I currently have a custom 223 and custom 308 that I use for plinking steel at the range. I'm wanting to step up to a all around rifle that could be used for antelope all the way to elk. I've considered the 270/30-06 but I don't know that I gain enough energy over the 308 at 500 yards to justify the upgrade. 500 yards is my limit to what I will shoot. More recently I've considered the 6.5 prc and a 7mm rm. I don't reload so factory Ammo is a must. I'm not interested in the 300wm or larger 30 cal rifles. This rifle won't see much range time, just hunting. It will be equipped with my 30p-1 suppressor so i will probably stick with a sendero contour barrel. Any help would be appreciated.
Looking for a new rifle, unsure where to start...help with caliber.
- Thread starter Lrdchaos
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KyCarl
Well-Known Member
I think that 7MM RM would be a good choice. It has enough power and there
are scads of factory ammo choices.
are scads of factory ammo choices.
Vortex!
Well-Known Member
You're going to get all sorts of opinions. My personal favorite is the 270. It's a great round that will definitely perform out to and beyond 500 yrds. The farthest shot I've done with it is 300 yrds but that is the farthest I can shoot where I hunt. It did a great job on the buck. I was using Remington core lokts.
I sort'a think that when hunting elk, your stepping into another class of critter in terms of how big of a hammer should you use to drive a nail. An antelope is little bigger than a dog and an elk is just a little smaller than a horse.
Any of the "go-fast" 6.5's (6.5x284) would be ideal for almost everything long range but IMO, elk have a way of not cooperating and running a long way down into a hole if you don't anchor them with both a good shot and a good/heavy projectile. That doesn't mean a guy can't get something lighter to work but IMO, an elk rifle and an antelope rifle are probably not the same gun. That said, a 30-06 is actually one of the most practical "all around" rifles a guy can own and it would be fine for both antelope and elk, when used within it's range of capability.
Anyway... 6.5x284.
Any of the "go-fast" 6.5's (6.5x284) would be ideal for almost everything long range but IMO, elk have a way of not cooperating and running a long way down into a hole if you don't anchor them with both a good shot and a good/heavy projectile. That doesn't mean a guy can't get something lighter to work but IMO, an elk rifle and an antelope rifle are probably not the same gun. That said, a 30-06 is actually one of the most practical "all around" rifles a guy can own and it would be fine for both antelope and elk, when used within it's range of capability.
Anyway... 6.5x284.
farmboykjb5.9
Well-Known Member
Good ol 7mm rem mag, lots of ammo and bullet choice's and big enough to do what you want
cohunt
Well-Known Member
Your 308 isnt much different than a 30-06 ----- why not just start with your 308? It might not be the best ballistic choice but its more than capable out to 500 yards imo.
My short 16" barrel 308 still retains just shy of 1500ftlbs @ 500yards-- plenty of umpfh to kill an elk of you ask me.
Nothing wrong with the age old 308, unless of course you just want to buy a new rifle- than my all means buy something different
Since you dont reload, 308 is a great round for ammo choice too.
My short 16" barrel 308 still retains just shy of 1500ftlbs @ 500yards-- plenty of umpfh to kill an elk of you ask me.
Nothing wrong with the age old 308, unless of course you just want to buy a new rifle- than my all means buy something different
Since you dont reload, 308 is a great round for ammo choice too.
bpcrshooter
Well-Known Member
7mmRM......160 Double tap ammo....
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
7mm RemMag
Beardeddeer91
Well-Known Member
7 RM would be my choice. It's more than enough within your 500 yard limit and if you decided to take it past that in the future you'll already have a capable cartridge. Plus there is some decent factory ammo choices for long range work.
RockyMtnMT
Official LRH Sponsor
Another vote for the 7mag. Look for a barrel twist of a min 1-9" preferably 1-8". The higher twist rates will have better on game performance and allow you to run heavier bullets if you ever want or need them.
Guy M
Well-Known Member
I'd be most concerned about the type of hunting rifle selected, rather than which particular cartridge. This is after decades of hunting. There are many, many answers.
Here on this forum, we might be a little prejudiced in favor of rifles built specifically for long-range hunting/shooting, but for a general-purpose hunting rifle it's hard to beat the basic "American Sporter" type rifle. A mid-weight, bolt action repeater in any of a dozen different cartridges, topped with quality glass.
So - is your 308 a "general purpose" type hunting rifle or is it a more specialized precision rifle? If it's a good general purpose type hunting rifle, then you're already set! Sure you can bump up to something bigger. But why?
Let me use my favorite "all-around" rifle as an illustration of what I have found to be about ideal, for me and my hunting. Before I get into what it is, let's see what it has done in recent years:
2016, I used one rifle/scope/bullet combo to take:
Antelope at 245 yards
Mule deer at 140 yards
Black bear at 325 yards
Cow elk at 338 yards
Then a few months later I drove to Alaska where I shot a wolf and a grizzly, with the same rifle. I did bump up to a heavier bullet. The grizzly was taken at under 40 yards, the wolf at about 250 yards.
All that, one rifle, one scope, and only two loads. In truth, I could have done it all with one load, no problem. The rifle is reasonably light. Handles well. Has better than MOA accuracy. Is extremely reliable in all sorts of conditions. It's not magic, it's just a good old normal north American type hunting rifle. Any number of different variations on the theme would do as well.
Mine is a 30-06 Remington 700 CDL which had an older 2-7x Redfield on it for all that hunting. Now it has a 6x Leupold. The loads were:
165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip at 2970 fps via H4350
200 gr Nosler Partition at 2600 fps via H4350
I honestly couldn't ask for better results afield. It has become my "go-to" hunting rifle for pretty much everything. Simple. Reliable. Accurate. Adequately powerful.
Now - go figure out which you like best - Remington, Ruger, Savage, Weatherby, Winchester... Whatever. The rifle you like best in any number of good cartridges will do just fine. I like your 7mm Rem mag idea, hunted with one of those for some years. It's a good all-arounder, with about as much recoil as I can shoot well from a typical sporter rifle. Somewhere along the line, I decided to drop the 7 mag and go back to my old faithful 30-06, but that doesn't mean there was anything wrong with the 7mm cartridge. Either one, or many others, work just fine.
Regards, Guy
Here on this forum, we might be a little prejudiced in favor of rifles built specifically for long-range hunting/shooting, but for a general-purpose hunting rifle it's hard to beat the basic "American Sporter" type rifle. A mid-weight, bolt action repeater in any of a dozen different cartridges, topped with quality glass.
So - is your 308 a "general purpose" type hunting rifle or is it a more specialized precision rifle? If it's a good general purpose type hunting rifle, then you're already set! Sure you can bump up to something bigger. But why?
Let me use my favorite "all-around" rifle as an illustration of what I have found to be about ideal, for me and my hunting. Before I get into what it is, let's see what it has done in recent years:
2016, I used one rifle/scope/bullet combo to take:
Antelope at 245 yards
Mule deer at 140 yards
Black bear at 325 yards
Cow elk at 338 yards
Then a few months later I drove to Alaska where I shot a wolf and a grizzly, with the same rifle. I did bump up to a heavier bullet. The grizzly was taken at under 40 yards, the wolf at about 250 yards.
All that, one rifle, one scope, and only two loads. In truth, I could have done it all with one load, no problem. The rifle is reasonably light. Handles well. Has better than MOA accuracy. Is extremely reliable in all sorts of conditions. It's not magic, it's just a good old normal north American type hunting rifle. Any number of different variations on the theme would do as well.
Mine is a 30-06 Remington 700 CDL which had an older 2-7x Redfield on it for all that hunting. Now it has a 6x Leupold. The loads were:
165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip at 2970 fps via H4350
200 gr Nosler Partition at 2600 fps via H4350
I honestly couldn't ask for better results afield. It has become my "go-to" hunting rifle for pretty much everything. Simple. Reliable. Accurate. Adequately powerful.
Now - go figure out which you like best - Remington, Ruger, Savage, Weatherby, Winchester... Whatever. The rifle you like best in any number of good cartridges will do just fine. I like your 7mm Rem mag idea, hunted with one of those for some years. It's a good all-arounder, with about as much recoil as I can shoot well from a typical sporter rifle. Somewhere along the line, I decided to drop the 7 mag and go back to my old faithful 30-06, but that doesn't mean there was anything wrong with the 7mm cartridge. Either one, or many others, work just fine.
Regards, Guy
Guy M
Well-Known Member
But... look hard at your 308... I've got a feeling you already own the rifle you need for your hunting... 
Roughneck018
Well-Known Member
280 ai
That's too bad you're not considering the .300 WM esp. when suppressed. With 215 ABM you'd be golden up 1K yards, esp. when elk is in the menu.
Between the 6.5 PRC and 7MM RM, IIWY, I'd go with the 6.5 PRC.
Good luck on your choice.
Between the 6.5 PRC and 7MM RM, IIWY, I'd go with the 6.5 PRC.
Good luck on your choice.
