Help me pick a Calibre!

[Hagas4all]

I grew up hunting that exact terrain in BC and would definitely go .308 for ammo availability and recoil. You will seldom get a shot on anything outside 100 yards because, well it’s a rain forest. Even if you did decide to go on an alpine hunt you will still have plenty of reach. A stainless T3X with barrel chopped to 20 inch for added maneuverability would be a one and done choice for all game you listed.

 

[Greenbelt]

Hey everyone, new Rokslider here!

I’m located on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada and getting into hunting. I’d start with blacktail deer, but would hope to eventually (as soon as experience and opportunity presents) move towards larger game such as elk, and in a few years moose.

I’ve talked to 5 or so local hunting/firearm shops all with conflicting calibre opinions. I would love to hear your opinions/experiences on these two calibres and I am all ears to other suggestions.

The first being the .270, which I know is to small for moose, questionable for elk depending who you ask, and great for deer. If I were to go this route I know I would need a larger second calibre rifle later on. Which if possible I would like to avoid for now, but understand it might be my only choice. Would this ethically allow me to hunt elk?

The second being the .300 win mag, will kill everything with proper utilization on the hunters behalf. The problem I’ve read is potential meat loss on smaller deer (which I’ve heard can be negated with the right choice of ammunition). This option is appealing as I can master one rifle, one round. But wonder if this is stupidly overkill for my needs, or risking meat loss?

I’ve shot 30-06 and .308 and had no problem with recoil, I understand the win mag hits a but harder but imagine I would be fine? At least with a limbsavor.

I understand the value of shot placement over calibre, and would never take a shot I wasn’t confident in.

If you’ve made it this far into my ramblings, thanks for reading! Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

-J

7 mag and 300 win mag. You can hunt the entire world.

 

[keystone112]

Is 280 AI an option for you?

 

[long hunter]

30-06 or 300 win. mag.

 

[TheGDog]

Remington 783 is a great budget friendly option. If money is not a issue Winchester Model 70 hands down.

Only thing with 783, that can be a lil annoying is that the safety they have doesn't lock the action closed like my Savage does. While you're hiking with the 783 on your shoulder... ya gotta periodically check to make sure the bolt hasn't rotated open. Arrived back to my truck one time to find that the action had rotated open, the bolt had dropped back open, and the round had fallen out of the chamber.

It's manageable, surely, by just getting in the habit of reaching back with your hand and checking it every so often on the hike-in/while moving. They are very accurate though. Ditch the stock rings and order a DedNutz Game Reaper for it. And... since they're cheap you won't mind experimenting with sponge-dabbing the rifle to camo it out!

 

[Jbrown250]

Tikka and Browning are the two I always recommend to take a look at. Better than the cheap entry level guns but still reasonably priced. Very rare to hear of one of those with issues compared to a lot of more expensive guns.

Im very interested in the tikka t3x local guys rave about them. Do you have a preferred model? The Lite seems like a great option.

 

[IrkedCitizen]

.284 caliber would be my choice. Cartridge would be 7mm Rem Mag shooting 162gr ELD-M will kill everything in North America. The 7prc would also be one to look at.

That said I am currently having a 6UM barrel made.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Funny how so many members post their opinions…

I literally shake my head in amazement that a newbie can make any rational sense as to what truly is important in regards to killing effectively.

Please read the threads in their entirety that @ResearchinStuff posted before you make any choice.

 

[NewEnglandbowhunter88]

Hey everyone, new Rokslider here!

I’m located on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada and getting into hunting. I’d start with blacktail deer, but would hope to eventually (as soon as experience and opportunity presents) move towards larger game such as elk, and in a few years moose.

I’ve talked to 5 or so local hunting/firearm shops all with conflicting calibre opinions. I would love to hear your opinions/experiences on these two calibres and I am all ears to other suggestions.

The first being the .270, which I know is to small for moose, questionable for elk depending who you ask, and great for deer. If I were to go this route I know I would need a larger second calibre rifle later on. Which if possible I would like to avoid for now, but understand it might be my only choice. Would this ethically allow me to hunt elk?

The second being the .300 win mag, will kill everything with proper utilization on the hunters behalf. The problem I’ve read is potential meat loss on smaller deer (which I’ve heard can be negated with the right choice of ammunition). This option is appealing as I can master one rifle, one round. But wonder if this is stupidly overkill for my needs, or risking meat loss?

I’ve shot 30-06 and .308 and had no problem with recoil, I understand the win mag hits a but harder but imagine I would be fine? At least with a limbsavor.

I understand the value of shot placement over calibre, and would never take a shot I wasn’t confident in.

If you’ve made it this far into my ramblings, thanks for reading! Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

-J

30'06 is a great starter, 6.5 PRC not Creedmoor is another good one, if you're open to lever guns tho 45'70 is a great option. Not many people know this but it's one of the only cartridges that you can get factory loaded in all different grains and what not, with 1 rifle you can get ammo great for deer the impacts with around the amount of force a 308 had all the way up to 300 win mag levels of kinetic energy

 

[gerry35]

Im very interested in the tikka t3x local guys rave about them. Do you have a preferred model? The Lite seems like a great option.

Try out a bunch of different rifles and see what fits you well. No wrong choices here. My young cousin tried the Tikka and found the Browning X Bolt fit him better. I will say though for BC stainless synthetic is probably the best choice for us here. He chose a 308 Win and it's a great choice, A 270 or 30-06 would be great too.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Funny how so many members post their opinions…

I literally shake my head in amazement that a newbie can make any rational sense as to what truly is important in regards to killing effectively.

Please read the threads in their entirety that @ResearchinStuff posted before you make any choice.

So many uninformed opinions.

I won't argue with every one of them, but the rem 783 is a legit dangerous gun. It's pretty easy to find reports on them going off without the trigger being pulled. Hard pass on that one, I wouldn't hunt with one or with someone who tried bringing one.

 

[keystone112]

T3x Lite is a great option.

 

[House21]

The 270 win will kill anything you want it too. I hunt Alberta and have taken deer, elk, moose and black bear with a 270 and never felt under gunned. I have bigger rifles and right now my go to is my weatherby 6.5 RPM. If you are planning on shooting factory ammo I’d take a hard look at a 6.5 creed or 308 win and hunt confidently

 

[oldskool67]

You only need one. 30-06

 

[Grizz2150]

30-06 with a 180g bullet in front of 60g of h4831sc will do you right.

I would use 200 to 220 gr. Bullets in the 30-06 and 300 Mag

 

[amateurhourhunter]

.50 cal BMG go big or go home. No really .270 win is fine. Shot placement and get in as close as possible.

 

[wyobigbuckhunter]

Most of the calibers mentioned above will work. Don't let the haters say that the .270 or the 6.5s are too small. I've personally harvested several big mule deer, elk, moose and bear with a 270 wsm with great results. I've also been a part of multiple elk and other animals being harvested with the 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 PRC. Honestly, the 6.5 PRC and modern bullets ( i.e 156 Berger) have similar ballistics to a 7mm Rem Mag in most platforms. I've found that matching your bullet to your intended purpose (distance you are planning on taking game, needed penetration, accuracy, ammo availability vs. available reloading components, etc.), and shot placement are much more important than caliber. Bigger magnums seem to be a little more forgiving with shot placement and energy to target, but come with the added cost of recoil. I've found that bigger isn't always better when just starting out because most people tend to develop bad habits with recoil that last.
My advice... start with a smaller caliber (better yet, put a brake on or have it suppressed), match your bullet to what you are trying to do, learn the craft by spending the time and effort to solidify your fundamentals, gain experience at distance (this shows you your weakness), and then move up calibers or platform after you have developed and gained a solid foundation.
I know the thought of buying two rifles is hard, but look at it as an investment. If this is something that you enjoy, you probably will end up buying another rifle or upgrading anyway. I've helped multiple people both ways and it seems to always work better going smaller to bigger. With all the after market upgrades and prefit barrels available, Tikkas are hard to beat! Shoot me a DM and I'd be happy to expand on anything further that I have trialed or has work for me over the years.

 

[prairieboy]

hard to beat a 30-06. i would not have said this in my younger days.

 

[WKB]

30-06 is not great at anything, but works for everything. my M70 AWR is not the best Mtn rifle, or plains game rifle, or woods rifle, but it does good enough. I load 165s for Kansas Whitetails and antelope, 178s for Mulies and Elk. With a Leupold 3.5-10HD I am good from 50-400 yards. My M1 Garand gets a steady diet of 150grain M2 Ball, and my Winchester 1895 with a Williams peep sight loooves 220 grain core-lokt.
It is not the sexiest, sleekest, or smoothest, but there is definitely some nostalgia associated with that ol' round. It can be found in any hardware store/gun shop/closet the world round. You can get solids from Woodleigh if you so desire, or 100 grain reduced loads for camp meat/plinking. The 30-06 is a jack of all trades and a master of none. So for me, I choose the '06.

 

[rabbithuntr]

6.5 Creedmoor is a great option, I’ve seen quite a few deer killed with the 300 mags and they don’t kill any better than the ones killed with 22-6.5 cal.


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