Hey there im new to the sight but am a big fan of the long ranger shooters... i do alot of small cal 500 shooting but i really am wanting to get serious to 1000 yds for elk and bear... im looking to see what cal rifle you guys think would be the best bet for me...
Elk, Bear rifle??
- Thread starter Rem7mm
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If you can handle carrying it, I would go with a 338 Edge. That is of course if you handload. There are plenty good ones to choose from though. 7mmAM, 300Wsm, 300Rumm, 300Win, 338Lapua. I guess it all depends on what you want to spend on ammo and components to reload.
I have a rem model 700 7mm so im good to reload for that but whats the diff with the 7mmAM than what i have>??
7AM is a 338 Lapua necked down and improved. Most are throated to shoot a 200gr Wildcat bullet. I don't know the running velocity, but it is a beast. I'm sure some 7AM shooters will join in with some better statistics.
very cool i knew it was something beefy... well i hope they do so i can here more about it ... thanks for the info
Longshot38
Well-Known Member
By small caliber out to 500 I'm assuming 243 or 308 type stuff. But if you want to take game at a 1K. You need to answer some question for yourself first. The answer to alot of these questions depends on how deep your pockets are.
1) How much are you willing to spend up front and in the long term? To accomplish what you are after you need a rifle w/good scope, rangefinder, spotting scope, wind meter (or some way to read the wind). These are up front investments. The the other investment is in reloading gear and components. You will run through plenty of ammo practicing and working up ballistics tables, thus you need to be ready to buy plenty of powder, bullets, primers, etc....
2) How much weight are you willing to carry? Many of the guys that hunt at those distances carry around 15+lbs rifles. Generally speaking the rifles in the larger 338 and 375 calibers have 28+ inch barrels and are rather heavy.
3)How recoil sensitive are you? With a good brake the recoil of these big rounds can be tamed. These are rounds that carry heavy bullets and lots of powder. Thus they can thump.
4)There are lots of calibers that will do what you after. The most economical will be the commercially available 7mm and 300 magnums (WSM, Rem Mags, Ultra Mags, Weatherbys, etc...) Now if you really want to go for some of the bigger more expensive stuff you can but it gets pricey. But the 338s and 375 excel at dumping large amounts of energy into their targets at long range.
The point of all this is that we need more information in order to answer your question. Try to help us fill in the blanks so we can give you an educated response.
1) How much are you willing to spend up front and in the long term? To accomplish what you are after you need a rifle w/good scope, rangefinder, spotting scope, wind meter (or some way to read the wind). These are up front investments. The the other investment is in reloading gear and components. You will run through plenty of ammo practicing and working up ballistics tables, thus you need to be ready to buy plenty of powder, bullets, primers, etc....
2) How much weight are you willing to carry? Many of the guys that hunt at those distances carry around 15+lbs rifles. Generally speaking the rifles in the larger 338 and 375 calibers have 28+ inch barrels and are rather heavy.
3)How recoil sensitive are you? With a good brake the recoil of these big rounds can be tamed. These are rounds that carry heavy bullets and lots of powder. Thus they can thump.
4)There are lots of calibers that will do what you after. The most economical will be the commercially available 7mm and 300 magnums (WSM, Rem Mags, Ultra Mags, Weatherbys, etc...) Now if you really want to go for some of the bigger more expensive stuff you can but it gets pricey. But the 338s and 375 excel at dumping large amounts of energy into their targets at long range.
The point of all this is that we need more information in order to answer your question. Try to help us fill in the blanks so we can give you an educated response.
Perfect... i will go down the list then if you dont mind...
?#1: i would go into it 2 grand, i have the scope already, im completely set up for reloading, spotting scope and ect... so the only thing i need is the dies and the range finder...
?#2: my small call i was talking about is a savage model 12 .223 that i added lead weight to and it hits around 17 pounds.... so im good with the weight...
?#3: im a 260 lb fella with minimal whining power so im good with a thump
?#4 all in all im looking for something that i know will kock dwn what ever i aim at, (moose,elk,bear,engine block, ect)...
Those are my answers to the best of my ability... thanks for the help guys
?#1: i would go into it 2 grand, i have the scope already, im completely set up for reloading, spotting scope and ect... so the only thing i need is the dies and the range finder...
?#2: my small call i was talking about is a savage model 12 .223 that i added lead weight to and it hits around 17 pounds.... so im good with the weight...
?#3: im a 260 lb fella with minimal whining power so im good with a thump
?#4 all in all im looking for something that i know will kock dwn what ever i aim at, (moose,elk,bear,engine block, ect)...
Those are my answers to the best of my ability... thanks for the help guys
Longshot38
Well-Known Member
2 grand is a bit of a low ball number but it is workable. On that budget you are looking at a factory rifle were it me I'd try to find something in 300 WSM but any of the 300 mags will do. Then take the rest of your money and put into a quality rangefinder and ammo.
Also you stated you were set with a scope. What is? I'm not trying to insult your scope with this question but this is an essential piece of kit. A scope for said purpose has to have quality glass and track perfectly. After all you can't hit what you can't see and tracking is essential because hold overs work well until you change environments.
On your handloads there are many bullets that work for this application. The two I like the most are the 210 grain bergers and 200 grain accubonds. Also since more then likely you will be looking a factory rifle I'd go ahead and pick up some of the Tubb Final Finish bullets. Factory tubes tend to be rough and the tubb bullet help to smooth them out.
And one last thing. Go ahead and start looking for that second job
This gets to be addicting and before you know it you will be wanting to build that custom 375 allen magnum and shoot stuff far beyond a 1000 yards. Then you'll be looking around the house trying to figure out how much stuff is worth (like the dog and your wifes car) so you can pawn it off and raise so money.
Also you stated you were set with a scope. What is? I'm not trying to insult your scope with this question but this is an essential piece of kit. A scope for said purpose has to have quality glass and track perfectly. After all you can't hit what you can't see and tracking is essential because hold overs work well until you change environments.
On your handloads there are many bullets that work for this application. The two I like the most are the 210 grain bergers and 200 grain accubonds. Also since more then likely you will be looking a factory rifle I'd go ahead and pick up some of the Tubb Final Finish bullets. Factory tubes tend to be rough and the tubb bullet help to smooth them out.
And one last thing. Go ahead and start looking for that second job
This gets to be addicting and before you know it you will be wanting to build that custom 375 allen magnum and shoot stuff far beyond a 1000 yards. Then you'll be looking around the house trying to figure out how much stuff is worth (like the dog and your wifes car) so you can pawn it off and raise so money.stanimals2
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Would the 300 rsaum fall in here somewhere ? just curious
Longshot38
Well-Known Member
As I said any of the 300 magnums will get the job done. The trick is loading them properly.
MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
IMO, for a carry hunting rifle, an 8-32 scope is a little high on the low end of magnification. But you could make it work for a while. I have a 5.5-22 and I think that is still a little high. My follow ons will be in the 3.5 - 15 range.
Mark
Quality rangefinders I trust in top three ranks available from Cabelas(my own opinions of course...)-
#3-Bushnell Elite 1500 -consistently get over 1000 yards unless you are on flat land(600 yards)
#2-Leica 1200-More accurate and faster then above
#1-And hear Swarovskis to be the best-even more accurate and faster than above
Had bad luck with leupolds, played with a couple and none went over 800 yards.
As far as scopes and rifle, I agree with you y'all so far...
#3-Bushnell Elite 1500 -consistently get over 1000 yards unless you are on flat land(600 yards)
#2-Leica 1200-More accurate and faster then above
#1-And hear Swarovskis to be the best-even more accurate and faster than above
Had bad luck with leupolds, played with a couple and none went over 800 yards.
As far as scopes and rifle, I agree with you y'all so far...
hammertyme
Well-Known Member
Looks like you have more than enough money.
7RUM,300RUM,338RUM,338 EDGE for the more economical thumpers.
The Weatherby's are great as well as cartridges based upon the Lapua case. These are more expensive to load for initually as the brass is more spendy.
Neal
7RUM,300RUM,338RUM,338 EDGE for the more economical thumpers.
The Weatherby's are great as well as cartridges based upon the Lapua case. These are more expensive to load for initually as the brass is more spendy.
Neal
