Do all rifle???

[Boneafide]

In today's shooting world everything seems to be about faster and farther. I love it. Building whatever you want gets easier every day. I talked my neighbor into a .300 RUM for pigs from a distance. He has no regrets. The hogs aren't too proud of it, but that is the point. I am beyond criticizing anyone for their choice in the rifle of their dreams. Too many choices for too many different desires. I hope you always have the perfect rifle for your needs at the time. So do the gunsmiths of the world!

Yeah 5k for it but its mine hell iam 51 years old just as soon have one that will put a monster on the wall!

 

[Starlite]

Yeah good round. !! but I know guys that use them that have lost deer. Now it may have been on them too but I have lost deer with my 300 win mag iam just saying all the deer I have shot at with my 35 whelen went in a cooler its (deadly)

And I know lots of guys that have killed moose with a 22. It's also deadly. Loosing an animal is 95% caused by the shooter the other 5% is the equipment. However if you ask the shooter it's the other way around.
have no experience with the Whelen

 

[Boneafide]

And I know lots of guys that have killed moose with a 22. It's also deadly. Loosing an animal is 95% caused by the shooter the other 5% is the equipment. However if you ask the shooter it's the other way around.
have no experience with the Whelen

Yes ur right ! he was asking so I told him if he goes that way it's up too him I know that iam getting one built for me for a all around rifle me and all my hunting buddy's hunt with them they just drop what u shoot at ! But thanks for the shout out ! Iam also building 300 run also

 

[Boneafide]

Yes ur right ! he was asking so I told him if he goes that way it's up too him I know that iam getting one built for me for a all around rifle me and all my hunting buddy's hunt with them they just drop what u shoot at ! But thanks for the shout out ! Iam also building 300 run also

Rum sorry!

 

[Treeslug]

And I know lots of guys that have killed moose with a 22. It's also deadly. Loosing an animal is 95% caused by the shooter the other 5% is the equipment. However if you ask the shooter it's the other way around.
have no experience with the Whelen

I have seen lots of guys killed with a .22. A .22 is amazingly deadly on humans. I don't know anyone that has killed a moose with a .22, but then again, I don't know that many guys.

 

[COBrad]

There's generally two camps to this subject... you need the biggest magnum available because you can't kill an elk at 600 yards with anything less, and the rest of us. My $.02 is worth less than that but what the hell. I guided elk hunters for 38 years, have over 60 to my own credit. I love to shoot varmints at long range and ELR. My furthest elk was at 1098 yards with a lowly 7 mag. Okay it was a custom gun that was a pretty solid quarter minute gun for the first 1K or so rounds, on my good days, reliable half moa otherwise if the wind wasn't too disagreeable. 9 twist shooting 180 grain Berger HVLD's. That elk did what they usually do with a proper shot, he staggered down the hill 50 yards and done. I've had a good number of big and bigger magnums but have returned to my all time favorite from prairie dogs to elk if I can only have one, 7 mag. It worked fine on that elk, took numerous marmots past 1K to as far as 1402 yards. Won't kick your pants off without a brake, and aside from present circumstances you could find ammo anywhere in an emergency. That's an opinionated vote from an old fart who now uses an ultra light .284 Winchester for big game out to the dreaded 600 yards.

 

[William W.]

If you had to choose one rifle to hunt everything from antelope to elk, what would it be? This rifle must use components that are readily available. It must also be a caliber that is inherently accurate. No need to waste 600 rounds of 1000 round barrel life doing load development. I want to build a rifle but can't decide what to build.300 Win

If you had to choose one rifle to hunt everything from antelope to elk, what would it be? This rifle must use components that are readily available. It must also be a caliber that is inherently accurate. No need to waste 600 rounds of 1000 round barrel life doing load development. I want to build a rifle but can't decide what to build.

300 Winchester Magnum

 

[greenejc]

If you had to choose one rifle to hunt everything from antelope to elk, what would it be? This rifle must use components that are readily available. It must also be a caliber that is inherently accurate. No need to waste 600 rounds of 1000 round barrel life doing load development. I want to build a rifle but can't decide what to build.

I'd go with the 30-06. Ammo and components are everywhere, it is accurate enough in heavy sporter or light varmint barrels to hit anything you want, barrel life is around 5,000 rounds or upwards of that, load development is easy, and if you go with a 24" or 26" tube, velocities aren't that much below the WSM. I have a gunsmith friend who shoots a 30-06AI, which will shoot standard 30-06 ammo, and kick out an Ackley Improved 40degree shoulder casing, so if you want more, you could make it an Ackley Improved 30-06. Load development for the -06 has already been done by just about everybody, it will shoot accurately at distance with bullet weights from 125gr to 200 grain, it is not too picky about powders, and has a wide range of powders which will perform in it. With a 24" barrel, you can get around 2775 to 2850fps with a standard 30-06, and another 130 to 150fps with the Ackley Improved chambering. It will do pretty much anything you want it to, from shooting coyotes up to Kodiak bear with the right loads. Its still about the most versitile round out there and still one of the most popular cartridges, so its easy to find pretty much world wide. Hodgden lists several powders that will push 200 grain bullets out of a 24" barrel at velocities ranging from 2575 up to 2650fps, and 165 grain bullets (antelope loads) at 2900 to 3,000fps. 180 grain bullets can be safely driven at velocities ranging from 2750 to 2850fps, depending on the powder used, although the high end velocities are MAXIMUMS and should be approached carefully. Cases, dies, projectiles, powders and loaded ammunition are extremely plentiful, and barrel life is much better than any of the .30 cal. barn burners. Even the 30-06 Ackley Improved is good for over 4,000 rounds at a minimum. I have a Ruger M77MKII that I bought in Germany in 1996 and have put over 3,500 rounds through. It has a light sporter barrel, 22" long, and still puts 5 rounds into about 0.8" at 100 yards. My 03A3 will put 5 into 0.75" with a barrel made in August of 1943. I've put over 2,000 rounds through it and I bought it in Colorado Springs in 1993. I don't know how many rounds have been fired in it since it was made back in '43. If you have to have only one rifle, the 30-06 in a 24" barrel will do what you need it to do, from varmints to big bears, and do it pretty well.

 

[esshup]

If you had to choose one rifle to hunt everything from antelope to elk, what would it be? This rifle must use components that are readily available. It must also be a caliber that is inherently accurate. No need to waste 600 rounds of 1000 round barrel life doing load development. I want to build a rifle but can't decide what to build.

Gotta laugh at this, not the gist of it but the "Must use components that are readily available". In these times you won't be building a rifle unless you have the components in inventory at home. Overkill for antelope, but going to concentrate on Elk more, go with something in .338. Antelope/deer the main critter, with some elk hunting, 7mm Rem Mag.

 

[greenejc]

Yeah good round. !! but I know guys that use them that have lost deer. Now it may have been on them too but I have lost deer with my 300 win mag iam just saying all the deer I have shot at with my 35 whelen went in a cooler its (deadly)

I have two .35 Whelens. It kills better than any .30 I've ever used. But its a handloading proposition and components are limited. I make a lot of my brass for this round from 30-06, though and that's pretty easy. I wouldn't want to shoot antelope with it because there wouldn't be much left, but for deer and up its just about unbeatable. I use the 225 gr Sierra GK in it, along with the 250 gr Speer HotCor. Both rifles will get over 2730fps with the Sierra, and upwards of 2650-2675 fps with the Speer. The one with the 26" Shaw 1 in 14 twist barrel is more like 2800 with the Sierra and around 2750 with the Speer. Exit wounds in deer are baseball size at over 400 yards. Both shoot flat enough for one shot kills out to 600 yards. If you can put a Whelen bullet in the chest on a deer or elk it will be pretty much all over. I've killed around 25 Kansas Whitetails with the Whelen.

 

[pony doctor]

This is my next build a do all rifle. Deer hunting in the tree stand but capable of Longrange hunting as well. I have settled on the 300 wsm. Caliber is very accurate
Easy to carry but comfortable to got prone at range and not too heavy. Medium weight hunter rifle

Thanks

Buck

I'd go with 7mm Rem Mag

 

[Bucklowery]

Good choice what bullet are you going to use?

174 g hammer hunter

Thanks

Buck

 

[Coyoteee]

270, no doubt about it. Remember guys, the components have to be readily available. Some of the rifles above, I've only ever heard of them, certainly haven't seen them. But I guess they all use components readily available, but wait a minute, isn't there shortages right now? So maybe that criteria doesn't apply during shortages, does it? OP, what's the call here?

 

[Wylie1965]

If you had to choose one rifle to hunt everything from antelope to elk, what would it be? This rifle must use components that are readily available. It must also be a caliber that is inherently accurate. No need to waste 600 rounds of 1000 round barrel life doing load development. I want to build a rifle but can't decide what to build.

If you're going to reload, 6.5x284 would be my number one choice by far. For pure simplicity, I still love the .30-06 for availability of components.