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If you were only going to have one caliber?
- Thread starter Lrdchaos
- Start date
I have no skin in the game because I hunt deer and elk with a recurve, but I’d say .270, and I thought about getting one but I love the grey hair that bow hunting gives me haha.
Without hesitation, 7mmRM; very good variety of factory loads and can reach out to 1000 yds for elk or deer.
These days it’s 130’s at 2950+ with a scoop of H4350.
I started with 260 just when 6.5 GAYMORE was released and there was no ammo or brass to be found.
I’m still trying to knock down a 308 erection!
284 will always be cool!
Not saying other cartridges are inferior or incapable of handling your selection of game, but I have had 50+ yrs of 30-06 hunting and it has served me extremely well (Rem 700 - my go to hunting rifle.) One well placed shot using off-the-shelf Winchester Super X 165gr ammo has done the job every single time. I have never lost a deer or hog. Just my opinion.
Regardless, good luck with whatever cartridge you select.
Regardless, good luck with whatever cartridge you select.
I'm partial to the 300WSM, as it gives you the stopping power of a 30cal, it provides significantly more energy over the 30.06 (which is especially important for 500+ yards on larger game), while also retaining the benefits of a shorter action. It's my "go to" caliber for White Tail, Mule Deer, Elk, and any large game in North America. It's dropped everything I've harvested with it immediately in it's tracks, including an over 400" Red Stag in New Zealand, yet it's not overly destructive to the meat.
6.5x55 has been doing what you're asking for since 1890.
I dont see the logic in going for a larger cartridge to cover the once in ten year event, while putting up with it for the other nine years. Pick the cartridge for what you’ll be doing most.
muh 30-06!!!! 6.5 prc all day everyday its the new wundercartridge. Soft recoil, great high bc bullets and capable of killing that elk at 500 without breaking the bank.
Who am I kidding. Half or more of the hide would probably hit that tranny after a few drinks.
Research, research, research. I settled with the 280AI but its a highly favorable caliber for reloading but there is decent factory ammo out there. If you don't like the factory offerings there are plenty of custom ammo makers out there like Copper Creek, Hendershots, and others. You can even buy the projectiles you want, if they don't have what you want, and send to them to make ammo.
OK I hope it aint in bad form to double dip in the thread. Ive never been accused of being well mannered. So here goes . Any time I have an impossible time makn a logical decision cuz there are so many suitable (outstanding) choices . I apply a very simple algorithmic formula which I developed years ago . I call it the doughboy principle , here is how it works starting about the time the modern metallic cartridge eatin magazine fed battle implement was devised until the present. Calculate how many tons of wormshit said round is responsible for producing. Find the square, ad that to the number of buzzard landings on foreign fields that are direct results of said caliber. Now multiply by how many years that this projectile has been helping qualified professional ghost makers affectively, efficiently ply their trade. You will find a select few guns and calibers stand head and shoulders above the crowd. And they are still favorites of genuine widow makers and hunters alike.
A bit long to drop? That was a clean kill. And it was a sample size of 1. What makes you think a typical 308 elk shot at 600 yards would be any different? Not that there was anything wrong with that harvest. I've had small white tails run farther from a 50 yard 3006 shot in the vitals.
260 Rem. Why? Because I have 300 Lapua brass in the current rotation and another 300 new unopened Lapua brass. And 2000+ 6.5 mm ELDM bullets.
I appreciate the feedback guys. I’m building a 6.5cm, but I’m picking up a magnum bolt and having a 6.5prc barrel spun up for the times I need the extra energy for larger game. There were a lot of good recommendations, but the majority of time it will be punching paper and steel out to 600.
308 or 30-06 would likely be my choice. Available, versatile, proven, etc...
But I wouldn't complain if all I had in a bolt gun was a 6.5CM.
But I wouldn't complain if all I had in a bolt gun was a 6.5CM.
For what you are doing pry would pick 6.5 creed, for my fit in shooting, it would be something in a .30. WSM pry?
6.5 x 47 Lapua and borrow a rifle for Elk hunt. It is just so easy to load for great accuracy. Almost everything works in a Bartlein 1 in 8” twist.
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I would want a bit more muzzle energy but I’m sure it would work with the right bullet and very good placement.
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