Big game rifle
12-28-2006, 04:42 PM
#33
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 309
RE: Big game rifle
So many great suggestions here on calibers and rifles. There's no one perfect rifle for us hunters/shooters. We need several guns just like women need shoes and purses for every dress they own! However, if one gun is your goal and $1000 is you budget, you can do a whole lot of shoppin' there my friend!
I've owned, reloaded and shot many gun/cartridge combinations. My all time favorite is my .358 Win, BLR 81. Most of my hunting is 200 yards and under. This caliber and my handloads knocks thesock offof deer and bears. Changing loads allows me to hunt elk and moose out to 150 yds. with this gun. But, because I MUST have other guns, I also own a .300WSM which I absolutely love. This is my long range, huntin' out west (Montana)gun. I handload this one too and get superb accuracy and knock down energy. Do I need the .338 Win Mag, Ruger No.1 I just bought today? No, but boy do I love the christmas present I gave myself!!! I handload for this as well from previous days of owning and Win 70 in .338WM. You can do alot of tweaking to a .338 WM if you hand load.
So, if elk, moose and big bears are in your sights and you want to be able to take a shot at any angle that presents itself rather than wait for the perfect broadside shot or shoot a 340BC elk at 400yds across a meadow or shoot a 9 1/2 foot brownie quartering away from you at 100yds, get a .338 win mag, handload for it and never look back. The Zeiss conquest will compliment the gun well and perform in any weather. Good luck in your search and aim straight!!
I've owned, reloaded and shot many gun/cartridge combinations. My all time favorite is my .358 Win, BLR 81. Most of my hunting is 200 yards and under. This caliber and my handloads knocks thesock offof deer and bears. Changing loads allows me to hunt elk and moose out to 150 yds. with this gun. But, because I MUST have other guns, I also own a .300WSM which I absolutely love. This is my long range, huntin' out west (Montana)gun. I handload this one too and get superb accuracy and knock down energy. Do I need the .338 Win Mag, Ruger No.1 I just bought today? No, but boy do I love the christmas present I gave myself!!! I handload for this as well from previous days of owning and Win 70 in .338WM. You can do alot of tweaking to a .338 WM if you hand load.
So, if elk, moose and big bears are in your sights and you want to be able to take a shot at any angle that presents itself rather than wait for the perfect broadside shot or shoot a 340BC elk at 400yds across a meadow or shoot a 9 1/2 foot brownie quartering away from you at 100yds, get a .338 win mag, handload for it and never look back. The Zeiss conquest will compliment the gun well and perform in any weather. Good luck in your search and aim straight!!
12-28-2006, 05:51 PM
#34
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location:
Posts: 1,063
RE: Big game rifle
why mess around. Get a 338-378 weatherby. Saw one slightly used, if even used at all, at cabelas in Boise for 1300. Really, .338 is a stand by elk caliber. Why not go for the biggest, baddest, and fasted .338? Weatherby is a great rifle company,the rilfecomes in the accumark family with the nifty weatherby webbed stock.
12-28-2006, 08:45 PM
#35
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 309
RE: Big game rifle
I won't argue that it's not a super potent round. But, it's a wildcat round, has a lotta" recoil in the 338-378 Weatherby, generates42lbs of recoil energy with a 250 grain bullet! Can the average guy handle it well?
Also, ammo is very expensive and probably isn't on many store shelves across the nation or in AK, Canada, etc.
So, unless your a reloader and like to get hit by .375 H&H Mag recoil energy each time you pull the trigger, I would think that this round would appeal to a small crowd.
.338 Win Mag is easy to shoot, found on most store shelves, accurate as hell and hits the animal like a freight train, not the hunter!
Also, ammo is very expensive and probably isn't on many store shelves across the nation or in AK, Canada, etc.
So, unless your a reloader and like to get hit by .375 H&H Mag recoil energy each time you pull the trigger, I would think that this round would appeal to a small crowd.
.338 Win Mag is easy to shoot, found on most store shelves, accurate as hell and hits the animal like a freight train, not the hunter!
12-29-2006, 12:44 AM
#36
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
RE: Big game rifle
If when you say bear you mean the big bears like browns or grizzly then i'dbe looking at the 338wm. No doubt it will handle anything in NA and is a dyno elk cartridge, in package that most find tolerable to shoot. It may not be the flattest shooter but it certainly packs a whomp on the game end of things.
If you want something a little more enduring based on your experience with 300 wbyand being a reloader the 300RUM might be a good fit. Flat shooting and packs more thanenough punch to be considered a good NA all around cartridge. Maybe able one up on the old man when running them over a chrony
!
If black bears and elk are your main concern then anything 280 rem and up will work just fine. Again being a reloader the sky is more open for you in terms of cartridges and bullets for usage.
As far as rifle your budget will allow you to buy a number of production rifles, maybe have a little money to tweak it after to boot. Which one is all based on personal fit, feel and features. Some touchy feely is suggested to trim down the possibles list.
Scope will go nicely with all of the above and is a fine choice. Justhold it with some top quality rings and bases.
Good Luck
If you want something a little more enduring based on your experience with 300 wbyand being a reloader the 300RUM might be a good fit. Flat shooting and packs more thanenough punch to be considered a good NA all around cartridge. Maybe able one up on the old man when running them over a chrony
!If black bears and elk are your main concern then anything 280 rem and up will work just fine. Again being a reloader the sky is more open for you in terms of cartridges and bullets for usage.
As far as rifle your budget will allow you to buy a number of production rifles, maybe have a little money to tweak it after to boot. Which one is all based on personal fit, feel and features. Some touchy feely is suggested to trim down the possibles list.
Scope will go nicely with all of the above and is a fine choice. Justhold it with some top quality rings and bases.
Good Luck
12-29-2006, 11:15 AM
#37
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location:
Posts: 1,063
RE: Big game rifle
ORIGINAL: 358WINMAN
I won't argue that it's not a super potent round. But, it's a wildcat round, has a lotta" recoil in the 338-378 Weatherby, generates42lbs of recoil energy with a 250 grain bullet! Can the average guy handle it well?
Also, ammo is very expensive and probably isn't on many store shelves across the nation or in AK, Canada, etc.
So, unless your a reloader and like to get hit by .375 H&H Mag recoil energy each time you pull the trigger, I would think that this round would appeal to a small crowd.
.338 Win Mag is easy to shoot, found on most store shelves, accurate as hell and hits the animal like a freight train, not the hunter!
I won't argue that it's not a super potent round. But, it's a wildcat round, has a lotta" recoil in the 338-378 Weatherby, generates42lbs of recoil energy with a 250 grain bullet! Can the average guy handle it well?
Also, ammo is very expensive and probably isn't on many store shelves across the nation or in AK, Canada, etc.
So, unless your a reloader and like to get hit by .375 H&H Mag recoil energy each time you pull the trigger, I would think that this round would appeal to a small crowd.
.338 Win Mag is easy to shoot, found on most store shelves, accurate as hell and hits the animal like a freight train, not the hunter!
12-29-2006, 02:14 PM
#38
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
RE: Big game rifle
ORIGINAL: Idaho hunter 58
Yeah, but i believe it is like 21 pounds and change with the accubrake which is equal to a .300 win, or maybe a strong .270. But you are def right about the price per box. Usually upwards of $80. But really after getting it sighted in that is not going to be that bad. Its a hunting rifle not a shooting rifle, so i doubt you'll be going through many boxes.
ORIGINAL: 358WINMAN
I won't argue that it's not a super potent round. But, it's a wildcat round, has a lotta" recoil in the 338-378 Weatherby, generates42lbs of recoil energy with a 250 grain bullet! Can the average guy handle it well?
Also, ammo is very expensive and probably isn't on many store shelves across the nation or in AK, Canada, etc.
So, unless your a reloader and like to get hit by .375 H&H Mag recoil energy each time you pull the trigger, I would think that this round would appeal to a small crowd.
.338 Win Mag is easy to shoot, found on most store shelves, accurate as hell and hits the animal like a freight train, not the hunter!
I won't argue that it's not a super potent round. But, it's a wildcat round, has a lotta" recoil in the 338-378 Weatherby, generates42lbs of recoil energy with a 250 grain bullet! Can the average guy handle it well?
Also, ammo is very expensive and probably isn't on many store shelves across the nation or in AK, Canada, etc.
So, unless your a reloader and like to get hit by .375 H&H Mag recoil energy each time you pull the trigger, I would think that this round would appeal to a small crowd.
.338 Win Mag is easy to shoot, found on most store shelves, accurate as hell and hits the animal like a freight train, not the hunter!
As far as your arguement of buying it for hunting not shooting. While I know it reins true withsome regardless of the cartridge they use, I would hope the majority don't take this approach and realize that shooting a rifle is very much a part of hunting. Confidence comes via shooting it and getting familar not grinning, bearing and saying good enough for it's annual trip to the range prior to embarking into the field.
Just my 2 pennies worth
12-29-2006, 03:45 PM
#39
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 21
RE: Big game rifle
I have already shot a black bear (used my fathers 300 weatherby work very nice in alaska) so i am refering to brown bear and maybe moose. My problem is in my state we cantuse a rifle to hunt deer so i am not interested in buying something that will work for elk but also can work for deer. I want something that i can hunt anything that is big! Thanks for all the ideas so far.
12-29-2006, 04:01 PM
#40
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 309
RE: Big game rifle
Skeeter7MM makes a strong argument here for remembering the basics of riflemanship which counts most for a good shooter/hunter.
My first .338 Win Mag was a Browning abolt with a boss system i.e., the adjustable brake for fine tuning your sweet spot! The gun shot very well and I was loading 74 grains of RL19 under a 200 grain Nosler Bal Tips for some impressive 100 yard groups off the bench. That damn gun was so loud that the echo off of the roof port at the range would set off all the car alarms near me and felt like I got slapped in the face. Also when I shot prone with my bipod I got too much dust blown back in my face. Try a follow up shot while you're squinting and tearing up from all the crap in your eye!I sold that gun 4 months later becuase I couldn't stand it!
I just purchased my first Ruger No.1 today in .338 Win Mag. I've heard many good things about that Ruger No.1 and finally found a used one in mint condition, so, Merry Christmas to me! Skeeter7MM is right, the .338 WM is the do all on elk, moose and the big bears. She may not shoot 1/2" groups all day but reload the round to its best and you can have 1.25" at 100yds. If you're a little jerky about the recoil, 1.5"-1.75" at 100 yds. Thats great groups with a stick like the .338WM.Send a 200gr Partition or A-frame or TripleShok on it's merry way and I promise you, the recipient of that pill is 'gonna fall fast!
In my experience, a brake isn't worth it and I'll never have another rifle with one on.
My first .338 Win Mag was a Browning abolt with a boss system i.e., the adjustable brake for fine tuning your sweet spot! The gun shot very well and I was loading 74 grains of RL19 under a 200 grain Nosler Bal Tips for some impressive 100 yard groups off the bench. That damn gun was so loud that the echo off of the roof port at the range would set off all the car alarms near me and felt like I got slapped in the face. Also when I shot prone with my bipod I got too much dust blown back in my face. Try a follow up shot while you're squinting and tearing up from all the crap in your eye!I sold that gun 4 months later becuase I couldn't stand it!
I just purchased my first Ruger No.1 today in .338 Win Mag. I've heard many good things about that Ruger No.1 and finally found a used one in mint condition, so, Merry Christmas to me! Skeeter7MM is right, the .338 WM is the do all on elk, moose and the big bears. She may not shoot 1/2" groups all day but reload the round to its best and you can have 1.25" at 100yds. If you're a little jerky about the recoil, 1.5"-1.75" at 100 yds. Thats great groups with a stick like the .338WM.Send a 200gr Partition or A-frame or TripleShok on it's merry way and I promise you, the recipient of that pill is 'gonna fall fast!
In my experience, a brake isn't worth it and I'll never have another rifle with one on.