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Long Range Hunting & Shooting
Most versatile chambering for handloaders?
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<blockquote data-quote="GeorgeS" data-source="post: 1618397" data-attributes="member: 107925"><p>Depends on your philosophy. You can make the case that choosing a midrange round that can be loaded both down and up in bullet weight and power from that midrange to fill the bill, is the right approach. You can also make the case that choosing a round that has no trouble whatever at the highest reaches - where power is king, the game is life-threatening, and extra oomph determines who eats whom - but that also can be loaded down for smaller game, is the right approach.</p><p></p><p>If the former, the .30-06 is very versatile, with saboted rounds down in the 55 grain range, and solids up into the 220 grain range, along with handy and widely-available, diverse molds for casting. If the latter, then you move to .458 Win Mag, capable of bringing down a griz or polar bear quickly (elephant, for that matter - assuming a safari might one day happen), yet which can be loaded down and itself likewise saboted to .30 caliber for smaller game.</p><p></p><p>The downside of the latter is that you want to design for the top end load, which means Mag-Na-Port, heavy Walnut Mannlicher stock, high forward pitch rollover comb, and a significant recoil pad so that the rifle remains controllable with full power loads, and is comfortable to shoot. Once you do that, it's perfectly usable.</p><p></p><p>I have both, and the .458 is more pleasant to shoot than the .30-06, although it is a bit of work to carry 8 1/2 lbs over a long day. I doubt many would suggest the .458 because of the reputation for recoil, but not many have ever carried or fired one, so they'd mostly be talking theoretically, instead of from first-hand experience, as I am. You'd be surprised how the extra weight tames the recoil.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GeorgeS, post: 1618397, member: 107925"] Depends on your philosophy. You can make the case that choosing a midrange round that can be loaded both down and up in bullet weight and power from that midrange to fill the bill, is the right approach. You can also make the case that choosing a round that has no trouble whatever at the highest reaches - where power is king, the game is life-threatening, and extra oomph determines who eats whom - but that also can be loaded down for smaller game, is the right approach. If the former, the .30-06 is very versatile, with saboted rounds down in the 55 grain range, and solids up into the 220 grain range, along with handy and widely-available, diverse molds for casting. If the latter, then you move to .458 Win Mag, capable of bringing down a griz or polar bear quickly (elephant, for that matter - assuming a safari might one day happen), yet which can be loaded down and itself likewise saboted to .30 caliber for smaller game. The downside of the latter is that you want to design for the top end load, which means Mag-Na-Port, heavy Walnut Mannlicher stock, high forward pitch rollover comb, and a significant recoil pad so that the rifle remains controllable with full power loads, and is comfortable to shoot. Once you do that, it's perfectly usable. I have both, and the .458 is more pleasant to shoot than the .30-06, although it is a bit of work to carry 8 1/2 lbs over a long day. I doubt many would suggest the .458 because of the reputation for recoil, but not many have ever carried or fired one, so they'd mostly be talking theoretically, instead of from first-hand experience, as I am. You'd be surprised how the extra weight tames the recoil. [/QUOTE]
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