Rifle Help! Can't make a decision

[Good]

Here are a couple 338 Lapua Mag Savage factory offerings. I'd buy the second one if I had the cash. Shoot as far as you want, early, and often.

Savage Arms Firearms > 11/111 Long Range Hunter

Savage Arms Firearms > 10/110 FCP HS Precision

 

[COBrad]

How bad do you want to hit things at 1K? If you're really serious about accuracy, I would go #1. You don't NEED a .338 anything to kill elk at 1000 yards, what you need most is the accuracy for well placed shots. The 6.5-284 will do the job. How are your reloading skills?

 

[johnnyk]

IMO, a well placed 264" bullet, of good construction, in the vitals, is more desireable than a .308" or .338" bullet of any kind, anywhere else. Energy should never take the place of accuracy.
With that said, I do own both the 6.5-284Norma and .300WinMag, both in factory Savages 112BVSS. The only mods are a Rifle Basix on the .300WM and I swapped stocks on the 6.5 (went to VLP) and had it bedded.
Both will easily make the trip to 1000yds and are scary accurate out to that yardage. I have not shot them further and inside of 600yds I don't know that I could tell the difference in stopping ability and killing power. Both have taken deer and hogs inside that yardage with identical results!
I hunt more with the 6.5-284 because I have better optics on it, the VLP stock fits me better and it kicks less. With a better scope and different stock, I might would lean on the .300 more. I love the raw power! You know I may work on that this year, what a good New Years resolution! Thanks. JohnnyK.

 

[Greyfox]

This was my gut feel. The 6-5-284 is a sweet shooting round. Very accurate, and I have seen it drop elk in there tracks at 900 yards. The barrel life is a concern, but say you shoot 4 boxes a year then 2000 rounds would take 25 years to reach.

If the savage 300 or 338 were just as accurate out of the box then I would go that route, but I'm not convinced they are.

Don't let yourself be mislead by the "barrel burner" reputation of the 6,5x284. It was born in the Benchrest circles where they compare it to rounds that use a lot less powder, shoot their barrels very hot, and measure accuracy loss in tenths of an inch. Using their definition, most all rifles capable of effectively killing game at 1000 yards will produce similar life, and with many of the magnum rounds mentioned in this string, less than the 6.5x284.
I may get some heat on this but my advise to shooters wanting to develop long range skills for the first time is to start out with a manageable round in an accurate rig. I have seen a lot of guys that have been shooting 308's, 270's, etc. talked into the heavy calibers like a 338 or big 300 and they end up spending most of their time learning how to handle the recoil, develop a flinch, and get discouraged, yes, even with a muzzle brake. Your instinct on going the 6.5x 284 as a first option is a good one!
IMHO

 

[Broz]

Gosh we sure need an extended long range forum so we can split up these differences of opinions. They are all correct, but the distances and the conditions (wind) will seperate all these choices of all these great calibers

Jeff

 

[Greyfox]

Gosh we sure need an extended long range forum so we can split up these differences of opinions. They are all correct, but the distances and the conditions (wind) will seperate all these choices of all these great calibers

Jeff

I can understand what your saying about having an extended long range forum since I have thought about it myself when it has been raised before. I only wonder if it wouldn't make things more confusing due to the varied opinions of what constitutes long range vs extended long range. In this particular thread the OP pretty well defined his range and game requirements. I don't know if split forums would have added much. I would hate to see input from the very experienced shooters like yourself possibly get lost in a LR vs ELR segregation process. IMO

 

[sp6x6]

I dont either on the forum, but as a AVID elk hunter I have a problem advising some one that a light, 1/2 the grain capabilty .264 bullet is as good as a .338-300 gr. for elk @ 1000. And that high bc 300 grain bullet is less affected by wind at that range by roughly 1/2. A accurate rifle is a must and goes without saying

 

[Broz]

I dont either on the forum, but as a AVID elk hunter I have a problem advising some one that a light, 1/2 the grain capabilty .264 bullet is as good as a .338-300 gr. for elk @ 1000. And that high bc 300 grain bullet is less affected by wind at that range by roughly 1/2. A accurate rifle is a must and goes without saying

I agree..... and do not see how anyone that has taken many elk at long range can argue this.

Jeff

 

[B23]

I would much rather miss an elk with a larger less accurate rifle than I would wound one with a smaller more accurate one.

I've only shot 7 elk, all were branched antler, in my 43yrs on earth. Two were with 7Wby mag others w/300Wby but there has NEVER been a time when I felt I was over gunned. Elk can be some of the toughest sons of beeches you will ever hunt. When it comes to shooting elk, I'll take bigger everytime.

IMHO, there is just no substitute for horsepower.....

 

[sp6x6]

Anyway back to OP, you are talking 600 yrds game in your post and option 2 would still give you a extra rifle so to speak. And it seems you are mainly deer. I may me wrong but I THOUGHT Greyfox shot a 1''+ GROUP @ 500 with a Savage 6.5-284, which would seem like a rifle to fit your needs. If elk or moose are more in cards I would do your #2

 

[toddc]

Get a stock savage in the biggest caliber you can. Learn to handle it and to reload for long range. That will eat the stock barrel. Rebarrel with an edge and do some ez accurizing while its apart and your g2g. 1000 yd shooting is a joke without real loading ability. Too bad savage isnt making rums anymore. The 300 rum is a good learners gun capable of great things and not too fickle.

 

[COBrad]

I would much rather miss an elk with a larger less accurate rifle than I would wound one with a smaller more accurate one.

I've only shot 7 elk, all were branched antler, in my 43yrs on earth. Two were with 7Wby mag others w/300Wby but there has NEVER been a time when I felt I was over gunned. Elk can be some of the toughest sons of beeches you will ever hunt. When it comes to shooting elk, I'll take bigger everytime.

IMHO, there is just no substitute for horsepower.....

Hmmm... Something unsettling about the whole missing and wounding thing here. I fully intend to shoot the som' beech and kill it! It doesn't matter big gun or small.
I've personally shot several dozen elk, and guided hunters to the taking of a few hundred more over the past 30+ years. I've heard this line before. I told many clients that I would much rather see them show up with their deer rifle they can shoot well, than to show up with a magnum they couldn't, if they couldn't. I never felt overgunned with any of my various 7mm, 30 cal, or 35 cal magnums, but unless shooting out to 500 yards or more, I knew I had more than enough. I didn't feel undergunned last year using a 7-08, and the cow and bull I killed agreed!
When it comes to shooting elk, or anything else, I'll take accurate shooting every time.

 

[FEENIX]

OPTION 1
-Take my 270 Remington 700 and convert it to a custom 6.5-284. It will get a new stainless Krieger barrel w/black coat, fiber glass stock bedding. I would set aside my 3-9 Leapold and put a Huskamaw scope on it. ($1700 Package)

Option 2
-Buy a new factory rifle Savage Model 116FCSS Weather Warrior 300 Win Mag with a Accu-Trigger, Accu-Stock, Stainless Barrel and put a Huskamaw on it. ($1600 package)

Option 2 With the recent introduction of the 230 Bergers I feel the 300 win has a lot to offer. And you still have your 270

Jeff

Ditt! You also save an extra $100 ...