One rifle for North American big game?

[Von S.]

A great shot with something that is just adequate is better than à bad shot with something thàt is too powerful?

OK! I'll go along with that and am sure thàt many here hàve passed up many a shot at some trophy's ovev the yeàrs because the shot just wasn't perfeçt.

But in north americà that all changes when a 800 pound Kodiak appears 30 feet away and Lets you know that he and the fàmily will be using you heàd for a soccer bàll in a few minutes.

Then.,..ànd only then in thè last momentß of life will you realize thàt màybe the 460 W should have been higher on your list?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The .30/06 is the .375 H&H of NA as an all around rifle.

My grandfather told my father to get me a .30/06 in the early 1980s for that reason. It was good advice then and it's good advice now.

Royal27
As the old saying goes
There ain't nothin y'all can't hunt with $700 and a good ol 30/06.
BOB

 

[Divernhunter]

^^^ I wish!!. Convince the outfitter I booked an Elk hunt with or the people in Texas I went to for exotics

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@1dirthawker, I too like the 225 Barnes, according to Buffalo Bore the 35 Whelen moves the 225 grain Barnes at 2800 fps, oddly enough that's the same speed produced by the 338. Unfortunately Buffalo Bore is not currently producing this load, I know they use to because I bought the last box Midway had, my dad was able to closely reproduce the Buffalo Barnes load, his loads clock at 2730fps, I guess his barrel is to short to reach the advertised 2800fps.

This 35 caliber 225 grain Barnes was recovered from the Sable I took in July. A 200 yard frontal Chest shot, the Sable dropped in it's tracks and never moved.

View attachment 246020 View attachment 246021

Art
The Whelen is definitely the KING OF THE HILL. What it won't kill in the 50 states ain't worth hunting.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

This was the poster's original comment:

"The main things I will hunt with it are Whitetail Deer and Wild Hogs in Florida.
However, there are other hunts I plan to do with this ride - out in the west for pronghorn, elk, and mule deer - as well as black bear somewhere further north. "

Lol, so again, I really appreciate all you alaskans and Grizz hunters but he never mentioned them and outside of Grizzlys you in no way need a .338 or a .35 whelen, etc. It's way overkill, costly, etc. Biggest thing he has is elk and a 30.06 likely has killed more elk than every other rd combined. Nuff said. He doesn't need to be blowing up whitetails and pigs with a .225 grain Barnes (best bullets imo BTW).

Nature boy
The hogs and deer over there must be mighty small If'n the 35 blows em up.
Here in OZ it just punches holes thru them.
My 35 actually does less meat damage than my 25 cal. That's why my 35 has become my go-to for meat hunting.
I'm moving 225grain accubonds at 2,850fps in the Whelen.
Bob

 

[Mike Van Horn]

For the game you mentioned. The 28 caliber magnum will cover it all. 7mm Remington or the 7mm Weatherby my favorite. Also the 28 Nosler

 

[crs]

Having just skimmed through this thread, MY CONCLUSION IS THAT A LOT OF GUN AND HUNTING ENTHUSIASTS HAVE A LOT OF EXTRA TIME ON THEIR HANDS.

 

[Major Khan]

Assuming that you have no intention of ever hunting in Africa , then I would highly recommend ( Among commercially manufactured rifles ) a :
> Pre 64 Winchester Model 70 , chambered in .338 Winchester magnum calibre . It should wear a “ Super Grade “ stock and have a bull barrel . It should be equipped with a low power telescopic sight ( Not too high magnification ) .

Among custom rifles , I would highly recommend a :
> Griffin & Howe custom piece , built on an Enfield Model 1917 action and chambered in .338 Winchester Magnum . It should be equipped with a French Walnut stock , Douglas barrel and a low power telescopic sight .

The .338 Winchester magnum could easily floor even the largest of the American Kodiak Bears ... With utter impunity . Now , should you have Africa planned some day ... Then , it would not be unwise to swap the .338 Winchester magnum calibre for a .375 Holland & Holland magnum calibre .

 

[RayAtkinson]

Ive done most of my hunting in the lower 48 with the 7x57 and 30-06. no complaints, none at all...Ive used my .338 on a number of elk,...

I like the 200 gr. Acccubond or partition for elk with the 30-06 and the 160 partition in my 7x57..

Given one choice Id go with the 30-06 its been performing wonders on big game for ions and anyone that says it isn't a elk rifle is nuts...

 

[Chago]

This thread is 2 years old. The OP probably bought 6 guns since then and has hunted in Florida lol

But hey I wanna add my 2 cents too!!!!

I have said on this website 400 times now. 300 Win mag..... period. I like sticking to calibers in the 0.308 category only due to bullet selections. You have every size, shape and color you can possibly want. So you can easily load very light 110-120 grain bullets, load them lighter so your not burning your barrel. And this can be used for hogs, Florida or Texas deer (sorry boys, but I hunt on a buddies ranch in Texas every fall and the mature bucks we shoot down there body size would be a yearling up here in Canada). You can then step up to bullets in the 140-170 grains if you are shooting larger northern deer, long shots on pronghorns where some bullet weight will help with accuracy, sheep species, etc. Then step up to 180-200 grains for elk, black bears, mountain lions etc. Then for the big big stuff you can load from 200-220 grains for moose, caribou, brown bears, grizzly...

And on top of all of those bullet sizes, you then have all those same selections in different bullet constructions, so whatever your flavor is, you can find a bullet.

My 300wm Fierce Edge is zeroed for a 212 grain eld x. This is used on basically all big game hunting that I do. I will be taking it this year to the yukon on mountain goat and moose.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

This thread is 2 years old. The OP probably bought 6 guns since then and has hunted in Florida lol

But hey I wanna add my 2 cents too!!!!

I have said on this website 400 times now. 300 Win mag..... period. I like sticking to calibers in the 0.308 category only due to bullet selections. You have every size, shape and color you can possibly want. So you can easily load very light 110-120 grain bullets, load them lighter so your not burning your barrel. And this can be used for hogs, Florida or Texas deer (sorry boys, but I hunt on a buddies ranch in Texas every fall and the mature bucks we shoot down there body size would be a yearling up here in Canada). You can then step up to bullets in the 140-170 grains if you are shooting larger northern deer, long shots on pronghorns where some bullet weight will help with accuracy, sheep species, etc. Then step up to 180-200 grains for elk, black bears, mountain lions etc. Then for the big big stuff you can load from 200-220 grains for moose, caribou, brown bears, grizzly...

And on top of all of those bullet sizes, you then have all those same selections in different bullet constructions, so whatever your flavor is, you can find a bullet.

My 300wm Fierce Edge is zeroed for a 212 grain eld x. This is used on basically all big game hunting that I do. I will be taking it this year to the yukon on mountain goat and moose.

@Chago
Sounds like a lot of playing around with the scope for each bullet weight. Wouldn't you be better off for one load for everything that way it saves ammo playing with the scope each time you change loads.
My brain would get to fuddled trying to remember what load I'm using.
Just my 2 cents worth
Bob

 

[Chago]

@Chago
Sounds like a lot of playing around with the scope for each bullet weight. Wouldn't you be better off for one load for everything that way it saves ammo playing with the scope each time you change loads.
My brain would get to fuddled trying to remember what load I'm using.
Just my 2 cents worth
Bob

oh ya that is exactly what I do. But the OP was asking for a all around caliber for everything and I was just saying how the 308 calibers allow you to have all of that flexibility. Me personally though, I have my rifle zeroed at 212 grain ELD X. And only use that on everything, I am a firm believer that no animal can be too dead lol.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Well it's a .30-06 day today. Hooray for old faithful! I think I can manage all the tasks today with the old .30-06!

@Chago the 300WM is pretty nice if you have the dies to load it handy. Your theory is a solid one, but needs a Lee or Lyman hand press to make it work. Also have you considered QD scope rings for all that flopping around in bullet weights? Just one extra scope would set you up pretty for varmint and heavy game. The problem still remains that you can't buy .300WM everywhere.

The good old .30-06 is where it's at. I honestly can't remember any shots I have made on game that I couldn't have made with it. It's loaded on the shelf from 125-220, but available everywhere in 150-180. You can hand load from 100 to 240 if you want.

 

[Chago]

Well it's a .30-06 day today. Hooray for old faithful! I think I can manage all the tasks today with the old .30-06!

@Chago the 300WM is pretty nice if you have the dies to load it handy. Your theory is a solid one, but needs a Lee or Lyman hand press to make it work. Also have you considered QD scope rings for all that flopping around in bullet weights? Just one extra scope would set you up pretty for varmint and heavy game. The problem still remains that you can't buy .300WM everywhere.

The good old .30-06 is where it's at. I honestly can't remember any shots I have made on game that I couldn't have made with it. It's loaded on the shelf from 125-220, but available everywhere in 150-180. You can hand load from 100 to 240 if you want.

No need for scope changes. Simply zero to the bullet and load you use the most. Then anything else you load. Take it to the range and build your dope to the yardages you will realistically shoot at. So when you are hunting you need to know your dope for that load.

 

[Fastrig]

This thread is 2 years old. The OP probably bought 6 guns since then and has hunted in Florida lol

But hey I wanna add my 2 cents too!!!!

I have said on this website 400 times now. 300 Win mag..... period. I like sticking to calibers in the 0.308 category only due to bullet selections. You have every size, shape and color you can possibly want. So you can easily load very light 110-120 grain bullets, load them lighter so your not burning your barrel. And this can be used for hogs, Florida or Texas deer (sorry boys, but I hunt on a buddies ranch in Texas every fall and the mature bucks we shoot down there body size would be a yearling up here in Canada). You can then step up to bullets in the 140-170 grains if you are shooting larger northern deer, long shots on pronghorns where some bullet weight will help with accuracy, sheep species, etc. Then step up to 180-200 grains for elk, black bears, mountain lions etc. Then for the big big stuff you can load from 200-220 grains for moose, caribou, brown bears, grizzly...

And on top of all of those bullet sizes, you then have all those same selections in different bullet constructions, so whatever your flavor is, you can find a bullet.

My 300wm Fierce Edge is zeroed for a 212 grain eld x. This is used on basically all big game hunting that I do. I will be taking it this year to the yukon on mountain goat and moose.

I am half in agreement with you. Bought two new rifles last year, Merkel RX Helix in 300 win mag and a Mauser M12 Max in 9.3x62. Reason I say half agree is because I can’t decide which of these two I like the most, and the same for the calibers. I can’t think of anything that I want to hunt that I can’t drop with one of these two rifles/calibers. Building a custom case so I can take both with me. If I’m hunting the big bears or something else with claws, teeth, or an attitude, I’ll use the Mauser...anything else, probably grabbing the Merkel. I’ve standardized on the 180 grain rounds for the win mag. I’m interested in the Barnes TTSX bullets as I like the ballistic design behind this round. They also offer the TTSX for the 9.3 in 250 grain which I think I’m going to have loaded up and give a go. They should give a bit more velocity and distance to that caliber, maybe make it a bit more flatter shooting as well.

 

[Ray B]

Assuming that you have no intention of ever hunting in Africa , then I would highly recommend ( Among commercially manufactured rifles ) a :
> Pre 64 Winchester Model 70 , chambered in .338 Winchester magnum calibre . It should wear a “ Super Grade “ stock and have a bull barrel . It should be equipped with a low power telescopic sight ( Not too high magnification ) .

Major, something like this? 1960 M70 Alaskan 338 - restocked with Oregon Black Walnut, Zeiss 3-9x scope.

 

[Mekaniks]

View attachment 352252


Major, something like this? 1960 M70 Alaskan 338 - restocked with Oregon Black Walnut, Zeiss 3-9x scope.

If someone can't get it done in North America with that, they should stay in home.

 

[Major Khan]

View attachment 352252


Major, something like this? 1960 M70 Alaskan 338 - restocked with Oregon Black Walnut, Zeiss 3-9x scope.

Why yes , Ray B ! That comes about as close to perfection ... As 1 can possibly get .

 

[cpr0312]

I missed this post 5 years ago....

But my suggestion the the headline of the thread would be .300 WM to cover all NA big game.

 

[WAB]

I missed this post 5 years ago....

But my suggestion the the headline of the thread would be .300 WM to cover all NA big game.

IMO you’re a little light for brown bear.