Help me decide which caliber...

[toasty]

So I just procured a savage action that has .376 bolt face on it now, would consider changing it. I need to decide which caliber of barrel to buy for next years build. Here is a little bit about what I'm looking for. I'm a hunter, only punch paper to see how good reloads are and then I shoot varmints and pests. I reload my own bullets, however, struggle to keep up with high volume shooting.The 17hmr is fun, but too light for anything much over 200-250 yards. I'm thinking about a 223 rem since I don't have one or a 22-250. I want something that shoots better in the wind than the 204 with low recoil that I can use when I don't have a spotter to see where I'm hitting. What do you guys think? Are there other cartridges I should consider?

[Bill K]

If you want to stick with a .224 cal. Then I would go for a 223 AI. It would go great with your other calibers listed. Bill K

[wirelessguy2005]

It will be tough to find a cartridge that bucks the wind better than the 204 while also offering less recoil. Now if you want a cartridge that offers 204 ruger performance with less recoil and more efficiency i have just the cartridge. The 20 SCC will push a 32 grain bullet at 4,000 +fps and only uses 21.5 grains of powder which in turn produces less recoil. Another advantage it offers is less barrel heating and therefore more shooting with less cool down time when you are in a high volume shooting situation such as Pdogs or ground squirrel's.

[Tokimini]

I just did a 6BR build on a Savage and that caliber makes a good critter round. It's dead nuts accurate, can reach out to 600 yards with ease, light recoil, and cheap to reload.