Short action magnums

[MISportsman]

I would like to put together a 20" barrel quick handling short action magnum woods gun. I originally wanted a .350 Remington Magnum, but it seemed to be dead unless you have a custom rifle and already have a stock of brass. I would like to stick to a medium bore. I'm thinking maybe either .338 rcm or .325 wsm. It will be used for black bear and elk. Maybe one day might bring it to Alaska for moose but that's later on. What do you guys be think?

 

[93marlin]

If you chose one of those two, be sure to secure a good supply of brass.
I'm not convinced that either will be available in good quantities...

 

[Hunter-Habib]

You could also try .338 Winchester Magnum

 

[Mountaineer]

You would never regret a 338 federal. The last elk I shot with mine was 440 yards one shot and it went less than 20 yards.

 

[MISportsman]

You would never regret a 338 federal. The last elk I shot with mine was 440 yards one shot and it went less than 20 yards.

I looked into the .338 federal, but ammo seems to be difficult to come by

 

[WAB]

I have a .325 WSM. Very effective cartridge. I have not had any problems with reloading components.

 

[OLB]

I would like to put together a 20" barrel quick handling short action magnum woods gun. I originally wanted a .350 Remington Magnum, but it seemed to be dead unless you have a custom rifle and already have a stock of brass. I would like to stick to a medium bore. I'm thinking maybe either .338 rcm or .325 wsm. It will be used for black bear and elk. Maybe one day might bring it to Alaska for moose but that's later on. What do you guys be think?

I have both the 350RM and a 325WSM. The 350RM is a Ruger MKll with a 20" barrel. The 325 is a Kimber Montana. Some mornings its hard to decide which one to grab for the days elk hunt Either way you'll be covered. They are Fantastic elk cartridges !

 

[Graham Hunter]

I have both and wouldn't trade either. I have killed Bear ( a lot of) also Moose and Deer and one Elk with the 350. Haven't got to try the 325 on anything yet!

 

[ldmay375]

I would like to put together a 20" barrel quick handling short action magnum woods gun. I originally wanted a .350 Remington Magnum, but it seemed to be dead unless you have a custom rifle and already have a stock of brass. I would like to stick to a medium bore. I'm thinking maybe either .338 rcm or .325 wsm. It will be used for black bear and elk. Maybe one day might bring it to Alaska for moose but that's later on. What do you guys be think?

I will qualify my statementsworth:
I have only killed paper with my 325 WSMs.

But, I really like the cartridge. I have 2ea Kimber Montanas and 2ea M70 New Haven Classics. One of the Kimbers has a 22-1/4" barrel and one of the M70's in in the process of being cut to very close to that length.
I am a big fan of the cartridge. I settled on the 22"ish as being my preferred shorter barrel length for these rifles. Nothing against the shorter barrels. I have a few larger bores with 20" barrels. Time permitting I am going to do some chronograph comparisons. The other 24" ones may very well be cut to 22".
The 338 RCM seems to be a good cartridge also. I think, I would be more inclined to do a 20" in it than the 325. But, you never know until you try it, or someone else that you know does.

 

[ldmay375]

You could also try .338 Winchester Magnum

Another favorite cartridge.!!

 

[Desperatezulu]

The good old 308 Win is shorter (or as short) than anything mentioned here. 180gr bullets and brass are easy to come by and will continue to be long after the new 335 Remchester MSSA (microscopically super short action) is extinct.

If it has to be bigger than 30 cal, then the 358 Win is worth a mention, if the 338 Fed isn't an option.

 

[MISportsman]

You could also try .338 Winchester Magnum

That would fit the bill perfectly, but I forget one minor detail when I started the thread. I have a short action savage 110 action that I picked up cheap at a gun show that I am using for this project. I have researched barrels in all of the short action calibers mentioned and they can be made without braking the bank as with a savage 110 short action bolt with a magnum bolt face.

 

[F. Vaccaro]

I would opt for .338 over 8mm no matter what ctg. case.

 

[AZDAVE]

My wife's favorite rifle is her 338 RCM, she has shot over 20 animals in Africa with it. It is a nice round that fits your requirement. Would recommend it but to get a good supply of brass. I also built a 416 express (350RM necked up to a 416) that is a nice anything in north america, wildcat.

 

[C.W. Richter]

300 WSM ammo will always be available (and if you handload, you can use whatever bullets you like-including 200 gr NPs for anything you like-including Moose, big Bear and PG.) That's what I'd opt for in such a short rig. I have other wildcats made from it, but they're smaller calibers with longer barrels designed for longer range precision shooting. I'm sure someone has wildcatted a 338 WSM (or RSAUM). That might perform better (more powder space) as the bullets are shorter, but the RCM fits the bill here and has gained some popularity. 'Had a 350 Rem Mag. A beast when handloaded and not too accurate. I waved the white flag and sold it! lol IF you can find a 350 Norma, go for it (but once you get above a certain bullet weight and amount of powder with a 20" bbl, it'll be shooting flames (inefficient) and your shoulder will wear out prematurely...

 

[C.W. Richter]

my WSM has a 23" bbl (and 1" shorty brake on top of it,) and weighs <7 lbs w/ scope. Bansner Ultimate Ovis. Extremely accurate way out!

 

[ldmay375]

That would fit the bill perfectly, but I forget one minor detail when I started the thread. I have a short action savage 110 action that I picked up cheap at a gun show that I am using for this project. I have researched barrels in all of the short action calibers mentioned and they can be made without braking the bank as with a savage 110 short action bolt with a magnum bolt face.

If you are going 338 Winchester cartridge length, 20" barrel, and magnum bolt face, the 375 Ruger would be my pick.
I am very fond of my 20" 375 Rugers.
Or, 416 Ruger if I wanted a bit more diameter.

 

[MISportsman]

If you are going 338 Winchester cartridge length, 20" barrel, and magnum bolt face, the 375 Ruger would be my pick.
I am very fond of my 20" 375 Rugers.
Or, 416 Ruger if I wanted a bit more diameter.

The .375 Ruger would be outstanding, in fact may still buy one some day. However the .375 Ruger is a long action (overall length is 3.34 same as the .30-06) so unfortunately it will not work for this particular build.

 

[curtism1234]

Imo 20" is too short for a magnum. All you are going to get is a super loud 30-06 / 35 Whelan whose muzzleblast could produce a bigger flinch than recoil energy.

I do like the 338 federal, it seems to be the 308 case family's sweet spot. Ammo hard to get? A little easier to find at retail than 325wsm and half the cost.

Not a bolt action - but imo it is hard to beat a Browning BLR lever action in 300 wsm 22" for what you are looking for. I think 22" is a good compromise of velocity and muzzleblast.
But the 358 winchester is a great choice too for a woods gun. Not a lot of ammo choices, but that big heavy cup/core is a workhorse and you can always find a custom ammo maker at a very fair price due to very common components

 

[MISportsman]

Imo 20" is too short for a magnum. All you are going to get is a super loud 30-06 / 35 Whelan whose muzzleblast could produce a bigger flinch than recoil energy.

I do like the 338 federal, it seems to be the 308 case family's sweet spot. Ammo hard to get? A little easier to find at retail than 325wsm and half the cost.

Not a bolt action - but imo it is hard to beat a Browning BLR lever action in 300 wsm 22" for what you are looking for. I think 22" is a good compromise of velocity and muzzleblast.
But the 358 winchester is a great choice too for a woods gun. Not a lot of ammo choices, but that big heavy cup/core is a workhorse and you can always find a custom ammo maker at a very fair price due to very common components

358 Winchester is another caliber that I'm looking very closely at. It seems to fit the build very well and buffalo bore keeps a good stock of 225 gr soft points that leave s 22" barrel at about 2500 fps do even in a 20" that would still be mid 2400s. My only concern is even though most of my hunting is between 50&200 yds, if that shot presents itself at 300ish like sometimes happens will the .358 win be up to it?