Which caliber for deer, elk, sheep, auodad, and moose? MK.II

.300 WinMag!

 

Awesome post Andy. I agree. Shooting off the bench gives great confidence in the rifle/load, but the cold hard reality of hunting accuracy all depends on the shooter...... I love posting pics (as some of you may have already figured out), but I'll refrain from doing so. Make sure you are perfectly zeroed in for a known distance and then shoot at different yardages. Learn where POI is in relation to POA at those ranges/yardages. My vote goes to 30-06 because I grew up with one and know it well. However, If going 650+ yards and mainly for practice, my choice would have been 7mm rem mag with a good high BC pill. 162 A-max comes to mind....

 

Amen buddy...

 

This goes without saying, but be cautious about shooting a big bruin that far away. I'd hate to see one get wounded and then you go searching for it in the brush. That's how bad things happen. I went to school with a guy that got mauled to death by a big bear when it went into the brush. They searched for it and it attacked. It's odd that the thread title has no big "brown bear" in it. Can I change my vote to one of my favorite cartridges? IE: 338 win mag... Last time you didn't include 30-06 at first, now you spring the bear thing on us. Hmmm.....

 

Bears also have a good layer of fat that plugs bullet holes. In my experience, bears leave poor blood trails because of this. I don't see a versatile deer/elk/moose rifle as being the best brown bear cartridge/rifle.

So, I'd buy a 7mm Rem Mag for sheep/deer/elk and a 338 Win Mag for elk/moose/bear.

 

Since we know you'll likely also go to Africa on safari, might as well just get a .460 Weatherby and be done with it.

 

Awfully scary from the sounds of that episode. Like I said, if brown bear are on the list, pass the 338WM as a minimum. Likely with 375H&H on the list as well.

 

I really hate to ask, but how much experience do you have with shooting magnum cartridges such as the 300 and 338WM? In your OP, you want a rifle that you can practice a lot with at 600 yards, then list "deer, elk, and moose" as the primary targets. Then later add brown bear to the discussion. I'm like Andy, and don't want to be taken the wrong way here, but there's a lot that needs to be considered. I also want to add, that MOST guys are NOT going to be doing a lot of practicing with a big magnum rifle. By a lot, that could even be 40 rounds per outing with a magnum, plus the other non magnum cartridges you shoot that day. This could be in excess of 200 rounds fired in one day. Having shot a 30-06 since I was 12 years old, let me describe my exact feelings on cartridges and where I stand:

1. A lot of long range practice: 243 win, 6mm rem, 6.5 (creed or Sweede I don't care).

2. Long range (500+ yards) big game hunting, up to and including elk:
a. 270 Winchester
b. 280 Remington
c. 30-06
d. 7mm rem mag
e. 300 magnum (you take your pick)
f. 338 win magnum (or any other medium bore magnum)

3. Big dangerous game at your stated distance of "600 yards": Grizzly, brown bears: Things with big teeth and claws:
a. 30-06 with 200gr. Nosler partition
b. 7mm rem mag with 160gr. Nosler partition
c. 300 magnum (pick your fave flavor) with 200g. Nosler partition
d. 338WM with 210-250gr. Nosler partition
e. 375H&H 260-300gr. Nosler partiton

To me, it seems like you are looking for 1 cartridge/rifle to do all of the above. However, this goes back to my initial question: How much practice have you had with a magnum cartridge? Most guys won't be able to get enough practice with a magnum rifle to become totally proficient with it, if that's all they have to shoot. This is why I'm going to suggest buying something like a 6.5 creed, shoot the heck out of it at the ranges you feel comfortable with and also buy a 338WM for that bear hunt. Practice with your 338WM as well, but don't over do it. Magnums offer a lot of advantage, but only if you can put that bullet where it needs to go. You don't want to be under gunned or unskilled when the situation arrives where you need to make that shot count. Also like Andy said, be prepared to sneak in a little closer if you can.

 

jsparks, the 7mm rem mag would be a great choice. It's an excellent long range cartridge. Use some good 162 A-max bullets for that long range practice or even the el-cheapo 162gr. Hornady btsp interlock. Or, if you want to shoot factory ammo find what it likes. Like you said, it's cheap by comparison to some of the other more specialized cartridges out there. The nice thing about the 7mm rem mag is the recoil is almost identical to the 30-06, but drifts less in the wind and trajectory is better and it still retains ample energy to put a big animal down. You may also want to reconsider that Lapua magnum idea and consider the 338WM (Winchester magnum) instead (like I pointed out in an earlier post). The platform that houses the big Lapua magnum is enormous and not one that's going to be easily packed around the mountains of Alaska: Just my 2 cents... I know some Alaskan hunters and they like light easily packed rifles. Most prefer Kimber Montana's and Tikka T3's, just to give you an idea of the weight of their rifles: Generally sub 8 pounds "all up". Keep in mind, it's not just about the cartridge, but also the rifle it's housed in....