Tidus56
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Challenging?? Has been so easy for me. I have used 4 different bullets and 4 different powders all with great results. I guess if it's your only rifle I could see not using it.
Help on caliber
- Thread starter darrindlh
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Orange Dust
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Challenging because I like to hunt with bonded bullets with the best BC I can find. Mine didn't like 175ABLR's. Gave up after 3 powders. It liked to shoot them around 3/4MOA.
Ended up shooting 162eldx's. Shoots them very well with 8133. Out of Retumbo, never found any N570, etc. Point was barrel life is a deal killer for anyone who wants to shoot LR and has just one rifle. You have to practice, plus, anyone into LR also just likes to shoot their rifles.
Tidus56
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No you're right. I totally spaced barrel life. It's not something I stress because I have multiple rifles and I can swap my own barrels easily so it doesn't factor in my thinking. However with one rifle I totally see your point. I was thinking one rifle to hunt elk/mulies, not one rifle period. I think I would do a 280 AI if I had only one rifle period.
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Orange Dust
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Excellent choice in a non magnum, or near magnum if you will.
If you like to tinker/handload,etc...pick one of the LA Shermans, i.e. 6.5,270, 280, use a 26" fast twist barrel. Make your cases via fireforming or Hydraulic die ( another gizmo!) custom dies.
If you just want to load some potent/accurate rounds ( you said you liked heavy hitters) of your list, 300 RUM....or 7mm Rem Mag. Depends on how heavy of a rifle do you want to hunt with, really. There is still a Kimber Montana in .270WSM on Gunbroker for $1000. He will even do a Layaway!
If you just want to load some potent/accurate rounds ( you said you liked heavy hitters) of your list, 300 RUM....or 7mm Rem Mag. Depends on how heavy of a rifle do you want to hunt with, really. There is still a Kimber Montana in .270WSM on Gunbroker for $1000. He will even do a Layaway!
littlewhaler
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280AI and 300 wsm are a coin flip for me. So many good things about both and both are lights out for the animals you want to hunt.
Orange Dust
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The comments I made on the 28 go for the RUM also, and it is my favorite.
Aoudad shooter1975
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I'd say it would be hard to get away from the 7mm mag, 300 mag, 30-06 type caliber recommendation. I will say I am a huge fan of the 338. 338 win mag and a 33 Nosler are good hammers. They take a bit more practice to get use to...but once you do you will find they are effective beyond belief. My wife this last year got a 338 federal...good little cartridge--lot of thump for not a lot of thump on your shoulder.
I've been shooting a .280 AI since about 1998. Performance on every animal shot has been phenomenal. For me, it's been easy to find accurate loads and now there are factory loads that work very well in my rifles. I like the 160-168 grain bullets for big deer and elk, and bet you will too. Welcome back, and good luck!
Orange Dust
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Three pluses for the AI. Case life, Barrel life, and brass cost. And I don't even have one. Everything I have is less or more. All the AI's share excellent ballistics and case life. I did have a .257 and an '06AI years ago. Loved them both.
MagnumManiac
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I'll put this out there, I own more rifles/barrels chambered in 300WM than ANY other cartridge.
That said, I like obscure cartridges, like 25-284, 6.5-284, 25-06, 338-06 and the list goes on.
So...I built a switch barrel on a Model 70 with 264WM & 270 Weatherby. That 270 Weatherby is like lightning, animals drop as if pole axed, not even a quiver after the shot.
My buddies 7STW is similar, but of all, the 300WM gets it done.
Cheers.
That said, I like obscure cartridges, like 25-284, 6.5-284, 25-06, 338-06 and the list goes on.
So...I built a switch barrel on a Model 70 with 264WM & 270 Weatherby. That 270 Weatherby is like lightning, animals drop as if pole axed, not even a quiver after the shot.
My buddies 7STW is similar, but of all, the 300WM gets it done.
Cheers.
Sanford338
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My .02 cents... 338 RUM. Done.
Shoot might as well throw my .02 in. The list you gave has probably the most reasonable and most common cartridges for the purpose you've perplexed us with. In all reality. If it were me and just my opinion I'd get a tc pro hunter. The one I bought last year with a muzzleloader barrel was less than $700 so far I've got 5 other barrels and all of them this far shoot really well out to 400 . With the exception of the muzzleloader and the 35 Whelen barrel . I don't see the reason to try the muzzleloader that far and haven't shot the Whelen barrel past 100 yet! If it comes down to it in a couple years and you want something different that tc doesnt do a barrel for you could contact bull berry or mgm and they chamber just about everything you could possibly want.
Shoot maybe I'm just lucky though and got the only good shooting pro hunter ever made . But doubtful
Shoot maybe I'm just lucky though and got the only good shooting pro hunter ever made . But doubtful
The 338-06 is a lot like the 35 Whelen, both have a lot of power with out a lot of fuss or meat damage. They just work very well, chose ether one and you have a rifle cartridge that is about as close to a perfect do all big game cartridge as you can get in my opinion.
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