Opinion: best short range big game caliber

[worx53]

350 Remington magnum with 20" barrel. it downright knocks stuff flat.... probably because the bullet uses most of the energy in the critter alot instead of blowing a hole through it. Either way theres a reallly big hole!

 

[Wilderlife]

9.3x62 is a great hard-hitting round at shorter ranges, but I find I grab my .308 most of the time anyway.

The biggest animals I chase on a regular basis here in Australia are fallow deer, so I don't need a lot of power to kill them anyway. I sometimes chase sambar deer but I haven't shot one yet, so can't comment on that. I may also take my 9.3x62 up north after scrub bulls later this year, but again, I may just take the .308.

The idea of a .300WM gets me excited, but I know I don't need one to accomplish what I need.

 

[Brendan]

300 and under? This:

http://www.rokslide.com/forums/firearms/49104-kimber-adirondack-308-a.html

 

[cooperjd]

i think the boring old .308 or '06 is tough to beat.

but if you want to do something a little different, the .325 wsm looks pretty sweet, as has been mentioned.

the .338 federal is a cool cartridge if you want a little heavier piece of copper/lead.

i also like bigger chunks of lead for bigger animals, so depends on what all you're going to be going after. the 35 cals as has been mentioned are some nice thumpers.

i really want a .375 ruger as i sold my 375HH. but i also want something in the .4's, like a .416 ruger or .416 rem mag. not exactly needed for what you're asking...i just love collecting rifles...

for gun availability/ammo availability, hard to beat the classics...

 

[Dave0317]

I've been doing a lot of reading and studying on this myself lately. I came to the conclusion that inside 300 yards for North American game that I will likely hunt, the .308 was best. Might be influenced by the fact that I already have one or two and have shot tons of it, so I really don't want to start a new caliber ammo collection unless I have to. If I knew I was hunting Moose or Grizzly, I might pick something else. .338-06 or .338WM or .300WM were on my mind for that.

Not enough trajectory difference inside 300 to persuade me otherwise, and it carries enough energy to be effective on most big game, in theory. Others seem to have said the same, with more real world experience. Can't say it would be my first choice on a grizzly hunt, but I may never hunt grizzly. And for bear defense, I'd just be happy to happen to have a centerfire rifle in my hands, period.

30-06 would be a comparable second choice for me. Second choice because it requires a longer action with longer bolt throw and more weight, for only a small increase in velocity. I have not found 30-06 to be that much more common than .308. Both sell out during a bad election. And for hunts, I bring all I plan to use anyway.

"Short range" for me would be the 45-70. Pretty sure I've read about it taking Buffalo and maybe Elephant, and still can be used appropriately for deer without too much meat damage. A single shot 45-70 qualifies as my "primitive weapon" here in MS, it is fun to hunt with. Barely anything "primitive" about it though.

 

[LaGriz]

Good nitch for a thumper,
I too loved the .35 Rem. that I regret selling. I have a .358 Win (M70 featherweight) with 19" barrel, and a 338-06 (M70 classic) with a 22" barrel that fit these requirements. A .338 Federal and .35 Whelan are pretty much interchangeable with my two cartridges. "Good Medicine" on a 280# Whitetail buck or a 1200# moose with any of these calibers. With a well placed controlled-expansion bullet, I don't think the critters could tell the difference at modest ranges. The 338-06 is going to be my choice for this years elk hunt. I hope to get a chance to rate it's performance.

LaGriz

 

[luke moffat]

You won't be disappointed with the 338-06. Mine is the little 21" barrel and it still shoots 210 sciroccos at 2830 fps which has been a hammer on moose, caribou, and grizzly so far.

 

[GKPrice]

I own several 308's and have always felt like I had plenty of gun-
Building a new 270WSM just for something new and different and think it may be my go to weapon- especially for up close.

270 WSM shooting 130 etip is a very tough combo to beat even way beyond 300 yards

 

[LaGriz]

Luke Moffet,
" You won't be disappointed with the 338-06. Mine is the little 21" barrel and it still shoots 210 sciroccos at 2830 fps which has been a hammer on moose, caribou, and grizzly so far."


I have see your posts before and I'm intrigued by this 210 scirocco load. What is your powder charge? You may remember I had questions for you when I had the work done on this M70 classic. JES in Oregon did a re-bore on the original barrel. At the present I'm rolling with the 200 grain Accubond loaded by Nosler. Accuracy has been good to very good thus far. My last 100 yard group (limited at the local sheriff's range) on Saturday was MOA tight until I shot a 4th round and got a flier. Magazine holds 4 on this rig. The Kahles 2X7X36mm scope is good fit, and for once I got the eye relief correct. I can acquire my target quickly at high or low power. Resolution on this scope is top notch and the plex recital has a fine cross hair center. A big plus when you have only 7X at the high end.

Getting back to the thread, I like the low powered variables on these thumpers. My featherweight .358 Win. has a Leica 1.75X6X32 with a 30MM tube. Like the Kahles it too is awesome in low light. The wide field of view while on low power helped me make a quality 40 yard shot on a New Mexico bull years ago. At the time, I had the Leica scope on my .280 Rem. I broke the bulls shoulder with a .160 grain fail safe round that exited the off side. He was done but I chose to put another thru his lungs to more quickly end his suffering. The rifle/scope combo was a good match for the dark timber I was hunting at the time. Recoil of either weapon is quite tolerable, and they don't need a muzzle brake. Mild recoil allows one to get back on target for a quick follow up shots if needed.

LaGriz