What caliber?

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

280 AI which is a heck of a good cartridge and I wouldn't hesitate to elk hunt with that 7mm.

My 280AI has killed 3 bulls the last 3 years 170yd, 360yd, 450yd if I recall correctly (along with a pile of antelope out to further ranges and some mulies), its a fun caliber as a reloader in my opinion for medium range work.

 

[Battleguy]

Norma has brass for the Nosler now, wait. they are the same.

Norma is actually more money.

Someone said, brass, brass, brass. It seems like right now xx-Nosler is more reliably available than RUM.

Since you mentioned coyotes I did a check with 120 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. 3650fps should be a diddle. At that speed, point and shoot.

Got bigger game, bigger bullets.

That logic woks for the other chamberings as well.

 

[gabenzeke]

Okay, I think I've settled on a plan, but want to make sure it works. I'm wanting to start with a factory Tikka in 7mm and buy mountain tactical parts for it. Eventually I'd like to rebarrel it in 28 nosler. Will the 7mm bolt be the right size for this?

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[ckleeves]

Okay, I think I've settled on a plan, but want to make sure it works. I'm wanting to start with a factory Tikka in 7mm and buy mountain tactical parts for it. Eventually I'd like to rebarrel it in 28 nosler. Will the 7mm bolt be the right size for this?

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Bolt face will be correct. Magazine length is pretty short in the Tikkas make sure you have a plan for that before you go 28 unless you don’t mind single feeding with the longer high BC 7mm bullets.


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[marshland_max]

I m running a 7 mm Rem Mag. Don't get me wrong, I love my 358 Win, but I also like the fact that I can "do it all" with the 7 mm Rem Mag. Finding ammo on any shelf that will generally be accurate is no issue and I don't have to think all that hard to make a 300-400 yard shot.

Plus its easy on the shoulder and wallet. It kills stuff dead.

7 mm Rem Mag for me

 

[ssssnake529]

300 Norma Magnum is a terrific caliber. Lots of high BC 30 caliber bullets available. (Berger 230 grains are amazing.)

It's easier on barrel life than some of the hotter cartridges. Good for hunting. Good for long range plinking.

 

[HonkeyMcGee88]

I'm a little late to this post but I'll give you my two cents. I got into doing long range rifle matches which has helped me tremendously in aspects of hunting. I see a lot of people get hung up on best long range caliber and my biggest recommendation on what caliber, is get something you can afford to practice with and shoot well.

I have personally had a 300 WinMag and a 7 SAUM as far as magnums go and I was very happy with both of them. With that said at 5-600 yard a 6.5 creed, 6.5 PRC, 308 Win, 270 etc, will all get the job done. Granted not as well as a big magnum maybe but if you never practice with your big magnum and have a terrible flinch etc, the benefits of stopping power vs the downsides of a bad shot may be null and void.

All that being said, the rifle I am currently building for my planned backpack hunt is a 22" 300 WinMag that I plan to shoot 178gr ELDx bullets.

Another thing to throw into the mix is are you a reloader or not? If you reload this opens up the options tremendously. If you have no intentions to reload, you are much better off picking a caliber that has ammo that is readily available.

 

[blackpowderhunter]

Okay, I think I've settled on a plan, but want to make sure it works. I'm wanting to start with a factory Tikka in 7mm and buy mountain tactical parts for it. Eventually I'd like to rebarrel it in 28 nosler. Will the 7mm bolt be the right size for this?

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that magazine length is going to really limit you on load development, from my understanding at least.
edit, someone beat me to it.


pick a good caliber, a good well constructed bullet, and develop an accurate load, know your drop, windage, and practical range with said bullet, and you'll be good.
don't get hung up on the exact cartridge vs caliber. theres a guy on here that reloads his 30-06 (30 cal) to speeds VERY similar to factory 300 win mag stuff (also a 30 cal). same size bullet, different hunk o brass.
know the velocity range that the bullet you select can properly exapnd within, and get to shooting.
good luck, its fun, addictive, and expensive.

 

[excaliber]

gabenzek,
I'm not sure if you decided or not but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. I was in the same boat as you. I'm an archery hunter who wanted one magnum rifle. I wanted a rifle that could do it all and would be able to kill Elk and Moose should I ever draw that killer tag.

After looking at everything I opted for a 300 Win Mag and turned my Rem 700 into a semi custom rifle. I went into it not knowing how to reload but picked things up pretty quick. The 300 Win Mag will do it all. It's deadly accurate (at least mine is) and it will shoot 200 Gr Eld-X bullets at 2960+ FPS.
The 300 Win Mag is one of the best cartridges ever designed. It just flat out works.

 

[gabenzeke]

Thanks everybody. I actually got a Remington 700 long range in 300 RUM. It was on sale and Brownells had a coupon that brought it down to $500. So now the search is on for optics. I figure I can do various custom work as I go and switch to a different caliber if I want to later. Hopefully this particular gun is accurate. Reviews I read seemed okay, but then I talked to a gunsmith about potentially doing some work in the spring and he said most of the time the barrels look like "hammered shit". Makes me a bit nervous, but once I shoot it I'll decide if I need to pony up for a decent barrel right away.

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[Rifles And More]

Congrats on the new rifle!

I'll bet you can get 1 MOA out of it as is. That'll be good enough for the LR shooting you want to do. Use the re-barrel money and buy a SWFA and a truckload of ammo. Shoot this barrel out and then you'll be ready.

 

[gabenzeke]

Thanks, I'm pretty excited to get it dialed in. So many choices in optics! Plus I want to buy reloading equipment. I can already tell I'm going to be headed down a rabbit hole.

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[weatherbow21]

I'm in a really similar dilemma, trying to decide between a 30 cal round or 7mm round. I'm not a recoil pussy but having been shooting a variety of 6.5's the last few years really has me wanting something with lower recoil. The only 7mm round I'm seriously considering is a 28 nosler loaded with 195s. There's a variety of cartridges and bullets I'm considering in 30 cal, leaning towards 30 nosler with 210 or 215 bergers, I have a whole pile of the 210s so might just stick with those. Problem is the 28 shooting 195s is ballistically superior to that 30 nosler with 210's, at least the way I see it on paper. There was some talk in this thread about people saying 7mm's aren't enough for elk, I don't believe that but I do take into account what Ryan Avery and Jeff Brozovich say about them, that they just don't kill like a 30 cal bullet does. I know those two guys have killed or seen killed a lot of shit. This will be a custom build, weighing in the 10-11 pound range, I was hoping to stick to no longer than a 24 inch barrel. I do reload and will buy plenty of brass in advance and bullets in bulk so thats no issue for me. I want 1,000 yard rifle with this build.

 

[gabenzeke]

I got the 300 RUM knowing I could change it to a 28 nosler later. But I also had considered what you mentioned about the 30's seeming to kill elk better. So far, I'm pretty happy I chose this rifle. Still waiting on a deal on optics, but plan to customize over time and end up with something I really love. I did fire one round out of it at a berm just because so many people said the recoil was horrendous and it made me nervous that I'd need a brake. Turns out it's not a problem. Definitely not something to shoot all day, but I'm good for enough rounds to sight in and verify zero as needed.

I'm in a really similar dilemma, trying to decide between a 30 cal round or 7mm round. I'm not a recoil pussy but having been shooting a variety of 6.5's the last few years really has me wanting something with lower recoil. The only 7mm round I'm seriously considering is a 28 nosler loaded with 195s. There's a variety of cartridges and bullets I'm considering in 30 cal, leaning towards 30 nosler with 210 or 215 bergers, I have a whole pile of the 210s so might just stick with those. Problem is the 28 shooting 195s is ballistically superior to that 30 nosler with 210's, at least the way I see it on paper. There was some talk in this thread about people saying 7mm's aren't enough for elk, I don't believe that but I do take into account what Ryan Avery and Jeff Brozovich say about them, that they just don't kill like a 30 cal bullet does. I know those two guys have killed or seen killed a lot of shit. This will be a custom build, weighing in the 10-11 pound range, I was hoping to stick to no longer than a 24 inch barrel. I do reload and will buy plenty of brass in advance and bullets in bulk so thats no issue for me. I want 1,000 yard rifle with this build.

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[weatherbow21]

I just think 300 RUM is going to be more recoil than what I want. I've got a 338 Edge that weights 14lbs and recoil is fine on my shoulder but I have a hard time always spotting shots with it, which is important for what I'm trying to do here.

 

[elkguide]

I just think 300 RUM is going to be more recoil than what I want. I've got a 338 Edge that weights 14lbs and recoil is fine on my shoulder but I have a hard time always spotting shots with it, which is important for what I'm trying to do here.[/QUOTE

If you're looking for a rifle that is adequate for elk and one that you can "spot your shots," I think that with either a .284 or a .308 caliber rifle, you are going to have to have a brake. I've never shot a .30 Nosler but comparing the 28 Nosler to the many .300's that I have shot, the recoil level is very similar with heavy for cartridge bullets, as you have mentioned, in similar weight rifles.

Having watched a few elk put down over the years, I am a .30 caliber fan. I hear good reports on the accuracy and lethal effects from both of the calibers that you've mentioned. Both are also getting reputations of having shorter barrel lives. If the .300 RUM has more recoil than you want, I'd opt for the old faithful standby known as the .300 Win Mag. No glamour but as solid of an elk and long range cartridge as you are going to find.

 

[weatherbow21]

I just think 300 RUM is going to be more recoil than what I want. I've got a 338 Edge that weights 14lbs and recoil is fine on my shoulder but I have a hard time always spotting shots with it, which is important for what I'm trying to do here.[/QUOTE

If you're looking for a rifle that is adequate for elk and one that you can "spot your shots," I think that with either a .284 or a .308 caliber rifle, you are going to have to have a brake. I've never shot a .30 Nosler but comparing the 28 Nosler to the many .300's that I have shot, the recoil level is very similar with heavy for cartridge bullets, as you have mentioned, in similar weight rifles.

Having watched a few elk put down over the years, I am a .30 caliber fan. I hear good reports on the accuracy and lethal effects from both of the calibers that you've mentioned. Both are also getting reputations of having shorter barrel lives. If the .300 RUM has more recoil than you want, I'd opt for the old faithful standby known as the .300 Win Mag. No glamour but as solid of an elk and long range cartridge as you are going to find.

I should have mentioned, this rifle will have a large (ish) very effective brake.

I keep going back and forth on just a standard 300 win mag, just doesn't seem like a good comparison to the 28 with 195s. I hadn't heard of short barrel life on the 30 nosler I will have to do some reading on that, its certainly a downside of the 28. I may try and sweet talk my rifle builder into letting me shoot a RUM just so I know what I'm talking about as far as recoil.

 

[elkguide]

I should have mentioned, this rifle will have a large (ish) very effective brake.

I keep going back and forth on just a standard 300 win mag, just doesn't seem like a good comparison to the 28 with 195s. I hadn't heard of short barrel life on the 30 nosler I will have to do some reading on that, its certainly a downside of the 28. I may try and sweet talk my rifle builder into letting me shoot a RUM just so I know what I'm talking about as far as recoil.

With a brake, pick whatever caliber you like.
While hunting in Idaho this fall, I shot a friends custom .300 RUM that weighed 13 pounds and had a brake with a suppressor on it. He was shooting 215 grain Bergers in it and from a prone position, shooting at a target at 780 yards, I was a little bit "afraid" of the potential recoil having shot an unbroken .300 RUM. Much to my pleasant surprise, it truly felt like I was shooting a .270.
I'm still a .300 Win Mag fan.

 

[Scoony]

Since you guys are talking recoil. I am shooting a 338 Win mag with a brake. It's not a large brake, but well designed. It is a Dakota 97 that weights in at 9.2 lbs with scope. It is actually very pleasant to shoot. It is much easier to shoot than my Ruger American 30-06.

With the 30-06, I want to stop shooting after 20 rounds and I will have some bruising on my shoulder. With the 338, I can easily shoot 40+ rounds at the bench and have no bruising. I am now a firm believer in a good brake.

As for noise, it really does not seem louder than a 30-06. I have a AR 5.56 with a comp/brake that is much louder then a non-braked AR. I have to wear foam ear plugs under my ear muffs when shooting it. The braked 338 really does not seem excessively loud

 

[JO.]

Congrats on the RUM. I’ve had mine now for about 7 yrs and have not regretted it. Ready to go it weighs about 12 lbs and is braked. I would rather shoot that thing than my wife’s light 270 any day. With a 26 in I have been getting 3200 FPS w/ 200gr accubonds. Best elk medicine I’ve found so far. The Bergers always seemed interesting but the way these 200s shoot I’ve never switched. I still have about 300 of them so I will stil be using them for awhile.