Starting over again

[gvjm]

Sounds like your learning towards the 308. I understand wanting a lighter gun, are you mainly hunting from a blind or walking around? I ask because if your hunting from a blind, the 1/2lb difference wouldn't really matter.

idcwby

I normally walk about 3-400 yards to the blind. But I've noticed in the past few years that I try to use my rifle to spot during those last remaining moments of light, about the last 30 minutes. A heavy gun gets old quick doing this, for me anyway.

 

[gvjm]

If your really worried about the "recoil" try a Gas, Gun. Any of the Simi auto's will have a felt recoil that should be way less. 308 out of a AR-10 feels like a 223+/- and Will Kill PIG's and the Texas white tail all day/night long! And you will have follow up shots (as many as wanted)!

I already own and use an AR-10 in 6.5. Even with its carbon fiber barrel it's an unwieldy beast as it weighs 10 1/2 lbs and is extremely front heavy. Even my heaviest bolt action rifles are better balanced.

 

[gvjm]

300 yards,lite and low recoil?= CZ 527 or howa in 6.5 Grendel!

I had tried a Grendel in the past. I wasn't too impressed but to be fair I didn't give it too much of a chance.

 

[Savage 12BVSS]

308
7-08
22-250

A list after my own heart, just add a 260 and it will be complete. None of the 308 family at 45gr or so of powder are too bad with a decent recoil pad. But like I said earlier a brake on the 308 or two guns one of each caliber would solve this without a choice

 

[sturner]

Your right 260 added

 

[DJ Fergus]

I would go 7mm or 6.5 cal. 7mm-08 with some 140 or 150 grain bullets would cover hogs & deer @ 300yds nicely. 6.5 prc would be another option to look at. I like my 6.5 creedmoor but I'm running it in a 26" with a max load so I'm getting velocities close to a 6.5 prc with factory ammo in a 24". If I were going short & light for hogs & deer I would do a 6.5 prc or 7mm-08. I just got through with a 22 creedmoor. I really like it for low RECOIL. If I were going to run it for deer or hogs, I would run a 77gr Barnes lrx. Should be able to push it about 3500fps easy and get really good accuracy with it.

 

[7stw]

Tikka in 7mm-08. With 120 /140. And some Varget sounds nice. Mmmmmm that's one of my rigs. Very nice to shoot.

Love the 7-08. My new favorite!

 

[Mosster47]

Love the 7-08. My new favorite!

I bought one for my wife ages ago and she still hasn't ever fired it and I fired it for the first time just a few months ago. I've loaned it out many time. My boss' daughter killed her first elk with it, a coworker killed a 300lb pig with it in NorCal, it's killed all three species of deer, an antelope, and a black bear. All of that were with a 140gr Berger VLD at under 100 yards.

I've only pulled the trigger on it four times at paper, but the feedback from everyone has been good. I'm about to retire my 300wm to only elk in wide open country and use the 7-08 for everything else.

I've heard and read a lot about the VLDs not being good bullets in close range. That 140gr on an elk was quartering away and got a complete pass through from just behind the ribs out through in front of the shoulder. That's pretty impressive. It probably had to do with the lower velocity of the round. It goes against the normal line of talking though.

 

[JIsbell40]

No, it won't. Both will easily kill deer and hogs at 300 yards. There's no advantage to the 308 that would justify the extra recoil. I also recommend 6.5C, but agree with Frog on shooting copper bullets if you choose 308.

Energy isn't an advantage? That's a first.

 

[Mosster47]

Energy isn't an advantage? That's a first.

There are so many angles with bullet weight, bullet diameter, sectional density, and energy. There are arguments from smart people explaining how each are more important than the other.

I was talking with a buddy the other day about this. We recovered two 33cal 210gr partitions from elk that my dad killed and a 30cal 180 grand slam from an elk I shot. The old grand slam with two sections like a partition and A-frame.

All three of those lost about 40% of their weight. We all know the performance of the mono bullets. A bad one retains 95% of it's weight.

By that math when the bullet has stopped you go from 210gr to 126gr in the partition style bullet with the 33cal and 180gr to 108gr with the 30cal. On that same note if I'm shooting a 120gr mono bullet out of a 25cal it's 118.75gr when it's done.

When anyone talks about big game bullets they are talking about penetration, expansion, and weight retention.

Common sense leads me to we could all use a hell of a lot less rifle by going away from lead and get the exact same results. A 7-08 with a 140gr etip, GMX, TSX, etc. should have the same realistic killing ability as a 250gr lead bullet if fired at an acceptable FPS.

 

[ndking1126]

Energy isn't an advantage? That's a first.

I never said that. I said both calibers are strong enough at 300 yards to reliably kill the animals he wants to shoot. Dead is dead. If recoil is a concern because he is dropping to a lighter weight rifle, and the lower recoiling round is more than enough to kill the animal, then go with the lower recoiling round. Of course if the OP just wants a 308, that's fine too -he asked for a recommendation on the caliber so I gave him mine.

 

[JIsbell40]

There are so many angles with bullet weight, bullet diameter, sectional density, and energy. There are arguments from smart people explaining how each are more important than the other.

I was talking with a buddy the other day about this. We recovered two 33cal 210gr partitions from elk that my dad killed and a 30cal 180 grand slam from an elk I shot. The old grand slam with two sections like a partition and A-frame.

All three of those lost about 40% of their weight. We all know the performance of the mono bullets. A bad one retains 95% of it's weight.

By that math when the bullet has stopped you go from 210gr to 126gr in the partition style bullet with the 33cal and 180gr to 108gr with the 30cal. On that same note if I'm shooting a 120gr mono bullet out of a 25cal it's 118.75gr when it's done.

When anyone talks about big game bullets they are talking about penetration, expansion, and weight retention.

Common sense leads me to we could all use a hell of a lot less rifle by going away from lead and get the exact same results. A 7-08 with a 140gr etip, GMX, TSX, etc. should have the same realistic killing ability as a 250gr lead bullet if fired at an acceptable FPS.

Mono's don't exactly have a stellar reputation for expansion outside of this forum. I've see hammer and tsx both make a .277 and .308 entrance and a .277/.308 exit. The reason we found those deer was snow.

Pretty bad feeling when you've paid 8k for a hunt in Canada, shoot a 167" typical, and your highly touted Barnes fails to expand on a 2900fps front shoulder hit.

Ask me how I know. Been there watched that.

 

[DJ Fergus]

I do shoot some solid copper bullets and those I shoot are fine out to 300yds as the OP mentioned as his max distance. The available mono copper bullets have some catching up to do before they reach the ballisics of the Berger's & eld-m bullets. The monos have come along way already. I'm not bashing the mono, every bullet has it's use.

 

[DJ Fergus]

For long range, Monos are not my first choice. But I'm sure someone out there has made some great shots with them