Would appreciate thoughts on "having it all" to 600 yards.

[hitsthemark]

I would like some suggestions on the best cartridge that will do all the things I want.

I want the most accurate, best-barrel lived, and least recoiling cal. that will reliably kill Elk ( or smaller critters) out to 600 yards. I will be target shooting this rifle quite a bit as well, though not competitively.

I'm not a fan of muzzle breaks and am a left-handed shooter.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and suggestions!


" If I can see it, I can hit it.....and I can see pretty well."

 

[marketello]

Gee, sounds familiar. You might want to run a search on all of my posts, there will be a lot of reading in there for you.

 

[Guest]

Some will tell you .308.....
If you really do not like recoil, this seems like the cartridge for you.

I like a 7 STW myself. How much recoil is too much for you? Recoil is relative.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I would have suggested the .308 until you got to the 600yd elk hunting. I don't consider the .308 a 600yd deer cartridge, never-mind elk cartridge, but I'm sure to get some opposition on that.

IMO all the things you are looking for are not found in a single cartridge. How about a 6BR for accurate, long life and low recoil. Great for target shooting. Then get a 300 Ultra for slamming large game @ extended ranges?

VH

 

[LDHunter]

300SAUM seems like a candidate. I'm getting close to 3000fps with 165's out of mine and use Varget powder with excellent accuracy and low recoil.

$bob$

 

[Guest]

I'm gonna have to say the 300WSM

I have owned 2 of them ..

Both were Rem SA's

One is currently in an A5 tactical set-up and shoot the 190's into an honest 10" at 1000 yards.

The other I sold to one lucky SOB and it shot the 168's and 175's reall fast and into the .4" consistently. It was in a McMillan HTG and had a take off PSS barrel on it stable for the long shots and light enough to carry all day... shooting the 175's it is easily a 600 yard Elk Cartridge.

 

[cdmorten]

One gun to do it all?? Doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of owning lots of guns??

As far as the gun that does everything, it doesn't exist. I would buy a .308 now and a 300WM next year. Then you're completely covered.

 

[sakofan]

Wrong thread....sorry

[ 11-27-2004: Message edited by: sakofan ]

 

[ewallace]

For elk at 600 yards I would look at the 338 Win Mag 300 Win mag or a 300 WSM. I have taken Elk with a 7mm Mag at 655 yards it took 3 shots in the chest. I am leaning towards the bigger bullets 30 or 338s.
Crow Mag

 

[D.S.]

Hitsthemark--take a very long look at the .300 winchester magnum. Most people can tolerate its recoil, even in a sporter-weight rifle and its also a VERY tried and true, accurate cartridge(you can find ammo and reloading components anywhere). Last but not least it will handle elk out to 600yards and deer much further.
--DREW

 

[chris matthews]

the guys all have good suggestions here with the 308, 300 Win mag or WSM but they are missing probably the best all around for cartridge for what you want-
30-06. Just another thought....

 

[hitsthemark]

First, let me say thanks to all who replied. I appreciate your input.

I agree that the .308 Winchester is a great choice based on my experiences with a beautiful old Remington 760 I own. But, I also agree that at 600 yards it just does not have enough pop.

The suggestion of a 30-06 is good too, but I think that it would be only marginally better at long range, and PERHAPS less accurate than a .308.

The 300 Win. mag or 300 WSM might indeed be the best choices if one sticks to a "one gun doing it all out to 600 premise." These were the thoughts I was mulling over when I went to the Gun Show this last weekend.

At the show I found a guy who was selling a Savage 110FLP, with a 3x9 Redfield Tracker scope. The rifle was traded to him by another southpaw shooter who had never fired it. I jumped on that sucker like a chicken on a June-bug and went in quest of ammo.

I did not find and hot deals on ammo. What I DID find, was a Belgian Browning BAR in .338 Win Mag. This lightly used rifle is about 90%, and sports a new Decellerator recoil pad, a 2.5X8 Bausch and Lomb Bal Var scope, and a 2-inch muzzle break ( not wild about breaks but if we all wear our cans...) He also threw in a couple boxes of Wichester Supreme ammo. So, I bought that too.

Needless to say I was thrilled to be walking out the door with all of this for under $1000. As I think about it, why try to do with one gun what you can do with two?

 

[lerch]

well i am new to all of this but from charts and all the info I have gathered the 300 ultra mag is the best 30 cal available. I would recommend it because of the large number of bullets available in 30 cal and the tremedous power it is capable of delivering. Recoil is decent but with a good pad you can manage it. Does a hell of a job on prairie dogs.

 

[trader388]

My vote is for the 30-06.

I'd go for a sendero contour or heavier 22" - 24" barrel. No brake needed.