which caliber for common big game?

[Jpsfirstresponse]

So i know there cant be a rifle that does it all with out some drawbacks but heres my question.

I plan to do mostly wild boar and deer hunting although elk is on the list and im not sure what caliber to use. I want a strong caliber that is easy to get and wont go extinct any time soon.

I was thinking of a 30-06 winchester but a 300 or really a 338 win mag is on my mind.

my concerns is a 338 being to much recoil and recoil can really make shooting not such a fun thing. I have never felt recoil personally of a 300 or 338 win mag and not sure if its too much or if theres some thing i can do to make it more pleasant to shoot.

whats your opinions?

[Red Devil]

Well...

Unless you hunt in Big hungry Bear woods...?

Out to 400 yards...

A 150 grain .270 will do fine.

A 180 grain .30-06 will also do fine w/ a little more thump on both ends.

A 140 grain .260 will also do fine w/ a little less thump on both ends.


Belted magnums are like street-racer cars...

[pyro3k2]

.270
.300 win mag
30-06
7mm rem mag.

Pick the one you get the best deal on.

[slick_711]

.30-06 Springfield would be my first recommendation.

.270, .260, and a number of other cartridges are great for Deer & feral hogs, but in my opinion most of them would be a bit light for Elk. Not saying it can't be done, I know one guy who has taken a number of Elk with .270, but given the size of the animal, a less experienced hunter is better off with a little extra punch.

The larger calibers and magnums are good for big game, but would be more than is necessary for Deer/hogs, more expensive ammo, and will beat your shoulder up needlessly.

[Jpsfirstresponse]

Thanks guys, ive been doing alot of research and i think for price , availabilty of ammo , ill probably get the winchester M70 featherweight 30-06 180grain!!

[hbogart]

A .45-70 is another option if you aren't going to be shooting too far away. Hornady LeveRevolution ammo is pretty hot.

[winxp_man]

For Cali a .308 Win will be fine. But you want to get out and touch animals at longer range a 300 Win Mag will be nice. I love my .308 Win and 300 Win Mag.

[Jpsfirstresponse]

i wander which is better the winchester model 70 30-06 or remington 700 30-06? i fell winchester but i hear that remington is better supposedly

[Red Devil]

i wander which is better the winchester model 70 30-06 or remington 700 30-06? i fell winchester but i hear that remington is better supposedly

Coin-toss for a huntin' rifle.

Anything that'll shoot inside of ~ 2 MOA will do.

Either should do that out-of-the-box.

The Rem Model 700™ Mountain LSS would be a nice choice... ~ 0.5 lb. lighter than the Winny and the laminated stock is very stable w/o bein' plastic.

My old BDL .270 shoots 200 yard groups that you can cover w/ a half-dollar... after bedding the receiver and pad-blockin' the barrel. (free-float it first, then add back two small button pads at 45 deg. under the barrel an inch in from the end of the fore-stock to add damping)

Had a Winny 30-06 that shot ~ 1.5 MOA out-of-the-box.

The controlled-feed Mauser action and 3-position safety on the Winny are nice... never had a problem in 35 years w/ the Rem either.

The Ruger M-77's are nice too...


Good luck.

P.S. Good choice on the 30-06/180 gr. You can always cook your game in camp... no need to cook it in the field...

[Nathan Krynn]

I have never hunted elk so I cant speak for that.

You do not need a magnum though. 30-06 is really not needed either. A .308 is fine for any north american game.

30-30 has taken more deer then any other caliber in USA and fine for hog.

I use 6.8 for deer and hog now with great results.

Remember you don't need to go for gusto on high calibered weapons. Shot placement with a good caliber will out perform a bad shot with a magnum everyday of the week. Also remember weapon weight.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

I have never hunted elk so I cant speak for that.

You do not need a magnum though. 30-06 is really not needed either. A .308 is fine for any north american game.

30-30 has taken more deer then any other caliber in USA and fine for hog.

I use 6.8 for deer and hog now with great results.

Remember you don't need to go for gusto on high calibered weapons. Shot placement with a good caliber will out perform a bad shot with a magnum everyday of the week. Also remember weapon weight.

^This^

Pretty much anything over .25 caliber will work on 90%+ of the game you will ever run into. That number goes up even more if you go into the .308 and .30-06 families of cartridges. (things like 7-08, .260, and .308 for the first and .25-06, .270, .280 Remington, and .30-06 for the seond) You really don't need a magnum anything for hunting. Some people enjoy them, and like that they shoot a bit flatter. But they really aren't needed. People have been killing, and will continue to kill train loads of deer and hogs every year with nothing more than a lowly .30-30.

As for Winchester vs. Remington, you are talking Chevy vs. Ford here. People like what they like for no other reason than they like it. It may be the way the controls are laid out, or the finish, or the options, or just the name. They both do more or less the same thing. If you find a better deal on one, that would be the one I would get.

-Mb

(edit) For the record, I have done most of my hunting the past few years with a .300 Savage (less power than a .308), and I am moving towards using my 6.8 more because it offers me more than enough power for the hunting I do. Deer and hogs inside 300 yards. I have all kinds of much bigger toys, but I hardly ever bother.

[slick_711]

i wander which is better the winchester model 70 30-06 or remington 700 30-06? i fell winchester but i hear that remington is better supposedly

They're both great rifles. I'm a Remington 700 guy, but having said that, the M70 is a better design (more reliable feeding and extraction).

I have never hunted elk so I cant speak for that.

You do not need a magnum though. 30-06 is really not needed either. A .308 is fine for any north american game.

30-30 has taken more deer then any other caliber in USA and fine for hog.

I use 6.8 for deer and hog now with great results.

Remember you don't need to go for gusto on high calibered weapons. Shot placement with a good caliber will out perform a bad shot with a magnum everyday of the week. Also remember weapon weight.

Shot placement is of the utmost importance when hunting, but Deer and hog are about 1/3rd the size of an Elk, and 1/7th the size of a Moose. I'm not saying .308 wouldn't kill either, but it's not the right caliber choice.

[Red Devil]

How you hunt makes a difference too...


If you hunt from a stand... a KA-BAR on a stick will due.

Plains hunting prone from a bi-pod or over your pack will give you some longer shots... but usually better presentations.

Same goes for tower or "bean-field" huntin'.

If you plan to still hunt... rear-quartering or "Texas heart" shots are pretty regular... and rather as not on fast movin' game.

That's where the .270/150 and the 30-06/180 earn their keep.

Startin' next Fall... I'm leavin' the .270 in the rack and will be huntin' w/ the Garand from now on. Because of the Province of Calimexifornicatiastan, I'm workin'-up 165 grain M1 loads w/ Barnes triple-shocks instead of the 180 grain Speer Deep-curl loads I plan to use in Free-America.

Except for the added expense (and Tyranny), ...it should work fine.

I still-hunt mostly...

[Diabolus]

7mm Rem Mag is the universal round for a lot of game in North America.

[Jpsfirstresponse]

i was thinking of the 7mm rem mag, after slowly eliminating the 300 and 338 and 270 on my choice list, that was the last one on my curiosity list. a family member has the winchester m70 with titanium bolt action and its great but i think the m70 only comes with 22'' and i wanted a 24-26''. winchester has a ultimate shadow 30-06 with 24 or 26'' but im not sure the difference between the shadow and m70