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

[Andy54Hawken]

Weight and balance of your rifle is often overlooked or glossed over in favor of cartridge and rifle action discussions.

That cartridge that you like and shoot so well , ain't worth a damn if you can't hit with it after packing it around all day in all kinds of weather.

If you can getting out and going hiking / camping with your rifle is a good way to figure out how to live with it and hit with it while hunting.
Andy

 

[bsa1917hunter]

I was typing something to that effect (actually quoting something you said earlier) while you were posting. I decided to not post it because guys may be getting tired of my commentary... I totally agree with you though Andy. Spot on my friend... Someone else needs to vote on this. I see Pharmseller voted for the 7-08...

 

[bsa1917hunter]

I can go on and on about rifle cartridges, all day long if need be. Someone else vote on this before I start posting pics of my favorite rifles...

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Thanks again , bsa.
Not sure about the OP , but I like reading what you have say and seeing your posts.
As for not commenting , I 'm thinking of dropping out of this thread.
Like I said in post #11 , I'm reluctant to comment or reply when I have no experience in said matter.
Andy

 

[bsa1917hunter]

I like the experience you bring to the table. Enjoy your posts. I'll drop out too... Let the newbies and young bucks vote 300WM....

 

[jsparks747]

Weight and balance of your rifle is often overlooked or glossed over in favor of cartridge and rifle action discussions.

That cartridge that you like and shoot so well , ain't worth a damn if you can't hit with it after packing it around all day in all kinds of weather.

If you can getting out and going hiking / camping with your rifle is a good way to figure out how to live with it and hit with it while hunting.
Andy

Amen brother! Once I purchase the gun (Mossberg Patriot) I was going to get a carbon fiber stock to lower the weight for those loooooong hikes. The loaded weight of the gun is 8 pounds and the new stock would weight about 3.5 pounds.

 

[Blowgunner]

I didn't see the 12 guage option ...
However I like to hunt within bow range basically. Maybe a little more. Nothing like getting up close and personal with big game.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I didn't see the 12 guage option ...
However I like to hunt within bow range basically. Maybe a little more. Nothing like getting up close and personal with big game.

.243 Win.. with a strangle thrown in.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Almost any of the loads listed in the OP would work well to some extent, but I would recommend using common sense and a bit of tried and true wisdom in choosing which way to go! Having hunted Alaska several times as well as a trip to the Dark Continent, and having hunted for Big Bears and Moose in the states, I can tell you ONE rifle isn't the best choice, but if you were forced to choose, I would pick .30/06 hands down every time! I find the magnums are actually a bit limiting in that they tend to fall between a very narrow margin of usefulness, they are ether too big, or not big enough! The .338 WM is the one that bucks the trend, it has the wide range of use to be a good all round rifle on the bigger and tougher animals, but it comes down to how much hunting of those animals you see your self doing! I also recommend a two gun battery for what you are intending, and those two rifles would be a nice light weight Tikka in .30/06 AND something like a nice mid weight Winchester 70 or like in .375 Holland & Holland with the chamber reamed out to .375 Weatherby!!! Ether of these could be subbed with a .338 WM in a pinch and this is what I do! Down here in Co, we have big Bears, Big ELk and once in a while big Moose, because of the serious mountain hunting, I went to a Tikka Super Varmint in .30/06 and I always have my big Commercial Mauser in .375 Wetherby Mag over my shoulder. If I know the conditions would favor it, My Ruger M77 in .338 WM is the rifle in hand! Andy and BSA have really good advice here, and No_Regerts too, take it and put it to good use!

 

[osprey]

So I have a bit of experience in AK and I have three brother inlaws that live in Ak and hunt and fish their butts off. They all hunt with a 30-06 and are constantly in bear country. These mountain dwelling bears you speak of are technically not brown bear, the are grizzlies and do not reach nearly the size of the coastal browns. Many have fallen to the old 06 including one on the meat pole one night when I was in Moose camp with them. I hunted with a 7mm mag and a 280 ai the times when I was up there hunting with them and did not feel undergunned. To shoot a Coastal brown you would need to have close kin up there otherwise a guide is required. Furthermore most of the Coastal Browns require a draw tag which is very hard to draw even as residents. That leaves paying big bucks to go on a guided hunt and you are now talking 15 grand plus. If you can afford that then you can absolutely afford a custom controlled round feed 338 win mag or 375 H and H magnum or whatever tickles your fancy. Until then and for a first rifle my recommendation is the same as the other thread. Keep it real and choose something in the 270,280, 06 range and you will be good to go.

 

[U8395279]

I don't take it the wrong way. I am more than happy to receive advice. I have done a good amount of shooting out of magnum cartridges. Shot a good 1000 round out of a .300 Win Mag and about 500 out of a .338. For me the Nosler Partition was a no brainer. I have started looking more into the 7mm Rem Mag though because the ammo doesn't cost a whole lot, especially since I want to practice a lot at long range. That is definately something that restricts the .338 though because .338 LM rounds cost 60 bucks for 10 rounds.

So you have done a ton of shooting with an extensive number of calibers, but you currently do not own any hunting rifle?? Certainly you must already own at least one rifle. You should basically buy a caliber that compliments what you already have in your gun collection.

No single caliber is ideal for all of these animals that you have listed. Most hunters would acknowledge that. Have you actually ever gone hunting for any of the animals that you listed?

.

 

[orygun]

I vote with what I hunt with. 30-06.
My back-up rifle is an identical rifle in 300 Win Mag.
However, the whole back up rifle thing is a complete fluke and a very long story I won't bother with here.

I used to have a two rifle "battery" that would cover everything.
30-06 and 375 Ruger. When shooting 180s out of the '06 and 270s out of the 375, the trajectory of the two rounds is nearly identical out to 4-500 yards.
I traded the 375 away (kinda wish I hadn't) because I honestly had no use for it. I hunt deer and elk here and am not planning a trip to Alaska for big bears, nor Africa for other large stuff.
The only 7mm that impresses me at all is the 7mm-08. I think the 7 mag is overrated and while it shoots a little bit flatter than an 06, just doesn't seem to hit as hard. This applies to Weatherby, too. A lot of bang, flash and cash for nuthin, in my opinion. I'd take a 280 AI first by a long shot. (pun intended)
The 308 is good, but lags behind quite a bit as the bullet weights get to 180 and up. If you plan on shooting 150s or 168s the 308 is the twin to the '06, at least in factory ammo, and that's not a bad thing. When I was considering a smaller, lighter rifle I felt the 308 was the "logical" choice. Probably the best choice of all for a full sized rifle as far as cheaper practice ammo goes.

As far as honing skills, find yourself an Appleseed Known Distance event and shoot it with your hunting rifle. You will be at a disadvantage in the scoring because you won't be able to load your hunter as fast as the rest of the crowd can swap a mag, but you'll spend no time at a bench and you'll really get to know your hunting gun. Once the Known Distance events get going, you shoot offhand at 100, sitting (or kneeling) at 200, and prone at 300 and 400. All you use for support is your body and a sling. This is the best realistic practice for hunting.

 

[jsparks747]

So you have done a ton of shooting with an extensive number of calibers, but you currently do not own any hunting rifle?? Certainly you must already own at least one rifle. You should basically buy a caliber that compliments what you already have in your gun collection.

No single caliber is ideal for all of these animals that you have listed. Most hunters would acknowledge that. Have you actually ever gone hunting for any of the animals that you listed?

.

I currently don't own any rifles as I just sold my last one. I am looking for a new one though. And yes I have. I have shot deer, elk, and aoudad. I have gone on hunts for sheep and moose with friends.

 

[Joe13]

Mainly the fact that I will be going out to Alaska in a couple years to hunt brown bear in the mountains and I need to be able to shoot that far across valleys.

Even the pro hunters on MeatEater won't take a 600yard shot. The couple episodes I've watched with bears as the object, they try to get within 200 yards.

 

[MrMillspecer]

I ended up with both my Grandpa's deer and elk rifles. Lucky me.
Ones a Winchester mod 70 in 30\06
The other is a 6mm Remington BDL.

I voted 30/06 but the 6mm has taken elk and many deer as well. The 06 seems popular and easy to find ammo for.
You listed many good calibers and like others have said. What do you shoot best or makes the most sense budget wise ?

 

[jsparks747]

Even the pro hunters on MeatEater won't take a 600yard shot. The couple episodes I've watched with bears as the object, they try to get within 200 yards.

That would be my main goal but I want a rifle that if I need to take a long shot on a wounded animal I can.

 

[P7M13]

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.

Elk are mean and are known to be vicious. I wouldn't go with anything less than 505 Gibbs.





That said, I use 7mm-08 because I'm in the coastal thicket and I doubt I'll ever see something farther than 50 yards. Lots of up/down and tons of dense brush.
I also practice with a 338 Edge and 7mm LRM (7 rem mag with a little more oomph), but who knows if/when I'll ever head over the mountains to the east side.

On bears: co-worker of mine was hunting deer and was rushed by a bear. He unloaded five 44 mag rounds into it before it went down. That made me think hard, because I always thought my 40S&W would be enough.

 

[P7M13]

I am told Rocky Mountain sheep, antelope and mountain goats are notoriously tough.
I wouldn't hunt Ood or Ood-dads, they're very gentle, albeit hideous looking.

 

[jsparks747]

I am told Rocky Mountain sheep, antelope and mountain goats are notoriously tough.
I wouldn't hunt Ood or Ood-dads, they're very gentle, albeit hideous looking.

View attachment 346764

It's pronounced "ow dad"

 

[P7M13]

It's pronounced "ow dad"

That's interesting. I worked with a bunch of zookeepers, and each one of them called them oodads, as in üdads.