What Caliber?

[tater]

A potential grizzly encounter should be about number ten in a list of "ten things to consider when buying a BC hunting rifle".
If you pay attention and use common sense, the drive to the ferry at either end of your trip is probably the most dangerous part of hunting.
Yes, i've called in grizzlies while elk and moose hunting (archery both times), but because they are hunted here (unlike places like Montana), they tend to beat feet when they figure out it's a human.

Find a rifle that fits, is in the weight class you are comfortable carrying for twelve hour days in a variety of terrain, and that you can shoot all year around for reasonable money so when the rubber hits the road that bullet goes exactly where you want it to go.

As other posters have mentioned, with the new generation of bullets there are a lot of calibers that will get the job done. A .338Wm is a thing of beauty (i've used it for everything from whitetails to moose here), but nowadays my two tend to get passed over for my .308 with 165gr. Barnes. when i rifle hunt.

 

[bikerdavet]

I have a t3 in 300 WM. You will need that Gen 2 Limbsaver...... But I sure like the load options of the 300 Win Mag!

 

[JPHuntingAUS]

I bought into magnum hype for years, owned a 300wm and 7mmRM. Now I shoot a 30-06. Out to 600 yards there's no justifiable benefit to choose one over the other in most practical hunting situations. That is except that 30-06 is cheaper to run!

What really changed my mind was how well I dropped a sambar stag with the humble old 270 (think elk just a bit more stubborn to concede defeat). He died deader than any I've shot with magnums. I'm convinced these days a lot of blokes shoot magnums as a status thing, without even realising it. That's not an insult directed at anyone here.

Stick with what you have I say.

Sent from my ZTE BLADE A112 using Tapatalk

 

[16Bore]

Lots of JICIFU (Just In Case I F--k Up) in "magnum" chamberings. Run the numbers on a 300 WSM vs. 30-06 (same bullet of course) and look at them side by side. You'll find that the 300WSM at one distance equals the 30-06 at another. If you're only comfortable at a certain distance there's no sense in something that "goes to 11" unless you just want something different.

If you reload the world is your oyster, if you don't stay sorta mainstream.


I've spent a lot of spare time farting around with ammo and shot when I should have been farting around with my Garmin, maps, and the other 99 things that matter in a hunt.


I swear the first and last rifle a fella ever owns is a 30-06. All the crap in between is an attempt to convince oneself of what he needs to be successful and along the way you really just expand your knowledge and ability to shoot enough to realize that none of it mattered.

 

[hodgeman]

I swear the first and last rifle a fella ever owns is a 30-06. All the crap in between is an attempt to convince oneself of what he needs to be successful and along the way you really just expand your knowledge and ability to shoot enough to realize that none of it mattered.

There's a whole lot of true in that statement right there...we tend to fixate on the shooting part because it's just fun and (at least for some of us) it appeals to the inner geek...none of that helps you kill critters though.

 

[907to406]

I'll chip in... I started my hunting career with a 243 in Alaska hunting Caribou, black bear and Sitka blacktail then moved up to the 30-06 when I was 14. These were the only 2 guns I ever needed and probably still need... That being said when I moved to Montana I expanded my arsenal with 22-250, .223, 300RUM (gone now), 270WSM and a 308. When I hit the mountains the rifle that comes with me is the 270WSM but it doesn't out perform my 30-06 for 99% of the shots I take on game. I just like its capabilities on the critters I'm chasing and the ballistics, plus its the lightest rifle in my fleet. The 300 RUM was over kill and only shined here and there. Primarily on long range set ups but other than that was a PITA to pack around and too much gun to do any long range competitions with.

Each gun serves its purpose and has its place in my safe for different reasons...

Get yourself a good 30-06 or 300 WM so ammo is readily available if you don't reload. Its plenty of gun to kill anything in North America but then again so is your 7mm... Point of the story is get yourself something that is easy to carry around the mountains, has good knock down power for the ranges you intend to hunt on the species you are hunting.

 

[BCBowtech]

Well Ive decided that Im gonna keep the 7mm shooting 150gr for Island hunting, and picking up a .338 win mag for when Im on the Mainland..

 

[Fireguy]

I swear the first and last rifle a fella ever owns is a 30-06. All the crap in between is an attempt to convince oneself of what he needs to be successful and along the way you really just expand your knowledge and ability to shoot enough to realize that none of it mattered.

So much wisdom right here. I wish I had read this years ago. I've gone through so many damn calibers only to look back and think jeez there was not one situation that a 30-06 would have worked just fine.

 

[Josh Wright]

You could just rechamber to a 28 nosler. There are still plenty of great downrange bullets you could use with the 9.5 twist barrel.

 

[Josh Wright]

If it's all ready a 9 in twist, you are good to go on all heavy bullets if you wanted to use them.

 

[Wiscat]

I do almost all of my rifle hunting with a Tikka 300WM. I love this rifle; it is by far the best shooting rifle I own. My only complaint about this rifle is the magazine length. Combined with the 300wm's short neck and a long aerodynamic bullet neck tension can be a tricky thing. Shooting 180gr Accubonds a Lee factory crimp die is almost a must.
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