What to do with these rifles??

MaxKW............well you have a .375 H&H at the top end, with a .45-70 for the close in work. You have a 6.5-.284 (very good cartridge) for the deer, caribou, antelope end of things. I'd have to say a .300 Mag of one description or another would be the right thing to rebarrel to. In the middle.

Now Gatehouse will of course tell you to get a .300 WSM. :p Others will tell you to get a .300 Win Mag. I would go with a .300 Weatherby. Yes, the brass is expensive. Yes, it is a Weatherby....some don't like them. But, I like the longer case neck and I haveone built on a Sako AV action with a custom Heym barrel.....................man it shoots the 168 grain TSX. It also does fairly well with the 180 Nosler Partition and it really likes the 200 Accubond.

Lots of punch, flat trajectory, and about mid way in your cartridge selection.

OK...............here come the nay sayers.:D
 
I don't see much point of rebarreling from an 8mm mag to a 300 mag, I think if i was to rebarrel i'd have to step up to a large cased 338 or 35.

I think if i was to change calibers i'd be better off selling both rifles and getting something built.
 
Well to each his own, but for all practical purposes the .338 and the .35 magnums are so close to your .375 in field performance that it is questionable why you would bother. I say this only because I have a .338, a .340 Weatherby (because my wife has the .338 now) and a .375. In the past I had a .358 Norma Magnum.

In most instances with heavy bullets there isn't a whole lot of difference in what they can do in the field. I have shot about 400 hundred head of big game with the .338, .340, .358 and .375. Seen a few hundred more head shot with them. Put it where it counts and there is very little difference in their performance. On close in shots at big nasty stuff, like wounded bears, the .375 with a stout 300 grain bullet, definitely hammers them harder.

The .300 Mags fill a different nitch. Lots of power but better long range perormance. Your 8mm can do similar things with the better bullets that are available.

Do what you want, but a large cased .338 or .35???? If it were me, just give me the .375. If you didn't have a .375 then I would say go for it.

But then...................I could be wrong.
 
Looks like I may have a line on a Sako bbl in 338, so that narrows down my options, should I stick with plain vanilla 338WM or do I go larger but less common?
 
Sasguatch, I really enjoy reading your posts and I realize that a large cased 338 or 35 would be getting close to the 375 but in this case it's the rifles that will be aimed at different hunting methods.

Kinda like a tactical 300WM and average Joes 300WM hunting rifle, same caliber but each excels in different situations.
 
8mm is an excellent cartridge, although it dosen't get much press these days. That's the kind of thing that starts a guy to thinking there is something wrong, or boring about his rifle choice. However, just after you sell or alter a rifle in a given calibre, is about the time there is a renewed interest in the cartridge and everyone wants one. Hang onto it. After Winchester's 325 came out, there may be a whole new selection of bullets to choose from to give you something to play with.

As a side note, it is good to know there are other Gun Nutz from Timmins. I was starting to feel all alone.
 
There's 4 or 5 guys from Timmins that I know of on here, don't get me wrong I like the caliber but the barrel is too short to get it's full potential.
 
Hey......if you want a large case .338 or .358, go for it. God knows I like them all. But, all in all I'd stick with the .338 calibre cartridges. Not because I don't appreciate the .35's but they have never taken off here in N.A. and they won't again. The .325 WSM will die.

If I was going to sell my current .338 rifles and go to something new, I would go to the .338 RUM But, I will stick with the .340 Weatherby.
 
I'll probably pick up the barrel in 338 but i'm not sure if I should stick with the WM or if I should go bigger.

I guess it will depend if it's a 24" or 26" bbl.
 
Sasquatch said:
I initally felt compelled to go deeper into the .300 WSM vs the larger .300 magnums and their ability to launch the heavier .30 caliber bullets at higher velocities than the .300 WSM..........but then I suddenly realized it was a pointless waste of time and I couldn't be bothered. Must be getting old................:)
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Yes, it is a pointless waste of time, since there is very little that a 300WM can do that a 300WSM cannot, and vice versa.

A 300WSM can be loaded with bullets to put down all of NA's big game, and do it at the same ranges a 300WM or 300H&H can.

What more do you want a 30 cal cartridge to do out to 400 yards?

If you want to get into larger 300's like the UM or 30-378, you are into a different group of cartridges....These ones really shine out past 350-400 yards. ;)
 
Sasquatch said:
Now Gatehouse will of course tell you to get a .300 WSM. :p Others will tell you to get a .300 Win Mag. I would go with a .300 Weatherby. Yes, the brass is expensive. Yes, it is a Weatherby....some don't like them. But, I like the longer case neck and I haveone built on a Sako AV action with a custom Heym barrel.....................man it shoots the 168 grain TSX. It also does fairly well with the 180 Nosler Partition and it really likes the 200 Accubond.

Lots of punch, flat trajectory, and about mid way in your cartridge selection.

OK...............here come the nay sayers.:D
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Nope, I'll tell you to get what you want, and what works for you, or what you like. :rolleyes:

The 300 Weatherby is a great cartridge, but it doens' tdo much that a 300WM cannot. Even 220 gr bullets launched from the 300 Weatherby dont' get a huge velocity boost over the 300WM.

Velocities for a 300WSM and a 180 Partiiton are about 2950fps, ( I think about 2970 was average when I loaded 180 gr Parttions) only about 150-200fps slower than a Weatherby....

A good 300 is hard to beat as an all around rifle. SOme beat you up more than others, and certianly the true large capacity 300's like the 300 UM or 30-378 can offer much faster velocities. Most of the time, hunters don't even need the faster cartridges, anyway...

If someone regularly shoots longer ranges at game, I'd look at one of the big capacity magnums, but if you are shooting at 350 or less, then just get what you like, or what is cool, which is a good a reason as any.:cool: ;)
 
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