Calibre choice for hunting

[jrock]

There is lots to think about in a one and done, all game, long range gun. I'll just touch on a couple.
For me, I started with what caliber gives me the best BC for a 180 grain bullet. 180 grain bullets have some serious knockdown power. That is the 7mm. Now that there is the EOL .270 170 grain, that is a contender. Next I focused on velocity and trajectory at long ranges. Better BC better down range energy and wind drift. That pushed me up to the 338's. Then I focused on recoil, brake the 338 makes it more shootable, 7mm and big bullets manageable, high velocity 6.5 with lower recoil...seem like I'm in a circular path of thinking.

I have a 7mm RM which is undisputed at killing elk at 1000 yards, 338 NM as well and a 6.5 SAUM for deer. If I were to pick just one, I would stick with the 6.5 and just get close to the elk and shoot heavy bullets. I guess I shoot what suits my mood.

 

[1100 Remington Man]

This would be easy for me as I have a .264 Win Mag and 300 H & H Mag.
I would buy a 7mm Rem Mag why less recoil than a 300 Mag and I'm not a fan of brakes.

 

[scfam]

I like the 6.5 bullets, the Creedmoor is great for whitetail. But if I'm going to start planning a longer range rig, I may as well go with something that can take bigger game such as elk, if I ever choose to go on a hunt.

So my question is, what calibres offer bullets with a high BC as well as reliable terminal performance on game? Maybe the .30, or is it more beneficial to jump up to the .338?

50 BMG gets you the biggest BC. Sooooo.....I don't recommend that for hunting.

The real answer is: "It Depends". What will you hunt? if you are discounting dangerous game and sticking to things like elk, moose, deer, sheep, I would say that the 7mm does all you need. There are some fantastic 168 -180 grain very high BC bullets that will hold massive energy to seriously long ranges. The plus over the .30 is you deal with lower recoil. The 300 and 338 CAN get you bigger BCs in super heavy bullets, but so does the BMG. I have a 300 and I love it, but if I had it to do all over again, I'd prefer the 28 Nosler or 7mm WSM or 7mm RUM over my 300 WSM. The 7mms are lasers and pack massive punch out past 800 yards. 7mm is all you need.

Everything looks cool on paper, but when you are in the field, the huge .30 and .338 magnums either kick like mules, have horrifically loud muzzle brakes, and/or will be rather heavy to handle recoil. Dead is dead. 7mm will make them dead. BTW, a 26 Nosler, 270 WSM, or 6.5x284 will take elk to some pretty serious ranges as well, so don't be too quick to dismiss these quality long-range rounds.

Don't fall into the mathematics trap. There are plenty of high BC choices out there that don't create so many compromises (flinching and recoil).

 

[TK 1985]

Well I'm not going to go to super magnums, unless brass makes a u turn and becomes super available, loud brakes don't matter as hearing protection is always present anyways.