Best overall caliber for accuracy and hunting

B

blueskies

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
77   0   0
Location
Vancouver
I am planning on buying a rifle for long range accurate shooting as well as possibly hunting. I don’t do allot of hunting but would like to have a caliber that is capable of taking down any animal in BC should I choose to start hunting. The rifle I am leaning towards is the Remington 700.

I would appreciate any advice as to what would be the best overall round for accuracy and hunting.
 
What do you consider long range?

I think you should consider what you want to hunt.

Ammo cost can be significant, particularly if you don't reload.
 
For a target long range rifle some of the best bullets are in the 6.5mm range, this includes the 260remington, 6.5x55swede, and 6.5-284 to name a few. However many calibers will get it done. For target shooting most prefer something with lower recoil, this either lends to a heavy rifle or a "smaller" caliber. For a hunting rifle usually something lighter is prefer, especially for carrying in the mountains. As a dual rifle the swede is a very nice choice, but may be a little small if you are hunting large bears. It should be fine on deer, moose, sheep or other such B.C. animals. As far as brand most of the majors make nice stuff, so look at the options each has to offer (detachable mag,hinged floor plate or blind mag, stainless or blued, wood or synthetic) and hold them before buying. The Savage, Sako, Tikka and Browning x-bolts are noted for there out of the box accuracy but Remington is probably the most customizable and a fine rifle itself.

Good luck and have fun.
 
I think the accuracy mostly comes from the rifle itself and not the cartridge you choose. I've had great luck with 6.5x55, 308 and 300WM in the accuracy department, but I still stick to the position that it was the rifle that made these cartridges accurate, not the other way around.
 
Grizzlypeg said:
I think the accuracy mostly comes from the rifle itself and not the cartridge you choose. I've had great luck with 6.5x55, 308 and 300WM in the accuracy department, but I still stick to the position that it was the rifle that made these cartridges accurate, not the other way around.
Click to expand...

Right on.
Not long after the 308 came out it became very popular for bench rest. Most people assumed the reason was because it was more accurate.
However, the bench rest shooters of the day soon put them straight. They said the 308 was no more accurate than the 30-06, but the recoil was less!
 
MrMatt said:
What do you consider long range?

I think you should consider what you want to hunt.

Ammo cost can be significant, particularly if you don't reload.
Click to expand...

Good advice.

A 'target' rifle is going to suck for hunting. You probably don't want to lug around a heavy barrelled rifle with a target power scope that has to much magnification for hunting.

I purchased a Rem 700T with a Falcon scope in .223. Perfect for punching paper. Cheap (for a rifle) to shoot which means more practice.
 
I had the same wants, and went with a Remington 700 CDL SF in 7mm Rem Mag. This was last year, and I had a bison hunt upcoming with a buddy who had the draw here in BC. 7RM is the minimum criteria for a cartridge to shoot bison with, as laid out in the letter that comes when you win the limited entry draw. IMO that makes truly the minimum for hunting ANY North American big game (and I'd think twice about hunting Grizzly with it).

The ups: I absolutely love the 7RM as a hunting cartridge, and am really happy with my 700. I took a doe last year (my first deer) at 230 yards with it, and a week later a buck at 446 yards (408m on my GPS). This year I shot a muley doe at 286, my best shot yet (double lunged with 160 gr. Nosler Accubond, she travelled less than 20 yards). The gun is an absolute laser, especially paired with my Zeiss 4.5-14x44. It is so flat it's very forgiving as a long range hunting choice, it doesn't kick bad at all, and it's a ton of fun to take to the range.

The downs: I find that the stainless fluted barrel on my CDL SF changes zero as it warms up, to the point where your 3rd shot will almost always be a flyer, making it not perfect as a range gun (and not cheap to feed factory ammo either). Long-range (by this I mean 250+ yards) hunting is a topic of much discussion - you need to practice a lot. I also highly recommend spending $$$ on a good range finder. The buck I took at 400+ yards travelled over 300 yards shot through the backstrap after I miss-estimated the distance (all my buddies give me a hard time about not liking the taste of tenderloin) down into a gully and over a creek before powering out on the uphill climb. When I was tracking it my stomach was doing flip-flops thinking I'd lost the second deer I'd ever shot at. Shooting an animal at that range is not a descision I'll ever make lightly (and I'll likely just plain not do it again, but flame on anyway guys, you know you wanna).

Hope this helps. Good luck with your purchase! :cheers:

7m7
 
I have to admit the 7mm Mag is an easy case to work with, and does not take much to get it to shoot accurately, and packs all one could ask for in accurate hunting rifle.

I am also partial to the 700s but not puting the M-70s down, I own them as well.

I understand where you are coming from, its hard to make a light wieght accurized target gun for hunting. However it can be done, and a 7mm Mag is a good case to build on.

I would also think 6.5x284 or your old 308.. both good choices to shoot LR.
 
Last edited:
Re:hunting rifle

I have a 6.5x55 swedish mauser and i find the accuracy is outstanding and its lightweight and low recoil. All around a great hunting rifle.
 
There are some free range wood Bison in a certain part of Sask. as well as lots of farms with them that allow hunting(for a price), some very large Indian reserves have them and hunting them is similar to in the wild(again for a price). Note, that Bison are very large and can be tough to put down, and after shooting some and seeing some shot, I wouldn't recommend the same caliber as you are asking about. For your intended purpose prolly a 30/06 would be best, for larger game like Grizz. and Bison, etc. I recommend a much bigger cal....my choice is a heavily loaded 45/70 or the 50/90......for those unsure or afraid of big lead...the .375 H&H.
 
ben hunchak said:
There are some free range wood Bison in a certain part of Sask. as well as lots of farms with them that allow hunting(for a price), some very large Indian reserves have them and hunting them is similar to in the wild(again for a price). Note, that Bison are very large and can be tough to put down, and after shooting some and seeing some shot, I wouldn't recommend the same caliber as you are asking about. For your intended purpose prolly a 30/06 would be best, for larger game like Grizz. and Bison, etc. I recommend a much bigger cal....my choice is a heavily loaded 45/70 or the 50/90......for those unsure or afraid of big lead...the .375 H&H.
Click to expand...

I have also heard that Bison will surround the wounded one to protect it...so 1st shot kill is ideal.

I would use a .338-378 Weatherby loaded with 250 gr Swift A-Frames @ 3100 fps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom