I shoot a 300 win mag, but am looking to sell my Browning and buy a new one and I am torn up about what caliber to buy. I would like to do some serious hunting and want something that is both ethical and legal for shooting any game in North America. I know that Bison need a 180 grain bullet to be at 2700 fps and my 300 does that no problem, but i would like to get a larger caliber. However I still want the same gun for smaller game and would like to save some of the meat. any input would be great.
Best all around Caliber.
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Why not keep the 300 for the larger game and get yourself a nice little deer gun in a .270 or 30-06?
This is an evil question...that must never be answered! If a wife was to read that there is only one caliber that could do it all....well all hell would break loose. You must have a small bore for varmint .17-6mm a medium bore for deer sized game .234 - .308 then you must have a large bore for bear & moose sized game .308 - .416 then there is the special application rifles that must be obtained for heavy cover (lever / pump / semi actions in what ever cal floats your boat. Oh and then the ultra light rifle for those long trips on foot or up a mountain. You see never just one...aways need alternatives better suited
with what everyone else has already said!
Keep the .300 and buy a .375. The .300 is a great all-rounder for those that can handle it, the .375 is "greater" if you are looking at bigger game and slightly shorter range. Oddly they always seem to kick less than a .338.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Gotta love these guys who say there's no such thing as a do everthing rifle. My .375, loaded with reduced loads, takes small game like squirrels and ptarmigan with no more damage than a high speed .22. It shoots flat enough to take medium game out to 300 yards, and when loaded with a heavy bullet it doubles quite well as a protection rifle.
The only ingrediant you need to make any modern rifle more versatile is a loading press, providing that the rifle is light enough to pack around in the first place. Might be that's all you need for your .300.
If you want a big rifle just because, that new .375 Ruger is affordable and powerful. It'll push a 300 gr TSX at 2500, and should get 2700 with a 260 gr AB when you want to reach out there. My pal got half inch groups at 50 yards with the small game loads I put together for him, .270 gr Hornady's at 1200.
The only ingrediant you need to make any modern rifle more versatile is a loading press, providing that the rifle is light enough to pack around in the first place. Might be that's all you need for your .300.
If you want a big rifle just because, that new .375 Ruger is affordable and powerful. It'll push a 300 gr TSX at 2500, and should get 2700 with a 260 gr AB when you want to reach out there. My pal got half inch groups at 50 yards with the small game loads I put together for him, .270 gr Hornady's at 1200.
manbearpig
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Somewhere in the Third World
The point being that your 375 can never make as good a small game rifle as a 22lr or Hornet, and it will never be as good a pronghorn gun as a 243 or 264. If your idea of 'all around' is 95% antelope hunting with the occasional white tail and maybe one moose, then the 375 is a piss-poor choice (though it CAN work).
Then again, if you plan on hunting brown bear and bison 95% of the time yet still want to be able to take grouse on the way home, a 6.5x55 is a terrible choice.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Hmmm . . .
When small and medium game can be taken without excessive destruction, with the same accuracy and at the same range as with rifles commonly chosen for the task, how can you say a small bore can do it better than the .375? A small bore may do it as well, but if the .375 performs perfectly, it doesn't get any better than that. Perfect is perfect.
The impala (similar in size to a pronghorn) was a bang flop, the ptarmigan was a bang flop. The meat that was inedible due to bullet trauma was 0%, and you think the .375 is a piss poor choice!!
When small and medium game can be taken without excessive destruction, with the same accuracy and at the same range as with rifles commonly chosen for the task, how can you say a small bore can do it better than the .375? A small bore may do it as well, but if the .375 performs perfectly, it doesn't get any better than that. Perfect is perfect.
The impala (similar in size to a pronghorn) was a bang flop, the ptarmigan was a bang flop. The meat that was inedible due to bullet trauma was 0%, and you think the .375 is a piss poor choice!!
Get a good rifle chambered in 375 H&H. It will do everything in the world from Elephants to fowls. The best choice for each? No but it is the one cartridge that will do it around the world!
BTW keep the 300 and hunt with it as well!
als a 22lr, a 6.5x55 and ,,,,,,,,,,,, all the rest!
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Heres a list of the Ideal All round gun calibers, you can find someone who will argue each is the best all around for some task I'm sure (hang out at a gun club with the old boys, they'll enlighten ya!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rifle_cartridges
I'm working my way up it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rifle_cartridges
I'm working my way up it
- Location
- Guelph, Ontario
257 wby mag
