Anything in the 260 Rem range and up from there. If you are not a handloader then I would stick to common cartridges like 6.5 Creed, 308, 7RM, 300 WSM etc etc.
Deer + Moose rifle recommendation
- Thread starter seamus
- Start date
Anything in the 260 Rem range and up from there. If you are not a handloader then I would stick to common cartridges like 6.5 Creed, 308, 7RM, 300 WSM etc etc.
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
Yes to that as well. On my end though, shots on moving game out to 100 yds was me specialty back in the good days.
diabeticfreak
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- The fields of Ontario
To repeat what a few other people have said, .308 and 30-06 will be more than enough for deer, and should put down moose with ease.
Given the environment that the hunters on the east coast hunt in, lever actions in 30-30, 308, 30-06, 300 Savage, 356 Win, 375 Win, 38-55, etc. with 150-200 gr bullets would be sufficient for deer and moose of the size they have there. Various rifles made by Winchester, Marlin, Browning, Savage, Henry, etc. will provide sufficient accuracy with factory ammo and/or handloads to handle the tasks.
Bolt action of various makes, in the same cartridges, as well as others (260 Rem, 7mm-08, 338 Federal, and 358 Win with 140-225 gr bullets) mentioned above will also work just fine.
Find a rifle that feels comfortable and balance well in your hands and when you shoulder it.
Either open sights (of various makes and design) or scopes of low to medium power ranges, in either fixed or variable power, will also work. With scopes, your quality of glass will be comensurate with price, and provide better clarity in low light conditions. Variables of 1-4, 1.5-5, 1.75-6, 2-7, 2.5-8 and 3-9 will be the better choices for the typical hunting ranges out east. Fixed power of 2.5 to 4 power will work just fine.
Best of luck in your search and future hunts!
Bolt action of various makes, in the same cartridges, as well as others (260 Rem, 7mm-08, 338 Federal, and 358 Win with 140-225 gr bullets) mentioned above will also work just fine.
Find a rifle that feels comfortable and balance well in your hands and when you shoulder it.
Either open sights (of various makes and design) or scopes of low to medium power ranges, in either fixed or variable power, will also work. With scopes, your quality of glass will be comensurate with price, and provide better clarity in low light conditions. Variables of 1-4, 1.5-5, 1.75-6, 2-7, 2.5-8 and 3-9 will be the better choices for the typical hunting ranges out east. Fixed power of 2.5 to 4 power will work just fine.
Best of luck in your search and future hunts!
Killbillc68
Regular
- Location
- Dawson Creek BC
Pick yourself up a Tikka T3 X in stainless .308 .270 30-06 6.5 creed etc. tally rings and a popular decent scope. If it turns out you don’t like it all that stuff should be easy to sell and not lose too much money.
Wouldn't those variables increase the opportunity for error with 30/06 and not provide increased benefit? Having more space may allow for a larger selection of powder, but would the reduced total pressure not limit the volume of charge more severely than a limited case capacity? My reloading knowledge is limited at best, forgive if my perspective is elementary.
Pressure and velocity amongst different powders, different case lengths and volumes, different bullet seating depths, etc, cannot be intuitively estimated.
There is no sense trying to speculate on what might be the data for pressure and velocity. Go to the data in your reloading manuals, or on the powder company's reloading websites.
For example, go to Hodgdon's reloading website https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/ and bring up two tabs in your browser. Select 30-06 and a 180 grain bullet in one tab, and .308 and a 180 grain bullet in the other tab.
Then pick powders that are common in their data to both, and toggle between your two browser tabs to compare data. I looked that up choosing a 180gr bullet and see that e.g. Varget and IMR-4064 are both listed for both cartridges.
Data is presented for min and max loads. Pressures are listed in either PSI or CUP. In the above two powder examples the comparable powders have the same units (but if not google has a conversion tool).
The speculators in this thread may be surprised as what the data shows. Different powders behave differently for the same bullet weight. For one powder the 30-06 max load may be faster than .308, and in another powder the opposite is true visa versa. The max pressures will also be higher or lower between the two cartridges, differing by powders. And if you do the same comparison between reloading manuals, you will see different data trends with different min and max loads. I find significant variance in min/max load data (pressure, velocity) between my Lee manual and Lyman manual for the same bullet weight and powder,
Of course this is Hodgdon's data, or a reloading manual company's data, for a specific lab test rifle, barrel, twist, seating depth, bullet type of same weight, and primer. Your results in your rifle will be different, but this gives some ballpark numbers on pressures and velocities.
No that's not quite correct. The rifle has the same ultimate pressure capabilities regardless of chambering. But SAAMI have rated the 30-06 at a lower pressure because of the fact it has been around for about 50-60 years before the 308, so there were earlier, weaker actioned rifles chambered in 30-06. Whereas every rifle manufactured for 308 chambering was made after the late 1950s with metallurgy and design as opposed to 1906 metallurgy and design. There is no inherent difference in the pressure capabilities of the cartridges or the rifles.
A reloader can run 30-06 to 308 pressures of course, and will get at several hundred fps more than 308 with the same bullet weight. But even without loading to 308 pressure levels, a 30-06 case will beat 308 velocity and do so at lower pressure which is a benefit in my mind. It is a moot point however, because the average hunter will not see a noticeable difference in the field. I like 30-06 but if i used a 308 instead I would not feel hindered. Bullet selection and placement mean more than semantics and the 308 vs 30-06 debate is more theoretical than practical.
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Voilà ! Bullet selection is a choice. Bullet placement is not a relatively easy choice like bullet selection and is dependent on the hunter's marksmanship which is, as a general rule, very ordinary. With a .308 or .30-06 rifle caliber or often with much smaller rifle calibers at that.
*** Hunter's marksmanship from improvised field positions under time pressure at unknown ranges without - repeat WITHOUT - the ubiquoutous concrete bench that we see in just about any gun rag rifle articles.
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Killbillc68
Regular
- Location
- Dawson Creek BC
Sounds like a solid choice to me. Spend the extra few bucks and get a stainless version though.
Lots of places in southern NB where you can shoot 500 yards nowadays IF you are confident of making reliable hits. I'm not one of those but the country has changed substantially in the last 50 years. Power Lines, pipelines and BIG clearcuts.
Tikkas area amazing, just go for it ! In my experience, they are really good value. I know several people who have "cheaped out," bought inexpensive guns, and regretted it later, so for me it has always been worth it to spend a few extra bucks (within reason) and get something I will really enjoy and use.
! In my experience, they are really good value. I know several people who have "cheaped out," bought inexpensive guns, and regretted it later, so for me it has always been worth it to spend a few extra bucks (within reason) and get something I will really enjoy and use.
