Re: Long range hunting calibers
I don’t believe there is one caliber suited for everything on your list.
I’ve taken everything from opossums (on a bet), hogs, whitetail, antelope, and elk with a 7mmRM. It’s my all around lower 48 caliber of choice and I’m sure it would do fine in the Yukon after moose or British Columbia after black bear. As far as bullet weight, 100gr all the way up to Berger 195gr (when it comes out); granted, very few of these bullets would I consider LR bullets. Would a 300WM foot the bill for all of the above? Most certainly, I hunted with an outfitter whose son used a .243 on elk but I prefer a heaver bullet, flat trajectory, high BC, and moderate recoil of a 7mmRM for hunting. To come close to the 7mm 180gr BC with a 30cal you have to step up in bullet weight therefore increasing recoil. Granted you can tame some of the recoil with a break but some hunting guides prefer their clients not use a break.
If I was going after coastal brownies I would personally move up to .338 or .375.
I know this doesn’t answer your question but it all comes down to what your comfortable shooting and personal choice. I started out hunting with a 7mmRM, I’m having a 7WSM built at GAP and I’ve never looked back.
As a side note, just because one can shoot 1/2MOA or MOA out to 1K with a target bullet doesn’t necessarily mean they have a good hunting load. There are good target bullets and there are good hunting bullets but there are very few suited for both in my opinion. You may have a gnat’s ass shooting stick with a target bullet but is that bullet suited for terminal performance down range. If not, you better have a spotter to mark your shot while you walk out to pick up the blood trail.
