Caliber Choice Question, Because I'm a Weirdo

[Green Chile]

Oh that’s easy to answer….22 Hornet all day long! I’ve handled your rifle and it’s very nice and trim. Between 7x57R and 22 Hornet, you have covered most of the non-DG in the world.

 

[gcbailey]

View attachment 687949


Something a little different?

That's certainly off the beaten path, and I love that! That's why I don't own a .375.

 

[gcbailey]

Oh that’s easy to answer….22 Hornet all day long! I’ve handled your rifle and it’s very nice and trim. Between 7x57R and 22 Hornet, you have covered most of the non-DG in the world.

Well then! Did you handle it at DSC?

 

[Green Chile]

I think it was the last year DSC was in TX. I was told it was a customer’s gun being used for display. Beautiful gun.

 

[SaintPanzer]

I have a Merkel K3 in 7X57R. I'd like to get another barrel for it, but Merkel does "Customer Service" in the best German tradition (which is to say grudgingly, if at all). The second barrel I am trying to get is .22 Hornet.

My thinking is this: 7X57 handles most non-dangerous game. I can step up to .30-06 if I need, and next would be .375H&H. I would not do the .375 in such a light rifle. I have a 9.5X57 in a 7 pound rifle, and recoil is what I would call "authoritative".

But with a .22 Hornet, I can both practice with the rifle much less expensively than with the 7X57, with the added benefit that it is a centerfire cartridge, which I can reload. The 25s above look interesting, but there seems to be some overlap with the 7X57, especially with the .256 Win Mag.

But that's just my two cents.

Oh, I almost forgot. In my haste to collect brass for my 9.5X57, I picked up 20 cases of 9.5X57R. No one has any idea why this cartridge would have been made in a rimmed version, and they sit on my shelf as just a curiosity. But if I ever win the lottery, I'd have a rifle made in that. Maybe a stützen, maybe a double. But I need to win the lottery first.

 

[gcbailey]

I think it was the last year DSC was in TX. I was told it was a customer’s gun being used for display. Beautiful gun.

Thank you!

 

[Ontario Hunter]

40-60 Marlin (aka 40-65 Winchester). 45-70 necked down to 40 caliber.

 

[IvW]

9.3x74R
7x65R
7x57R
6.5x57R

 

[JG26Irish_2]

How about the 350 Legend? or the 444 Marlin? The former would be more fun in the light weight rifle. The later would be more. More power, more recoil, etc. But might also work with 44mag and 44 spl ammo which is a plus.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Another vote for the 40-65! It would be perfect in a gun of that weight!

 

[ftrovato]

Ok, I'm not really sure how to go about this one. I want another barrel made for my Bailey Bradshaw Rotary Action rifle. Bailey has been showcasing my rifle while I have been on deployment, and since he already has the rifle, I figured might as well make the most of it and get another barrel for it. It is currently chambered in 7x57R. I am also torn between 405 Winchester and 45-70. I already have a Shiloh 45-70 and don't know between the two, which is better for larger game. I also don't really need a larger caliber, as I have a double rifle in 9.3x74R and a 450/400 Jeffery (I love the 9.3s though). Or I could go small and get a 22 Hornet, which I don't have. I also like the idea of 303 British, 333 Jeffery, and 375 Flanged, but the 303 isn't all that much different than the 7mm and 33 Jeffery and 375 Flanged is hard to come by. I do know I want it to be a rimmed cartridge. If you were having another barrel made, which way would you go? The rifle is quite light at 5 lbs 11 oz. Attached is a photo of my rifle, just for the heck of it. HELP!

View attachment 687920

Hornet all day! I want to be able to shoot that rifle as much as possible....

 

[Nevada Mike]

7X64R?

 

[IvW]

7x65R......

 

[spike.t]

22 hornet....great little round...be perfect in that rifle

 

[gcbailey]

Another vote for the 40-65! It would be perfect in a gun of that weight!

That's a very interesting idea and I love the idea of a straight walled cartridge, but I think I want something that is much more easily sourced.

 

[dchum]

Again a vote for the hornet .22

I just used it with awesome success.
Would be fun to have that barrel.

 

[gcbailey]

Again a vote for the hornet .22

I just used it with awesome success.
Would be fun to have that barrel.

Did you just hunt with it? I'd love to hear what you hunted and your experience with it. What distances were you shooting?

 

[gcbailey]

I’d be very tempted to go with a .220 Swift. But the Hornet would be good too.

Ok, you just threw a curve ball. I didn't even consider 220 Swift. Would the semi rimless case be an issue for a single shot rifle without ejectors?

 

[Russ16]

Ok, you just threw a curve ball. I didn't even consider 220 Swift. Would the semi rimless case be an issue for a single shot rifle without ejectors?

I don’t know. I’m not familiar enough with that rifle system. I would think it could be made to work.

 

[cmk]

Nobody seems to have mentioned the .348 Winchester. Perhaps for a good reason? I don't know much about it apart from what I can read at Wikipedia. Seems to pack a bit more punch than the 7x57R you already have, without going into .375 H&H Flanged territory, and also a little bit more than the 8x57IRS.