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

[jsparks747]

As some people pointed out I limited myself a little (okay a lot) on the last poll I did on this topic. I went out and shot a lot of calibers and have chosen the ones I like the best. I will be shooting out to about 600 yards (not for hunting, more for confidence) and want a caliber capable of doing this.

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[SA Shooter]

.300 WinMag!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I'm a old fashion kinda guy ... And its tough to beat the .30-06.
600 yards is a long way off , practice and more practice.
What made you decide on that range to practice out to?

Speaking of practice , whatever rifle and cartridge you pick , be sure to practice real world hunting and shooting skills:
Reading range
Shooting off hand or over your ruck
Shooting while sitting or kneeling
Shooting when you are cold and wet ( hot and tired ) etc...
Andy

 

[bsa1917hunter]

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....

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Thanks bsa1917hunter.
I do sight in off a bench ...But I do all my other shooting off hand or just while hiking around where I hunt.
I figure there are no benches out there in the woodline and hiking with my rifle is a good way to sharpen up skills and abilities.
Andy

 

[bsa1917hunter]

Amen buddy...

 

[jsparks747]

I'm a old fashion kinda guy ... And its tough to beat the .30-06.
600 yards is a long way off , practice and more practice.
What made you decide on that range to practice out to?

Speaking of practice , whatever rifle and cartridge you pick , be sure to practice real world hunting and shooting skills:
Reading range
Shooting off hand or over your ruck
Shooting while sitting or kneeling
Shooting when you are cold and wet ( hot and tired ) etc...
Andy

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.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

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.

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.....

 

[No_Regerts]

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.

 

[Certaindeaf]

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.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

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.

Well that does change things a bit.

Normally I refrain from commenting on what I have no experience in or with.
Having never been to Alaska I am far from an expert.
But Just how often to people need to shoot that far across a valley to get a bear?
Is this a common thing?
Can't you hike / stalk and get closer?
And if you do get 'em ... That's a long trek to haul 'em out.
Also as pointed put above now that you shot him that far away , you have more of a chance for a bullet to fail or a wounded bear.

Not trying to sound like an azz , just wondering , 'cause like I said I've never been there.
Andy

 

[jsparks747]

Well that does change things a bit.

Normally I refrain from commenting on what I have no experience in or with.
Having never been to Alaska I am far from an expert.
But Just how often to people need to shoot that far across a valley to get a bear?
Is this a common thing?
Can't you hike / stalk and get closer?
And if you do get 'em ... That's a long trek to haul 'em out.
Also as pointed put above now that you shot him that far away , you have more of a chance for a bullet to fail or a wounded bear.

Not trying to sound like an azz , just wondering , 'cause like I said I've never been there.
Andy

Often times you will just because of how rugged the country is or there is a bear on the upper side of a mountain and you don't really want to be on the downside of those things.

 

[jsparks747]

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.

Good Idea! Thanks! off to plan it!

 

[jsparks747]

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.....

Oh yeah. This things can soak up lead like nobody's buisness. I read a story about a bear charging two guys that was shot with 2 magazines of 10 shots each with a .270 and 1 mag of 10 from a .30-06 before it dropped. Had the heart and bottom of both lungs shot out and kept coming.

 

[jsparks747]

By "popular" demand. .338 now added.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

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.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Often times you will just because of how rugged the country is or there is a bear on the upper side of a mountain and you don't really want to be on the downside of those things.

Mmm... I see what your are saying .. but I think I'd like to be closer than 600 yards if I were to hunt or shoot something that will hunt back.
Just my 2 cents...
Andy

 

[bsa1917hunter]

By "popular" demand. .338 now added.

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.

 

[jsparks747]

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.

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.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

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....