Two Gun Combination for Multi Species Out to 600yards

[frankrb3]

My two gun caliber recommendations would be a 300 Winchester magnum and a .243 Winchester, especially is you shoot factory ammo. I just looked on midwayusa.com and they have (96) different ammunition offerings for the 300 Win Mag and (60) for the .243 Winchester. I used to have a .243wssm and got rid of it because of a lack of ammo availability and variety. If you reload I guess it's not as important.

 

[5MilesBack]

I picked up a Ruger American .270 Win recently and joked about it now being my coyote rifle as well. Well, I did up a bunch of loads for it and shooting recently over two weeks and was shocked to see that the most accurate load was the 85gr Barnes TSX coming in under .5" at 100. Given that, now I need to try the Barnes 85gr RRLP's and see if they do similar, and this will be my new coyote rifle, along with antelope and whatever else I want to shoot with it. I have a late season antelope meat hunt I will use it on as well with the TSX's. The older I get, the smaller my hunting calibers get.

And you mention "out to 600".......I rifle hunted elk for years, and the furthest shot I ever needed to take was about 225. And I had a good rifle/scope combo that was accurate out to 650 all those years. So, you really could easily do everything with one rifle.

 

[GKPrice]

I picked up a Ruger American .270 Win recently and joked about it now being my coyote rifle as well. Well, I did up a bunch of loads for it and shooting recently over two weeks and was shocked to see that the most accurate load was the 85gr Barnes TSX coming in under .5" at 100. Given that, now I need to try the Barnes 85gr RRLP's and see if they do similar, and this will be my new coyote rifle, along with antelope and whatever else I want to shoot with it. I have a late season antelope meat hunt I will use it on as well with the TSX's. The older I get, the smaller my hunting calibers get.

And you mention "out to 600".......I rifle hunted elk for years, and the furthest shot I ever needed to take was about 225. And I had a good rifle/scope combo that was accurate out to 650 all those years. So, you really could easily do everything with one rifle.

FWIW, I agree with every word above ^^^^^^^^^^

 

[robtattoo]

Personally speaking, rightly or wrongly, I don't have a specific 2 gun combo. I have an 8 gun combo, all with specific uses in mind.
If I had to whittle it down to just 2, I'd keep my 6.5 Swede & my '06. I have loads worked up for both that'll work from mouse to moose without 'overkill' or worrying whether I've got enough gun for the quarry.
From 85gn screamers at 3400fps right through to 200+gn heavy hitters.

Thinking about it, I should probably sell the other 6 & bank a few grand........but where's the fun in that eh?!

 

[AXEL]

You exhibit "borderline" level gunaholism, a very debilitating and incurable form of mental illness. When, you really have it bad, as we old geezers often do, you will end up owning 4-5 P-64 Alaskans I(the originals) in .338WM, alone, 2-3 highend Germanic combo guns, Dakotas, Mannlicher-Schoenauers and even original Oberndorf sporters........

Beware, my young friend, it is like contracting Malaria............

 

[Kmarkwardt]

Ok, thanks everyone for input. Very informative.

Without getting into a caliber pissing match, would it be possible to compare the .243, 6.5 Creed and .270 caliber rifles as far as pros and cons?

Is there a wrong choice among them?

My hunting is defined by elk, mule deer trail and black bear at ranges from 1 yard to 600 yards.

I do a handful of whitetail “harvests” from ag land every year where range is under 100 yards and meat preservation is the bigger concern (yeah, I realize shot placement is a bigger deal than caliber, but still a consideration).

I’ll likely be doing a couple of moose hunts in the next 5 years, and will probably a couple of antelope hunts in the same window.

Is going .270 for a one gun option a bad idea?

I never mentioned that I’m currently shooting a 30-06, which I’ve always had great luck with and have shot to decent distances, I just have always read that ranges past 4-500 yards aren’t ideal with that caliber.


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[COlineman78]

Is going .270 for a one gun option a bad idea?

You are going to hear a lot of people complaining that it's not enough knock down power. It's never been a problem for me or my dad before me for elk and deer. That being said, moose is a whole different beast and I don't think I'd want to go after one with a 270.

 

[robtattoo]

Ain't a thang wrong with the ol' '06.
If I only had a .270 I probably wouldn't lose too much sleep until I had a moose hunt booked & paid for.
Between the .243, 6.5 & .270 my money would go towards a 6.5, but as a reloader, the Needmore would only be 1 slot above the Carcano. BC pretty much can't be beat, but the Creed is surpassed in performance by pretty much every other 6.5 chambering. Swede is a good mid ground pushing 85 varmint rounds past 3400fps & 140s easily north of 2800. 6.5x284 is spectacular (as long as you're not putting 2000 rounds a year through it)
.270 bullet selection is not the greatest & in factory ammo you can pick between the huge selection of 130s &150s
.243 is a great whitetail caliber, but my bestest bud shoots one & as the guy that does all his proceeding I have to say that meat loss is significant compared to either of your other options. I'm not sure I'd be completely confident in using one for body shots on a muley either.

If I didn't reload, I'd pick the .270

 

[robtattoo]

Incidentally, nothing under a 'magnum' chambering (pick your fave) is 'ideal' beyond 4-500yds. My opinion.

 

[elkduds]

Is a 180gr Woodleigh Weldcore bullet adequate for moose/bear? Double Tap ammo loads that bullet in 270 win. My last elk was knocked down (and stayed down) w a single Double Tap 160 gr partition from my 270. Availability of heavy-for-caliber bullets and cartridge power are reasons I would choose 270 win over your other candidates, especially since the first species on your list is elk.

 

[Steve O]

I’ve not read the replies but I bet they are all better than “the 6.5 Creedmore may be too hot for close range”. That’s a good one right there...I’d take any other advice from that dude with a grain of salt.

Perfect 2gun battery is any 25/26/27/28 cal standard or magnum married with a 338 Win Mag. Then you will find yourself using the small one 99.9% of the time.

All around do it with one rifle in any 30 caliber standard or magnum.


I have a safe full of rifles from 22-458 and have owned many of the available calibers over the last 40 years. I’ve killed a big Alaskan bull moose with a meager .270 Win and 3 antelope with one shot with a mighty 338 Win mag...I’ve come to realize they all work; it’s more in our heads than it is if the cartridge is effective.

 

[5MilesBack]

I’ve not read the replies but I bet they are all better than “the 6.5 Creedmore may be too hot for close range”. That’s a good one right there...I’d take any other advice from that dude with a grain of salt.

Ya, I got a chuckle out of that one too.

Reminded me of the time I went to the Ford dealer to check out the NEW 1999 Ford Super Duties. I asked the salesman what the physical differences were between the F-250 and F-350 and his reply was "Oh, the F-350 is a LOT more powerful than the F-250". LOL. I replied "Ok, I'm done with you".

 

[GKPrice]

You say you have a 30.06 now ? Unless it's just a lighter gun or some other characteristic of the firearm a .270 will do absolutely nothing an '06 can't do better

Try to explain to me why a well placed .270/130 Etip, GMX, Accubond, TTSX, TSX, etc won't (or can't?) tip over any moose that ever walked and I'll show you a hunter who's not hunted them

First "rule" is like your rifle - Second "rule" is choose a good bullet (for the animal hunted) - Third "rule" is shoot ... as much as possible

 

[Xxtavixx]

I did this debate two years ago. Wound up with a 270 and cut the barrel to 16.5" and a 7mag with a 24" barrel. I really wanted a 338 win mag but I am left handed, so that wasnt an easy thing to have done. Both my 270 and 7mag are the exact same rifle with the same brand scope - slightly different power. With that said, there really isnt much area where I think I need the 7mag over the 270.

i lucked into this part, i wanted very similar firearms and never thought about this...the ammo will feel different in the dark bc one is a belted case. Never know if that will be useful

 

[howl]

If someone already pointed this out, sorry for repeating, but... It is possible to get a smaller capacity cartridge with a smaller caliber and weight bullet that flies the same as a larger. .260 and .300 Win Mag come to mind first.

 

[Josh Wright]

I'd go with 6.5 creedmoor and call it a day. If you wanted 2 guns and wanted more than enough thump for any game that walks in North America, pair it with a 26 nosler.

More than likely would get a load to use the same bullet. The Barnes LRX 127 grain in either will do all you want, as well as the nosler accubonds and accubond long range bullets.

 

[Brendan]

I'll take a different angle - consider rifle weight too.

Ultra lightweight gun for backpacking and close range. Kimber Adirondack in 6.5CM, 7mm-08 or .308 - 6lbs scoped, 18" barrel.

Then

~9-10 lb scoped 300 WM with a longer barrel, able to use a bipod, set up for 215 bergers.

If one gun only - .30-06 is boring but hard to beat.

 

[ckleeves]

I'll take a different angle - consider rifle weight too.

Ultra lightweight gun for backpacking and close range. Kimber Adirondack in 6.5CM, 7mm-08 or .308 - 6lbs scoped, 18" barrel.

Then

~9-10 lb scoped 300 WM with a longer barrel, able to use a bipod, set up for 215 bergers.

If one gun only - .30-06 is boring but hard to beat.

X2! Packing a 11 lb 300 wm miles isn’t ideal, however that’s exactly what I want for a 600+ yard shot. Shooting a 6 lb rifle in a smaller cartridge at 500+ yards well is tougher then most guys think. But if I’m packing it miles that’s exactly what I want.


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[desertcj]

I'll take a different angle - consider rifle weight too.

Ultra lightweight gun for backpacking and close range. Kimber Adirondack in 6.5CM, 7mm-08 or .308 - 6lbs scoped, 18" barrel.

Then

~9-10 lb scoped 300 WM with a longer barrel, able to use a bipod, set up for 215 bergers.

If one gun only - .30-06 is boring but hard to beat.

I personally look at this from the same point of view. You didn't say if you also shoot varmints? That would leave me with a. 243 and a 7mm Rem Mag or 300 win mag. I have a model 70 featherweight in 7mm-08 for backpacking/general use and I'm building a 7mm Rem Mag that will probably be 12lbs for the long range stuff. I just happen to also have a 12lb .243 that fills in for varmint duty, but I would also be happy with a .223 for that.

 

[mcseal2]

I did the same thing and went the light rifle/heavy rifle weight.

I have a custom 264 win mag on a M70 Winchester action that has decorated my house. It weighs 9.5lbs with a 3-18 Leupold VX-6 CDS scope. It's a very pleasant light recoiling rifle for shooting with my handload. The load isn't hot only getting 2914fps from a 140gr Berger, but it shoots so well I didn't try for to long to get more speed. I'm still getting 270 win speed with a much higher BC bullet, and barrel life should be excellent as I practice quite a bit. It's my flatter country deer/antelope gun.

I also have a 300 win mag built by Rifles Inc that weighs 7lbs 4oz including the Swaro Z5 3.5-18x scope. It's my steep country muley gun, plus my elk and moose rifle. I shoot 180gr Accubonds at 2956fps from it. With the muzzle brake it's also a pleasant rifle to shoot as long as I have my ear protection in. I should never shoot without it anyway, so that's not a problem.

Anyway that's my 2 rifle big game set-up. I have other guns so they aren't always each other's back-up rifle on any given hunt, but they overlap enough they do a good job of it. The 264 is adequate for elk if I ever had an issue with the 300 while on a hunt, and the 300 is easily capable of deer or antelope.

Varmints is a different subject. Here that mostly means predators and I have a few I use during different calling conditions. I like a 204 with a tough 45gr bullet if bobcat or coyote may show up, a 223 AR for most coyote calling, and a 243 with an 85gr bullet for windy days or real open country. The 243 makes an ideal truck gun for coyotes too, but I use a 22-250 for that. I use lighter and more fragile bullets in it for less chance of a ricochet.