooting moose and elk with, buddy shot sheep, elk and moose with his too, and he's a 300WM and 264WM lover from way back. I have a couple of 7-08's now, and a couple of 6.5CM's.
Came to the conclusion I didn't really need anything bigger than a 308 sized case for 90% of my hunting and shooting needs, 7-08 and 6.5CM are pleasant to shoot year round, good for hunting, will work at 500yds, or 500+ on a range, relatively cheap to reload, brass is easy to come by. I have bigger stuff too, in heavier guns, seldom use them for fun guns the rest of the year. I like the idea of a 257Bee, but, a 257 Roberts would do, no huge deal to reform other brass for either, just extra work on the Bee, a 25-06 would be easier too. I like the idea of the 6.5PRC, but, I also know I don't need it, so, I haven't done it or a 25cal. I suppose it comes down to how bad you want what, and how often and where you will use it, and whether or not you are willing to reload for it, or not

What ya gonna do
 

When you encounter a grizzly ?

Talon chambered in 270...

A gut shot grizzly does not care how big the "gun" was, as he chews on your face. Most shooters are better served by a manageable caliber, verse those who are infected with "magnumitis"