Caliber ?

Vanilla

Vanilla

Long Time Member
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I am getting a new rifle soon, and I need some help deciding what I want to get. I want it to be my all-around rifle for deer and elk. What caliber do you guys suggest as the best all-around caliber? One that isn't too big for deer, isn't too small for elk, but just right for both. I know I will get a lot of personal preferences with this, but that is what I need. Thanks guys.

Tyson
 
Me and my dad both shoot .270's and they've worked great on many deer and also a few elk. I'm not really an elk hunter so this may not be the best advice. Many may think it might be too small for elk, which in some cases it probably is.
 
Cant go wrong with the old '06, but if you can handle a little recoil go for a .300 win mag or a 7mm rem mag. both offer flatter trajectories and a little more punch, without sacrifing bullet selection...
 
I have never shot one, but I think a 300wsm would be a sweet cartridge for deer and elk. If you dont like the recoil you could go with a 270,270wsm,280rem,308 or 30-06. I shoot a 30-06 and cant complain.
 
Craig Boddington had an article on that very topic recently in Rifleshooter magazine. His selection was a "fast 30" (ie. .300WSM, ,300 Win mag. .300 Weatherby) Personally, the 300 WSM has served me well. The .300WSM is potent elk medicene with 180 grains and deer with 150 or 165 grain bullets. Recoil is not an issue in a model 70 (or other standard weight rifles). It will be around for a long time to come. And it is available in short action rifles.
 
Another vote for the 7mm Rem Mag/.300 Win Mag/30-06. Either of these three will work real well for an all-around rifle. Even more so if you handload. There are dozens of bullet selections available to fit different situations.

Phantom Hunter
 
Well, I would look at the 7mm Rem Mag. Get all around gun. I'd go synthetic stock and stainless. For me perfect all around gun. I use 160 grain nosler partitions for both deer and elk.
 
Another vote for the 7 mag or 300 win mag, or 300 wsm.

In my experience, a 7 mag doesn't kick any harder than a 30/06, but it shoots a little flatter, especially when you start putting "elk bullets" in the '06.


WH
 
I'm not gonna be much help, but my next gun as of now will be a 300 WSM..........I think. :) I also have what most consider the best or most popular though .270, 30/06, and 7mm Rem Mag. and if I could only pick one, it would be the one I hunt the most with, the 7mm.
Good luck.

Lien2
 
The best all-around gun would be the 30-06. the bullet selection for this caliber (30) is by far the best. you could shoot 125-150grain bullets for deer and then load some 165-180grain bullets for elk and then go clear up to 220 grain if you decide thats what you want to do.
I personally love the 300WinMag, But for an all around gun the 30-06 is best.
 
7 MM Rem. Mag or 300 Win. Mag. I personally like the 300 Win. Mag and like it over the 300 WSM because the 300 Win. Mag can be souped up to a higher speed.
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-01-05 AT 08:56AM (MST)[p]7 Rem Mag if you'll be shooting more deer than elk. 300 Win Mag if you plan on shooting more elk than deer. The Short Mags are a fad!
 
i've killed everything there is in the west with a .270. the cartridge doesn't mean as much as the guy shooting it. every different gun writer has their own theory and all of em's main theory is to sell articles. mine is to get something you trust and stick with it. get a good quality rifle in a good popular caliber that you don't have trouble finding ammo for. put a good scope on it and shoot the hell out of it. but if you want the very best, get an old winchester in .270. anyway, that's my theory, and i'm the smartest guy i know.
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-01-05 AT 09:57AM (MST)[p] I SHOOT THE 300WSM AT EVERYTHING NOW, 180 GR. NOS.PART. THIS IS AN AMAZING/ HIGH TECH. FLAT SHOOTING ROUND. SHE IS HERE TO STAY, OSOK WILL OWN ONE SOMEDAY. YD. (OFF TO COLORADO, GOOD LUCK EVERYONE). YD.
 
I agree with RLH. I've shot everything from deer to buffalo with mine and have never had any problem putting an animal down. I'm sure with a marginal hit that a larger caliber rifle would be better. I own an '06, and a 7mm also, but I have grown attached to my .270. If you want a larger caliber but don't like the recoil, get a muzzle brake on one and then you have the best of both worlds, except that you had better always wear ear protection. I have a boss on my 7mm and it damn near deafens you every time you shoot it without protection...

A bad day hunting is better than a Good Day at Work!!
 
OSOK-
looking at the charts the short mags are faster, flatter and harder hitting than the standard cartridges. Why wouldn't they be here to stay?
 
Vanilla,
I have been hunting mule deer with an A Bolt 300 WSM shooting the 150 grain federal ballistic tips. I have taken 3 deer with it at distances up to 350 yards. I am looking at the new 325 WSM as it shoots flat like the 300 WSM but has the energy comparable to the 338 Win Mag. Good luck with your selection process.
 
If you don't handload, definitely go with the 30-06. If you do handload, look at the 300 WSM or 300 Win. Mag. Of course, the 30-06 is still a good choice if you handload. Out to 300 yards and a little farther, you and/or the animals will not know the difference between it and one of the magnums. It's a very good choice, factory ammo is cheap and available everywhere, and recoil is not bad. Maybe a little boring, since everybody has one, but sometimes boring is a good thing!
 
Vanilla,
I am not an expert but I did do research before I bought my son a 300 wsm. Yukon Dall and short mag gave me good advice and support this opinion but the the 300 wsm is awesome. It has great knockdown power (180) for elk and I am really looking forward to hunting with it for deer. It is fast and flat, we used Federal Premium.
 
I shoot a .270 Weatherby Magnum. It has a little more umph than a regular .270 but doesn't have that bad of kick. The thing I like about it is that it is such a flat shooting gun.

It has no problem putting down elk.
 
30-06, why? Have you ever been to a place that sells ammo and didnt have 30-06 rounds? It is also a great caliber that has proven itself more times than can be counted. It is also one of the cheaper calibers to shoot. Have you seen the ammo prices for the mags and short mags? BTW, ive killed game animals with a .257 roberts, 30-30 winchester, .270 winchester, .30-06, .338 win mag and a .50 cal Thompson Center muzzleloader. Ive had good to awesome results with all of these rounds. My all around hunting rifle is my .338. This is just my personal preference because I feel this is the one of the best elk cartriges out there. It will also anchor a big muley buck in a hurry.
 
I can't believe that nobody has mentioned one of the bigger 30's. I like the 300 Rem. ultra mag. With a muzzle brake the kick is no problem. The benefit is the power to take a longer shot at an Elk. I say if you can shoot it well why not have knockdown power to spare? If someone is buying a new rifle that will be used on Elk a 270 is a poor choice. Sure it will do the job under good circumstances but most hunters do not practice much and take shots they shouldn't. I don't have personal experience with the 300wsm but it should be a fine cartridge for deer and elk. It does help alot if you reload the big 30's as ammo can get expensive. Just my two cents.
 
I'm with camuleycrazy on this one. I was waiting for somebody to bring up the 300 RUM. since I have owned mine I have fallen in love with it. I don't own a 30-06, but I must say if I was looking at a good combo rifle for deer/elk, I would look at it also. If you just want that extra "umph", look at the ultra mag. Most calibers from the .270 on up can probably be argued as
excellent cartridges for the combo rifle you are looking for.
Some may be looked at by some as too small for elk and others may be looked at as too big for deer. My choice just happens to be the 300 Rem Ultra mag. If I knew I was just going out for deer, I'd just be taking out my trusty ol' .260.

Jaxon
 
I shoot a .270 BAR. Ive never taken a shot at an elk before. Some of you have mentioned that this may not be the best weapon for elk hunting. I dont have the money to go out and buy something else, so I have to stick with the .270. What kind of things should I beware of using the .270 for elk hunting? Range?
 
I shot a 30-06 for years. I killed numerous deer and and spike elk, 1 6x6 and a moose. The 180 grain trophy bonded bearclaws worked wonderful. They did not exit, mushroomed and retained well. Last year I bought a 300 win mag and killed a 4 point buck this year at 75 yards. The exit wound was huge. Probably too much gun for short distances.
 
Get something you enjoy shooting and become proficient with it. Any of the above calibers mentioned will work fine, I've got an 06 that has worked well, my most recent toy is my 270, it shoots like a dream, perhaps a little on the light side for a long shot at an elk but I don't care, I'm not going to take a 400+ yard shot on an elk, in the country I hunt it wouldn't happen. A gun that you don't shoot well is your worst enemy.
 
Pappabull if you would just buy a 300 RUM you wouldn't have to soup it up.
 
I have to agree with Ridgerunner. I've had the fortune to shoot a lot, over the last 20 years, have punched around 70 big game tags, and shot around 600 deer and pronghorn on the job (mostly cripples).

I bought a .300 Win mag, and sold it because it was causing me to flinch. My 7mm Rem mag is the upper limit for me, and has done very well on longer shots on tough game (270 yards to kill my bighorn, a couple elk at 275-300 yards). My .30/06 is my favorite deer/elk gun, 2 one-shot kills this year, 175 yards on a big mule deer and 120 yards on a pronghorn. In the past, I've killed everything up to bull moose with it; the only one I had trouble anchoring was a mountain goat billy at 150, but they are notoriously tough. I'm 5'8", 200lbs, stocky muscular build, but the big magnums aren't for me, because I think about the gun instead of the target, and that's the beginning of bad shooting habits, IMHO.

VERY, VERY few hunters can shoot proficiently beyond 350 yards. If you can't, and aren't going to make the commitment in terms of time and money to shoot that big gun a bunch, you have no need for it. BIG MAGNUMS ARE NOT A SUITABLE SUBSTITUTE FOR SHOT PLACEMENT!!

My pick for what you describe would be either the 7mm mag or .30/06; but if I didn't enjoy shooting it, I'd go smaller. For a very gentle shooting round with impressive terminal ballistics, I'd recommend a 6.5mm Swedish Mauser; probably 1/2 the moose killed in Scandinavia every year are shot with that caliber.
 
if your looking for a good, flat shooting deer hunting gun, my suggestion is a .270 model(I prefer Ruger) my dad has owned one for years and it is truely consistent. It would pass as and elk rifle also, just up grade the size of the shell.

happy hunting
cris
 
Vanilla, my choice would be the 30-06. I have used it for over 25 years on many different anmals. It has cleanly harvested Moose, Caribou, Grizzly Bear, Deer Antelope, and Elk. After playing around with some of the bullets out there, I have settled on the Federal High Energy 180 grain Trophy Bonded Bearclaw. With this bullet, I can get near 300 Win mag performance and harvest certain game out to my limit of 300 yds. With this combo, I easily harvested a grizzly bear.

Everyone else makes good points about the various calibers. Ultimately, you have to find the one you can shoot the best without flinching and will suit your needs. See if your friends own some of the different calibers that folks have listed and try them out. You may be able to find a shooting range locally that may have different caliber rifles for rent.

Just my two cents.

Good luck
Garion
 
.250 Savage! Remember, it is all in shot placement. Haahaaa...
yotewalk.gif


Eric
 
My opinion? Of all the calibers I have shot...and I have shot a lot, I prefer the 7mm Mag.
 
7mm STW and I think I'm going to stick with it. The only other one I'd consider is the 300 RUM...Steve
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-12-05 AT 02:05PM (MST)[p]I shoot a 270 Remmington BUT if I could only have one rifle for all north American game it would be the 270 weatherby mag topped with a Zeiss 6x.
 
.300 RUM with 180grn Nosler partitions. Flat shooting, hard hitting. Loudest rifle I have ever shot but it packs a wallop and you have to love the trajectory. I will not shoot much beyond 300 and I don't even have to think about hold over as I did with my old .270. Two bull elk, two bear and 4 deer so far and I love it.
 
There is no "ideal" do it all gun.

In my opinion, the absolute best deer gun is the 270 and the best elk gun is the 338 win mag. Believe it or not, the 338 does not kick that much, and I have recoil shy. But of course, it is an overkill for deer and the ammo is not cheap.

If I could have only 1 gun that is adequate for both elk and deer it would either be the 30-06 or the 7mm win. mag.

Both calibers have a good range of ammunition choices that are availible almost everywhere. And with some new "light magnum" loads from companies like Hornady, the 06 is more than adequate out to 400 yards for elk. Example: Honady light magnum 30-06 ammo in 165 gr interbond bullets. Flat shooting and retains over 1800 ft/lbs out to 400 yards.

I would also caution you not to use "wal-mart special" bullets for elk. You will be fine for deer, but spend some bucks on premium ammo for an elk hunt. It will be the cheapest part of your hunt. Use the cheap stuff for plinking, but go with a premium bullet for the hunt itself.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Thank you Dr. Seuss.

Of all the calibers I have shot
and I have shot a lot....

I prefer the 7mm Mag
I used it when I shot my Stag
I used it when I shot my deer
I used it to open my beer
I used it on a caribou
I used it on Horton Hears a Who
With it I shot an Antelope
as well as a record Jackalope
The 7 mag will kill a duck
All other calibers really suck
The bears I've shot are really dead
And of course they all had record heads
I used it to take a great big moose
And also took a sitting goose
The 7 mag is the best of all
If you don't agree you can suck my b@!!s.

Just screwin with ya!!!!
 

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