buried in information

[SlimG2]

Hello all. New to the forum and looking to be new to hunting. I've hunted birds and waterfowl before but never big game. Very much interested in starting deer hunting as well as elk. I'd mainly be looking to hunt the Washington/Idaho area initially. Been on the net and talking to friends about caliber recommendations primarily for deer with occasional elk. I'm being bombarded with info about whats the best, the favorite etc. Been looking a lot at the WSM calibers but still a long way from making any kind of choice. Not being made of money, and of course not sure how this new interest of mine will pan out, I would definitely stick with one rifle to start. I'd like to get a few viewpoints from you all out there in hunting land. To sort of narrow things down I've considered the following:

.30-06
.300 WSM
7mm Remington Mag
7mm WSM
270 WSM

I know the '06 can do it all and ammo is widely available. Are there any distinct advantages/disadvantages to the other choices I listed? As this is a lengthy enough thread, I'll refrain from talking about specific rifles except to ask any Browning A-bolt owners what they think of that particular rifle. Thanks in advance to everyone....

Slim

[fabsroman]

SlimG2, welcome to the board. You will probably get a lot of opinions regarding those cartridges, but they should all do the trick.

The first rifle I bought was a Ruger 77MKII in .300 Win Mag about 12 years ago. I made some mods to it after catching the scope several times in the forehead and I love that rifle. I have used it for almost all my deer hunting over the last 12 years where a rifle is allowed, even though it might be a little more than what I need for deer. When I initially bought, I figured it would be good for anything that I wanted to hunt in North America. Just haven't had the chance to go out of state on a big game hunt. However, I have come to the conclusion that if I were to ever go on a grizzly hunt, it would be with a .375 h&h at the minimum because I do not want to become dinner. Otherwise, the .300 Win Mag is just fine for elk, black bear, etc.

All the cartridges you are looking at seem fine for deer and elk hunting, with the .270 possibly being on the light side. That comment should get the pot stirred up.

I was just looking at the ballistics between a .300 RSAUM, .300 WSM, and the .300 Win Mag because I am contemplating an AR-10 purchase in one of the first two cartridges. They are almost identical to the .300 Win Mag.

At the end of the day, I think any of those cartridges, with the proper bullet selection and bullet placement, will do just fine on deer and elk. If you start hunting smaller game such as antelope, coyotes, etc, you can pick up a smaller caliber at that point.

Personally, I prefer the bird hunting, specifically waterfowling, to deer hunting, but that is just me.

[Tater]

I'd have to agree with Fabs: while the .270 is on the light side for elk (it can be done with the right bullet and shot placement) any of those calibers will suit you well. If I had my choice of those calibers, I'd choose the '06 but that's more personal preference than anything else. You came to the right place; there's a wealth of knowledge on this board. Again, welcome.

[Brithunter]

Hi There,

Now before you go plonking down lots of cash for a new rifle, scope and mounts. May I suggest that you check out a few stores and their used gun racks you may just, find the pefect rifle for you, save yourself a bundle.

Personally I would try to shoot as many of my friends rifles as I could and see which one feels the best to me then go looking for one of these. If it's used but in good condition then I would find the best condition used rifle that felt the best and then worry about chambering. .270 win, 30-06 Sprg, .308,7x57 or 7mm Rem mag would all do. Rifle fit to you is as important as chambering as when you need to mount the rifle quickly a good fitting rifle will make all the difference

Good luck on your hunting and please let us know what you get.

[Rocky Raab]

I'll add my welcome.

You'll soon come to know that I'm an anti-magnum kind of guy. They're too loud, kick too much and don't kill game any deader than the proven, reliable .30-06.

There's also nothing wrong with a 270, even for elk. With today's bullets, it's superb (and wasn't bad for its first 70 years, either),

I'd stay away from the WSMs. They aren't proven, and with the recent closure of Winchester, their future is perhaps cloudy.

The Browning A-Bolt is a great rifle. Put a decent scope on one and you'd not only have a rifle that your grandkids would still be using, but if you decided that hunting wasn't for you, you'd have a quick seller. The same goes for a Remmy 700.

[Classicvette63]

If you can't do it with the '06, you must be standing on a different continent. There is a reason the '06 has been a top seller, if not THE top seller for over a hundred years now. Stick with the tried and true.

[SlimG2]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I appreciate all the input/advice. Take care all and good hunting....

Slim

[PJgunner]

I think Col. Townsend Whelen said it best. "The 30-06 is never a mistake."
Paul B.

[BILLY D.]

Originally posted by PJgunner
I think Col. Townsend Whelen said it best. "The 30-06 is never a mistake."
Paul B.

truer words were never spoken, and they are just as true today as when mr. whelen said them many years ago.

[hofts]

280 rem

[Brithunter]

Hmmm it seems some folks don't read the post the .280 rem was not one of those listed

Now hofts,

Just what is it that makes the .280 "The best"?

Best for what exactly?

[fabsroman]

Here we go again. This is going to be like the .270 thread from a year or two ago.

[DaMadman]

Not much of a rifle hunter myself but if you are just starting out and want a tried and true Caliber and gun that you won't be sorry yo bought. Get yourself a bolt action Savage in 30-06.

Savage is a cheap, not very pretty gun but I have heard more people label the Savage bolt actions "best out of the box accuracy for the $$$"

Since you are just starting out it would be hard to go wrong with something that so many people say is the best "bang" (pun intended) for the buck, in a caliber that has been tried and tested for many many moons

[CB1961]

Most places that sell ammo always have .30-30win and .30-06spfld. on the self. You see 7mm Rem.Mag quite a bit too, but don't know about the others. For what its worth some small farm stores only have .30-30win and shotgun shells. Point is, that what you see on the shelf most places probably means that it works pretty well. All the others will work well too with a well placed shot, but you will pay more for the ammo, maybe more for the rifle, have sharper recoil in some cases, and have a harder time getting ammo in remote areas. Short version is I agree with all that DaMadman said.