best western US hunting round

[FEENIX]

Originally Posted by Sully2
But the OP never said a word about anything "long range"..??

In fact, he did in his first post. Better read the 4th line again.

I was talking with my dad the other day about calibers and he has always (and still) say the 30-06 is the best all around hunting round for the western united states (mule deer, antelope, elk, big horn sheep etc). and I used to think the same but now my mind has been changing.
Im starting to lean more towards longer range, faster calibers like the 7mm
Im trying to pin down buying a new bolt action and keep going all across the board on deciding what caliber.
Im looking alot more into 7mm, 260 rem, 6.5x284, 300 winmag

I know all of those will be fine, I just cant get myself to decide.

The 7mm and 300win are probably going to be the best all arounders for where we live, but I really do like the bullets in the 6.5 caliber as well, so I just cant decide

Jeff

LL! Good one Jeff.

Ed

 

[FEENIX]

ya true, all good opinions though. I just disagree about the tikka not being able to be a long range rifle. I dont think there are a lot of rifles we would buy off the rack and go straight to over 1000 yds, especially in a $600 rig. Take that tikka and add a barrel and a different stock and its capable, just like many other stock rifles that people switch things out for longer distance shooting

Tikkas are very nice rifles. Unless I misunderstood the others' comment, I think they are just commenting on your choice of the "lite" model and not necessarily Tikka or the .300WM.

Ed

 

[cfvickers]

People always ask "What is the best round?" for this that or the other. well the bottom line is that every round is best suited to someone for something. We are individuals and what is best for you may not be what is best for another guy. Figure out what exactly you will be doing with the rifle, what attributes you most desire, narrow it down to the few that fit the bill and then decide based on what you like best about each. In the end you will find what is the best for your own purposes.

 

[Michael Eichele]

every single thing a 7 mag or a 30-06 does a 300 win will do better.

Jmo

jeff gun)-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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[Sully2]

In fact, he did in his first post. Better read the 4th line again.

Jeff

Im wrong again. Im just gonna leave off posting and reading stuff in here. I miss something and then reply and get my *** jumped all over and belittled....I dont need that crap

 

[Sully2]

lightbulb... and thus the friendly reminder, it is afterall the LRH site and Western hunting! lightbulb

And what else? Long Range hunting( of which NO ONE has bothered to define LONG RANGE...Now its also Western Hunting....east of the big muddy dont mean squat. Next it will be the "If its less than 34 caliber it aint squat" forum??? Might as well toss in .50 MG bolt actions...or maybe the He-Men cant handle those....beats me???

 

[82ndreddevil]

700 yards is a long shot for a 30-06! If I remember right my 300 win mag has a 100 inch drop at 700 yards, right around 3 mil hold over I think. The 30-06 would be a bit more drop and just below a 1000 pounds of energy. That would be like shooting a deer with a 223.

 

[Michael Eichele]

You cannot compare the 30-06 to a 223 at any range. There are loads for the 30-06 that can make the 1000'# mark at 1K easily and then some. 700 yards even easier. The 30-06 loaded properly can take deer, sheep, antelope to 1K. Most loads will fall short of 1000'# at 1K @ sea level. I dont know alot of deer, sheep or antelope that live at sea level. Go to 7000'ASL where the elk live and you can take elk further than you might think (1/2 Mile(ish)).

 

[FEENIX]

And what else? Long Range hunting( of which NO ONE has bothered to define LONG RANGE...Now its also Western Hunting....east of the big muddy dont mean squat. Next it will be the "If its less than 34 caliber it aint squat" forum??? Might as well toss in .50 MG bolt actions...or maybe the He-Men cant handle those....beats me???

It's really simple, the end user defines what they consider long range. As you're struggling to define or understand what long range is, there are many members here that are working on extended long range (or are already there too) ... which by the way, I am nowhere near that ... but I am always open, willing, and able to learn.

Maybe this poll might help you understand, at least the capabilities of the members that participated ...

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f44/longest-big-game-kill-rifle-23445/

 

[Broz]

Im wrong again. Im just gonna leave off posting and reading stuff in here. I miss something and then reply and get my *** jumped all over and belittled....I dont need that crap

Well Sully, I am sorry you took it that way. I do read the first posts in a thread before I answer , and I answered with the criteria the OP listed. 7mag, 300, 30-06 and long range being of interest.

This IS Long Range Hunting Forum, I am here for that reason. I shoot and hunt long range and that is what I am here to read about. If I wanted to converse about 300 yard or less hunting with normal rifles I would be reading on "The 30-06 3x9 tasco Old Mans rifle Forum"

I am not picking on you. But now I will say it seems you have a problem with large rifles, quality / expensive equipment and Long Range in general. It is my opinion you look for every available opertunity to bash these things in defense of the smaller calibers .277 and down. But take offense when the merrits of larger calibers at LONG RANGE are pointed out.

It is not personal, you are the one looking for a confrontation or debate in my opinion.

Reguards.

Jeff

 

[cross]

After 3+ decades of guiding and outfitting elk hunters in Colorado, I have come to the conclusion the 7mm can do anything the 30's can do, with less recoil. I've had numerous 30's, mostly magnums, and 5 7mms, mostly magnums. I've shot everything from prairie dogs to elk with all of them, and my personal all-round favorite, do it all caliber is the 7mm Rem mag. Superior ballistics give this round a decisive advantage at long distances, with basically identical recoil to the '06. It does not give up enough in energy or momentum to the .300 Win mag to justify the added recoil of that round. This is all just my opinion, but it's mine.
I've had muzzle breaks on a 7 Rem mag, .300 Jarrett, and .358 STA, as well as similar, unbraked, rifles up to 458 Win mag. The brakes work, and very well. I'm just tired of all that muzzle blast.
It comes down to personal preference, as animals shot with these rounds don't know the difference. Hit well, they die fast. Shot poorly, they run off. When it comes to elk at ranges somewhere beyond 1K or so, if I'm going bigger than my 7mm, it will be a .338, but that, to me, is getting into another level that I'm not exploring... yet.

That's been my experience as well and you've arrived at the same conclusion that I have. I can't see any difference on elk between 7mm magnums or 300 magnums. Both kill elk and both provide about 20 percent bang-flops but the 7's don't need muzzle breaks. If you need a muzzle break, you just as well pack a .338 magnum of some sort. Why come out half stepp'in?

 

[82ndreddevil]

Yea you are right there is a difference in what elevation you shoot at. All my hunting is around 10K, and yea you do retain high velocities for longer distances. The round I was using to compare anyway to the 223 was a 180 grain Accubond by Federal. But honestly, a 1/2 mile? It sounds more like your talking about shooting at a rifle range and not hunting in the field. Shooting off a back pack is different then off of a bench. My RX1000 only reads to 650yards anyways. At the range my Sendero can hit pretty far, but that does not mean I should shoot at animals that far. My reason is that if I am at the range I know the exact distance, if I am hunting it is usually an estimation, and at some ranges if your off by 50 yards you will miss. My last elk hunt there was an outfitter camp hunting on public land and they took their clients out on the low lands where they were just shooting at bulls way out there. All they did is just make tons of noise spoiling the morning for responsible and hunters that are working for their bulls.

 

[toddc]

650 isnt long range anymore. A stock savage 300 win or 308 for that matter with a cheapo burris is a deadly 650 combo all day long with handloads especially. If your rangefinder is only good to 650 then 651 is long range. Id get a new rangefinder myself. And yes 650 is a poke for people who dont practice and a joke for those who do.

 

[82ndreddevil]

The rangefinder works well in areas with good reflective objects, its in the woods that it gets weak. Leupold says that they will not replace anymore. I have already been through a few of them. I had a savage 10FP in 308 but the stock it came with was not worth a **** and the rifle could not group an MOA. I had to get a stock from bells and carlson to get that rifle to group a 1/2 MOA. Ill personally never buy a savage again. I liked the sendero because it feels like the M-24, all I did was up the magnification and caliber. I do not even shoot handloads or matchgrade and ill put that sendero up against an M24 or an M40 any day. I get where you are coming from on your view. But no matter how you argue it at those ranges you do not have a good amount of energy.