hunting rifles

[BBDartCA]

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.

Same here, 30-06 with 180 to 200 grain is great for Elk.

 

[IDhunter]

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

if i can feel confident taking an elk with a 270 at 250 yards my ideal choice would be the 270/300.
i practice enough that i will be able to do my part as long as the caliber can do its part

Of the choices above I would go with the 270/300.

I've used a 270 exclusively for many years on deer with great results. It's more then enough for deer and works good for elk with a good bullet such as the Nozler partition.

The .30-06' will do both and has an edge on the 270 for elk in that you can shoot a bigger bullet such as a 180-200 as others have stated. You will not be under-gunned on elk with a 06' with a good bullet such as a NP.

Magnums are great for elk IF you can shoot one accurately ALL the time---as accurately as you could shoot say your .30-06', and be honest with yourself here. I realized two things long ago: 1. I didn't like the recoil of a 338WM, especially with a 250 gr. bullet. 2. You don't need a magnum to kill an elk cleanly, just a good bullet and a well placed shot. Accuracy and shot placement are the key.

For a 1 gun battery for deer and elk I'd go with the mdl. 16 in an 06'.

If I HAD to have 2 guns for this purpose I'd consider a .243 Win or a .25-06' for deer and a .30-06' or a 300WM or 300WSM for elk IF you can shoot the magnums as well as your dedicated deer gun.

Accuracy with a good bullet in a lighter recoiling rifle that is enjoyable to shoot trumps foot pounds of energy from a marginal hit from a harder kicking magnum rifle anyday.


Pat

 

[iusmc2002]

Why don't you just purchase one Savage and then the barrels/calibers of your choice? Barrel vices, headspace gauges and whatnot, will still cost you less than purchasing 2 identical rifles. If you go .270/300 WM, you'll simply need to change the bolt head (about 60 seconds to disassemble the bolt and pop it off, replace it and put the bolt back together. If you go 300 WM/338, no need to swap the bolt head.

Savage Rifle Barrels by E. R. Shaw - E. R. Shaw Replacement Barrel Kits for Savage Bolt Action Rifles

I do agree though, that Bear Hunter looks bad-***! The closable muzzle brake is a real turn-on too! I think I'm going to find one and put it on my new 7mm barrel when it gets here.

Good luck with however you go about it!

 

[blitz]

yeah i am trying to find someone that has one of the bear hunters in stock so's i can see it, fishermens said they can order it but i think i am gonna go check bimart and see if they can order it for me first.
i think i am gonna go with the 300/338 combo, i shoot my 338 just as well as i shoot my 30-06 i just cant shoot it as much in one range session it starts to really pound on the ole shoulder.

 

[HotRod61]

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!

LOL I would agree.

HotRod

 

[dir1978]

If you like the vanguards get a 257wby and a 300wm or 300sm I love my vanguards i have a 257wby for Deer and a 300wby for Elk. I will be posting my extra 300wby vanguard stainless tomorrow just need to get pics up.

 

[blitz]

just went to bimart today to see if they can order the savage bear hunter i should hear back within a week if they can get it or not. if they can get it in stock my out the door price on it is gonna be about 864$
i am also gonna get the savage 116fhss in 300wm from them

 

[Spitpatch]

And with that, my friends, we close another chapter in the continuing saga of "I've already pretty well made my decision, but it sure is a lot of fun asking others as if I haven't made up my mind."

(No truth to the rumor that one or more of those chapters may have been authored by yours truly.)

 

[Gaius]

Haha! Kind of what I was thinking.

Recap: I was good with a 36-06, and didn't like the recoil of a 338, and want to spend less than $600. So I'll go ahead and get a 300 mag and a 338 mag, and spend more than $800 on the 338.

 

[Gunner3456]

LOL. You guys are funny.

First, I like bolt guns from the 70's (except Winchesters) because the fit and finish and wood are nicer, and they are cheaper.

Second, I bought a Ruger M77 .270 in 1974. It was 1 year old but looked new. It still has its Leopold Gold Ring 2X7 scope. It's been everywhere from the Steens Mountains to Johnson Basin out of Joseph to Wyoming and Montana. It's very effective on deer, elk and black bear.

Due to bullet speed and width, it retains a lot of energy and is flat shooting. I don't flinch because it hardly kicks. It's sub MOA.

To each his own.

PS It's never rusted but I do have a couple of dings in the stock.

 

[iusmc2002]

LOL. You guys are funny.

First, I like bolt guns from the 70's (except Winchesters) because the fit and finish and wood are nicer, and they are cheaper.

Second, I bought a Ruger M77 .270 in 1974. It was 1 year old but looked new. It still has its Leopold Gold Ring 2X7 scope. It's been everywhere from the Steens Mountains to Johnson Basin out of Joseph to Wyoming and Montana. It's very effective on deer, elk and black bear.

Due to bullet speed and width, it retains a lot of energy and is flat shooting. I don't flinch because it hardly kicks. It's sub MOA.

To each his own.

PS It's never rusted but I do have a couple of dings in the stock.

Obviously you don't hunt that much because I've had my Savage 111 in 7mm Rem Mag for 2 deer seasons, and it looks like it fell down a mountain while strapped to me. Oh wait, it did and it was

 

[Gunner3456]

Obviously you don't hunt that much because I've had my Savage 111 in 7mm Rem Mag for 2 deer seasons, and it looks like it fell down a mountain while strapped to me. Oh wait, it did and it was

LOL. Back in the 70's we were (fortunately) finished with a hunting trip and packing the pickups to come home. I was just standing in the icy roadway with my .270 slung on my back, and my feet went out from under me. I landed hard on my scope and smashed, and I mean smashed it. Tube bent, both lenses smashed...

Anyway I was a dumb kid and stopped by Leopold on my way home and asked if they could fix it, LOL. A really nice guy made up a work order, charged me a relatively small fee for repair and shipping, and away I went home. About two weeks later it arrived as good as new.

I'll never believe they didn't actually send me a new one. Seriously. Those guys were great to a dumb youngster.

 

[blitz]

yeah, tried really hard to stray away from those calibers mostly due to the cost of ammo.
as for how much i am gonna spend on it, sometimes you gotta spend a little more to get what you want. i guess i will just hold off on a better scope for my 22 mag at the moment.
i could see going with something smaller if i flinched everytime i shot the mags but that just isnt the case so i would rather have the edge.
i see the 300wm as being a great deer cartridge and would definately do its job on an elk, and the 338wm is one of the best elk cartridges there is, might be a little overkill for deer but it would definately do its job.
mostly what i got off this was 1 rifle can do the job of both, well i want 2 for stated reasons and if you cant shoot the 338 well than go for something smaller well i can shoot it just as well as the 30-06 only difference is i cant put more then 10-15 rounds downrange with my 338 before my shoulder starts really taking a pounding
and with my 06 i can put twice that downrange.
does this really make a difference in my choice? no. most of the time that i take them out i do 3 shot groups with each one just to make sure they are still dialed in, if the zero has wandered then i will do a few more shots to adjust. i have several other calibers that i can plink with.

i did pretty much have my mind made up but i figured i would get some opinions on here, this time they didnt change mine though. thats what these forums are for.

 

[coop44]

Been doing a little research on the new ruger american in 30-'06, for 450 retail with rings. Accuracy reports seem very good. Shame they are not going to be had in any magnum calibers though.

 

[Gunner3456]

I'd be willing to bet that there have been more deer killed with a .22lr than any other caliber if you count year-round and dark hours, LOL.

 

[blitz]

the one thing that was a deal breaker is that i have hundreds of dollars invested into reloading components for the 338 and the 300 and i didnt really want to take a loss selling them (which in most cases is a big loss)
someday i will add a 270 as my dedicated deer rifle, i just dont see it as being a very good backup for elk

 

[blitz]

my weatherby 338 is gonna be up for sale soon for about 275$ though. hint hint

 

[Crispy]

Have you looked at the WSM's? A 270 WSM and a 300 WSM would be one SWEET combo! I love my 270 WSM, it has done the trick on everything that has had the misfortune of being what I was looking for (and found ).

 

[blitz]

i am giving some thought to the 270wsm. got a big money job for the coast guard coming up soon and the extra money has to go somewhere.
but since i will already have a 300wm as a backup for elk the 270 is definately next on my list.

 

[blitz]

that extra money might go into my 4" 44 mag too though been eyeballing the redhawks