Cartridge conundrum

[stan5677]

Still looking at a new rifle but can't for the life of me decide on a cartridge. I mainly hunt out east where I can get by with a 6.5CM. I eventually want to do a western hunt for elk and mule deer. I've been looking at the 300wsm and 7 rem mag. Any other recommendations is greatly welcomed. Only want 1 rifle to do it all.

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[Seeknelk]

What range do you wish to be capable at?
Do you handload?

 

[madcalfe]

do you reload? if so 7SS
if not 7suam, 300wsm

 

[stan5677]

What range do you wish to be capable at?
Do you handload?

Don't plan on handloading and don't plan anything going past 400

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[madcalfe]

Don't plan on handloading and don't plan anything going past 400

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.308

 

[Bcleck90]

Why wouldn’t a 6.5CM do everything you mentioned or are you saying you just want a new rifle/caliber?

 

[Longleaf]

6.5prc or 7saum but ammo is $$$$ if you don’t reload.

 

[stan5677]

Why wouldn’t a 6.5CM do everything you mentioned or are you saying you just want a new rifle/caliber?

Need a new rifle period don't currently have one I sold my last one which was a 270

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[762 ULTRAMAGA]

A 7mm will work perfect and ammo availability can't be beat

 

[stan5677]

A 7mm will work perfect and ammo availability can't be beat

That's what I'm thinking. Want a little more oomph than the 6.5cm plus when I go I'll be using an outfitter

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[Tmac]

To 400, plenty of good options with plenty of factory ammo options. 6.5CM, 7mm-08, 308, 270, 30-06 among them. Looks like the 6.5PRC will be around too.

 

[Longleaf]

There’s a bergara 6.5 prc in the classifieds, I’ve had my bergara 6.5cm shoot 1/4moa with handloads

 

[Doc Holliday]

7 rem mag or 300 win mag

Once you finally do go hunting out west, you may find that you want to do it more often, and that you also are willing to train to shoot farther than 400 yards. Buy a caliber that will not limit that growth

If you prefer less recoil go with the 7 rem mag, otherwise get the 300. Both will cleanly kill anything in North America from less than desireable angles, provided you have the right bullet.

 

[S-3 ranch]

7x57 mm , 270, 280, 30-06 , 338-06 , 300hh-300prc

 

[Seeknelk]

The CM will do everything you need to 400 and making placing shots very easy with low recoil and low cost for getting thousands of rounds downrange.
But anything will work to 400.
7 rem mag or 300 mag of any variety.

 

[35WhelenAI]

First and foremost, controlled expansion bullet is what I would recommend for out west. Nothing wrong with the old standby's of a 270 Win, 280 Rem, 30-06 and up another notch a 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag. Controlled expansion bullets are preferable for the hunt and practice with regular bullet rounds.

Doc Holliday in post #13 says it well too.

 

[Forestryguy]

I was going through the same thought process a month or so ago. I went with a 30-06. I put same yardage limitation to the set up. 30-06 just offers so many bullet options from light to 220gr. Since I am in WI now most of the hunting is in darker thicker timber so wanted a 30 cal, hopefully less tracking in swamps. Went with a Win M70 Featherweight SS. It was the only SS I was able to find in my searches. Looking for a lower power to x10 scope with illuminated reticle now.

 

[Centralcoastca]

A 7mag would be hard to beat for a do it all rifle especially for someone who doesn’t reload. It can be heavy enough for anything, fast and flat enough for longer ranges and there’s plenty of factory ammo options (in theses times at least). I like my .280 and .300 win mag and both would work great and are available enough and the .280ai has Had a new surge of popularity, but if I was starting from scratch and just wanted one gun to do it all I would probably get a 7mag.

 

[jlpoe]

I too was making the very same decision researching for a few months looking at all the info from folks who’d tested or used various cartridges - hard choice. I valued many things essentially wanting the do it all cartridge with a top end bucket list game killer for elk but having it range all the way down to coyote killer with lighter loads. Recoil, loudness and flatness of it’s ballistics playing heavy along with a 400 or so range but with still strong dropping energy for ethical shots. Sub MOA capable
With possibility of some long range competition for fun in a sub $1300-1500 threshold budget

6.5 PRC is where I landed and absolutely love my new Christensen Arms Mesa. Just did my barrel breakin and zeroed my Leupold 3HD scope and am getting 3/4” groups with Hornady Match ammo. Recoil with the muzzle break is very manageable.

Like some have said though, ammo is a bit of an issue but getting better.

 

[Zappaman]

I bought a Vanguard 7mm RM to replace my old 7mm RM 700 (with a high round count- started to get a little concerned with my 1979 rifle after the 400 rounds or so I put through it-- AFTER I bought it used in 1989). Gun smiths wanted mega cash to rebarrel it, so I sold it off (with full disclosure) to a guy for a very good price two years back.

Then, I got the Weatherguard model- even the bold face is cerikoted! So far, it's dropping hand loads under an inch (and it comes with an MOA gurantee for TWO years after the purchase- if using premium ammo). It weighs about 7 1/2 lbs. before scope and ammo (* I do miss the wood stock on the 700, but this plastic sock IS solid). I appreciate the extra weight in a magnum cartridge like this one too as I do not use a brake. The thing is as weatherproof as it gets too!

Best thing is it's a Wyoming built Weatherby! (one of the first they shipped after getting out of CA)

I'd like a 300 one day maybe, but was raised on this caliber and it's killed out to 600 yards (on elk) and further on deer (and further again on yotes). To me, the 7MM RM is the upper limit of what I'll ever need, with manageable recoil.

That said, I use a 260ai (Creedmoor on steroids) for Kansas white tail and it's a soft kicking, accurate gun. If I wasn't needing to kill LONG range elk, I'd buy the Creed and be happy as it can shoot 90g to 140+ grains bullets. Get a GOOD scope, learn to dial... and it can keep up with the 7mm RM pretty good too.