My favorite caliber

Walleye Steve said:

Choosing a caliber for an all around hunting rifle can be daunting for a new or even experienced hunter. After owning several .30 caliber magnums and not liking the weight of these guns, I finally settled on the .270 wsm. My daughter and I both have them and I have found that this caliber has all the qualities i could want in a deer and elk killer. My kid loves hers

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IMHO, this is all what matters, have fun with it, esp. with your kids. Cheers!

for where I am at it's the .270 all the way. Killed about the same number of deer with the .270 as the .308. The .270 anchors them where they are. Never had one take more than 2 steps. The .308 it seems they always go from 15 - 50 yds. I will admit my sample size is only about 15 total. If I was in the west and had the opportunity to elk or mule deer hunt frequently it would be the .300wm. I have taken and elk with a 7mmRM, but sold that gun. If I ever go back again it will be the 300 win mag.

the hunter said:

No thanks, I like my belt

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I do, also! I don't have one on my WSMs (they are not Bieber-like) but I do have one on my 338WM. Man, that Tikka T3 is light as a feather and with the Limbsaver custom fit pad, it shoots like a dream and flies like a freight train.

BTW, all of the 270Win posts are excellent. What an incredible all around standard caliber.

MudRunner2005 said:

You talking about the .577 Tyrannosaur...??? I do too! Shot some big bore rifles, but never anything that nasty.

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Thanks for that link Mud, it made my day.

.30 + .270 = .570

I have to pick 270wsm. I do love my Laredo 300 WinMag and hunted with it this year because I had never taken anything with it. Killed a nice buck and a Yote with it. It is ahooter for sure but for where I live the flat shooting 270wsm with 130 grain Accubonds has never failed me. If I lived some where that could require shots longer than 400 yards regularly then it may be different. If a 270wsm was the only rifle in my safe I wouldnt hesitate to take it on an Ky Elk hunt if I EVER GET DRAWN! Would definitely drop the 130 grainers and go heavier. That being said for Elk I may just grab the 300 WinMag since I already have plenty of 180 grain Accubonds loaded for it. Lol

the hunter said:

Poor you, you did not know that they make them even bigger? Like in 2 bore.

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Yes I was aware, they're called Punt Guns, and they were designed to take down entire flocks of birds.

"Times have CHANGED" LOL !! LOL !! LOL !! ,..YUP, the Elk are NOW wearing, Ballistic Nylon Vests, over their Bullet proof,.. STEEL,.. UNDER WEAR ! My son and I, have 2 Bulls in the freezer, shot with, a 150 gr ELD-X, in a 7mm-08 and a 140 gr AccuBond from, my .270 WSM,.. I'll go out to my Garage and tell those Bulls, in the Freezer that, it was,.. ALL a MISTAKE and they really couldn't/ shouldn't be, dead as we didn't use .300 Mags or,..BIGGER ! Those 2 Bulls, are laughing their asszzes off,.. at that, one !

Hey, I know the .270's, 308, .30-06, 7mm's, etc.,.. AIN'T "popular" Cartridges for Elk anymore, as they have gotten, so much TOUGHER since, the Pioneers and Indians Hunted them, over 150 years ago with, lead Bullet's in muzzle loaders, .44-40's, .45-70's and,.. Bows Arrows ! We "Hunters", just keep on killing "chit" despite,.. the "naysayers"

Idaho Lefty said:

Hey, I know the .270's, 308, .30-06, 7mm's, etc.,.. AIN'T "popular" Cartridges for Elk anymore, as they have gotten, so much TOUGHER since, the Pioneers and Indians Hunted them, over 150 years ago with, lead Bullet's in muzzle loaders, .44-40's, .45-70's and,.. Bows Arrows !

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Don't forget all the wooly mammoths they killed with sharpened pointy sticks...

Idaho Lefty said:

"Times have CHANGED" LOL !! LOL !! LOL !! ,..YUP, the Elk are NOW wearing, Ballistic Nylon Vests, over their Bullet proof,.. STEEL,.. UNDER WEAR ! My son and I, have 2 Bulls in the freezer, shot with, a 150 gr ELD-X, in a 7mm-08 and a 140 gr AccuBond from, my .270 WSM,.. I'll go out to my Garage and tell those Bulls, in the Freezer that, it was,.. ALL a MISTAKE and they really couldn't/ shouldn't be, dead as we didn't use .300 Mags or,..BIGGER ! Those 2 Bulls, are laughing their asszzes off,.. at that, one !

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This has been my argument the whole time. Everyone says you "NEED" this or that monstrous massive huge caliber to kill these animals... Why not just start hunting with a .408 Cheytac, or a .50 BMG, or a Solothurn 20mm...??? On second thought, I'll be shooting over 500 yards, now how do I decide between the M61 Vulcan, and the GAU-8???

As per the OP's, original statement, they CHOSE to go with, the .270 WSM and I , I, I, do believe that, they are NOT, "undergunned" with it, as a 140 AccuBond or Berger Classic Hunter Bullet started at, 3,150-3,200 FPS, are still going OVER,.. 2,000 FPS at,.. 750 YARDS !! Nosler AB's are stated by the Factory, to "expand" down to 1,800 FPS !

MudRunner2005 said:

This has been my argument the whole time. Everyone says you "NEED" this or that monstrous massive huge caliber to kill these animals... Why not just start hunting with a .408 Cheytac, or a .50 BMG, or a Solothurn 20mm...??? On second thought, I'll be shooting over 500 yards, now how do I decide between the M61 Vulcan, and the GAU-8???

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EXACTLY! I cringe every time I read caliber recommendation threads for elk or bear or whatever and guys are saying calibers under 300 win mag or 338 win mag shouldn't even be considered and they aren't adequate for elk. I think people confuse their personal preference with what is really needed to kill these animals. If you want to own and hunt with large calibers do it - different strokes for different folks...don't say that smaller calibers are inadequate or shouldn't be used to kill elk or bears or big muleys. It's just not true. I don't have anything against large or magnum calibers either...I own and have owned and hunted with several different ones.

Yep. To each, their own. But lots of folks confuse opinions and necessities, and sometimes let them overlap. I've owned a .338 before... Just wasn't impressed with it. Lots more recoil for an unsatisfactory result. So I rebarreled it to something else.

Maybe I didn't read close enough but I didn't see anyone claiming you need a 300 or larger to kill an elk. I've heard of elephants being killed by a .22. Dead is dead. Shot placement is more important than caliber!! If I had a charging (put anything dangerous here) I would chose to defend myself with my .300 weatherby. Not because it's the biggest or badest cartridge, it's because I've shot it the most and I believe in it. I have bigger and badder rifles. I just don't have the confidence in them like I do in old Roy. If it's legal, and you trust it, you should use it! While we have got a little off topic OP ask which we prefer .30 or .27. Almost 2-1 prefer the 30. I'm in that group. Not because the .27 won't kill. It will. When I hunt seriously you can bet I will be packing one of my many .30's. I know them. I know how they shoot, and I prefer them to all others.