Convince Me Which Caliber to go With

yomomma said:
300WSM. 300 magnum performance in a short action TX3 or Kimber
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My 300 wsm is the rifle on the right in the pic I posted. I bought it from TheGunDealer for like $875 on sale as I always wanted a 300 wsm...

But, I think it's about my limit for recoil tolerance while bench shooting. I find it to be a very sharp recoil pulse & imagine that many shooters would flinch shooting it.

The 7mm Rem Mag with the factory brake is much easier to shoot than my 300 wsm wrt recoil.
 
bunny said:
For decades the300 WM has done a fine job of of converting potential good shooters to flinchers who now can’t shoot accurately at long ranges anymore.
And people wonder why there are so many Tikka T3’s in 300WM on the used gun market!
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Oh, please... the .300 WM is a pussy cat... that is a straight excuse for a mental problem, which is what flinching is (almost) entirely.
 
Jay said:
My 300 wsm is the rifle on the right in the pic I posted. I think it's about my limit for recoil tolerance while bench shooting. I find it to be a very sharp recoil pulse & imagine that many shooters would flinch shooting it.

My 7mm Rem Mag with the factory brake is much easier to shoot than my 300 wsm wrt recoil.
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And the main reason I gave up my T3 300WSM years ago and I’m not overly recoil shy.
 
The Sako 85 Carbonlight in .300 Winchester MAGNUM. High-end rifle designed for gear-oriented enthusiasts who are after any type of game. This ultra-light multi-purpose hunting rifle features a carbon fiber stock with a soft-touch surface, a right-hand palm swell and a cheek piece. With an approximate weight of only 2.4 kg, (5 1/4 pounds)

There ya go.
GO NUTS.
 
hunter-4-life said:
As much as I absolutely HATE a 308 and it kills me to say this but you have the rifle id recommend already. Tikka's are light and a 308 will kill almost (within reason) anything in N.A. at 500 yards. Ammo can be found in bulk on the cheaper side.

When your practicing long range shooting, recoil is what wrecks most shooters. You develop bad habits in a hurry. You wont get any better by shooting 3 shots a month and calling it a day. You gotta shoot LOTS and OFTEN (all conditions, windy, rainy, cold etc) so to me a light weight (6-7lb) rifle in a larger caliber isn't an ideal "plinking" rifle.

Take your cash you have saved up for a new rifle, slap a GOOD scope on it and enjoy.
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While I don't agree with the 308 hate, the rest of the above is 100%.

Long range shooting and especially longer range hunting requires practice, practice, more practice and then ... even more practice. You will be best off having a decent and repeatable scope and then use the rest of the money to buy ammo to practice with.

All the dummies blathering on about magnum this and magnum that have likely never shot at any kind of distance. IMO magnums are a crutch for the incapable. With the correct ammo and projectile, the 308 Win can stay supersonic to 1400 yds. You don't need more powder, you just need more practice.
 
Some great comments in this thread.
If I was the OP and I have been there with the .308 trying to decide if i need a new rifle. I would stick with the .308 for target/long range and buy a dedicated hunting rifle. I would probably put his tikka in a chassis and make it a target rifle. Feed it some 168gr Sierra match kings or whatever target bullet it's barrel likes the most and have fun with it out as far as your skills will enable you. Or sell the .308 and get a lighter recoiling caliber that is capable of long range target shooting. Whatever you choose spend some good coin on the glass for this rifle set up.
This simplifies the search because now all you need is a "mountain rifle" in one of many of the suitable calibers.
This is how I ended up doing it, .308/7.62 for target shooting and thankfully stocked up on ammo before prices went insane and availlability wasn't sporadic for bulk brass cased. I have taken my 7mm rem mag to my "range" which is a relatively flat 1100 meter long old clear cut service road that ends abrupty at the base of a mountain slope and is a safe place to shoot distance. Ammo for the 7mm rem mag is now too expensive as off the shelf, a box of my rifle's favorite load costs as much as 50BMG rounds were costing me 10 years ago (or so). I don't reload target rounds for it as she is a dedicated hunting rifle.
 
bunny said:
For decades the300 WM has done a fine job of of converting potential good shooters to flinchers who now can’t shoot accurately at long ranges anymore.
And people wonder why there are so many Tikka T3’s in 300WM on the used gun market!
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:unsure:
When I replaced that hockey puck of a recoil pad on my Browning A-bolt II in 300 WM with a soft cushy one my shooting improved.
I kick myself every once in a while for selling it I also remember the joy it brought to Calvin who bought it and put many a game animal down with it.
Sadly he passed of cancer (PHUCK Cancer too btw) and I believe... well never mind what I believe.
To the O/P, buy what you like in the Calibre of choice cause you aint going to get a straight answer on what is the best .
What ever you buy enjoy it for what it is.
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
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6mm CM, or another Tikka in a .243 1:8”.
6.5CM, 6.5x55, 6.5PRC, 7mm-08. I have no interest in a 6-7lb rifle in anything bigger than that. All of those will shoot paper and steel, all will kill big game. If it’s a dedicated mountain rifle for elk then maybe the 6.5PRC or 7mm-08.
 
I Dont Care About You said:
While I don't agree with the 308 hate, the rest of the above is 100%.

Long range shooting and especially longer range hunting requires practice, practice, more practice and then ... even more practice. You will be best off having a decent and repeatable scope and then use the rest of the money to buy ammo to practice with.

All the dummies blathering on about magnum this and magnum that have likely never shot at any kind of distance. IMO magnums are a crutch for the incapable. With the correct ammo and projectile, the 308 Win can stay supersonic to 1400 yds. You don't need more powder, you just need more practice.
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My hate for the 308 is strictly a personal vendetta cause when I was growing up, all I heard from my buddies dad was how it was THE BEST and nothing could ever beat it and it was the KING of calibers. I have the same hate for a 30-06 for the exact same reason from a family member.

Its also the same reason lots of guys don't like the 6.5 NeedMore these days.

I remember quite a few years ago I was in my local gun store and there was a younger (18-19 years old) kid looking for a 300 win mag. He was dead set on it. Not leaving with anything else. An older gentleman was beside him looking at a little Winchester Model 70 Fwt in 243. The worker asked the kid why he wants a 300, the kid said he NEEDS one to kill a deer and he wants to be able to shoot them at 500 yards or further. The worker tried showing him a 270, 308 and 30-06. No dice, 300 or bust. The older guy looks at him and says "Kid, I used to shoot magnums and think like that too, then I learnt to shoot" and the kid didn't know what to say. And that has resonated with me ever since that day. I sold all my magnums, except for 1, my 257 wby. And I shoot my 270 win.

If I cant kill it with my 270 or my 257 wby, a 300 win mag, 300 wsm, 7mm rem mag, 7 PRC etc etc wont do it either and I'll need a 416 Rigby. Its that simple.
 
Old school 280AI,7 Rem mag, 300 WSM or WM will do. I'm not sure what a Kimber Montana sells for these day, that would be my 1st choice.
Hard to go wrong with a Stainless Tikka too.
 
OP if you want to get a new rifle then go for it.
I started to build a new mountain rifle in 308 and decided to go back to the 300wsm. That keeps it short action as well.
The recoil has never bothered me, my current tikka weighs in at 7.25 lbs and I have 553 rounds on it. I hunt solo in the mountains and like having a bit more umph on the buisness end.

Sometimes we just want to see if the grass is greener or try something new.
 
jmill said:
Looking to replace one of my current rifles, a T3X Lite .308, to get into a setup that will be more suitable for longer range shooting and mountain hunting.

In practice, I'd like to shoot 600-700 yards, hunting would probably be a more realistic max around 500 yards. The ideal rifle would be fairly light (6-7lbs bare rifle would be reasonable), I'm not partial to any caliber, really just one that's not going to break the bank to shoot, and is readily available.

In terms of price, it would be ideal if the rifle itself were under $1500, probably $2000 max. I know this will be the limiting factor.

Give me a good reason why a particular caliber would be better than others.
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One of each!
 
30-06… 165-168gn bullets and you are good to go!
So many chambering that would do just fine, but at the end of the day why you have already fit the bill. I’m not a big fan of magnums, more recoil, more powder more money. 7mm08, 270, 280, 6.5x55, 6.5cm, 7x57….. so many chambering so little money and time! My mountain rifle is a Merkel k5 in 30-06 loaded with 168gn accubond long range bullets going 2700fps +, with a Leupold 3.5-10x40 scope, the rifle is just around 6.5lbs and shoot pretty well way better than I can shoot, but I shoot it descently well!
 
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