Help me figure out a rifle

[mark-hunter]

or .275 Rigby (7x57mm) if I’m not mistaken.

fine caliber. but unless looking for high end new rifle, you are limited to 2nd hand options.
7x57 is in most cases phased out from factory rifles. What you can find is rifle in 7x64. This one is still in rifle production with most factories, or most of European factories.

 

[F. Vaccaro]

The OP said he has a bad shoulder. 7x57 felt recoil around 14 ft lbs. 300wm around 26 ft lbs?

We need to keep this in mind with suggestions!

 

[rookhawk]

I am looking to get a rifle that I can shoot deer in N America and possibly an elk but mostly deer as well as plains game in Africa. I’m open to most anything but leaning towards a 7mm RM or .275 Rigby (7x57mm) if I’m not mistaken. I am stuck between them and I have asked everyone I know and I’m still stuck. So I’d love to hear whatever y’all’s opinions are!
Thanks in advance,
Swampy

PS I have a shoulder that isn’t to great so that’s why I’m leaning towards a smaller rounds.

What a wonderfully sensible post @Swampbilly1231

You're absolutely right, you want a switch-hitter that allows you to splurge more on the rifle knowing it will be a companion here in North America and in Africa. 7x57 is an ideal caliber, but if you're bargain hunting here are some other heavy-for-caliber dynamos that will do great things in both places:

7x57
7x64 Brenneke
280 Remington
280 AI
318 Westley Richards
338-06

Find the nicest gun you can find for the lowest price in that column. All of them will do just as well on Kudu as they will on Elk and Deer.

My son wanted a light recoil rifle for all the same reasons. We found a custom mauser in 7x64 that would cost $6000-$9000 to have made. It was unfired sitting in the cabelas gun rack for $3500. We watched it for years, incorrectly advertised and in an area that doesn't know what 7x64 is. I think he paid $850 for the gun when he was eight? He's twelve now and he's taken everything from Eland, Wildebeest, Zebra and Kudu with it in Africa, to whitetails and an oryx here in the States.

All the above guns have 11lbs to 17lbs of felt recoil and are a joy to shoot.

 

[Rickmt]

270 with bullet going 3000 feet per second at muzzle. Less recoil for your shoulder and will do the job as you described.

 

[ILDRHNTR]

I suspect there is a silent majority on this forum that really thinks you should buy both. ;-)

Very true. Why take the personal opinions of others? Buy both and decide yourself. Someone will always snatch up a good deal on a slightly used rifle .

 

[MS 9x56]

You can never have too many guns

 

[C.W. Richter]

7x57 ammo is widely available (and many NICE guns available in that worldwide-popularity cartridge!) I myself prefer the 757 Ackley-Improved as it has more steam and not much more recoil-v. pleasant to shoot. Although handloading is best, the beauty of the AI is that you can use factory ammo (a necessary step in "fireforming" the improved cases for reloading anyway.) I like 140s for deer and 160-175s for elk-sized game or any PG. A hot 6.5 (x300 Wby, SAUM, WSM, etc.-not a needmore) will certainly also do the job at longer range with superb accuracy and very little felt recoil (also 140s and 160s suggested. Ammo/bullets are easier to find in 7x57 and certainly available should your ammo bag go missing for a few days in say, Namibia.

 

[Rem280]

Remember they kill moose and Brown Bears with pointy sticks, ie Bows and Arrows. I have a 280 Rem and works fine on anything I shot. Basically a 7mm'06. Might have to hand load for the most out of it.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Remember they kill moose and Brown Bears with pointy sticks, ie Bows and Arrows. I have a 280 Rem and works fine on anything I shot. Basically a 7mm'06. Might have to hand load for the most out of it.

Polar opposite physics: Acute Hemorrhaging vs hydrostatic shock and high energy damage w/ proper bullets. Have you shot a Kodiak bear w/ the 280? It'll work with the proper bullet, a prayer and a guide that loves backup shots, but there's much better medicine out there! Yes, the 280 is extremely similar to the 757 (Browning actually slightly improved upon Mauser's design-they are quite similar!) You'll not find 280 ammo in other continents should your ammo go missing (and it DOES happen!) The proper draw weight bow w/ the proper weight arrow and broadhead are actually better on DG than a .280! That said a 280 is at home for deer and PG (w/ the proper weight bullets-heavy for caliber/High SD 160s-175ish). Typ. American deer bullets don't fare so well in Africa...And, that's why Kevin Robertson has profited on educational books covering same!

 

[ChrisG]

I'm gonna split the difference and say 280 remington. It will probably be a handloaders proposition though. I haven't bought a factory load for any of my guns in years so I couldn't tell you whether it is common to find .280 in the stores. I just handload mine and it evenly splits the difference between 7mm RM and 7x57. Really an excellent cartridge and deserves to be more popular than it is. I love my Ruger no.1 in it.

 

[Rickmt]

280 rem is a great choice!

 

[7x57Joe]

280 rem is a great choice!

And so is the great creation of Wilhelm Brenneke in 1917, the 7x64!

 

[rookhawk]

As we are an international forum, I need to remind everyone that 7x64 and 280 remington are wonderful regional biases. Neither insufficient for the job at hand.

 

[steve white]

This post has been cartridge heavy, but the title would suggest more than that--"help me figure out a rifle" could be an extremely mature way to approach the discussion even before caliber! It COULD include reliability, tho that would be massively more important in a DG discussion, it could include weather stability, inbuilt accuracy, packages including superior triggers, sighting systems that are more robust, or even removable. I sometimes choose certain rifles on their own merits and then see if there are suitable calibers, many of which are suitable from performance parameters. I suspect many R8 owners would feel the same, tho I am not one yet. I'm not sure I even want to open the Pandora's box of aesthetics in wood or engraving...

 

[Rare Breed]

I am looking to get a rifle that I can shoot deer in N America and possibly an elk but mostly deer as well as plains game in Africa. I’m open to most anything but leaning towards a 7mm RM or .275 Rigby (7x57mm) if I’m not mistaken. I am stuck between them and I have asked everyone I know and I’m still stuck. So I’d love to hear whatever y’all’s opinions are!
Thanks in advance,
Swampy

PS I have a shoulder that isn’t to great so that’s why I’m leaning towards a smaller rounds.

I am a hopeless romantic…I bought a Rigby in 275 Rigby that fits any NA or PG animal needs except for big bears and DG above leopard.

 

[steve white]

How long exactly? Both carry more than enough for 500 yds, and the OP indicated he'd prefer to avoid excessive recoil. If you want more versatile, then wouldn't the 7 STW or 7 Weatherby be better choices? This ends up being a never ending arms race, where there is always a bump of 3 lbs of recoil being *just* in reach.

I wouldn't shoot an oryx or eland at 500 yds with a 7x57, but I probably would with a 7 mag.

 

[Rem280]

Proper fitting stock with a nice recoil pad helps a ton. Love my McMillan stocks.

 

[steve white]

OP has a bum shoulder, so the 8mm's might be off the table.

If it were me, I'd go with a 30-06 for the sake of ammo availability both in the US and Africa. Not to mention that you can buy reduced recoil loads for it. If you hand load, obviously you can do this as well.

Find a rifle you like and you can pick from bullet weight ranging from 125 grains up to 220, all in factory offerings. Certainly should find a sub-MOA load with those kind of options.

Second choice would be a 270WIN, as mentioned by others. Same reasons...ammo availability and bullet weight options.

Bum shoulder, but wants elk capability...the 35 Whelen is about the most efficient round I know that really kills above its weight with animals that size. Wonder if ANYONE around here could chine in support for it?...nah, probably have to go all the way to Australia for that to happen! (wink, wink)

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bum shoulder, but wants elk capability...the 35 Whelen is about the most efficient round I know that really kills above its weight with animals that size. Wonder if ANYONE around here could chine in support for it?...nah, probably have to go all the way to Australia for that to happen! (wink, wink)

@steve white
There's a lot of 35 lovers here.
@Rick HOlbert can tell you how well the humble little 358 Winchester flattens all the game he has shot both at home and in Africa.
35s just plain work.
Bob

 

[WAB]

In order of ascending recoil and capability, I would consider the following:

7x57

.30-06/8x57

.325 WSM/8x68

.35 Whelen

Any of these will kill an elk. If he can handle the recoil the 8x68/.325 would be ideal.