New rifle caliber

[BLASERMAN]

I live on the east coast but plan on headed out west (Colorado) to some land my uncle just bought and some outfitters land that I'm good friends with. I need a rifle that is pretty versatile. One that I can shoot muleys, elk, sheep, antelope but at the same time wouldn't be too much overkill for white tail over here in SC. I'm a big 30 cal fan, my shots would be limited to around 800ish yards but I plan on working on my skills so that I can be lethal at 1000, any thoughts?

I am from the East Coast. I have hunt from whitetail Mountain Goat to Kudu in Africa with a 300 wby. 180 grain bullet.

 

[Moose Loop]

I live on the east coast but plan on headed out west (Colorado) to some land my uncle just bought and some outfitters land that I'm good friends with. I need a rifle that is pretty versatile. One that I can shoot muleys, elk, sheep, antelope but at the same time wouldn't be too much overkill for white tail over here in SC. I'm a big 30 cal fan, my shots would be limited to around 800ish yards but I plan on working on my skills so that I can be lethal at 1000, any thoughts?

300 Winny on everything

 

[Reelamin]

300WM does everything you would ever need and pick up a box of affordable ammo when you need it.

 

[Will Gray]

I live on the east coast but plan on headed out west (Colorado) to some land my uncle just bought and some outfitters land that I'm good friends with. I need a rifle that is pretty versatile. One that I can shoot muleys, elk, sheep, antelope but at the same time wouldn't be too much overkill for white tail over here in SC. I'm a big 30 cal fan, my shots would be limited to around 800ish yards but I plan on working on my skills so that I can be lethal at 1000, any thoughts?

Consider the 30-06 and walk, ride, crawl to get to 500yds

 

[J.J. Weiland]

I would suggest a 7mm Rem Mag. Elk to Antelope is a big range. I am a .30 caliber fan as well and I love my 300wm and 300prc but they are a little much on antelope. I did kill an antelope at 700 yards with a 300 Rum with a 225eldm and didn't lose any meat...

7mm variation.

 

[Will Gray]

7mm variation.

Shoot them in the neck and there will be no meat damage. Any rifle will be fine...

 

[LDHunter]

I no longer have any rifles chambered for the cartridges you've mentioned but I've owned them all. If you intend to carry this rifle very much at all or are not very fit I'd go for one that fits in a short action such as a WSM and choose a medium to light weight rifle. If the recoil becomes objectionable, then and only then, consider a brake which will damage your hearing at least a little bit every time you fire it even with good hearing protection.

My personal choice is a Model Seven in 300SAUM but it's probably not the best choice beyond 600yds so the WSM would get the (my) nod for your application(s).

I'm very fit and work out a LOT but carrying a heavy rifle can quickly take a lot of the fun out of a hunt if you walk much at all or hunt in mountainous terrain. You need to arrive in your shooting position with moderate breathing and not tremble from carrying a heavy rifle. That is WAAAAAAAY more important than how fast you've initially launched your bullet.

Also I'd recommend a very good quality lightweight scope in a magnification like 3-18x42 or similar. For anything beyond 400 yards you will benefit greatly from a very high quality range finder and a ballistic program built in something like a Kestrel meter.

I like the Sig system but then you'll spend about 3-4 thousand just for the scope, range finder and Kestrel if you take my advice and I don't remember you mentioning a budget.

One more thing.... After you've bought everything you need, try to allow a year or so to become proficient with your equipment both at the range and in the field and at all distances out to the maximum range you intend to take a shot at.

Just one man's opinion and it's probably worth about what you paid for it.

 

[JiggyIi]

I'm kinda between 300 wsm, 300 win and RUM, I feel like the rum would need a little work to be "enjoyable" to shoot if I were to go that route, defiantly needs a brake, also would probably be too much on whitetail but I'm not real worried about that.

300 Weatherby, never look back! 2nd is the ol' 300 Win. Both are old proven war horses

 

[Old Rooster]

I own 2 30-06's and would not hesitate on a 350 to 400 yard shot.
I moved on to 300 win mag 35 years ago and have not looked back as it's a do-it-all rifle for me.
Edit to add:Like Jiggyli I also shoot a 300 weatherby mag and love the extra punch.

 

[65WSM]

You are on the right track with .300 WSM, .30 Nosler, .30 SAUM, .300 RUM, .30 PRC, etc with no belt. These headspace on the shoulder rather than belt cartridges are easier to size with a minimum shoulder bump, the cases last longer and the chambers are tighter. Case separations, just above the belt often happen on belted magnums. To shoot belted magnums at 1/3 minute (at 600 yards not a hundred), you will need a special collet sizing die. Peterson has addressed the belted case accuracy problem by issuing their .300 Win Mag "Long" brass.

Pay attention to what F-Class benchrest shooters are using at 600 to 1000 yards. You will see a lot of thirty caliber cartridges. Note that the most common rifle barrel length for F-Class is 32 inches. Which cartridge I would choose, would be based on how much barrel I would be willing to walk around with. I have owned reloaded ans shot .300 WSM, .300 Win Mag, .300 Weatherby and .300 RUM. Don't discount the .300 WSM. You can actually purchase Superformance powder right now, which will produce amazing velocities, even from a 24 inch barrel. H-1000 and Retumbo are very difficult to find. Reloader 26 is impossible and Alliant isn't even going to tell you which year, if ever they might import some of this fabulous powder from Switzerland. VihtaVuori isn't much help either, there have been shipments in 2022 of slow powders, but these have sold out immediately.

A member of my range club won the "Nationals" benchrest at 1000 yards (and the all around). He shoots a .300 WSM.

Here is a link to the collet die for belted magnums:

Belted Magnum Collet Resizing Die (NEW)

Innovative Technologies resizing die for all belted magnum cases. (New and in original packaging) - FREE POSTAGE USA Manufacturer link; http://www.larrywillis.com/ From the manufacturer's website; Belted magnum cartridges have been around for over 50 years, and most shooters that reload them...

ssaagunsales.com

 

[Trooper1]

Hard to beat a 300WM, for the reasons stated above. My choice of the 30's. But my favorite is the 280 AI, so the 300 doesn't see much use.

 

[tomsd]

All things being close to equal - can always find some 300 WM ammo.

 

[MW204]

I have been shooting a 7mm Express for 40 years off and on, (it is called the 280 today & before being renamed to 7mm Express in 1978 or 79 I believe, it was a 280) Since that time I have built a few 308, 30-06, 7mm Mag, 300 WSM, and have had great results from all of them. My distances were 50yds to 150 yds, today that has stretched out to maybe 500 yds. Last year I took a muley at 250 yds with my 300 WSM and a whitetail at 70 yds in Nebraska. I was using a 180 gr Nosler BT and it did its job on both of them.
Today I am building a 300 WM, Remington 700, 30 cal 26" Douglas air gauged barrel, and a brake. I decided to build the 300 WM because I had a 458 Win Mag in the vault for a planned hunt to Africa 20 years or so ago, no I didn't go, so I finally pulled that barrel off it to build the 300 WM. I installed a factory 24" barrel but I want more speed so that's why I'm getting a new barrel.
The 300 WSM does great but I want to use some of the newer long bullets that are available for reloading and because my 300 WSM is in a Remington Model 7 the 180 gr is about all I can stuff into the magazine box.
The barrel is ordered and I'm waiting on it. I have all the other components ready to go when the barrel gets here. All I have to do is set the headspace if it's not correct, time the brake, and I'm ready to go.
I've been on this site for over a year and the most talked about build is a 300 WM imo because of the bullet choices if you reload or available ammo at the store if you don't.
Good luck with your build and choice of caliber.

 

[GarBy]

I had everything BUT a .30 cal. I have 28 Nos, 270 WSM, 6.5 PRC along with some smaller and some much bigger calibers. Everything I owned for elk/mulie/mountain rifles weighed 9.5# up, scoped. I found, debated and bought a pre-made OMR rifle in 300 WSM. I'm loading 200 and 212 gr ELD-X bullets as well as shooting Norma 180 gr Bondstrike. Everything shoots .5 MOA or less. Rifle weights 6.75# bare and 8.4# scoped. Not going to use anything else.....