hunting rifles

[blitz]

well it is almost tax time and i am switching my hunting rifles out to stainless. i am not quite sure what calibers i am wanting yet that is why i am posting this.
last years deer rifle was a savage 111 in 30-06 and my elk rifle was a weatherby vanguard in 338wm.

i liked both alot but i am not quite sure i liked the recoil of the 338wm so much, can definately handle it just not fond of it. the other problem with the 338 is when i got it home after a 1 week elk hunting trip i took it out of the case and noticed a light coat of surface rust, it wiped right off but it probably wouldnt have if i wouldnt have noticed it right away. the savage however did not so it must have a better finish. i brought them both with the 30-06 being my backup. i was cleaning and oiling whichever rifle i used that day when i got back to camp. so i have decided just to switch them both out for stainless rifles.

i am a little torn on what calibers to get but whatever they are i want to be able to use my deer rifle as a backup for elk and my elk rifle as a backup for deer.
i was thinking about getting a 300wm for deer and a 338wm for elk.
but now i am thinking of switching to 270win for deer and a 300wm for elk.

the reason i am wanting 2 different rifles is because i want to have them both sighted in with 2 different grain bullets without having to rezero it depending on what i am hunting.

i am looking to spend 600$ or less on each rifle and i am topping both of them off with a vxIII 4.5-14x40 B&C with adjustable objective (i already have both the scopes so not looking for suggestions on that)
the rifles i am looking at are the savage weather warrior w/ accutrigger and accustock
and the weatherby vanguard series 2. i love the accutrigger on my 22mag so i was gonna go with that on both but i hear the new vanguard s2's have a really nice 2 stage trigger and 3 position safeties, just havent seen any stainless ones out yet.

looking to see what other peoples caliber choices are and if anyone has any experience with the rifles i am looking into or if anyone has any other suggestions on rifle makes/models

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[blitz]

i also thought about a 30-06 for deer and a 300wm for elk
the backup rifle for whatever i am hunting will also be a loaner gun so the deer rifle might be out every elk season as someones primary too. and vise versa
i was also thinking this because i reload and it might be a little easier with two .30 cal rifles being able to use the same projectiles and all depending on what i am hunting.
i was thinking if i did this i would be reloading 165gr nosler partitions in the 30-06 and 180gr nosler partitions in the 300wm, and am thinking both those grain bullets should be sufficent for either deer or elk

this is the combo i am leaning the most towards unless i go with 338/300

the only reason why i am really thinking about knocking out the 338wm is because it seems a little to hard to find a rifle in that caliber in the models i am looking for and i can easily find them at most places in the other 3 calibers also i am ususally to impatient to look around for a month trying to find the rifle i want. oh and it is exspensive to shoot 338 reloading or not.

 

[blitz]

one other thing i should have thrown in there. i am not a tracker, i want whatever i am hunting to drop where it stands without having to worry about a follow-up shot.thats with me doing my part.
i like to practice alot with my rifles and i also like to think that i am a pretty good shot but it makes it a little harder to practice alot with a 338 due to the ammo prices.
i figure i will never be making a shot past 250 yards give a few take alot

 

[sheepdip]

one thing i have found with elk is they rarely drop where they stand, that said i have seen a few pile up and never take another step. the majority however seem to be able to go for a while even when hit hard with hard hitting rounds such as .300wm and .338wm. the first elk i shot was hit through both lungs (just missed the heart) with .338wm and went over a half mile.

 

[Gaius]

I currently have a 30-06 for both deer and elk (Savage 111). I used to hunt with a 1903-a3 in 30-06.

But if I were to get two dedicated guns, it would be a Savage 116 stainless 270 and a Weatherby Vangaurd 300 win mag. I think the 270 will be tamer with a lightweight stock.

 

[blitz]

i had a savage 111 in 300 win mag too but i gave it to my roomate when i picked up the 30-06 and 338 so he would have something to hunt with. i did not mind the recoil at all on that one but he did get himself once really good with the scope.

 

[blitz]

anyone know if the difference in felt recoil would be noticeable between the savage 116 and the weatherby vanguard shooting 338wm?

i am really leaning towards the 300wm and the 338wm both in the savage 116.
but shooting the weatherby chambered in 338 is pretty close to as much as i want to take recoil wise. with the accu-trigger i know when its gonna go off

 

[Jamie6.5]

I like your choices of the .270 and .300WM.
The primary reason being, is with the most common bullets for both, identical trajectories can be easily achieved with bullets suitable for the game in question. No mental adjustments needed for MPBR regardless of which you are carrying at the moment.

Another combo using the same criteria would be the .308 and the .338-06, or .338 Ruger Compact Magnum. Nearly identical trajectories.

Another consideration would be where you hunt. In brushy west side hunting, a shorter barreled gun that handles quicker, may be more beneficial as less range is usually required, and a quick shot is more often required. (my experience, YMMV)
On the east side, "reaching out" may be the order of the day, and a longer barreled gun will do that more easily.
I bring this up because some cartridges are more suited to a 20-22" barrel, like the .308/338RCM while others benefit more from 24-26" like the .270/.300WM.

Either way you choose to go, Best of luck, but practice is your best friend!

 

[Spitpatch]

Gaius came closest to not overlooking the obvious, with this as your criteria as I understand it:

1) Caliber(s) entirely and reliably adequate for each species: deer and elk, with allowances for incidental application to the other species, and closely matched trajectories to eliminate "learning" of each gun/caliber.

2) Your good and honest recognition that you are somewhat uncomfortable with the recoil generated by a Magnum. Everyone can "handle it". If you are uncomfortable with it, you WILL NOT shoot it to the best of your abilities. No slight on you, as most persons owning the big belted magnumbs CANNOT shoot them very well, based on my observations over 44 years, and most recently here at the range at home, over and over again with different shooters, different guns. EVERYONE shoots a lighter recoiling gun better than a heavy recoiling one (even those that have proven to me they shoot their thumpers VERY WELL).

3) You wish not to track. So do we all, however there is NO caliber of gun that will insure your avoidance of this, even regarding species of less stature than elk. A much more reliable strategy for minimizing tracking is your good pledge to "do my part". Attention there is infinitely more valuable than going to a larger caliber to avoid a tracking chore.

Considering all your well-stated criteria, and honest (very valid) statements and concerns regarding recoil, you can do it ALL, and do it VERY WELL with a .270 or .30-06. One gun. One load. Both species. Precisely matched (identical!!) trajectory by default. Recoil you can not only "handle", but "handle" well: comfortably, and reliably accurately, allowing you to "do your part" every single time, minimizing the chances of an animal that runs away after the shot.

As for corrosion considerations, stainless is a good route, but multiple trips to Alaska have proven to me that a blued gun well-protected with heavy paste wax will come out just fine in the worst of conditions. (My only stainless rifle is my sheep gun, and that material was chosen for that purpose with the consideration that sheep hunts often go long, and the opportunity to care for the gun even minimally is rather absent during that time.) Even stainless steel corrodes in those conditions, and almost without exception, a "stainless" gun has multiple NON-STAINLESS parts in the interior.

All of your criteria can be entirely satisfied by keeping your good Savage 111 in .30-06. Dump the .338 that you are uncomfortable with (recoil and expense to shoot-wise, and maybe upgrade the Savage). But I wouldn't want to throw a wet dishrag in the face of someone looking for an excuse (any excuse) to buy a couple new guns!

 

[deadeye]

I use a Marlin guide gun 45/70 for deer and Ruger MKII .338 for elk both stainless and the 45/70 will work for elk fine.

 

[Mark W.]

I use a 30-06 with a 150 grain slug for deer and a 180 grain slug for Elk. I shoot groups with both before season and inbetween just adjust my scope how ever many clicks it takes to change the POA POI for the different weight slugs and their velocity.

never had a problem.

 

[HenryJ]

I really like my Marlin 45/70 XLR in stainless

 

[nwwoodsman]

the other problem with the 338 is when i got it home after a 1 week elk hunting trip i took it out of the case and noticed a light coat of surface rust, it wiped right off but it probably wouldnt have if i wouldnt have noticed it right away.

Without trying to sound critical, I think the biggest problem is that it was left in the case. I made a similar mistake a few years ago of just setting my rifle in the corner for a few days after hunting without wiping it down after a few days of hunting in the rain and snow. Never leave the rifle in the case except during transport and always wiping it down after handling will fix the problem.
I also had a Rem 700 with the stainless barrel and my experience with that was that it wasn't entirely stainless either as it developed rust around the crown, a few light spots of discoloration on the barrel, and also on the bolt. Gotta take care of the "stainless" just like you would a blued barrel.

 

[blitz]

i already got rid of the 30-06 a little while back in plans to get a stainless one, i sold it to a friend because he wasnt having any luck with his 770. dont get me wrong i really really liked the savage 30-06 it was great and was very accurate with my reloads, that is why i am going for another in stainless.
the main reason why i am wanting 2 guns is i always like to have a backup or loaner gun. last elk season my roomate was carrying is suppressed ar10 for 1 day, ended up being to much gun to pack around for 5 or so miles so he used my 30-06 for the rest of the trip. plus more guns is more better.

when we were out elk hunting for the week or so we had a big 20x60' tarp setup for our tent and kitchen area and i made shelves in there and a place to hang up the hunting rifles so the 338 was really only in the case on the way to the spot and on the way home.

as for places i hunt. last year it was mainly the trask unit for deer and white river unit for elk but that might change every year, or atleast every year we are shooting for going out east but it all depends on the draw.

mostly what it comes down to though is an excuse to buy 2 different guns, i am just wanting both of them to work for both species stated and for whatever terrain i might be hunting in. elk will definately be the biggest game i go for, i dont see myself ever going for brown bear.ill be picking up tags for black bear every year but i am pretty confident any of the calibers i am looking at will do a good job on one of those.

i had 2 45-70's and a 30-30 got rid of all of them, it was basically a childhood dream of leverguns, always was fascinated with them. but when i got them i realized they just werent for me, they are mostly for shots under 150 yards or so and i just feel more comfortable with a "do it all gun" just in case of that long shot. in this case i want 2 "do it all guns" though but like i said also 250 yards or so will be about the longest shot i would take. i read good things about the 45-70 leverlutions reaching out and touching stuff at that distance but than in the same note i read bad things about what the leverlutions do to the meat so off they went and i moved on to other things

 

[blitz]

so pretty much whatever calibers they are i would want my deer caliber to also reach out and do its job on an elk at 250 yards.

 

[blitz]

another good point is i would like them to have close the the same trajectories.
i am kinda set on one of them being a 300wm (that might change) but i already reload for my roomates and have tons of components for that.

 

[blitz]

so i am thinking one of these combos.
270/338
270/300
30-06/300
30-06/338
300/338

 

[orygun]

I hunt deer and elk and I have many rifles, but only one is my "real" hunting rifle. It's a 30-06. I do use different bullets for deer vs. elk, but they are the same weight and shoot to the same point of aim. 180gr Ballistic Tips for deer, 180gr Partitions for elk.
If I need more power (for what, Alaskan Bears?) I have a 375 Ruger. With a 260 or 270gr bullet it mimics the trajectory of the 30-06. I guess it would be my "back up" rifle.

One thing I would point out is to have guns that have similar, if not identical, controls. Sure don't need to be worrying about what style of safety is on the gun in your hands at the time.

 

[blitz]

yeah i am thinking of getting them both in savage 116, or both in the vanguard series 2

 

[blitz]

if i do end up going with another 338 i think i am gonna go with the savage bear hunter.
its as heavy as my weatherby and has an adjustable brake so it shouldnt be any worse to shoot than a 30-06 (recoil wise, not the loudness factor)