As a reward at work, I am going to get a new gun soon. I was asked what I wanted.

I have a Ruger MKII .257 Roberts and a Remington .270 Win. model 721.

I will always hunt whitetail in texas so my .270 or .257 has that covered and they both can double as my hog gun.

I am leaning towards the .300 win mag or up.

I might go to New Mexico or Colorado in the next couple of years to due some mule deer and elk hunts.

Oh, I also intend to stay with the long action guns.

My available shooting range's are to 400 yards and if i can find a range start practicing for further out. I don't think I will ever be in the Long Range Hunting catagory but who knows?

Get yourself a .338 Win. Mag. Devastating on elk and also can be made a deadly Mule deer gun with the 200gr BT's or 210gr Partitions.

If you are ever in West Texas around my area we can meet up and go to the local range and you can shoot mine.

Justin

I would suggest an '06, but if you want a little more oomph, the 300 win mag would be the best way to go. 338 will kick.......

My .338wm kicks less then my -06 and my dads .300wm

Just get a limbsavers pad on it

Yep, 338wm sounds like a good addition to your collection...

All of the magnums have a bit of kick.. That kick certainly increases with bullet caliber and powder capacity... My 338-378 Weatherby kicks with authority without the brake on it but is easier to shoot then my '06 is when the brake is on.. The Accubrake doesn't increase the noise to much (or so the guys next to me at the range say)...

Lot's of choices out there but a 338 Win Mag would certainly be an excellent one for the bigger critters....

Ken....

Your .257 and .270 will do what needs to be done on deer of all kinds including Mule Deer. Some will say that the .270 is a fine elk round others would disagree, I say it is okay as an elk round if loaded with the proper bullets and careful shots are taken.
If you step up to the .338 win mag you will need to expect a substatial increase in recoil over your .270. I couldn't even begin to advocate a muzzle break on a hunting rifle, just senseless in my opinion. You will damage your ears or someone elses in a hunting situation and some guides truly frown on a muzzle break because they have been rung before, some guides won't even allow it.
Your choice of a 300 win mag is a great choice as is the .338 just depends on what you want.
I have a 30/06 so no need for a 300 mag and have a .338 win mag as well each has there place.

Hey Harrold why don't you "indulge" yourself in the fanciful 375Ruger? It is the "new" deal-no belt! In an standard long action to boot. If you don't like that down the road rebarrel into the .30-375Ruger for your .30 caliber taste.

Targets are one thing, but for me even a 300 WM is maxing out on game range at much over 400 yards. Hope you can always get closer than 400 yards.

I don't think I will ever be shooting even to 400 yards. However I want a gun that with practice that I could.

I guess I need to find someone with the 338 or 375 and shoot them to see whats up.

Thanks for nthe replies so far.

I'll add my vote for the .338 Win. Mag. It's always been one of my favorites. Just a great round.

I agree go with a 338.

The .338 is a good choice,
But i prefer the .338 06 or the whelen if you hand load, if you don't, then the 338 win is the way I would go, But then again a 45/70 is lots of fun...tj3006

I have used both the .338 and the .300 on elk and could not see where the .338 did a better job so settled on the .300Winnie. All of my elk have been "dark timber" elk with all of them coming under 200 yards.
Both a .300 and a .338 have got to be shot regularly to be able to use them effectively.
Why don't you have a varmint rifle in .223 or 22-250?