Thinking about a Magnum Rifle

[Danny Boy]

With my two bolt-action rifles, .243 and .270, I have predator and deer hunting pretty well covered. For the coming season, I am thinking of getting a magnum rifle for elk and moose hunting in either 7mm or 300 caliber. Please help me with the following:

What are the pros and cons of the 7mm RM vs 300 WM for elk and moose? I am afraid if I go for the 7mm now I may still want a 300 caliber rifle. Does it make sense to opt for the 300 mag now?

Should I consider 7mm WSM and 300 WSM and what is the advantage of the WSM? This may sound funny but would they still be around in 10 years?

Note that I like long action rifles and I do reload.

Danny Boy

 

[sniper2]

Hello Danny Boy I would like to suggest the
mod 116 Savage weather Warrior in 300RUM.This
rifle is pillar bedded from factory also has muzzle brake and while the stock could use some inprovement the rifle is a steal.You can remove the .300 RUM barrel and replace it with a variety of different barrels(one gun does much) this is my thought. I personally know of two of these guns that will shoot sub-sub minute, I own one of them!
Most any of these guys know more about the
game than I do and can suggest some great alternatives, but I don't have the big Bucks to invest.That is why I went with the Savage
a lot of gun for a reasonable price!!!

 

[Outlaw from Idaho]

Mine well be,the reason I have a 300wsm is that I can have a lighter and handier rifle then if I wanted a rifle in 300win mag. I have a Tikka SS Syn in 300wsm it has a 24 3/8 inch barrel and weighs 7 1/2lbs with a 4x12 Leupold scope and with my handloads it shoots under 2in groups at 300yds. Thats all the reasons I need to keep mine. Outlaw

 

[Michael Eichele]

Hello Danny Boy,

Welcome to this site!

My preferance is 30 cal over 7mm. Equal case capacities and equal barrel lengths, you can ALWAYS drive heavier bullets with higher BC's faster with the 30 vs the 7mm.

The 300 winchester and 7mm rem are almost identical cases. You can push a 190 out of the 300 faster than you can push a 175 out of a 7mm rem.

Just my.02

 

[Mark_in_utah]

It's best to think of a magnum as a souped-up version of the standard caliber. Ballistically the magnums don't shoot all that much flatter than the standard cartridges for most hunting ranges.

For instance, a 7mm RM is just a souped up .270 win. The bullets are almost identical, and 7mm is available in heavier bullets. The 7mm can either shoot the ehavier bullet than the .270, or it can shoot the same weight bullet just a little bit flatter. The amount of drop difference at 400 yards between the wo is just a few inches, close enough for hunting.

As far as knockdown power, big bullets make big holes. Big holes make the red stuff leak out faster. If the bullet goes all the way through you get TWO holes for one shot, and the red stuff leaks out even faster. Bullets are designed to mushroom so that they act like a bigger bullet. If you start out with a bigger bullet then the mushrooming is not as critical for the terminal performance. That's my basic philosophy on guns and hunting.

The .270 win CAN be used on elk, but you have to place the bullets well, and use good bullets at the same time. For instance, a 150 grain Remington Power-Point WILL kill a cow elk at 275 yards. You have to hit it in the heart, and don't expect it to go all the way though, because it won't. Not enough remaining mass in the bullet or velocity to push it all the way through. A 7mm mag at that same range using 175 grain Nosler Partitions (a much better bullet) will push a hole diagonally through a similar cow elk at the same range without any trouble.

A .300 Win is just a souped up 30-06. At most ranges (sub 400 yards) a 30-06 using decent bullets can take anything in North America. Don't expect radically better performance from a .300 win. The .300 RUM is MUCH harder on the shoulder, amd isn't that much better than the .300 win once the bullet leaves the barrel.

I now use a .338 RUM on elk. I'm planning on up to 500 yard shots being typical for a big bull. Big bullet = big hole. It'll be a once-in-a-lifetime hunt, and I want ME to be the weak link in the hnt.

Mark in Utah

 

[Outlaw from Idaho]

A guy I know in Idaho that killed a 373B&C Bull Elk with 87gr Hornady bullets out of a 25-06Rem this past season. I think the bullet weight should when it comes to elk hunting have a higher weight limit. Say at least a 100gr game bullet and not a 87gr varmit bullet. The guy is to lazy to resight in his rifle and or waste more bullets. Thats what he told me. I guess it takes all kinds. Outlaw

 

[Outlaw from Idaho]

A guy I know in Idaho that killed a 373B&C Bull Elk with 87gr Hornady bullets out of a 25-06Rem this past season. I think the bullet weight should when it comes to elk hunting have a higher weight limit. Say at least a 100gr game bullet and not a 87gr varmit bullet. The guy is to lazy to resight in his rifle and or waste more bullets. Thats what he told me. I guess it takes all kinds. Outlaw P.S. He shot it 5 times.

 

[*WyoWhisper*]

DB,

Lets take it form the top....

describe where you hunt and your type of hunting. Then describe what you think will be your maximum range...

Do people relize what caliber has killed more Elk than any other... you'd be suprized... Elk are big and tough but placement is the key ..as always...

 

[Michael Eichele]

Wyo is right.

It doesent matter what you hunt. Placment is the key. A .22 LR shot in the head will drop any game animal on the NA continent.

 

[Austin]

I, personally, like my 300WM for elk. I have taken a number of elk with my 7mm RM, but, as stated above, two holes are better than one when a once-in-a-lifetime shot is on the line. With the Short mags, you get NEARLY equal performance, but the bigger case wins out in the long run. The advantage of the SM is that a short, fat case lends more toward accuracy and powder burn efficiency. For instance, the 6PPC is THE most accurate benchrest cartridge around. Look at it. It is short, fat, and dead-on accurate. Adapt this principle to the 7 or 300 short-mags and you get the same results to a lesser extent. You have excellent bullet selection with both calibers, with the .308 winning out in versatility. There are, however, some drawbacks to the 300WM. There is an article here where we discuss MANY details that will be relevant to your decision that you need to look over: http://www.longrangehunting.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=001631