Big game cartridge choice?

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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You haven't fully defined your parameters. Since your. 308 isn't enough, I am assuming that you either want to make really long shots, in which case the 300 Win. Mag is the most practical choice -- or you want a much bigger bullet, in which case the .338 Win or .375 H & H are are the practical choices, due to the availability of firearms and ammunition in these chamberings. In the latter category I would choose the .375 because it can take anything in the world and won't beat you up doing so.
 
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I currently have a 270 and a 308 which I'm very happy with. I feel comfortable with both of these for Ontario whitetail and black bear. Until i purchase this new gun / caliber i will be using the 308 for moose (250-300 yards under ideal conditions) and Ontario elk (we have an elk draw here in Ontario...if I'm lucky enough to get a tag lol)

I have not shot a 300 WM, 338 WM or 338 Lapua before. A good friend owns a 375 H&H Browning with a comp which he is quite happy with. I can shoot that whenever i want but have not done so yet.
Some are critical of the cost of the ammo in this decision making process.... but for me i will never have the time to be a range rat. If im lucky i will get 2 real good practice days a year once the rifle is dialed in with the load it likes. So if a box of 20 rounds is $100 as opposed to $60 that does not really matter.



Cheers
 
Further to my last post, i dont believe hunting is shooting game at ridiculous distances. However, that being said i value my time in the field and want to take advantage of any opportunity i have. So i want the equipment that will allow me to as well. I want the ability to take that long shot, 500-600 yards, if stalking closer is not feasible or an option.

Knockdown power, range, accuracy, availability of ammo all important factors for me.

Cheers
 
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Shooting long distances requires practice, the more the better and that is why many posters are concerned about cost of ammo when you say reloading isn't an option. If you're going to take shots at any kind of distance you owe it to yourself and the game you're hunting to invest in the gear (rangefinders etc) and sending lots of rounds down range in as varied conditions as you hunt.

With careful load selection and practice many rounds are capable of delivering the accuracy and energy needed to cleanly take any game in NA at ranges well beyond what many hunters should be considering.

With that said I believe the cartridges you should be looking at are the various .300's and 7mm magnums. They offer the access to ammo and ease of mastering you'll need to capitalize your limited range time.
 
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CanadianMac said:
I currently have a 270 and a 308 which I'm very happy with. I feel comfortable with both of these for Ontario whitetail and black bear. Until i purchase this new gun / caliber i will be using the 308 for moose (250-300 yards under ideal conditions) and Ontario elk (we have an elk draw here in Ontario...if I'm lucky enough to get a tag lol)

I have not shot a 300 WM, 338 WM or 338 Lapua before. A good friend owns a 375 H&H Browning with a comp which he is quite happy with. I can shoot that whenever i want but have not done so yet.
Some are critical of the cost of the ammo in this decision making process.... but for me i will never have the time to be a range rat. If im lucky i will get 2 real good practice days a year once the rifle is dialed in with the load it likes. So if a box of 20 rounds is $100 as opposed to $60 that does not really matter.



Cheers
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So you shoot one or two times a year? Box or two maybe 3 at the most?


CanadianMac said:
Further to my last post, i dont believe hunting is shooting game at ridiculous distances. However, that being said i value my time in the field and want to take advantage of any opportunity i have. So i want the equipment that will allow me to as well. I want the ability to take that long shot, 500-600 yards, if stalking closer is not feasible or an option.

Knockdown power, range, accuracy, availability of ammo all important factors for me.

Cheers
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5-600 yards away isn't for the weekend warrior. You are setting you self up for failure when the time come to put a killing shot on an animal in the field.

I have seen tons of guys like you come in to camp with a shiny new rifle you can shoot and it shows up most when it's time to make the shot. I had a older hunter from Montana that hunted elk every year with his 30-06. He bought a .338 win years before for his moose/caribou hunt, never shot it or hunted it much befor coming up to northern bc. He was 5-6 shoots on his moose at under 200yards and 6-7 on his caribou at under 200. I'm 100% convinced if he had his elk rifle (30-06) it would have been 1-2 shot deal. This kind of story happens every year in outfitting camps.

You didn't say what kind of rifles your 270 and 308 are but if they are decent hunting rifles buy a case or two of ammo and do some shooting and use the money saved from buying a rifle that you'll sell a few years down the road "as new" or "less then a box of shell", on a plane ticket/tags or taxidermy.

Here is 1000 words for you. .270 win and 2 150 nosler partitions...

 
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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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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CanadianMac said:
I currently have a 270 and a 308 which I'm very happy with. I feel comfortable with both of these for Ontario whitetail and black bear. Until i purchase this new gun / caliber i will be using the 308 for moose (250-300 yards under ideal conditions) and Ontario elk (we have an elk draw here in Ontario...if I'm lucky enough to get a tag lol)

I have not shot a 300 WM, 338 WM or 338 Lapua before. A good friend owns a 375 H&H Browning with a comp which he is quite happy with. I can shoot that whenever i want but have not done so yet.
Some are critical of the cost of the ammo in this decision making process.... but for me i will never have the time to be a range rat. If im lucky i will get 2 real good practice days a year once the rifle is dialed in with the load it likes. So if a box of 20 rounds is $100 as opposed to $60 that does not really matter.



Cheers
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CanadianMac said:
Further to my last post, i dont believe hunting is shooting game at ridiculous distances. However, that being said i value my time in the field and want to take advantage of any opportunity i have. So i want the equipment that will allow me to as well. I want the ability to take that long shot, 500-600 yards, if stalking closer is not feasible or an option.

Knockdown power, range, accuracy, availability of ammo all important factors for me.

Cheers
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Amazing. Another guy who comes on here asking for advice in a new thread. Then, after getting advice, provides a completely different set of parameters. THEN goes on to change them again.
So, best advice now (that is until you change the parameters with your next post)?
Stay with your 270. You won't shoot enough to get good with a hard recoiling rifle, even if you add muzzle brakes. If, in your 2-day a year range trip, you fired an entire box of 20 rounds each day, I would be surprised. You'll hurt too much long before you get through the amount you will need to fire to become competent at 500yds.

H4831 said:
I just can't believe all the terrible poor information given on this thread!
Your rifle for most north American game, one you will use factory ammunition in, should in no way, be a belted magnum. The ammunition will run $4 a pop for some of the magnums suggested. I'm sure he will practice enough with heavy recoiling guns at that price for ammo to be a good game shot!
A 30-06 fills the bill perfectly for him.
Oh, you said he might hunt grizzly? It has been calculated that more grizzly and Alaskan brown bear, have been killed with a 30-06 than any other calibre!
'Nuff said.
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See, this is always my cartridge of choice in NA but is completely wrong for the OP, because now he wants to hunt with it in Africa, making 5-600 yds shots, if needed, on 2 days a year practice.
I won't be going to a larger cartridge simply because I need it for hunting. I might go to a 45-70 someday, but only because I think it's a cool cartridge with a ton of history but I have no interest in getting into the .338 class unless I change one of my P-14s into a .338/303 Imp (I have 3 already re-chambered to .303 Improved) that'd be a little hotter than the .338 Federal.
 
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My vote: .338WM with 225-250 gr. bullets. Any of the .300's with appropriate bullet choice would do just fine also. Most important is that you can shoot it well and when and where you hit 'em.
 
tokguy said:
Heard that 338 would 'Make a flincher of a Wooden Cigar Store Indian'
375 is pretty mellow though
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That is so true. Years ago, I bought a Ruger 77 in 338 WM went to the range and one of the guys had a 375 #1. Everybody there that shot both rifles said they would rather fire the 375 than that mule kicker 338. Kept it in the flock for many years until someone wanted it more than I did.
If I were in the market for a rifle that you are looking for, the 300 win mag would be the one that I would consider.

I would also like to add that the 30-06 would also work in probably 95% of North American hunting situation.

David
 
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Thanks to everyone who has replied with useful info. To those who seem to have too much time on their hands to pick apart a post i wont bother to comment.

Happy hunting everyone.

Cheers
 
CanadianMac said:
Thanks to everyone who has replied with useful info. To those who seem to have too much time on their hands to pick apart a post i wont bother to comment.

Happy hunting everyone.

Cheers
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Canadian Mac;

On open forums there are always some who are helpful and some others who, well, are critical. It goes with the territory.

If you don't mind taking it from one who is 79 and counting, who also shoots some heavy calibers... still, choose according to your heart. Of all those mentioned on here, I've owned several except the LM, but it's no more than a .340 Wby or .338 RUM. I almost bought a .338 RUM a few years ago but chose a 9.3 X 62 instead since I'm a handloader of several decades. It will do whatever the others will do when loaded right and pointed righteously.

All the talk about the .375 H&H (I've owned two of 'em) being lighter in recoil than the .338 WM is nonsence. Physics don't bear that out. The reason it APPEARS to have less felt recoil is because it's a monster in weight. That slows recoil down.

As others have mentioned, if I were you I'd go for either the .300 Win Mag or the .338 Win Mag. As to the costs of ammo... 30-06 ammo of the premium kind can be just as costly as .338. I write on these matters, so I also study and examine the facts.

Good luck in your choice.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca
 
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