No, no you don't need to stick the 45-70 in there.25/35 AI
30-06
9.3X62
I do need to stick the 45-70 in there though!!
lol, damn it, Yeah I know....the 9.3x62 has never taken DG... properly!No, no you don't need to stick the 45-70 in there.
You NEED to step up to a proper DG cartridge.![]()
Welcome to AH. No offense meant, just having some fun.lol, damn it, Yeah I know....the 9.3x62 has never taken DG... properly!
Welcome to AH. No offense meant, just having some fun.
Great choices, though favoring the big and heavy recoiling. I’d sub the 257 Wby for the 300, my favorite of the weatherby calibers.300 Weatherby mag
375 Ruger
458 Win Mag+
My wife has been asking for an extra half MOA for quite a while now.I wanted to put the 7mm PRC in there also but the OP said 3!
As much as I hate to admit it it does wonders with less recoil and factory ammo in mine is 1/2 moa or better.
The 35 Whelen is practically a 9.3 but made in the USA. Too bad it is dying out. Better than the .338/06..300 HAM'R
.300 WSM
9.3x62mm
The .300 HAM'R, basically a .300 BLK stretched to maximize velocity with a 150 grain bullet at the expense of shooting subsonic, might be my favorite in NA. There is surprisingly little that a 150 SST at 2250 FPS can't do in North America, and recoil is only marginally above a 5.56x45.
I have shot a .300 WSM since I was 17, and still love it as an all around caliber. Recoil is tiny for a .300 magnum, so you can shoot all day without hurting your shoulder. It holds more than one F-class and 1000 yard record, and a 200 or 212 ELDX is devastating to 400 yards.
The 9.3 is a new addition, but seems to punch well above it's size in terms of hunting big game. I think that's on the list because it opened my eyes to the possibility of hunting Africa.
If I had ever gotten a .338-06, it might've stolen the 9.3x62 spot, but alas I never did and now have too many reloading projects in front of it to start a new one. I will note that it's hard for me to divorce the cartridge from the rifle for me. More experienced shooters with large collections likely don't have that issue, but I think of the caliber and see the rifle. I'd like to call that wisdom in matching the cartridge to the gun, but it's probably more accurately termed "bias".
The 35 Whelen is practically a 9.3 but made in the USA. Too bad it is dying out. Better than the .338/06.
Hello @NeophyteCan’t believe I missed this thread.
My three with a caveat. The caveat being that this is for large game anywhere in the world and doesn’t include rabbits, foxes, skunks, etc., etc. and factory ammo is readily available usually.
In order of preference:
.338 Win Mag
.375 Ruger
6.5 Creedmoor
I love the .338WM for its versatility. The Ruger for its efficiency and the 6.5 Creedmoor for its availability. If I could only have one cartridge it would be the .338WM.
Per a friend that has made more trips to Africa than I can count the .338WM will work on Cape Buffalo very well. He’s used the .338, .375, and .458 on those critters. He made his trips in the 1970’s with his last one being about 1986 or so for Hippo. His .375 was the H&H version and the .458 was a Win Mag.
The newer cartridges Ruger and Creedmoor are well supported, especially the Creedmoor, but Hornady and Ruger do a great job supporting the .375 Ruger cartridge. I would love to see some other ammo companies start making ammo for the cartridge. Do you hear that Barnes?
I stopped reloading as I don’t have the time to be working up loads and such. I got rid of all my reloading equipment and find factory ammo to be sufficient. Especially with premium ammo manufacturers. I’d rather shoot than spend my time working up sub MOA loads for a factory gun.
If I could only have one cartridge it would be the .338WM. If only two cartridges it would be the 6.5 and .375. There’s a lot of other cartridges but based on ammo availability locally these are what I’d select. It’s a good thing I’m not limited as I also like the 25-06, 6.5 Grendel, .223 Remington, .35 Whelen, and 45-70. It was hard limiting myself to three but based on local availability and cartridge efficiency I made my selection.
The one knock on the 7mm-08 is that it doesn't incorporate the genius of the 6.5 CM. SHORTENING the case a touch sacrifices a bit of powder capacity for the ability to use modern, long bullets. I believe that a "7mm Creedmoor" could be an absolutely perfect all around caliber by pushing 180 grain bullets at 2750 FPS from a short action. Also less bore erosion than the 6.5 CM.Hello @Neophyte
Everything you say make sense to me. Although I like some of the older classics too, such as the 6.5x55 SE, 280 Rem, 30.06, 35 Whelen, 375 WH&H, I decided on the 7mm-08 Rem instead of the 6.5 CM due to same ballistics to 500 yards, but a larger diameter (I never shoot beyond 400 yards). The 375 Ruger is only 100-150 ft/sec faster than the H&H but it results in around 350-400 ft/lbs which is enough for me to have chosen the Ruger...the faster 375's would have been too much for me. Then the rifle that I will never be without in my safe or on a trip to Africa is the 338 WM. The way this rifle plugged the life out of each animal I shot in the past just made me grow in confidence with this rifle.....so I agree with you, if only one rifle for me, it would be the 338 WM.