7mm or .30

[lineman_36]

wanting to build long range hunting gun. will mostly be hunting elk want a rifle that will be enough to drop one out to 800 to 1000 yards. want a 7mm or a .30 caliber maybe a 7mm rum or a 300 rum what are your opinions on them or recomedations for other cartriges

Also what action to use.

[liltank]

Originally Posted by lineman_36

wanting to build long range hunting gun. will mostly be hunting elk want a rifle that will be enough to drop one out to 800 to 1000 yards. want a 7mm or a .30 caliber maybe a 7mm rum or a 300 rum what are your opinions on them or recomedations for other cartriges

Either caliber will work. If you look, there are guys dropping elk at greater ranges with both.

Tank

[AJ Peacock]

For Elk, the bigger frontal area, the better.

300RUM won't have great barrel life, but will have better than the 7mm RUM.

Of those 2 choices for elk, I'd pick the 300 every time.

AJ

300rum 210 berger sweeeeet

[Michael Eichele]

+1 on what AJ stated.

Foe elk, the bigger the better. I also look at bbl life as a concideration. 300 RUM life is short and glorious yet is longer than the 7mmRUM.

I am moving from the 300 RUM to the 300 WSM. I will still use a long action so I can seat those heavy bullets out far to maximize case capacity. I will loose some velocity but gain much more life and ease of tuning. The 300 and 7mm RUM's are a bit tempermental. A bit too much so for my taste.

IMHO, the 338 RUM or EDGE with 300 SMK's would be the ultimate 1000 yard+ elk harvesting machine.

[angus-5024]

lineman_36,
I have been been through the same thought process. I landed up settlling on the .338 Rum. Havent shot it yet but I had a .340wby (very similar) and liked it alot. either of the calibers you mentioned will be excellent. I personally would consider a .338, I would look at the 7mm STW as well (thats my next rifle). I am not the most season LR hunter, but this is what I came up with in a similar possition. Happy hunting and God bless.

[Kevin]

If you are going with the ultra mag case then I would choose the .30 or .338. Too much waste with the 7mm in my opinion, unless you have a really long barrel.