Big game cartridge choice?

I have shot moose. Easy to kill, with a 303, 308, 30-06, etc. My grandfather got 50 of them with a 30-30.

I understand elk are tougher. 338Win would be my choice, if I still had it. Powerful and flat shooting. But it kicks hard.

I always found my 375H&H to be more of a push than a kick, and enjoyed shooting it. If Africa was on my agenda, 375H&H would be my choice.
 
:cool:I have rem700 xcr .338LM in a new ax chassis. Love it, not cheap and knew it going in.
Should take anything but rhino or hippo I'd think
 
He said he has a great 308 now that would suit him great for deer and black bear. My opinion for the next step up in caliber would be a 300WM. Just about anywhere, 300WM can be found. Not much game could survive a hit from a well placed shot from a 300WM.
 
The. 300 Winchester Magnum is the calibre you want. Like cfbmi said with 200 Grain bullets, you can do anything in NA and it's probably the most common plains game cartridge for Africa.
 
.300 Winchester ...... common, easy to shoot ...... is a good calibre/cartridge for North America, and most of Africa.
In a Winchester M70 ....... classic.
My preference is for nice wood/blue steel ....
 
CanadianMac said:
Im in the market for a new bolt action for N.A. big game with the option of grizzlies but mainly moose, caribou, elk. I'm not a reloader and have no interest in wildcats or custom rounds. That said, being able to buy the ammo is important.

Im leaning towards the 338 Lapua or 338 Win Mag.

After i chose the caliber the next choice is the rifle.!

Thoughtful input and advice is most welcome. Thanks everyone.
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What kind of grizzly bears? There are grizzly bears and then there are grizzly bears. The ones on Kodiak Island and the Katmai. They can go over 1000lbs and go over 10 feet. Then U have the mountain grizz which will be smaller and the interior bears that do not have access to the bio mass that the coastal bears have. You have to define what the taxonomy is that U will be hunting before U choose a rifle. For moose, elk and black bears and such a 30/06, or a 308 will do U just fine, as will a 270 and a whole host of other calibers. The most important thing is bullet placement and good shooting. Spend some trigger time on the range. It cost a lot of money to become competent with a rifle. Dont be one of those that only takes the rifle out once a year to the range, shoots 3 rounds and says, "Yup shes good to go".
Now not wanting to reload, any cambering you choose
be mindful of ammunition availability.338 Laupua may be hard to impossible to find. 338 Win Mag much easer, 30/06 U can find at the corner gas station in Bear Crotch B.C. Same with 308. At least with the aught 6 you will be able to afford to practice. I shoot a 338/378 Weatherby which is very close to a 338 Lupua and my rounds were I to buy them cost over 120 bucks a box of 20, so I reload.
As far as finding commercially prepared 338/378 I have never ever seen them sold in any gun store. They have to be special ordered which I never do. Just the brass for the 338/378 is around 5 bucks each same for the Lupua.
 
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375 H&H ammo is readily available and will take all North American game. Is it more then you need/ Absoluty yes, but you have the big bears on the menu and should things go south, you need something to be able to clean it up with. The 375 is marginal but it is on the right side of the margin.
 
CanadianMac said:
I appreciate the advice but i'm looking for a caliber North America big game as well as Africa. A 30-06 is not something i'm considering, i have a 308 now which I'm quite happy with.
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That's different from what you said earlier:

CanadianMac said:
Im in the market for a new bolt action for N.A. big game with the option of grizzlies but mainly moose, caribou, elk. I'm not a reloader and have no interest in wildcats or custom rounds. That said, being able to buy the ammo is important. Im leaning towards the 338 Lapua or 338 Win Mag. After i chose the caliber the next choice is the rifle.! Thoughtful input and advice is most welcome. Thanks everyone.
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I just picked up a Savage 116 brush hunter in 338wm. Great rifle and I don't load my own. Ammo is fairly easy to find, but pricey.
Pretty fun but you could get away with a 300wm. I have mine for grizzly and bison.
 
MackForce said:
I just picked up a Savage 116 brush hunter in 338wm. Great rifle and I don't load my own. Ammo is fairly easy to find, but pricey.
Pretty fun but you could get away with a 300wm. I have mine for grizzly and bison.
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Did you say a Savage?:slap: OP, purchase a Cooper:xes
 
Big game cartridge choice?

Its too wide open of a question without saying where and what terrain one likes to hunt in. Moose , elk , and caribou have 3 vastly different habitats.

In my opinion 338 is a lot of over-kill, even with grizzly. Any standard .30 cal class cartridge with a reasonable/heavy bullet can, does, and always has taken down animals of the aforementioned in most hunting conditions.
 
I have not shot a grizz .. But I have shot some moose .. some close and likely a 30-06 would have done the job ..Some not so close ... Also I own both the 300 wm and the 338 wm .. some people think the 338 is overkill .. There is only one degree of dead .. and the 338 will do it for sure .. I shot a 700 pound bull though the front shoulder and turned him upside down in the poplars . I shot another bull that was standing behind a birch tree about four inches thick .. I shot through the tree and killed the moose ... A bit more punishing than the 300 ; But my 300 is my backup gun when Moose hunting.. The 30-06 stays home ..

Is there ever too much gun .... If I round a hill and am close enough to see the silver tip on the fur .. I highly doubt the bear is going too let me go home and change guns .. You best have enough gun to deal with it there and then . as I stated I have never shot a grizzly .. But If I do I want enough gun .. I would say when it comes the big bears .. You should carry all you gun you can shoot .. If you can not take the recoil of a 338 then get a 300 .

Of course this is just my own opinion..
 
To the OP.
Have you ever shot a .338WM, or Lapua before?
What do you currently have for hunting rifles?

I will close by saying.
If you can afford a trip to Africa, or perhaps Alaska(or Canadian grizz areas), you can afford more than one rifle.
 
In response to Canadianmac
Before - Remington 700 XCR .338LM
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After - in AX AICS- Spuhr mount should be in today- had to raise scope .220" to clear front handguard
6C61DCD4-EEB0-42BF-9533-25A2C3E74C01_zpsnra4nmos.jpg
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