Caliber advice

[73driver]

Nothing about performance. It would be like if you had to eat green peas, 3 meals a day for 30 years straight. You wouldn't want to see a ---- pea any more would you?

Yikes, you did explain that. Just had a hard time imagining growing up around guys that disgusted you so much you would get turned off on their beloved 30-06.

 

[JacoKalahari]

Guys
This is what I will get:
7mm Rem Mag(serious knock down power)
And or
308/30-06
The older 30cals are very efficient killing calibers!
I am more than willing to put a Oryx or Bluewildebeest down with either of the above out to 400m!
And with 150-175gr projectiles!
Just sort yourself out with a decent scope with target turrets for precise adjustments rather than "holdover" guesstimates...

 

[Zymurgist]

For no more than 600 yards I would consider a 308 or 7mm-08. The 7mm would shoot flatter and have less recoil than the 308. Both of these cartridges work well with shorter barrels and weigh a lot less and have lower free recoil than a magnum, especially the 7mm. Both of these rounds have killed a lot of Elk.

 

[ronstone09]

I am looking for advice on caliber for a custom build.
Max range: 600yds
Game: Medium to large sized game
Rifle Specs.: Barrel length less than 26 inches (I want the rifle to be easy to maneuver and carry but hit like a hammer)

I was originally thinking 300 WM but with a barrel less than 26 in I don't think it would be a good choice. What about 300 WSM?

I use my 300 wsm with 180 gr accubonds for moose and elk and it performs great

 

[Gregger]

300RCM or 338RCM both hit hard or even the 338 federal.

 

[ndking1126]

You talk like the .338 Win Mag is a 20mm Russian cannon. Mine in a Hogue stock kicked less than most "turdy 'ot sucks" I've ever fired. Stock design really does mean a lot. Most of the people saying 33, were talking about the Win Mag. Mine sure slung 225 Accubonds and 250 Partitions really nice. With a 24" barrel in a stainless Ruger MkII I averaged 2840 with a 250 Partition. Granted it worked great in Winter, flattened the primers out a little, but in the summer it stuck the bolt.

I see the hyperbole in your statement, and understand the sentiment. But if we assume the same stock design/material/recoil pad, the -06 will recoil quite a bit less. Physics doesn't lie. But either way, regardless if we discuss the 30-06 or not, the reality is you don't need a bullet anywhere near that big to do what the OP wants to do. What I love about ballistics and cartridge selection is that this is all very scientific. You don't have to worry about a "magic sauce" or trying to reach an indeterminable (is that a word??) level of energy/velocity to penetrate through vitals and just hope that the animal dies. It's all reasonably verifiable. Also, advances we have made in understanding ballistics, powder, and bullet construction have been great for us as shooters. The bottom line is the OP can reliably do what he wants with a smaller caliber bullet and to me it seems quite misleading to tell him other wise. I know you can find a few stories where a given cartridge didn't down an elk on the first shot. Maybe it was a failed bullet, maybe the elk was dead and didn't know it. There are these stories for every single caliber out there. But there are plenty, plenty more that were successful. Again, I've got nothing against the bigger cartridges. If that's what you want, I'd never try to stop you. I just don't understand why people seem to indicate these big bores shooting at crazy velocities are needed. I really am trying to understand, by the way.

 

[cpayne]

I am looking for advice on caliber for a custom build.
Max range: 600yds
Game: Medium to large sized game
Rifle Specs.: Barrel length less than 26 inches (I want the rifle to be easy to maneuver and carry but hit like a hammer)

I was originally thinking 300 WM but with a barrel less than 26 in I don't think it would be a good choice. What about 300 WSM?

Hey I got a tikka T-3 lite. Been reloading and checking some different loads. This past weekend I tried some 168 grain Nosler with 65 grains of hornady superformance I hit 1/5 moa at 594 yards. I don't want to hunt past that range. But I'm working up to a target I've set up at 1200 yards

 

[HobieH3]

1 shot from a .30-06 will cause people to implode into a black hole, animals to vaporize, tanks to explode and airplanes to go down in flames. Plus it shoots 10,000 yards with no drop and the wind is afraid to blow on it

7.62 Creedmoor Long!

 

[robert l]

I'm a 30 cal guy, ANY 30 cal magnum will do what you want, even with a 24" tube.........but a 338WM with a 24" tube will hit like the Hammer of Thor.
I also choose heavy for calibre bullets, so for a 338, 225-250gr bullets is what I would recommend.
I have a 338WM (3 separate rifles actually) and use 225gr Accubonds and 250gr Partitions in all 3.
Never had a failure to kill ANY animal with those bullets.

Cheers.

Me either but i have a 28 inch tube but the 250 accu bonds pretty rip any thing it hits to shreds.

 

[5.56×250]

I think a couple things need to be added by the OP in order to help with the ideal caliber.
1) what exactly are you hunting ie, what is medium game, large game for YOU ?
2) are these animals in your back yard, or on the rare expensive hunt ?

I believe most would agree these questions play Into the equation. If your able to hunt the game you seek on a regular bases, you are able to be picky on shot opportunities and pass less than ideal shots, because you can try again tomorrow. If it's a hunt of a lifetime, you need the horsepower to take whatever shot opportunity presents itself.
To the other question, size of an animal doesnt always give the true will to live of a critter. A 280 or 06 would be plenty fine if you live among an elk herd , but if you've saved for 5 yrs to go on an elk hunt, a 338wm or 300rum would allow lethal shots you might pass with a standard caliber. Accuracy is important with either cartridge group , but a Texas heart shot on a 380" bull running away at 500yds is a higher % shot with a 215 or 300gr bullet at magnum velocities than a 180gr traveling 250fps slower at that same range.
I once knew of a guy that went 6 for 6 on mature bull elk with a 22 250. 5 of 6 fell in their tracks with HEART shots. Yhe other ran a short distance. He lived where the elk did, so he had the luxury of waiting for a perfect broadside /slightly quartering away shot the little bullet required to make it happen.

 

[Peddler 76]

And that's why the Creedmoor won't die

 

[Overkill338]

7.62 Creedmoor Long!

Yeah, those Creed humpers really are a strange crowd. I heard they sit around "floggin' the dolphin" while reading creed load date lmao

But as long as they use the cartridge that was an answer without a question, it will keep more brass and ammo for the rest of us using real calibers.

Ok, ok, all jokes aside....

What does the Creed do that a 6.5-284 cant? What about the .260 Rem, .264 Win Mag, 6.5x55 etc etc? This is a serious question, insert no sarcasam. Let me guess ,someone will call it "It is inherently Accurate"?

 

[DavidleeCole]

.300 whby mag send 180's @3000 fps from a 24" if hand load with H1000. It will punch through 3/16" steel plate (regular alloy) and still rip the same plate at 1000 yards. My vanguard did then I put a 26" on it and get 3160 ish

 

[Buano]

I am looking for advice on caliber for a custom build.
Max range: 600yds
Game: Medium to large sized game
Rifle Specs.: Barrel length less than 26 inches (I want the rifle to be easy to maneuver and carry but hit like a hammer)

I was originally thinking 300 WM but with a barrel less than 26 in I don't think it would be a good choice. What about 300 WSM?

With ranges limited to 600 yards & medium to large game, only one cartridge came to mind, the classic .375 H&H. It shoots very well from a 26" barrel and hits like a LARGE hammer. When I bought mine I was pleased to see it didn't have any more felt recoil than my .300 mag.. It is definitely worth considering!