One quiver rifle for PNW (mostly WA) big game hunting

[Grumpa]

Hi All,

I'm an avid bird hunter and am looking to try big game next year. Start with deer then elk. I live close to the mountains and would hunt some on west side (of the cascades) but probably more on the east side. I've read 30-06 is a good all arounder, but for some of the longer shots in the desert (east side) is a 300 warranted?

I'm also looking for recommendations on a nice starter rifle. I want wood, Can't stand synthetic. So far I found Weatherby Vanguard Sporter and Tikka T3 Forest.

Thanks for the help,
JA

No. I live out here and it's unwarranted. A .30-'06, .25-'06 or .270 would all be great choices.
Don't get caught up in the "gotta have a bigger gun" think or the "I need twelve different guns for each and every possible scenario" kind of think either.
Our granddads killed a LOT of big game a hundred years ago with the old .30-'06 with nary a problem.

 

[DeanMk]

^^^TRUTH!^^^

Although its been quite a while now, the last time I went hunting out in eastern Washington, I used a lever action .30-30....not that I got the chance to use it, but I didn't feel "under gunned" carrying it, either.

Dean

 

[scifidelity]

Folks I'm not planning on long range hunting. Not sure where that started but I did specifically say I think it is irresponsible for someone with little rifle and scope experience to do so.

 

[Grumpa]

Folks I'm not planning on long range hunting. Not sure where that started but I did specifically say I think it is irresponsible for someone with little rifle and scope experience to do so.

You asked specifically if a .300 mag. was warranted for Eastern WA. hunting.

 

[DeanMk]

Probably from when you wrote...
"I've read 30-06 is a good all arounder, but for some of the longer shots in the desert (east side) is a 300 warranted? ".

Someone likely wanted to address that part of your post, specific to long range shooting...someone else picked up on that idea and it snowballed from there.
It happens quite often on any forum.
It seems to me you were comparing the "woods" hunting of the west side of the state, where shots are likely to be in feet, to hunting in the open country of eastern Washington, where shots are likely to be in yards, thus they're "longer shots".

 

[Spitpatch]

If your hunting east side and will get longer shots I wouldn't do a 30-06 since they drop so fast at longer distances.

View attachment 635805

Just as I've been trying to tell Orygun for years. What a completely useless round. Especially for long range hunting such as you find in Eastern Oregon or Montana where all I could do with the pathetic cartridge is take the Montana State Record Pronghorn in 2004 with an original 1903 Springfield.

 

[scifidelity]

Probably from when you wrote, "I've read 30-06 is a good all arounder, but for some of the longer shots in the desert (east side) is a 300 warranted? ".

Someone likely wanted to address that part of your post, specific to long range shooting...someone else picked up on that idea and it snowballed from there.
It happens quite often on any forum.
It seems to me you were comparing the "woods" hunting of the west side of the state, where shots are likely to be in feet, to hunting in the open country of eastern Washington, where shots are likely to be in yards.

Fair point, I guess that's all relative and I'm learning by minute. What I meant what relative to the west side where the forest is denser (more cover, can get closer), I'm guessing one has to take longer shots on the east side.

 

[DeanMk]

Not necessarily, but a higher likeliness of instance would favour the east side of the state, for the reasons you gave.
However, just to be clear, there are forested areas to hunt on the east side of the passes, as well.
I remember the few times I went hunting out by Ronald. That was all woods and hills....of course there wasn't anyone out that way back then, either.
I'm thinking these days, its probably a different story.

 

[kevlar]

Well for anything bigger than a squirrel you're gunna need at least a 50 bmg.
Now if you wanna take down some actual game
You're gunna need to get yourself a 50bmg ultramag. "It doesn't exist yet but it needs to so get on it."
Or possibly a 25mm. Don't wanna have anything limping away.

 

[oremike]

There is a lot of noise now days around long distance shooting. We all have heard about the latest and greatest long range sniper kills from over in the sandbox. And then there are the various 1000 yd matches and the like. Humane harvesting of game animals is none of that. Bullets are listed as to what velocity they expand at, for example the Hornady Interlock is rated to expand from 1950fps to 3200fps. That means one of those bullets leaving the barrel at 2900 FPS drops below the 1950 fps thresh hold at about 400 yds. While the bullet may be accurate way past that it might not make a good kill. Interesting to me at least, using this data in my 300 Win Mag tells me I can zero 4" high at 200 yds with a 200gr bullet and have a point blank range of just about 400 yds. That is the bullet should fly no more than 4" above or below the the cross hairs out to 400yds. One rifle, one load, one zero out to 400 yds.

 

[CountryGent]

I'd be very tempted by a CZ 550 in 9.3x62㎜ Mauser. (I had the chance to buy a gorgeous example with a set trigger and good optics. However, I had a child on the way, and I couldn't really justify it.)

Good luck in your search.

 

[scifidelity]

There is a lot of noise now days around long distance shooting. We all have heard about the latest and greatest long range sniper kills from over in the sandbox. And then there are the various 1000 yd matches and the like. Humane harvesting of game animals is none of that. Bullets are listed as to what velocity they expand at, for example the Hornady Interlock is rated to expand from 1950fps to 3200fps. That means one of those bullets leaving the barrel at 2900 FPS drops below the 1950 fps thresh hold at about 400 yds. While the bullet may be accurate way past that it might not make a good kill. Interesting to me at least, using this data in my 300 Win Mag tells me I can zero 4" high at 200 yds with a 200gr bullet and have a point blank range of just about 400 yds. That is the bullet should fly no more than 4" above or below the the cross hairs out to 400yds. One rifle, one load, one zero out to 400 yds.

That's a super handy calculation. Thank you!

 

[Ura-Ki]

I Would always recommend a .30/06 hands down any day for a "One Gun Battery" type of deal! That said, you really need to have a long honest look at the various options to be able to make an informed, no Re_gerts decision! The most savy will look for a rifle and caliber that meets specific needs, but to do it on ONE caliber is almost asking too much, and this is where the mighty .30/06 takes most of those considerations out of the question! Once you have some success, you can then try out different calibers to see if you can get closer to YOUR nirvana!
For me, that journey has taken me through many of the most popular, but the ONE I turned my nose up at all the time is the one i'm now getting excited to try out and see just what all the fuss is all about, that is the 7MM Rem Mag! Arguably, one of the most handy shooters out there with factory ammo doing a lot better then just about any of the others, and with hand loads, really taking it up a notch, it makes perfect sense for someone who really takes it serious! In the past I would always argue that a .270 Winchester was every bit as capable with factory ammo, being cheaper and easier to find, BUT, when it comes to those longer shots, the 7MM shines just a little more, especially for bucking the winds!
As to the mighty .300 Win Mag, I have a few, and I almost never use them, as I find that if I really need that level of power, I SHOULD be shooting something bigger, and that bigger is one of 5 .338 Win Mags, if I don't need quite the power of the .300, then the .30/06 is the one I use the most, and I have taken a fair amount of game with that caliber with out any issue as long as I do my part! Outside of that, when in predator country, bigger is ALWAYS better, and it's really hard to say no to the .30/06 at the minimum!

 

[USMC-03]

There are a million ways to skin a cat. And every one is wrong. But at that same time most all serve the purpose.

For my part, I'm using an old '03 Springfield with iron sights in .30-06 on both deer and elk - not that I've had much time for hunting in recent years...

I load the Nosler 165 grain Ballistic Tip for deer and a 200 grain Partition for elk; 150 yards is max range. I save the long range hunting for varmint.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Much of hunting is personal and subjective...a sure fire way to start a debate is to ask what rifle / cartridge should I use.....

How you hunt is also important to know and understand.

As for a one rifle and cartridge...
I would suggest to look at rifles and cartridges that have been around for 50 years or so....there is a reason as to why they are here and still in use....In many cases its because they work.

Now the above is not said to discount newer rifles and cartridges....after all what was new 50 or more years ago ...is now a classic.
Just pointing out a place to start or at the least a yardstick to make a decision with.
Andy

 

[TheGameMaster]

30-06 will do 1000 yard shots. We do it all the time in high power shooting competitions. That said, will it drop an Elk at 1000 yards? No. Expect to do some walking and searching if you think that its okay to take longer than 400 yard shots with type of optics on you rough and tumble working gun. 270 is a better choice for a lot of reasons. Flatter shooting. Projectile choice. Etc. Just remember, a light weight hunting rifle is not fun to practice with, no matter the cartrige its chambered in unless its something light duty like a .223 and .243; or in an AR or Semi-auto style platform. 6.8 SPC in an AR platform rifle is great for under 300 yards. When you get smaller than .277 diemeter rounds they shoot flatter and longer, but they also don't carry as much energy at distance. .270 will drop your game right there if your at 400 yards or less, and ammo can be had inexpensive if you around. Bi-mart had their .270 dirt cheap at only $12 a box for for good ol' Core Lok's this last year. There is a reason it's been around for 70+ years. It was championed by Jack O'Conner from Outdoor Life for years and years. He took everything in North America that you could hunt, and some exotics in Africa with .270.

 

[osprey]

I always personally like 280/7mm cals over the 30 cals. To me it is the sweet spot for bullet bc and sd without having to endure too much recoil. Of the 280 cals the 280 ai is about the most versatile of them all. Stoke up a good 160 gr bullet to about 2950 and you have a combo that will kill anything out to most reasonable ranges. Of course the 30 06 would be a decent choice as well and there is a strong argument for ammo availability with it. I am also convinced the 270 is a good choice for a one rifle battery and most places will have good ammo availability for it as well.

 

[ma96782]

very true, but I'm not going to take any 400+ yard shots. as a novice big game/ rifle hunter it would be extremely irresponsible of me.

Not to mention, a longgggg walk just to recover the animal.

Aloha, Mark

 

[FishnhuntOR]

30-06 will do the job well, so will .308 & .270.
All of these calibers have harvested a ton of large game for decades.

This right here !!
I'll also add the 6.5 CM to the mix if you're concerned about recoil and more time at range. The 6.5 just carries better. Cheap and available.
280,7-08 are great but more expensive to shoot, harder to find...unless you reload.
No need for a magnum under 500/600 yards.
The tikka is best bang for the $
BUT the Sauer 100 is a VERY good rifle, maybe little heavier. Not sure if it's still on sale at sprtsmans. But for 599 it's a solid gun and a good deal
Get talley rings and a good scope like vx3i, get the cds. Find ammo your gun likes, Zero at 200 and dial for a any further. Easy and effective.

 

[djharteloo]

Anymore I use my .308 for anything. Generally a lighter short rifle then a 30-06 and just as capable at real world hunting distances. Tikka's are hard to beat but my heart belongs to Bergara rifles.