New Rifle advice

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

The gentleman I'm going with is taking his .458 win mag custom rifle

Whoa... Serious thumper there... There are several cartrides less expensive and easier shooting than this that regularly take grizz and brown bears at appropriate ranges. I'm sure there are sub-.30 cal cartridges that get the job done too, but to keep the list shorter...

.308 with 180-200 grain bullets
.30-06 with 180-250 grain bullets
.300 win mag witth 180-250 grain bullets
.338 win mag 225-250 grain bullets
.358 win with 180-200 grain bullets
.35 Whelen with 200-250 grain bullets
.375 H&H with 250-300 grain bullets

 

[Mountainrancher]

I work at a small gun store with a guy who lived and worked for 34 years in AK, we're shooting for right around May '24 and potentially later in '24 for Caribou or Blacktail

Assuming you’re going through and outfitter they may have a caliber restriction I would talk with them.

 

[PNWGATOR]

I keep trying to get @Ryan Avery to pony up for a Rokslide sponsored 77TMK AK coastal brown bear hunt…

 

[ResearchinStuff]

maybe if we group buy 500 T3x lite ss 223's from the OP's gunstore you can go on this one?

 

[Bjoornwolfr]

maybe if we group buy 500 T3x lite ss 223's from the OP's gunstore you can go on this one?

I doubt our distributors have that many in stock! Lol!

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

maybe if we group buy 500 T3x lite ss 223's from the OP's gunstore you can go on this one?

As long as we get a group discount I'm in!

 

[NSI]

Doing anything for an edge case is a bad idea.

Best case scenario you enjoy 2 hunts and are saddled with an expensive gun you hate to shoot.

Worst case scenario your hunts get pushed out and you are still saddled with an expensive gun you hate to shoot.

Keep the "family ammo" 6.5cm and buy a stainless Tikka. You'll save on components (130 TMKs baby), time, and frustration, your hit probability will go up, and you'll actually enjoy your rifle.

There are tons of solutions for your edge-case hunts that don't involve you building and owning a shoulder dislocater.

Finally - that scope is going to cause you untold frustration. Unload it, and buy a SWFA 6x or 3-9x. It is the least expensive scope which has been shown to hold zero in field conditions. Your Vortex will have you constantly wondering whether you're throwing shots or the erector is screwed. Trust is hard, so luckily there's a full bank of scope drop tests on this site for you to peruse.

Bon Voyage!

-J

 

[wind gypsy]

OP are you hunting brown bears or black bears? The way the questions were answered gives me the impression you haven't thought through this like someone who has a $20k+ brown bear hunt booked.

 

[stan5677]

Recommend you read the scope testing threads here before you go any further.

Also, listen to the shoot 2 hunt podcasts on scopes and terminal ballistics.

Bullets matter. Everything you’re wanting to do can be accomplished with a 77TMK.

Don’t be in a hurry to make a bad decision.

.223 not legal in VA for hunting

 

[ResearchinStuff]

As long as we get a group discount I'm in!

yeah i was banking on a volume discount.

 

[hiker270]

Brown Bear to me means 300 Win. Mag.

 

[sodaksooner]

6.5 PRC if you like the 6.5? 300wm has served me fine. Probably a bit of overkill for deer, but the one and only deer Ive shot with it only went 3 feet.....straight down

 

[stx.dead.I]

I do hand load, and surprisingly around here both are somewhat readily available, specifically the hornady precision hunter cartridges.

I am also looking at 6.5 PRC rifles. I have a 20" 6.5CM and 24" 300WM. Im looking for a compact packafmge and people are recommending 16" 6.5PRC

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[N2TRKYS]

Just get a 270 Win instead of the 6.5 PRC.

 

[WRO]

Inside 500 yards, these calibers will give you excellent ballistics and terminal performance with minimal recoil. This will improve your consistency and hit rate %. Absolutely no need to go magnum or PRC for what your described.

Because your a handloader, you can maximize performance with all of these cartridges and have fun doing some wildcatting by Ackley Improving, going with fast-twist barrels, etc... Tikka is an excellent platform for starting your journey.

.223- 77 Sierra Tipped Match King (TMK)
.243- 109 Hornady ELDM
6mm Creed- 109 Hornady ELDM
25 Creed- 134 Hornady ELDM, 133/135 Bergers
.25-06- 115 Nosler Ballistic Tip (BT), 117 Berger VLD, 120 Sierra Gold Dot (Federal Fusion bullet) or get a fast twist prefit (1:7.5) and launch Hornady 134 ELDM, 133/135 Bergers
6.5 Creed- 140 Hornady ELDM

I’ve killed enough elk and have watched a shit ton die and would 0% recommend any of those options for elk if someone is buying a rifle with elk in mind. All of those will kill one, the margin for error is much smaller and the opportunity for a lethally hit one to go into a shit hole and die. I’ve killed 2 with my 6.5 prc, but my big 300 is king for planting them on the first shot. Big bulls will eat lead sometimes.

Then again I’ve only watched a 100 or so die.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I’ve killed enough elk and have watched a shit ton die and would 0% recommend any of those options for elk if someone is buying a rifle with elk in mind. All of those will kill one, the margin for error is much smaller and the opportunity for a lethally hit one to go into a shit hole and die. I’ve killed 2 with my 6.5 prc, but my big 300 is king for planting them on the first shot. Big bulls will eat lead sometimes.

Then again I’ve only watched a 100 or so die.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You do you, and I and others will continue to advocate guys shoot cartridges that they can shoot well, because of reduced recoil. Between the 3 different threads we provided for the OPs research, my guess is the fellas consistently killing big game with "non-traditional" cartridges have killed more than 100 combined and congratulations on your success. Form has probably killed more than 100 big game animals with "small calibers" himself.

Regarding the 300 win mag, it is an excellent and proven cartridge no doubt. The recoil it delivers is also punishing and more than many people can comforably shoot. Moreover, compare it to a modern fast twist .25-06 and its a dead heat with the .25 pulling away at extreme distance. The 133 and 135 grain Bergers are "hunting" bullets and achieve very similar ballistics to the 134 ELDM if you don't like "match" bullets for hunting.

Look at the table and let me know what advantage the 300 win mag has over the heavy .257 inside 600 yards. The major negative it has at all ranges is about double the recoil.

Regarding the 6.5 PRC, it is also a good big game caliber. However, a very seasoned western hunter and guide that I know shot a big bull 7 times with one last year to finally put it down. The point being a marginally larger "caliber" does not in any way guarantee a bang flop on a deer or elk.

 

[fwafwow]

Here we go again.

 

[Crghss]

Just get a .270 and be done with it.

 

[Antares]

mArGiN fOr ErRor…

 

[MarlinsDad]

3 years in Alaska the most common rifle I saw was 30-06, load heavy for big game and light for deer,bou,blackies no need for more. I’d much rather track a critter double lunged with a with a 223 than one gut shot with a 300.
You’re better off getting another 6.5 or 308 parent case maybe 30-06 a few cases ammo and practice your ass off. Practice is the key no sense in being stuck with a heavy recoiling rifle that you don’t enjoy shooting. If your average shot is inside 500yd anything 308win case capacity is enough. I’m a short barrel guy I love running suppressed. My favorite deer gun is a 15” encore pistol in 243win.
A 20” stainless Tikka ctr is hard to beat, I’d highly recommend stainless in Alaska I’ve seen weeks it rained every day.
If you’re heart is set on a mag of some sort buy the 6.5prc it’ll cleanly kill anything in North America without kicking the crap out of you.