Help pop my caliber cherry!

cuto85

cuto85

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Hey guys,
I have to say that I've been reading on this board for about a month now and I can honestly say I spend a minimum of 2hrs on EE every day. :D

Basically looking to purchase my first rifle. I have my heart set on the .338Win Mag. I'm also starting to become partial to the .300WSM

I've been shooting a friends Parker Hale .270 as well as his .308 Norma Mag. Recoil is not something I'm concerned with as I'm not much of a whiner.:p Weight isn't a issue either, I'm about 6'3, 235lbs and I work out and love to hike with a heavy pack.

I'll be going after Deer, Moose, Bear. Hopefully some larger stuff in the Yukon as well. Currently I'm situated in the OK Valley.
However I am VERY interested in prone LD shooting. In off season I'd like to be practicing 1000yd shots almost daily if I can find the time.
This is more so my reason for leaning towards a .338, .300WSM.

I'm looking to spend roughly 600-800 on a used rifle as well as 300-500 on a scope.

Ideally I'd like to be able to customize down the road. E.G swap in a Shilen barrel, Mcmillan stock. From what I've read this might limit me to Savage or Remington for ease.

Anyways, I'll take all the .02 cents I can get.
Thanks and Nice meeting you guys!

P.S I'll be rolling my own as well!
 
I've got unlimited access to a RCBS setup, so long as I provide my own dies. I've been doing a lot of homework in the reloading area and I plan on buying a LEE Turret.
 
Lots of folks start out with magnums, but nonetheless, even if you are pretty recoil tolerant, there are still good reasons not too.

If your interest is in long range shooting, have a look at what some of the 6.5 and 7 mm cartridges are capable of - even in non-magnums. You can get a lot less expense and similar or better long range trajectory.

Recoil tolerance is not just about pain. There is a subconscious effect of the noise and suddenness - evolution has hardwired us to jump at these things for good reason. The way to train yourself to shoot well is to teach your subconscious that it is no big deal, and this cannot be accomplished by shooting a magnum. (Well, dry firing will accomplish it but rimfires are more fun.)

RG

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Welcome!

The .308 Win and .30-06 are both excellent and both can be shot out to very long ranges. There are some folks posting who are hitting 2700fps with a 200gr bullet out of a .308 using the new RL17 powder.

The nice thing about the .308 is that very high quality brass is readily available; it also burns very little powder and the recoil is very mild - which is a bonus when you are shooting prone! Especially if you want to practice a lot - and when you think about cost per shot - you can put the money you save into a serious scope. You will need a good scope if you want to do more than just plink out to 1000 yards.
 
Consider that your first gun may not be your last gun, over time and hunting experience you will find a gun of preference that fits you allowing for confident running shots, natural target aquisition and correct scopepower/eye relief combination, always remember a good hit with a 270 is 100 times more effective then a miss with a 458
 
what i did with the 338 was use the lighter bullets to begin with and work my way up to the 275s- same deal with the 308- 147s, then 165s and then 180s- get good at the shorter ranges then learn about bullet drop, doping the wind, mirage, etc
 
If I where you I would do another month of research. A .338 in a "packable" rifle is no slouch prone. I am bigger than you, and 20 rounds starts bruising out of my 8lb setup.
I have shot succesfully to 900m with the 6.5x47 and can tell you all you need is a 30-06 with a high BC 168-180gr bullet to reach out that far. That cartridge will also afford you the ability to shoot a lot more, for less money, which just happens to be the trick to creating an ability to shoot longer distances.
If were you I would buy one of 30-06 Sako A7's Clay at Prophet River is selling, and then a Burris Fullfield II w/ ballitic plex and go from there.
Good luck.
 
338 or 300wm would be my choice. I like the 300 if I'm going to be shooting alot. Anything a 06 or 08 will do, 300 does it better:D. Not a fan of the wsm's, and rechambering short mag for something different could give you trouble:confused: Shoot them both see what you Like. If I was planing to hunt in the Yukon, I'd take the 338 or larger. For everything else 300wm, My Smaller calibers seem to be sitting in my safe collecting dust.
 
Personally, I'm a fan of the .338 WM, but I think a new shooter should have a good .22LR to learn and practice with.
Don't be cheap on a scope for a magnum. It's not just ruggedness you need to consider- eye relief is very important. All of my heavier kicking rifles wear Leupolds.
My first .338 WM was a Ruger M77. Good rifle that I enjoyed hunting with. My current .338 is a Sako V with a custom barrel that I really like.

Good luck and enjoy!
 
I'm seeing a lot of wicked prices on .338 Win mags.

I'm curious as to whether or not it will accept a 150 grain bullet for mulies, yotes, etc...

I heard from someone that you can load from 150-300 with the .338 making it VERY versatile.
 
cuto85 said:
I'm seeing a lot of wicked prices on .338 Win mags.

I'm curious as to whether or not it will accept a 150 grain bullet for mulies, yotes, etc...

I heard from someone that you can load from 150-300 with the .338 making it VERY versatile.
Click to expand...

Most of those wicked prices are because the person underestimated the recoil, and now they are selling it.
 
Don't use a light 338 bullet on deer. It will just blow up more meat. use the same heavy bullet you would use on a moose. Just as dead - more meat.

As for caliber, I have most of the big calibers (7 Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag, 338 Mag, 375 H&H) and would not suggest anymof them as a first rifle, and would not want to have just one as my only rifle. But, if I could only have one, it would be the 338 or 375. They are easy to load down for lighter game.

If I had to target shoot at 1000 yards, the 7 rem or 338 would be ok, although I would prefer my 260Rem Ackley.
 
What about starting off with something small like a 260 or 7mm-08. Recoil is minimal which will allow you to focus on basics like trigger pull, breathing, etc instead of worrying if you're holding the gun correctly and how much the recoil is going to hurt.

This past summer I took a shooting course which was really great. We put about 50-60 rounds down our guns over the course of the day and even with my 7mm-08, my shoulder and collar bone area was getting tender after a day of shooting. That would be easy for me to do off a bench but I wasnt used to doing that shooting prone.

Shooting is a natural progression like anything else I think. Start off with something you can handle and work on it until you move to the next step whether that be a bigger calibre or larger distance or smaller calibre and longer distance.

Not all the best shooters shoot large calibre cartridges.
 
The thing about recoil is that it's not like taking a punch from your buddy. It's not about being a whiner or not. It's about taking the hit and remaining as perfectly still as possible. The problem with a higher recoiling gun for a first gun is that as your learn and develop your technique, it will not get as pristine as it would from a lwer recoiling gun. Sure, you're a tough guy. No doubt you could beat me up, but it's not about that when it comes to shooting high recoiling guns. Since you want to hunt as well as shoot long range, I'd suggest a .270 to start with. Get it in a Winchester Sporter, and buy a leupold scope. Brand new that will put you in your price range. Then practice practice practise. You can easily take any critter you mentioned with a 270 using a 150 grain quality bullet like a tsx or a partition. For long range shoot a 130 grain matchking. After you've mastered that, then move to a magnum. Really, you'll be a better shooter if you do this rather than jump into the magnums at the get-go.
 
I agree with the above posts - a lighter calibre such as 308, or even 6.5 X 55 may be preferred. Also, shooting to 1000 y is more complicated than the average shooter realizes. Very few ranges go to that distance, and very few spots in the bush offer that range. Additionally, there is the logistical problem of spotting your shots - hard to do, particularly by yourself. Something they dont get around to mentioning on Wild TV.
For a recreational shooter that wants to shoot alot, you're more likely looking at 100 - 300 y range, which would be more beneficial for your hunting skills. Heck, here in Ontario, deer hunters practice by shooting at rolling car tires at 75 yards! (Caveat -tires not mounted on the car, at least outside of TO anyways...)
 
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