Two guns to end them all?

[tdhanses]

I’m close I have a 6.5 creedmore and a 270wsm, I’ll eventually rebarrel the 270wsm to a 300wsm. So my suggestion is 6.5cm and 300wsm.

 

[howl]

I wouldn't get both of those. Just split the difference with one .308 and spend the cash on a better scope and cases of ammo or hunting.

To get a real difference from the 6.5CM you need to go up to .300WM, which I wouldn't want to do in a light rifle. 6.5CM, yes. .300WM, no.

A .270 and .338 pairing might make more sense for where you are. If you want something "different" 6.5CM and 325 WSM do the same thing. Don't get the bigger gun in a lightweight rig. No fun.

 

[jacknifejc]

Get two of them, both chambered in .338 win mag.


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You’re my kind of guy. I like the way you think.

 

[16Bore]

1:8 twist 223 and 30-06.

 

[Dust Rider]

A nice .308 or 30.06 for the rifle
Mossberg 500 12 ga. Slugs for deer, and bear. Bird shot for anything that flies and small game too.
Better yet just get a drilling gun and then your done

 

[tdot]

Are you in Canada? Paying with Canadian dollars? If so you're budget is about 1/2 what everyone on here is thinking. Between exchange and duties.

Start with a .308win. Put a decent scope on it. Learn to shoot.

A .308 can be loaded with reduced recoil loads to start and then everything from 150grain bullets for deer to 180 or 200 grain for elk or grizzly country.

After spending some time shooting/hunting you'll have alot better opinion of what you want for your 2nd gun.

 

[Anello]

Honestly, if I could start over on all my rifle purchases, I would get one good 30-06 with as good a scope as I could afford. Then, master that rifle. Then, in time, move on to other cartridges/rifles. But, I really think that with today's bullet selections and the ability to reload, you are very well served by the 30-06. Shoot 150's for Deer, and the bigger stuff with the heavier loads. In the offseason, you can shoot the lighter bullets for varmints/coyotes, etc.

Best of luck in your search.

 

[HOT ROD]

My two gun picks would be a 243 and a 300 wm... The 243 would be for coyotes to antelope and whitetail.. The 300 would be for mule deer and elk...

 

[16Bore]

Exhibit A




Exhibit B

 

[ljalberta]

I'd probably go .308 with a better scope for a single tool that will effectively work on all Alberta's big game. There are other options that would be just as effective in my opinion from the 6.5s on up, but the .308 won't kill you with recoil or in the bank account as you practice and hone your shooting skills. As someone else mentioned, if you really want you can easily move up and down between bullet weights to match your targets, although a 150grn bullet works for elk/moose as well.

 

[KChunter71]

Buy the 30-06 spend a little more on glass and spend the rest on the range getting to know your setup. My one gun for a long time was a 7mm browning a bolt with Leupold vx3 4.5x14x50 and I still like to shoot it.

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

Your good with either the browning or the tikka, but personally I have converted to a tikka fan. I would recommend a t3x in 30-06 (bonus in Canada we have access to special edition strata superlites) as your one and done big game. Optics will be what you can afford but I would open your budget in this area instead of two rifles. Many will suggest the SWFA but you likely won't have access to them at the cost they have in the U.S. When your budget allows pick up another rifle in 223 to practice shooting with. Ideally same configuration.

Budget would look like this:

Tikka superlite strata (comes stainless, cerakoted, and braked) or Xbolt HC -$1500
Optics- your choice based on effective range. A good benchmark is the Leupold VX3i 3,5-10x40 - $700
Rings/Mounts - Sportsmatch (if Tikka) - $70.
Stock upgrade (optional) - Bell and Carlson stock $450. There is nothing wrong with the tikka stock but the ergonomics are not great for my wrist.

That will take you to about $2300 and leave you some cash for ammo or picking up a cheap 223 to practice with. You could also open up the budget on the optic.

 

[Lrt307]

Your good with either the browning or the tikka, but personally I have converted to a tikka fan. I would recommend a t3x in 30-06 (bonus in Canada we have access to special edition strata superlites) as your one and done big game. Optics will be what you can afford but I would open your budget in this area instead of two rifles. Many will suggest the SWFA but you likely won't have access to them at the cost they have in the U.S. When your budget allows pick up another rifle in 223 to practice shooting with. Ideally same configuration.

Budget would look like this:

Tikka superlite strata (comes stainless, cerakoted, and braked) or Xbolt HC -$1500
Optics- your choice based on effective range. A good benchmark is the Leupold VX3i 3,5-10x40 - $700
Rings/Mounts - Sportsmatch (if Tikka) - $70.
Stock upgrade (optional) - Bell and Carlson stock $450. There is nothing wrong with the tikka stock but the ergonomics are not great for my wrist.

That will take you to about $2300 and leave you some cash for ammo or picking up a cheap 223 to practice with. You could also open up the budget on the optic.

300 RUM and 270

 

[Rob5589]

For 3k, 30-06, since it's on your radar, and the rest on some nice glass and ammo. The 06 really is a do it all round.
The Diamondback is low end, the Viper is nice for the price (I have both). To do it again though, I'd be looking at the Nightforce SHV or Zeiss V4.

 

[NoobHunter]

Thanks for all the replies and advice, even though my head is spinning more now than it was before. Too many guns, calibres, cartridges and loads to choose from. I’ve read every single post and what I’ve got from it is that I might be better off to stick with one all around rifle and spend a bit more on a scope. I think I’m going to get the Tikka T3x super lite Cabela special edition stainless steel in 30-06 and throw a limb saver on it. And top it with either the Leupold Vx3i (to save money) or the Zeiss conquest V4.
A question I would have about the scope is that this Leopold does not offer the dialling like the Zeiss scope does. Is dialling and more clarity worth an extra $1000?

 

[ljalberta]

In my personal opinion, the Conquest V4 (or a Leupold VX5) would be worth the additional money over the VX3 if you're going to dial in shots and want the exposed turret and likely a little more repeatability for dialing. If you have no plans to ever do that, then I don't think it's worth the money (IMO).

 

[howl]

For a do-all rig, I'd want some field of view on the low end for hunting close cover and making shots on moving targets. 2-10x is a good range with 50' at 100 yards field of view. That is 5' at ten yards and will fit enough of any animal in it to swing on.

 

[Lrt307]

I own more than two rifles because I like rifles. It is an additional hobby. There is no other reason for all the guns I own. I don't even shoot them all. I have tried just owning what I need. Boring!

You can get all you need in a hunting scope for under $600 unless you hunt in one of the few circumstances where you need truly exceptional low light performance. $300, really. And considering you need to replace your scope every several years to account for worn components and aging coatings, spending a thousand or more doesn't make sense unless you just want to.

So, a more than adequate budget for a brace of big game rifles is $3000, with $1000 to be spent every five years to maintain performance. If you run leaner than that you just have to shop around more.

The best paet of owning multiple rifles is to keep the shot strings down. I own 3 300 rums 2 7mags, 7rum, 338 rum & a 270. Its nice while shooting tongive them all a run. This makes it easy to only shoot 5 or 6 shots per gun and keep round count down.

 

[Kgentry]

I have always been a single rifle guy. I do own multiple rifles for hunting but I have my number one and I hunt everything with it. I shoot a browning 7mm. I found for myself by sticking to one rifle I was able to shoot that single rifle a lot and get extremely confident In my setup. Just another option to look at. With that being said I don’t own a 6.5cm but I have a lot of buddies that swear by them and I know guys who are even killing elk with them. And the 30-06 and 300wm speak for themselves being tried and tested great hunting calibers for many years.

 

[16Bore]

Thanks for all the replies and advice, even though my head is spinning more now than it was before. Too many guns, calibres, cartridges and loads to choose from. I’ve read every single post and what I’ve got from it is that I might be better off to stick with one all around rifle and spend a bit more on a scope. I think I’m going to get the Tikka T3x super lite Cabela special edition stainless steel in 30-06 and throw a limb saver on it. And top it with either the Leupold Vx3i (to save money) or the Zeiss conquest V4.
A question I would have about the scope is that this Leopold does not offer the dialling like the Zeiss scope does. Is dialling and more clarity worth an extra $1000?

I’d say the SWFA 3-9 is money better spent. I prefer fixed 6 M8’s but that’s just me. 30-06 will do it all.