7mm STW or 300 Win

[dakor]

Well my nephew is moving to Alaska and he wants all around rifle for Moose, Black Bear and Sheep. Now keep in mind he is only going to be 13 in a few months Ultra Mag and Lapua Mag owners. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] I have let him shoot my STW and the recoil does not appear to bother him I asked him if it does and he says no he likes shooting it. Well he wanted to shoot my 300 with 200 grainers and I said ok [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] he shot several shots off hand with it and again I asked him if the recoil bothered him and he says no. Now I have had friends cry about the recoil from both of those guns but I think he is telling the truth and he has never been told about recoil. I just told him to hang on tight and shoot it like the 22 rimfire. Now I think he is telling me the truth and not trying to be macho but I wonder sometimes [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] He says he wants a 300 win mag what do you guys think?

300 WM. In case he runs into something bigger.

Also, moose are big critters. the 300 WM with a 180 TXS will do the job.

[jon12]

I would personally prefer the 7 STW. To me this is a great all around rifle that will shoot flatter and have plenty of energy for anything short of big brown bears. It is true that the 300 will handle heavier bullets than any 7mm will which can be seen as an advantage for an all around rifle, with the high velocity of the STW and todays tough premium bullets i wouldnt consider this too much. Plus, in equal weight guns the 7mm actually will have less recoil energy than the 300 with comperable weight bullets.

Its easy to talk a big game and act like it didnt sting alittle bit after shooting a few shots off hand with just about any rifle, but I would actually have the kid sit down and shoot a .223 or 22-250 of known accuracy from a solid bench rest, and then a big magnum like youre talking about off a solid bench rest, and see how the recoil truely affects his shooting. I would always be really hesitant to start a kid off on a big hard kicking magnum because they will almost always develop a flich that will be very hard to get rid of later, I did.

Also, if hes stuck on the 300 WM, have him take a look also at the 300 WSM. This is a really cool little round that will balistically match the 300 WM(ok the WM might have a slight edge with heavier bullets but thats just a technicality), and factory rifles chambered for any WSM cartridge have shown an accuracy edge over most other factory chamberings due to their short efficient powder column and the lack of any freebore in WSM chambers. It will also kick slightly less than the WM because it uses less propellant to acheive the same velocity. It can also be had in a bunch of cool litte short action rifles, or in just about any configuration he might want.

Hope this helps.

[Mysticplayer]

Dakor, what you did not talk about was distance this boy will be shooting at the game. If normal distances of inside 250yds, for the game described, the 7-08 or 308 is all the gun he needs.

Moose are big but not tough to put down. Usual black bear is around 200lbs and under 6ft (will go deeper shortly). Sheep, are like small deer. The big thing is getting the bullet in the right spot.

With the right combo of bullet, you will have no issue putting a 30cal 165gr or 7mm 140gr bullet broadside on any of these animals with quick fatal results. Anything from the Hornady SST/Interbond through to the Nosler partition will do their job just fine.

We are on a big rollercoaster towards super big magnums that most do not shoot well. If this is a dedicated LR rifle, then certainly, bigger is better due to range and reduced impact vel. For reg. still hunting on non disturbed game, the 308/30-06/270/280/7-08 is all you really need.

Now back to the bear. If going after some bruisers, then you are into dangerous game category and neither the 300WM or 7STW is what I would choose. I would go larger bore and much heavier bullet.

On the small bore side would be the 375H&H with the 416 Rigby/458WinMag as possibilities. That black bear may turn into a very large grizzly so...

Jerry

[NTM]

I agree with jon12-he should startw ith something smaller like a .308 or 30/06. Both are great hunting rifles aand are deadly up to 2-300 yards. At 13 he should be learning some stalking skills rather than blasting away at something from 500 yards away. plus there is a chance he could develope a flinch from a magnum. It would be easier for him to start small and work his way up to a magnum.

[dakor]

Well I suppose I should have went into more detail I started him out with a 22 rimfire 4 years ago and each year I went a little bigger I have had him shoot milk jugs out to 200 yards with my 6mm-284 and 223 and 220 Swift so he can shoot the smaller stuff and this year he wanted to try the big stuff. I feel if you go with a 30/06 you might as well go with the 7MM STW recoil is the same. I think the 30/06 kicks more than the two STW's I have. I had him shoot the STW the other day off hand at 50 yards and he cut a 1/2 inch stick in half so he can shoot. The other problem I have is his parents are only going to buy one rifle that is it. I thought about the 300 or 270 WSM I just was wondering how tough the shells would be to get up in Alaska. If the shells are not that tough to get up there I would probably have them get the 270 shorty he has shot my dads a few times and seems to like that alot. As for a gun for moose I think a 270 wsm would work fine even out to 400 yards with good bullet shot placement is the most important thing. We have it down to a couple rifles the Weatherby Vangard SS or the Ruger M77 SS what do you guys think? Anyone know if short mag shells are hard to come by in Alaska?

[dakor]

Another one I thought about was a 280 but again I dont know if shells are hard to come buy up there or not? Then if you go that route you might as well go with a 30/06 wich puts us back to a short mag or STW [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]