New to long range and big game hunting

[Tom Erickson]

Love my .270 and have a heavy barrel 300 win mag wanted something new . After antelope hunt a few years ago one of my nephews buddy was using a 26 Nosler . Did some looking and reading and decided to go with a 28 Nosler . Ended up going with a Cooper firearms long range. With a Proof Research carbon fiber barrel. Put a Swarovski X5 5-25×56 on top.
As far as recoil there's not much difference between my 28 and the .270 buying a new gun is the fun part doing the research and deciding what is best for you. What works for one might not work for others.

 

[Rick Richard]

I might be in the minority, but I had very bad experience with Tikka and Beretta USA. Never again for me.

 

[lisasman]

+1 for the 7mm Rem Magnum and absolutely +1 for the Tikka. I own 5 of them and out of box the worst shooting one is at .5 MOA while others are in the .25 range. The bolt is slick as butter and the trigger breaks like glass. In my opinion you will want the Limbsaver Airtech recoil pad with any light rifle.

 

[JarHeadTim]

Hi and Welcome... Check your PM's

 

[Mc Fraser]

Okay thank you for your input I have been shopping around online for a rifle I've got it narrowed down to tika or a bergara but I'm still open to a good deal on a browning x bolt or christenson arms

Tikka and 7mm RM are a deadly combination. on top of that I will add that you can buy a prefit barrel for Tikka for a few hundred bucks. You might not find the same thing for Browning mad Bergara.

 

[Majja13]

Welcome. This can be a tuff one. If you look at a guy like Randy Newburgh he has killed more elk then many of us have ever seen in the wild and his chosen rifle is a 308 with good ammo. Now just wanting a new rifle I get that totally. I am very fond of the 60-70 degree bolt through. And growing up about a mile and a half away from Browning Corp hq I tend to favor the Browning offerings. But I am also a big believer in the Tikka offerings very solid performers and can often be found in the 500 dollar price range. If it were me I would probably look at a Tikka or Saurer in 30-06. Yea I know it is a long action. You will not be limited in ammo choices or the ability to find it anywhere. Ammo is not terribly expensive in this caliber either. It is not as glamorous as all the new stuff but a solid performer. In the short actions I personally feel the 6.5 PRC is a sweet spot, but with factory ammo you are a bit limited. And the rumor is Tikka will have one out this summer. But the tried and true 06 is a killer that is for sure.

 

[Stgraves260]

Hello all I'm a new comer to this sight and I want to say thanks for having me.i have been a hunter since I was able to get up in a stand or walk around with my dad.i started out hunting with a 20 ga that I harvested my first white tail with and then to a 30-30 then a 270 win and now a 308 win I mostly hunt white tail but I am wanting to start hinting black bear and hopefully get to go elk hunting with in couple years and I'm wanting to get alittle bigger caliber or just something different in a new rifle that will be used for mostly white tail and then the other 2 game above if I'm able what would yall recommend and what kind of rifle I have looked at a 6.5 but cant really seem to jump on the band wagon right now I've really been eye balling the 270 wsm and 280 ai or 7mm mag but I've not shot any of those yet so I dont know how I would like them

Hello and welcome. 270 WSM And 280 AI is kinda dead where I'm at. Unless you hand load. 6.5 cal will drop anything in the United States. I hunt with a 260 Remington but I hand Load. It's a 6.5 caliber. It's hard to find good ammo for it but brass is everywhere. Hornady loads 129 gr SST bullet for it witch is good for deer. I load my own Berger 140 gr VLDs. I hunt coyote, hog, deer, mule deer, elk, moose with it. I shot this hog at 997 yards With my 260 Rem 140 Berger VLDs. I have a 7 Rem Mag I use for back up when I go elk hunting. I've just never used it. I've drop a cow elk just shy of 800 yards with my 260 Rem so I've just really never needed anything else. Just get close enough to your target that your comfortable shooting. Shot placement is more important than anything. Study the vitals of your pray. They are not all the same. Look up the lungs on a white tail deer and a elk and you will see what I mean. Lungs on deer go horizontal. Lungs on Elk almost go vertical. So the moral is a 6.5 cal is just fine for what you want to do and not destroy your deer. 6.5 Creedmoore, 260 Remington, 264, Win Mag, 6.5 PRC, 26 Nosler, 6.5x284. There is more but these are pretty popular Where I'm at in Texas. Good luck and again welcome to the site.

 

[skipglo]

Welcome from North Carolina.

If you are looking for a new rifle, then purchase the caliber that you will use the most for the game you will hunt the most. More than likely when you get an opportunity to hunt larger game, that rifle will probably be sufficient provided you keep your shots within reasonable distances.

By the way, many deer and elk have been taken with a .308.

Good morning

Welcome from North Carolina.

If you are looking for a new rifle, then purchase the caliber that you will use the most for the game you will hunt the most. More than likely when you get an opportunity to hunt larger game, that rifle will probably be sufficient provided you keep your shots within reasonable distances.

By the way, many deer and elk have been taken with a .308.

Welcome from Alberta, Canada... good morning Rick, when you say MANY, that's not because you forget how many ZEROS there are in MILLIONS is it?

 

[Quintus]

Have you looked at the Weatherby Mark V? Great value in the Weathermark chambered in 7 Rem Mag or even better the .270 Weatherby or 300 Weatherby. They make an awesome rifle for the money and have some really impressive rifle models that don't get nearly the acclaim for accuracy they deserve. The more affordable Vangaurd is also a decent rifle, but the Mark V is a custom rifle without the custom price tag.

 

[Redslug]

270 and 308 work just fine
All the elk on Vancouver Island are taken with a 243

Go the distance that you are comfortable at and place a good shot

 

[Uncle yib]

Hello all I'm a new comer to this sight and I want to say thanks for having me.i have been a hunter since I was able to get up in a stand or walk around with my dad.i started out hunting with a 20 ga that I harvested my first white tail with and then to a 30-30 then a 270 win and now a 308 win I mostly hunt white tail but I am wanting to start hinting black bear and hopefully get to go elk hunting with in couple years and I'm wanting to get alittle bigger caliber or just something different in a new rifle that will be used for mostly white tail and then the other 2 game above if I'm able what would yall recommend and what kind of rifle I have looked at a 6.5 but cant really seem to jump on the band wagon right now I've really been eye balling the 270 wsm and 280 ai or 7mm mag but I've not shot any of those yet so I dont know how I would like them

You really can't go wrong with a 7 mm mag or a 7 mm STW

 

[Kpknifemaker]

You have a lot of respnses here to choose from. I am jumping in only to go back to a previous point.

Decide what you are really going to hunt to determine knockdown power. What range shots are you typically looking at. Will you handload. How well do you handle recoil. Time behind the gun is really important and if you don't look forward to shooting the gun, then you won't reach your or the gun's potential. Now decide, honestly, what truly will you reach for 90% of the time.

I just started handloading. It is fun and rewarding to develop your load. In terms of being economical, that is debatable, by the time you pay for all the gear. If you shoot a lot, then for the long haul it may balance. It is addictive. So my point, the caliber you choose is not quite dependent on ammo availability if you reload.

I hunt deer, antelope, and elk in the west where I have shots from up close to as far as I am confident of my shot. I have 7 mm mag as my primary go to gun (2 of these). I also use 25-06. A 6.5 is on the list. Never enough guns for me. I can hunt any of what I hunt with the 7mm. You have 120 gr up to 175gr or so. A wide range of projectiles to pick from.

Two Tikkas in my gun room. Very nice guns and recommend them to family and friends. A T3X is a step forward over the older T3. Another choice is the Sauer line of guns. The Sauer 100 is a thought. I have a 202 in 7mm mag and my favorite gun. Big difference between 100 and 202, but quality brand.

Quality glass is important, so your gun budget should keep that in mind.

Have fun hunting that gun down.

 

[thwatson2]

With bear and elk in the picture, 300 WM. kicks moderate and factory ammo easy to come by If you travel and handload gets lost(yes it happened to me) Not sure If your question asked about brand of gun but I've always liked browning In stainless. Good trigger good fit and good price

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

You have a lot of respnses here to choose from. I am jumping in only to go back to a previous point.

Decide what you are really going to hunt to determine knockdown power. What range shots are you typically looking at. Will you handload. How well do you handle recoil. Time behind the gun is really important and if you don't look forward to shooting the gun, then you won't reach your or the gun's potential. Now decide, honestly, what truly will you reach for 90% of the time.

I just started handloading. It is fun and rewarding to develop your load. In terms of being economical, that is debatable, by the time you pay for all the gear. If you shoot a lot, then for the long haul it may balance. It is addictive. So my point, the caliber you choose is not quite dependent on ammo availability if you reload.

I hunt deer, antelope, and elk in the west where I have shots from up close to as far as I am confident of my shot. I have 7 mm mag as my primary go to gun (2 of these). I also use 25-06. A 6.5 is on the list. Never enough guns for me. I can hunt any of what I hunt with the 7mm. You have 120 gr up to 175gr or so. A wide range of projectiles to pick from.

Two Tikkas in my gun room. Very nice guns and recommend them to family and friends. A T3X is a step forward over the older T3. Another choice is the Sauer line of guns. The Sauer 100 is a thought. I have a 202 in 7mm mag and my favorite gun. Big difference between 100 and 202, but quality brand.

Quality glass is important, so your gun budget should keep that in mind.

Have fun hunting that gun down.

Thanks for you reply I pretty confident that I will go with a 7mm rem mag for caliber and my shots are kinda like yours from up close to as far as I'm comfortable shooting.were I hunt deer at they are in process of clear cutting a small part of it so at that spot I can shoot to 500 or more yards the farthest I've shot a deer on the other hand is only around 300 yards on a power line in south Carolina. I do want to start hinting elk and beer in next year or so if I'm able and I know my 308 can be a good elk caliber to 350 or so yards and is a good bear caliber as well I just want a little more power and little more reach and flatter shooting caliber and I'm always looking for another rifle and caliber to add in my safe