Big Game Rifle: Which one do I pick?

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wiley coyote

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I'm having trouble picking a calibre that would be good for bear, deer, elk and moose. Can anyone offer a trouble minded fellow some advice???

I have been looking at a .300 Win Mag, but am wondering if it's overkill. It seems to have good velocity combined with good energy. I've heard that it has some great recoil though and that I am not too fond of that thought. I've been told from a friend that he finds the .300 to have a worse recoil than his .375 H&H. I've shot his .375 H&H and found that it was a tolerable recoil, but the rounds were a little too expensive.

Well, just another confused lad who needs some guidance. Any advice from the wise would be much appreciated.
 
Don't for a second think it has to have a belt on the case to have enough power for you.

338-06 if you handload or my personal favorite, a 9,3.
If you don't reload look for a 35 Whelen.

Depends alot on the areas you hunt as far as how heavy a rifle you prefer to carry, scope to suit with iron sights. Lots of variables.

Any more details you can share will help alot.

Enjoy your search!

Noel
 
Big Game Rifle, that is a big question! Depends entirely on where you are in Canada. If you live in BC, Yukon, Alberta, or NWT, and you might encounter big bears, then something 308 / 30-06 or better is nice. In central or eastern Canada, perhaps a 270 or what have you.
Like you, I find that the recoil from a 375H&H is easy to tolerate, easier than many of the more "modern" magnums. 20-30 years ago, a 30-06 was a big gun, now everyone thinks that they need a 338WM or a 375 to hunt most game. Remember that any game animal in North Americe, including the coastal Brown Bears of Alaska can be cleanly taken - with good bullets - with a 30-06. Amen.

Vasa
 
Different rifles weight differently, bullets have different weights also, then there's powder charges, all these play an important role in the effect of felt recoil.
open up a reloading book and have a ballistic table on hand also, study these and compare them well with the calibers you are referring to and all this will point you in a direction to possible less felt recoil, but then it doesn't really matter if you find a rifle that is of light weight.

The nice thing about the 300Win is the wide variety of bullets & weights you can use in it from 110g to 220g.
Find a friend that has one and take it for a spin, see what you think of it first hand.
I've had people ask me if they could fire my 340Wby, if they look sound enough and they appeared to be behaving themselves at the range, I sometimes oblige.

Good luck on your decision.
 
For an all round hunting rifle, it's pretty hard to go wrong with either the 30-06 or 308. A 300 or one of the other magnums is a good choice for moose or elk, but probably overkill for deer / black bear. Magnums also probably aren't the best choice for someone who is just getting into shooting / hunting because of the rifle's recoil.
 
I have said it before and I will now say it here again. The fit and feel of a rifle is more important then the cartridge the rifle is chambered in. Most cartridges, wiith bores from .264(6.5mm) to 375 will do whatever you ask of it, within rerason. That is, don't take a winchester 94 in 30.30 and expect to drop a elk with it at 400 yards!

Find the rifle that fits you chambered in a cartridge adequate to do the job that you ask of it, and you will be happy.
 
WC if you're looking for an elk/deer/bear/moose caliber then you are obviously Manitoba west. I'd suggest a .338WM, it's an excellent medium caliber for all western big game.
 
300 win mag is lots of caliber I choose the 300 Weatherby mag but thats just me you said cost of ammo is a issue so 300 win mag is a good all around caliber for you. If you plan on shooting pass 300 If you can not worried about shooting out much passed 275 - 300 then I would go with the 30/06 a personal favorite.
 
there are some Husky on EE in 30-06 for small$. If u cant do it with an 06 leave it the hell alone!!after u are use to the 06 u can the decide witch way to go. 30-06 most popular cal. sold in the US. Resail is easyer than 308
 
forget the 308 less range then the 30-06.
I have used the 30-06 for years now and anything within 200yds dead not the same for my buddy with the 308.
So many different bullet weights with the -06
I have used federal Ammo 180 grn with the Nosler Partition and everything drops.
Although---- last year I saw another fellow in our group drop a Moose from 500yds out with his 300 win mag a shot I would have never attempted with my 30-06 it deffinitly reaches a little further but it kick's like a mule and if you get the "flinch" you will never hit anything.
Just my thoughts go with the 30-06 and you'll love it!
 
.270, 270wsm,280 Remington, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem. Mag, 270wsm , 308, 30-06, 300wsm, 300 Win Mag, 325wsm, 338 Win mag etc etc etc ...................................


In truth anything from .270 up will work. Actually the 243 and .260 will work too if you have the patience and skill to wait for the perfect presentation.
 
Unless you plan on doing strictly long range shooting, the top choice would be a 45/70, 340gr. H.P. to 2200fps for deer and 420+grs for the rest at 1800fps, most game is shot at under 125yds. even here(out west). Alot of the calibers mentioned earlier are to light for serious long range work anyways.
 
[quote='Boo].270, 270wsm,280 Remington, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem. Mag, 270wsm , 308, 30-06, 300wsm, 300 Win Mag, 325wsm, 338 Win mag etc etc etc ...................................


In truth anything from .270 up will work. Actually the 243 and .260 will work too if you have the patience and skill to wait for the perfect presentation.[/quote]

I'd go with any of those. I bolded the ones that you'd find anywhere no matter what... although the others are common too.
 
x-Hare said:
forget the 308 less range then the 30-06.
I have used the 30-06 for years now and anything within 200yds dead not the same for my buddy with the 308.
Click to expand...


The difference between 30-06 and 308 is neglible, you need to teach your buddy how to shoot.

From Remingtons website, comparing two identical bullets. 308s offer considerably less recoil with very little loss in performance.



Index Number Cartridge Type Weight (grs.) Bullet Style Primer No. Ballistic Coefficient
PRSC3006C Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 Swift™ Scirocco™ Bonded 9 1/2 0.435
PRSC308WA Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 Swift™ Scirocco™ Bonded 9 1/2 0.435


Velocity (ft/sec)
Cartridge Type Bullet Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 SSB 2910 2696 2492 2298 2111 1934
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 SSB 2820 2611 2410 2219 2037 1863


Energy (ft-lbs)
Cartridge Type Bullet Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 SSB 2820 2421 2069 1758 1485 1246
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 SSB 2648 2269 1935 1640 1381 1156


Short-Range Trajectory
Cartridge Type Bullet 50 100 150 200 250 300
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 SSB 0.1 0.7 zero -2.0 -5.3 -10.2
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 SSB 0.0 zero -1.1 -3.6 -7.6 -13.2


Long-Range Trajectory
Cartridge Type Bullet 100 150 200 250 300 400 500
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 SSB 1.6 1.5 zero -2.9 -7.3 -21.1 -42.3
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 150 SSB 1.8 1.6 zero -3.1 -7.8 -22.7 -46.0
 
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I would get a 300 winmag or a 30-06. The win mag will recoil significantly more than a 06. I was shooting both this morning, the 06 I just hold up, the winny I make sure it's in the socket of my shoulder. The 375 recoil is another matter, it's way more than a 300 win, but the rifles are generally much heavier. My 300 goes just over 8 lbs scoped and you can feel it, but it's not too bad.
 
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