What Rifle/Caliber Combinations Have you liked the most and disliked the most and why?

[Mustangs Rule]

When you look at the whole "ball of wax": reloading, ease of getting components, then shooting, accuracy, velocity, and hunting performance and finally pride of firearm ownership, what have been your most and least favorites.

 

[chevyman181]

I hunted with a 7 mag most my life and it got the job done with no complaints, but I think the easiest to reload for and most accurate have been the 280ai and 6.5CM. I've those 2 more the last few years.

 

[Robert N]

Liked the Most?

My .257 Roberts in a Remington M7MS topped with a Leupold 2.5-8x36: quite possibly my absolute favorite deer rifle and was “One and done” on load development. A 117 gr. SGK over 43 gr. Of H4350 for 2,800 fps…

Hated the Most?
My 7mm SAUM in a Remington M7 AWR (original). It simply never lived up to the velocity promise. I can get a 140gr. AB at around 3050 fps or a 160 AB at 2850. Mind you, it’s a stellar rifle, delivers superb accuracy and is about as weather proof as it gets. But I never did find the velocity. I did find some Remington factory ammo - holy Hannah! That stuff was loaded mega hot! So hot in fact that a quick follow up shot was impossible as the bolt was frozen! That load did deliver on the velocity promise…a 160 at 3000 fps…but accuracy was closer to 2” at 100 instead of the 3/4” that I was getting with my handloads.

Honorable mention: anything 30-06. How boring…

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I hunted with a 7 mag most my life and it got the job done with no complaints, but I think the easiest to reload for and most accurate have been the 280ai and 6.5CM. I've those 2 more the last few years.

I had a super light Kimber Hunter in 280AI and disliked it because it was too easy when reforming the fired cases to crush them, Also the rifle itself was way too light for offhand shooting and the stock too hard and slippery. I sold it despite being a tack driver that got superb velocity.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Liked the Most?

My .257 Roberts in a Remington M7MS topped with a Leupold 2.5-8x36: quite possibly my absolute favorite deer rifle and was “One and done” on load development. A 117 gr. SGK over 43 gr. Of H4350 for 2,800 fps…

Hated the Most?
My 7mm SAUM in a Remington M7 AWR (original). It simply never lived up to the velocity promise. I can get a 140gr. AB at around 3050 fps or a 160 AB at 2850. Mind you, it’s a stellar rifle, delivers superb accuracy and is about as weather proof as it gets. But I never did find the velocity. I did find some Remington factory ammo - holy Hannah! That stuff was loaded mega hot! So hot in fact that a quick follow up shot was impossible as the bolt was frozen! That load did deliver on the velocity promise…a 160 at 3000 fps…but accuracy was closer to 2” at 100 instead of the 3/4” that I was getting with my handloads.

Honorable mention: anything 30-06. How boring…

I loved my first open country rife, a 257 Roberts in a Remington 722 but the medium length action and short magazine well could not handle longer heavier bullets without seating them deeply, then losing powder space and not having the correct COL to match the accuracy sweet spot. I sold it.

Also had a similar problem with my first and only custom rifle, a 35 Whelen on a commercial Mauser action. The chamber length was fine, but the magazine well was just a tad too short for the best Barnes bullet and shortening the COL also missed the accuracy sweet spot. It was fine with lead core bullets, but I was just done with lead, so i sold it with a tear in my eye.