Need advice - mountain calibre for single shot rifle

[BeeMaa]

I would think that a K95 in .257 WBY would be ideal unless grizzlies are a concern.

That would be my choice as well. Along with 300WM and 375H&H to give versatility to the set up. I just wish the 375 was available in the K95. It would be a lively and handy rifle to have.

Looks like @Opposite Pole went with all rimmed cartridges to keep it in one caliber group.

 

[K95]

I would think that a K95 in .257 WBY would be ideal unless grizzlies are a concern.

Yes you are so right but there aren’t to many grizzlies in New Zealand. That’s what I meant by choosing the right caliber for the game your hunting and what could be encountered. When I hunted the Alaskan and Brooks ranges I used the 8 x 68 S, equivalent in energy to the 338 win mag but shooting a little flatter. A good old German friend of mine was the Australia importer of everything from his home country over 30 years ago . Mauser, Zeiss, EAW , Puma knives, RWS ammunition. He instilled in me back then some important values about overseas hunting and having the right gear. He always told me not to use rimmed cartridges as they weren’t needed in today’s rifles. If you are a traditionalist then by all means. But rimless cartridges are the way to go. Outside Europe there hard to get and more expensive, always loaded back in power to allow for the OLD break action rifles still used there.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hi Bob
I have been reading about guys wanting single shot rifles for mountain hunting and appropriate calibers. They are asking about reliability, weight, accuracy, all important and valid questions. For the life of me I carn’t understand everyone recommending rimmed cartridges for break action single shots. If these were posted 60 years ago I could understand. Most high grade SS rifles hail from a European heritage were their cartridges have worked for the past 100 years and there is no real reason to change. A shot out of a tree stand
( hochsitz ) or driven hunt is usually at very close range. European guides want their clients with in 150 meters which is a long shot. A rimmed 8 x 57 or 6.5 x 55 is more than enough and can be stretched considerably further. Don’t get me wrong I’m not against European cartridges, in fact they where my preferred calibers for over 20 years. Cartridges like the 5.6 x 57, 7 x 64, 6.5 x 68 and it’s big brother the 8 x 68, 9.3 x 64 were all calibers I used through Africa and Alaska in a Mauser 66s. If any one is going to the expense of buying one of these single shot rifles please choose your calibers to best suit the game you are after. There was a gent from New Zealand after one. A 257 Weatherby will handle anything in those mountains. A 100 gr TTSX at 3600 fps shoots like a laser beam. Superbly accurate in the K 95 out of a trim rifle with a bare weight 5.5 lbs. I had a PBC cap made for my Swarvoski Z6i 1.7-10 x 42 and it will put all its Bullets from 200 to 500 yards at point of aim into a 1.7” circle. People comment on barrels burning out in flat shooting magnums, but if it’s your purpose trophy hunting or meat rifle and you don’t take it to the range every weekend it will last you a life time. Reliability, the K 95 is so simple, there’s nothing to go wrong. I have hunted with my K 95 for over 25 yrs with temperatures of 40c plus In the top end of Australia to -30c in Mongolia all with a wooden stock. Rain , hail ,sunshine, dust and snow and it’s never once let me down. For some one not familiar with the K 95 it’s a big decision but for someone who has used one for half a lifetime I would recommend one in a heartbeat.

@K95
I agree Ken Ruger No1, Blaser K95 and the Browning 85 all make beautiful single shots for almost any caliber you can think of.
Yhe K95 in 257 weatherby would make an ideal mountain rifle. If you wanted a bit more punch the old 264 win mag or 26 Nosler would step it up a bit.
If I had the money I would have a K95 in 25 and the Whelen in a heartbeat. I would settle for the Browning in the Whelen.
I've heard great things about the H&R as well as the cva in 25/06. Problem is I would probably have them rechambered for the weatherby.
Bob.

 

[rookhawk]

I love the fact this 2019 extinct thread came back to life. So much gold in these posts!

In a kipplauff single shot that 7x65r recommended many times in prior pages is pretty good.

In a custom falling block, a mountain rifle that can handle belted and rimless cartridges, I’m thinking .318 Westley, 338-06, 35 whelen, 35 remington, 8x57JRS, 9.3x74r, 300 Holland, and a few others strike the balance between flat trajectory and great stopping power without insane recoil.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

That would be my choice as well. Along with 300WM and 375H&H to give versatility to the set up. I just wish the 375 was available in the K95. It would be a lively and handy rifle to have.

Looks like @Opposite Pole went with all rimmed cartridges to keep it in one caliber group.

@BeeMaa
Ken @K95 reckons you can change bolt heads on the sweet little K95 quicker than you can change your undies.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I love the fact this 2019 extinct thread came back to life. So much gold in these posts!

In a kipplauff single shot that 7x65r recommended many times in prior pages is pretty good.

In a custom falling block, a mountain rifle that can handle belted and rimless cartridges, I’m thinking .318 Westley, 338-06, 35 whelen, 35 remington, 8x57JRS, 9.3x74r, 300 Holland, and a few others strike the balance between flat trajectory and great stopping power without insane recoil.

@rookhawk
I'm glad you mentioned the Whelen. Ruger had the No1 in the Whelen at one time but a bit heavy.
Bob

 

[K95]

That would be my choice as well. Along with 300WM and 375H&H to give versatility to the set up. I just wish the 375 was available in the K95. It would be a lively and handy rifle to have.

Looks like @Opposite Pole went with all rimmed cartridges to keep it in one caliber group.

Sounds like a combo for hunting the world over. If you hankering for a 375 in the K95 you could always do what I have done and have the 9.3 x62 rechambered for the 9.3 x 64 Brenneke . It’s the European equivalent punching a 286 gr at 2690 fps and the 300 gr at 2500 +.
My collection for the K95 consists of the
220 Wilson arrow
257 Wea
270 Wea
28 Nosler
300 Wea
338 Rum

 

[K95]

@BeeMaa
Ken @K95 reckons you can change bolt heads on the sweet little K95 quicker than you can change your undies.
Bob

Hi Bob
You don’t have to change anything.
The beauty of the K 95 is that the bolt face or block handles everything from a Hornet to the big magnums

 

[K95]

@K95
I agree Ken Ruger No1, Blaser K95 and the Browning 85 all make beautiful single shots for almost any caliber you can think of.
Yhe K95 in 257 weatherby would make an ideal mountain rifle. If you wanted a bit more punch the old 264 win mag or 26 Nosler would step it up a bit.
If I had the money I would have a K95 in 25 and the Whelen in a heartbeat. I would settle for the Browning in the Whelen.
I've heard great things about the H&R as well as the cva in 25/06. Problem is I would probably have them rechambered for the weatherby.
Bob.

There are some lovely single shot rifles or there, another one nobody has mentioned is the Thompson centre. Saw a guy in Africa using one in a 416 Rem. Now that would be a handful.

 

[IvW]

@BeeMaa
Ken @K95 reckons you can change bolt heads on the sweet little K95 quicker than you can change your undies.
Bob

Bolt heads? On a K95? Hoe does that work?

 

[K95]

Bolt heads? On a K95? Hoe does that work?

There’s no bolt head, it has a block with the firing mechanism enclosed so cartridge size doesn’t matter. Anything from the hornet to the biggest magnum are all fine.

 

[Opposite Pole]

K95 is right, of course, that for a rifle with Jaeger tilted block system such as K95, Merkel K5, K3, Haenel Jaeger 9, Sabatti SKL-20 etc., there’s no need for lower pressure, rimmed cartridges. Case extraction might be a bit easier with rimmed cases, but it’s a largely academic discussion. He’s also right that most factory rimmed ammunition is loaded relatively mild and that outside of Europe, it is not particularly popular or available. In Europe, however, availability is not a problem. Take the 8x57JRS I bought as a temporary solution. Every single hunting shop I’ve been to had a selection of ammo on the shelf - several RWS offerings, S&B, Norma, Geco.

I admit there are no real advantages to rimmed cartridges, and yet this is what I chose. Why? Well, why not? I enjoy variety, and by getting different chamberings but sticking with calibres, I already load for I can limit my stock of projectiles. I’m not a traditionalist and am not sentimental about old ways. My current kipplauf is synthetic, as is my R8, my binos feature laser rangefinder etc. But from a practical point of view, the way I see it, there’s but one disadvantage of these rimmed cartridges to the handloader and that is die availability and cost. I’ve ordered 5.6x50R dies from Forster, and 30R Blaser dies from Triebel. Both were very expensive and with a long wait time. I don’t care about the wait as the rifle will take longer still, but the cost is very high compared to the same dies for more common chamberings. Other than that, I see no drawbacks. If I find that 30R Blaser with its 300H&H ballistics is not long-range enough, I’ll get another barrel in 270Wby or 300Win Mag or see if I can manage to rechamber one to 300Norma Magnum. The barrel I was unsure about was 9.3x74R. In the end, I ordered it because I like the cartridge a lot for its intended use and load it for my double anyway, so I’ll adjust the load for accuracy in K95 and use the same ammo in a double and a lightweight stalking rifle. It’ll work a treat on some of the weekend hunts I do in the autumn, where we’ll have a driven hunt on Saturday morning and spend the rest of the weekend stalking.

 

[Nevada Mike]

For mountain hunting the elusive, small Coues whitetails of Arizona, I have a Ruger No. 1 in 25-'06 being completed now. Long shots at smaller game animals.

For general mountain hunting - mainly elk and mule deer - I use my old 7mm RM which has never let me down.

 

[K95]

I wish I was around when this post was current. I have been using a Blaser K95 for around 25 years and have experience with a number of calibers. For most deer and mountain game a 7 mm mag or my choice the 270 Weatherby with a Z6i Swarvoski 1.7-10x42 makes shots to 400 yards to easy. For larger game there is a 300 Win, 300 Weatherby or the larger 338 cals. I am lucky enough to have the same Swarvoski scope on all my barrels and couldn’t wish for any better. Use enough gun and place your shot right and a single shot is all you will ever need.
Ken

 

[K95]

The Swarvoski Z6i 1.7-10x42 is light weight, compact in size with brilliant optics, my favorite scope.

 

[IvW]

I am using my 7x57mm Brno mod 21 with spoon handle bolt, out of the way safety and twin trigger setup as my mountain rifle, light weight, easy to carry and very effective

 

[Whitebear995]

I own three Ruger #1 rifles and they are not lightweights, even in my #1 RSI with 20" barrel. Another rifle I'd suggest you look at is the T/C Encore with 24" barrel. With a walnut stock it's rated at 6 pounds 12 oz (6 3/4 pounds). I'd think switching out the walnut for synthetic would save you, perhaps, up to 1/2 pound. The 24" barrel is sufficient for any cartridge you mentioned and you can also get it in a 25/06 which might also be ideal for your needs. The rifle remains compact, almost exactly the same OAL as a Ruger #1A with 22" tube. Top it with an ultralight Leupold 3-9x33 using lightweight Talley mounts & rings (1 piece?) and you will have a pretty lightweight set-up. I can tell you from experience tho, still at least a pound or so heavier than a M700Ti with L/A and 22" barrel with similar scope.

 

[IvW]

My choice now would fall on Blaser K95 or Krieghoff Hubertus in 7x65R for larger pg and 6.5x57R for smaller pg in open or mountain areas....

 

[Neophyte]

My mountain rifle, although bolt action, is a .338 Win Mag.

I like it’s versatility and what I will use if I ever get drawn for desert bighorn sheep. You can load it with 185 grain bullets up to 250 grain loads. There are some lighter and some heavier bullets but the common weights are 185, 210, 225, and 250 grains.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Thing is though handloaded 30R Blaser is within 100ft/s of 300WM so that’s not far off duplicating it. For me that’s too close to get both.

Then why the 30R?