That was my thinking. Unless you are expecting a big Brown Bear to suddenly pop up - .300 Mag. Heck - even the trusty ole 30.06 should do for most of your targets?
300 Win Mag or 338 Win Mag
- Thread starter 260 rem
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OldElkHunter1961
Well-Known Member
For all the positive attributes the 338 WM brings to the table it is not a long range proposition in my experience. The 300 WM delivers much more performance when distances pass 400 yards. My opinion only, which I'm sure will now get me scatched off of many Christmas card lists. So goes life...
This guy ^ nails the cals.
Since you already load for the optimal 260Rem, build a 264Win with a faster twist? A 1:8 or 1:8.5 would stabilize up to 160gr bullets but a 140 partition moving at 3100+ is bad juju for anything up to large bears or Afrika stuff (and would do in a pinch).
stonehands1
Well-Known Member
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- Feb 25, 2015
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- 233
300 gets my vote for your needs.
338wm is great for Big game at 400 or less but lacks the case capacity to push heavy bullets fast enough for LR performance.
300wm and the 180gr have fed a lot of families for a lot of years
338wm is great for Big game at 400 or less but lacks the case capacity to push heavy bullets fast enough for LR performance.
300wm and the 180gr have fed a lot of families for a lot of years
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
For this kind of hunting I vote .300 win mag no question no hesitation!
Zuma
Active Member
Can't
I agree. If you are open to getting a 300 PRC you won't regret it. Slight advantage over 300 win mag regarding shooting longer heavier bullets but with almost identical powder capacity.
Tuffcountry
Well-Known Member
300 PRC
Zuma
Active Member
Can't go wrong with .338 Win Mag. Great flat shooting round and easy to reload.
As some have mentioned, the 300 WM seems to better fit your needs since you've already got the lighter \ flatter range met with your 260 and 6.5. I've not personally owned a 338 but I have taken everything from a 45 pound coyote to a 2,000 pound Eland with my 300 WM. The reason I've used that gun on so many hunts is because it has always shot well for me and you can move around on bullet weight and trajectory to tailor it to the hunting situation.
My suggestion would be that you spend a bit extra on the brand or build of the rifle to make sure whatever you buy is a quality firearm. That does not necessarily mean you need to buy a custom build. The rifle I referred to above is an off the shelf Steyr a guy talked me into 25 years ago. Best of luck with your decision process.
My suggestion would be that you spend a bit extra on the brand or build of the rifle to make sure whatever you buy is a quality firearm. That does not necessarily mean you need to buy a custom build. The rifle I referred to above is an off the shelf Steyr a guy talked me into 25 years ago. Best of luck with your decision process.
Technologist
Well-Known Member
Tell us more about your truck gun, please.
I chase bc and velocity like everyone else, but I ran the numbers on both for a friend. I went into it thinking the old winmag was slow and lame.
Pick bullets that work with the design and almost anything north of 223 can be very capable. Honestly pick whatever you can reliably get components for and put a great scope on it.
Pick bullets that work with the design and almost anything north of 223 can be very capable. Honestly pick whatever you can reliably get components for and put a great scope on it.
LRNut
Well-Known Member
I have only hunted NZ once for free range chamois and tahr. Used a Mod 7 in 300 SAUM; ranges were 200 and 225 IIRC. I love the 338 WM; pretty much shot the planet with that cartridge but stretching it past 500 is tough. I would go with a 300WM even though I have never owned one - IMO the 300 RUM is much better.
I agree with previous posts. If you are only looking to use this new gun in New Zealand, there is no justification for going above 30 caliber, and the modern 7MM and 6.5MM cartridges outperform the .300 Win on the game you have — although the ammunition cost is higher.
