target rifle caliber

Question
Hi Rod: I was thinking about taking up target shooting. I have owned a .270 and a 30.06 rifle previously. What would you recommend as a good caliber for target shooting. A size w/o a lot of kick that won't beat my shoulder to death during a morning at the range ? What's 223 ? Not familiar with it. Do you have a preference regarding semi-auto versus bolt action ? Thankyou....Glenn

Answer
Glenn,

The .223 would make a good target round, though there are better ones and much depends on how deep you intend to get into target shooting. The .223 is basically the same as the 5.56x45 NATO round, which is what the M-16/AR-16's feed on. You would want one with a barrel twist that's pretty fast, 1:9 or even 1:8 so it can stabilize heavier bullets.

Almost any of the 6mm (.243) and 6.5mm class of rifles will also do well on targets, though some are better at short range with hyper-accuracy than others. Recoil on all of these will be less than the .270 and .30-06, as will the .308 which is an exceptional long tange round. In all cases, go with a heavy barreled bolt-action rifle for target use. The one exception would be if you plan on shooting one of the heavy barreled AR-16 guns, though you will still sacrifice some accuracy. I hope that helps! -Rod-