I'm a lefty so that narrows the odd by quite a bit
All Around Mountain Rifle Build
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Because the action I have is a magnum bolt face
el matador
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Go with the 30 cal. for elk and shoot 180 grain bullets to keep recoil down. Heavier bullets won't offer much advantage until you're beyond that 700 yard mark.
Hand Skills
Well-Known Member
Most of the rifles I own and shoot are in the 7-8lb range (slung, loaded, with optics). So consider my comparisons below in that context. The reality of lightweight, high power rifles is muzzle jump. Even a 7lb .243 flips enough for me to loose sight picture in all but the most stable of positions. Using a sling can help a lot, and there are a lot of ways to use a sling!
A 270WSM with a brake is very manageable, akin to an unbraked .243 w/ light bullets. Probably a good choice if you're hunting solo (without a spotter). I actually don't have any experience with .270 WSM, but I have a fair amount of experience with a brakes 270wby shooting 150's and 160's.
Some brakes are designed to reduce muzzle flip and are ported on top as well as the sides. Might be worth looking into? I don't have any experience with these...
A braked 300WSM is quite shootable. The Kimber I shot had a radial brake, and jumped about like a lightweight .308. Then again, Kimber stocks have an exceptionally low drop at comb/heel. Stock geometry and overall balance play roles as well.
How did you find the recoil of your 300WM? Was it braked?
A 270WSM with a brake is very manageable, akin to an unbraked .243 w/ light bullets. Probably a good choice if you're hunting solo (without a spotter). I actually don't have any experience with .270 WSM, but I have a fair amount of experience with a brakes 270wby shooting 150's and 160's.
Some brakes are designed to reduce muzzle flip and are ported on top as well as the sides. Might be worth looking into? I don't have any experience with these...
A braked 300WSM is quite shootable. The Kimber I shot had a radial brake, and jumped about like a lightweight .308. Then again, Kimber stocks have an exceptionally low drop at comb/heel. Stock geometry and overall balance play roles as well.
How did you find the recoil of your 300WM? Was it braked?
WildRose
Well-Known Member
With that criteria I'd just build another, lighter STW, 300wm, or .300wsm, and a 24" barrel.
A few ounces would not be enough to get me to give up anything performance wise.
cohunt
Well-Known Member
Misunderstanding, What I mean was you could pm them and ask they how the recoil is, that's what you had asked about
I do reload, and I shoot F-Class
I the 300 win mag with no break was not fun to shoot. I'm only 160 lbs and it kicked my butt pretty good.
To be honest I was kind of hoping I would get more people suggesting the 270 WSM. For whatever reason I feel that if I went the 300 route, I'd load 200-220 gn bullets. Something in my brain won't let me load lighter bullets...
I the 300 win mag with no break was not fun to shoot. I'm only 160 lbs and it kicked my butt pretty good.
To be honest I was kind of hoping I would get more people suggesting the 270 WSM. For whatever reason I feel that if I went the 300 route, I'd load 200-220 gn bullets. Something in my brain won't let me load lighter bullets...
Have you looked at any of the Sherman catridges? They look pretty good to me. They have the long action 06 based ones then the short action mag bolt faces. There's a 270ss which pushes the 170g Berger 3050. Could push 140 at 3300. Or the 7mm pushing 180 at 3000.
The SS Mags are interesting, but I don't want to fire form anything because this is strictly a hunting gun.
el matador
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The 270 WSM is an awesome cartridge for deer. Too bad hardly anyone makes bullets for it. For any kind of long range gun I would recommend staying away from .257, .277, and 8mm calibers. I personally think the 270 and 7mm are perfect for deer and a bit light for elk. But if you go that route I would stick with the 7mm over the 270. Options for that would be 7 Rem Mag, 7 SAUM, 7mm-300 WSM, 7mm-300 Win Mag, or 28 Nosler. I'd shy away from a straight 7mm WSM due to brass availability. Given your modest range requirements of 700 yards I'd narrow that further to the 7 Rem Mag or 7 SAUM.
I still think a 300 Win or 300 WSM shooting 180s is the perfect fit for your needs though. Go and compare the ballistics of some 165/168 grain, 178/180 grain, and 208-215 grain bullets. You'll see that at 700 yards they're all going the same speed and the wind drift is very close. Even with a 5mph error (which is a ton) on your wind reading the 168 grain is drifting only 2 inches more than a 208 grain. At 500 yards its only 1 inch. I can tell you from experience that a 168 grain bullet kicks way less than a 208 from a 300 win mag. The difference is huge. And if you put a brake on this gun you could shoot heavy bullets no problem.
I still think a 300 Win or 300 WSM shooting 180s is the perfect fit for your needs though. Go and compare the ballistics of some 165/168 grain, 178/180 grain, and 208-215 grain bullets. You'll see that at 700 yards they're all going the same speed and the wind drift is very close. Even with a 5mph error (which is a ton) on your wind reading the 168 grain is drifting only 2 inches more than a 208 grain. At 500 yards its only 1 inch. I can tell you from experience that a 168 grain bullet kicks way less than a 208 from a 300 win mag. The difference is huge. And if you put a brake on this gun you could shoot heavy bullets no problem.
dougduey
Well-Known Member
Go with the 300 WSM. I have a Sako 75 in 300 WSM, and it's my dedicated elk rifle. Fully loaded with scope, sling and bipod, it weighs 8.5 lbs. I don't notice it on my shoulder while humping up and down the mountain all day. With a 180gr Accubond or 200 gr ELDX, it's a hammer on elk and mule deer. And definitely put a muzzle brake on it.......it's much more fun to shoot and practice with when it has a brake.
I have plenty of other cartridges to choose from (243, 6.5-284 Norma,30-06, 7 STW, 338 Lapua) but the 300 WSM is my go to mountain rifle
I have plenty of other cartridges to choose from (243, 6.5-284 Norma,30-06, 7 STW, 338 Lapua) but the 300 WSM is my go to mountain rifle
Hand Skills
Well-Known Member
The difference between the 3 is incremental at best.
Personally, what I don't like about the .270 is bullet selection. ESPECIALLY if one has to buy factory ammo. Due to the smaller bore it's inefficient with a 22"bbl, and you're essentially working with .270win performance at that point.
30cal has the best bullet selection. If buying ammo from a store is part of your requirement, 300WSM isn't even a choice. It is your huckleberry. Bigger bore means a better expansion ratio, and 22" bbl doesn't totally cut the nuts off of it. Still, I would go with a 24", just to get the balance point forward of the mag well. This helps control muzzle rise. I've shot some very light rifles, and I feel prioritizing portability over shootability is a slippery slope. For me anything under 7lb, out the door is TOO light.
7mm offers the best ballistics. Is having the edge in the wind worth necessitating handloading? Only you can decide.
Was my recoil comparison helpful at all? If not, here is a calculator;
http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp
Muzzle brakes generally Provide a 40% reduction in recoil. Some are better, some worse.
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Litehiker
Well-Known Member
My "Lottery Build" mountain rifle:
ACTION-> SAKO 85 stainless short action (for 6.5 Creedmoor)
BARREL-> Proof Research hunting profile carbon fiber wrapped in 6.5 Creedmoor
STOCK-> SAKO Carbonlight
SCOPE-> Vortex Razor AMG 6 - 24 x 50 W/ Nightforce one-piece titanium rings
So yeah, I have to buy the Carbonlight rifle, sell off the barrel and get the Proof Research carbon wrapped barrel. As I said, I need to hit the lottery for this build.
The Razor AMG is only 28 oz. for a high quality, long range scope. The rings are light but strong ti and one-piece. Precision made NF rings need no hand lapping.
Eric B.
ACTION-> SAKO 85 stainless short action (for 6.5 Creedmoor)
BARREL-> Proof Research hunting profile carbon fiber wrapped in 6.5 Creedmoor
STOCK-> SAKO Carbonlight
SCOPE-> Vortex Razor AMG 6 - 24 x 50 W/ Nightforce one-piece titanium rings
So yeah, I have to buy the Carbonlight rifle, sell off the barrel and get the Proof Research carbon wrapped barrel. As I said, I need to hit the lottery for this build.
The Razor AMG is only 28 oz. for a high quality, long range scope. The rings are light but strong ti and one-piece. Precision made NF rings need no hand lapping.
Eric B.
