Newbie - Need help choosing a hunting caliber

[MudRunner2005]

get a rem 700 long range. put a new trigger in it. shoot it. if it does not get you as far as you want accurately. put a krieger barrel on it.

I would normally agree with this, but since Bud's has those 5R .300WMs on sale for $895, he could just buy that and not have to change the barrel out. Just swap the trigger, and handload for it, and it should be a 1/2 MOA gun or better.

 

[hotbuzz]

get a rem 700 long range. put a new trigger in it. shoot it. if it does not get you as far as you want accurately. put a krieger barrel on it.

Roninflag,
any recommendations on trigger weight for hunting? I read an article that wasn't related to hunting but I think they said 1lb ? That sounded pretty low to me. And any triggers you would recommend?

Thanks!

My go to elk rifle is my 700 sendero 300 RUM shooting 200gr accubonds. Just to see how it would do last year I shot a whitetail buck at about 90 yards. I purposely waited for a broadside shot behind the shoulder to avoid as much meat damage as possible. I've shot deer with a 270 that had more damage than what the RUM did

If your not going to be hunting high steep terrain then the sendero is a great platform. Stainless barrel for bad weather, comes with a nice HS stock, and mine shoots handloads at .25-.5 moa. For a dedicated long range rig it is one of the best factory options in my opinion.

Rifleman513,
Good to know about the damage effect! Could you expand on the not hunting steep terrain with a sendero? And I was considering a stainless barrel due to that I'm always combatting rust on my current one, anything in particular I should know about stainless?

Thanks!

Bullet choice will be the most noticeable difference here. Not so much displacement. Bullets designed for good weight retention but soft enough to expand at low vel are what is in order.

Steve

RockymtnMT,
Anything in particular you would reccomend in 300 win mag?
Thanks!

 

[hotbuzz]

I would normally agree with this, but since Bud's has those 5R .300WMs on sale for $895, he could just buy that and not have to change the barrel out. Just swap the trigger, and handload for it, and it should be a 1/2 MOA gun or better.

Mudrunner2005,
If I'm not planning on handloading for a while is that still the better option in your opinion? And what are the reasons to with that over the long range?

Thanks!

 

[MudRunner2005]

Mudrunner2005,
If I'm not planning on handloading for a while is that still the better option in your opinion? And what are the reasons to with that over the long range?

Thanks!

They are both excellent rifles for their price points. But when you can get the 5R Milspec for less than $1000, yes, it's is still the better option in my opinion.

Better barrel (416R stainless steel w/ 5R rifling vs. chrome moly 6-groove rifling), better action (416R stainless steel vs. chrome moly), jeweled bolt, and better stock (HS Precision vs. Bell & Carlson).

 

[WildRose]

So since you brought up the size of the wound and wasting meat, How does the 300 handle at closer range say 100-300 yards? is it going to obliterate a deer compared to my 7mm?

Certainly not.

I do believe in proper shot placement over blasting away at every opportunity.

Shot placement and bullet selection are keys to success and not wasting meat. If you choose a bullet that is frangible and put it through the shoulders at high velocity you are going to have massive destruction with either caliber whereas if you put it in the crease behind the shoulders through nothing but the ribs, heart, lungs you have minimal waste and an animal that won't go far before expiring.

I like the idea of getting a couple more rifles for different longer range applications although its not quite in the books right now.

Thanks for the advice!

Then you might do well for now to consider just going with one of the 6.5's in 6.5x55, 6.5CM, or .260 Remington. They'll do for as far as your skills will allow you to take a deer and allow you plenty of budget for lots of practice while you build your skills enough to become proficient and confident at long range. Even at moderate range with the right bullet and shot selection to take elk and moose with the 6.5's is very doable.

It's not tough to save enough over the course of a year or two for that 2nd Rifle and hopefully by then you'll have honed your skills to the point that you'll be there.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

As far as bullet that we offer for the 300wm factory rifle it would be our 181g bullet. It would run about 3000fps and be effective to about 1000 yards on game and farther on targets. We have been working on a 200g bullet that may work well in a 10" twist. Just not far enough into testing to say it would be the one. I very much like our 181g bullet. A very effective bullet beyond the yardage that most people can conceive.

Steve

 

[FEENIX]

So since you brought up the size of the wound and wasting meat, How does the 300 handle at closer range say 100-300 yards?

I harvested a fawn antelope in 2003 with 180g Nosler BT at 125 yards, broke 2 ribs (~1.5" exit hole) at the boiler room with minimal meat damage.

 

[FEENIX]

My preference is for the 7mm STW in almost every case for deer and larger game but the .300wm is the SUV of rifle cartridges and like I say, "The .300wm is never the wrong answer".

Well said Sir! That is why the .300 WM is my go to chambering for antelope to elk size game up to 1K yards.

"Depending on reference source" the following have the H20 case capacity of:

7MM Rem Mag = ~84
.300 WM = ~89
7MM STW = ~94

Layne Simpson's STW is very impressive indeed! However, I have not shot mine in a while now. Having said that, my latest custom build is a .30 Lara (.300 Jarrett improved) with 27" SS Lilja 1:9' 3G barrel but haven't had a chance to play with it much yet. I have Berger 215/230 and Hornady 212/220 ELD-X awaiting time for testing.

Cheers!

Ed

 

[hotbuzz]

They are both excellent rifles for their price points. But when you can get the 5R Milspec for less than $1000, yes, it's is still the better option in my opinion.

Better barrel (416R stainless steel w/ 5R rifling vs. chrome moly 6-groove rifling), better action (416R stainless steel vs. chrome moly), jeweled bolt, and better stock (HS Precision vs. Bell & Carlson).

awesome! I'll definitely look into that one more then.
Thanks!

Certainly not.
Shot placement and bullet selection are keys to success and not wasting meat. If you choose a bullet that is frangible and put it through the shoulders at high velocity you are going to have massive destruction with either caliber whereas if you put it in the crease behind the shoulders through nothing but the ribs, heart, lungs you have minimal waste and an animal that won't go far before expiring.

Then you might do well for now to consider just going with one of the 6.5's in 6.5x55, 6.5CM, or .260 Remington. They'll do for as far as your skills will allow you to take a deer and allow you plenty of budget for lots of practice while you build your skills enough to become proficient and confident at long range. Even at moderate range with the right bullet and shot selection to take elk and moose with the 6.5's is very doable.

It's not tough to save enough over the course of a year or two for that 2nd Rifle and hopefully by then you'll have honed your skills to the point that you'll be there.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to check some 6.5's out.

As far as bullet that we offer for the 300wm factory rifle it would be our 181g bullet. It would run about 3000fps and be effective to about 1000 yards on game and farther on targets. We have been working on a 200g bullet that may work well in a 10" twist. Just not far enough into testing to say it would be the one. I very much like our 181g bullet. A very effective bullet beyond the yardage that most people can conceive.

Steve

good to know, thanks for the suggestion!

I harvested a fawn antelope in 2003 with 180g Nosler BT at 125 yards, broke 2 ribs (~1.5" exit hole) at the boiler room with minimal meat damage.

Good, glad that it will do minimal excess damage then!

 

[WildRose]

Well said Sir! That is why the .300 WM is my go to chambering for antelope to elk size game up to 1K yards.

"Depending on reference source" the following have the H20 case capacity of:

7MM Rem Mag = ~84
.300 WM = ~89
7MM STW = ~94

Layne Simpson's STW is very impressive indeed! However, I have not shot mine in a while now. Having said that, my latest custom build is a .30 Lara (.300 Jarrett improved) with 27" SS Lilja 1:9' 3G barrel but haven't had a chance to play with it much yet. I have Berger 215/230 and Hornady 212/220 ELD-X awaiting time for testing.

Cheers!

Ed

That should be a lot of fun.

Sometimes I feel guilty for not shooting my STW's more than I have the last couple of years but I know what they will do under any circumstances and I've had a good time playing with the .300's.

This year I'm bound and determined to try and put some mileage on the .260's but I have a feeling that before the end of the season the STW's will both get a workout.

I came within a second of pulling the trigger on a really nice 9 point tonight just before dark but with today being the first day of the season and him running with a couple of does I'd be wise to give him a few weeks to spread his genes around. I'd sure like to see a bunch more just like him in years to come.

 

[SansSouci]

hotbuzz,

You already have a 1000 yard cartridge. You're 7MM Rem Mag will kill at a thousand yards.

The 7MM Rem Mag was designed to be a long range elk cartridge. It has exceeded its expectations.

I've killed a HUGE trophy bull with a single 160 grain Partition that left my 24" 7MM Rem Mag barrel at better than 3100 FPS. He was dead on his hooves.

Shot placement and penetration are dominant criteria for success. The 7MM Rem Mag will penetrate any elk's thorax and decommission its oxygenated blood pumping apparatus at a thousand yards.

Hydrostatic shock is an unproved theory. I never rely on it. Instead I rely upon destroying necessary equipment for pumping oxygenated blood to a big game animal's brain. Without topside oxygenated blood flow, an animal as seconds of life remaining.

The Fascinating Topic of Hydrostatic Shock