quote:

Originally posted by surefire7:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
In less than 4 weeks (South Carolina deer season) I will be hunting with

Blaser k-95 6.5 creedmoor
Ruger number 1 300 h&h
Remington custom shop awr 7mm rem mag

I like playing with my different guns.

Mike

I hear 'ya Mike. When a person acquires enough guns, he finds himself wanting to hunt with all of them.

For me, medium bores start with 338 caliber on up to 375 bore.

My favorites in that group are 338-06, 338WM, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, 9.3x66, 375 H&H and 375 Ruger.

So far, I have only hunted with four of them, but my goal is to hunt them all. Hopefully, the 338-06 gets initiated this fall on elk. Got the tag, just need an elk to cooperate! I've always wanted to take a Moose with my 35 Whelen, and I have that tag also for this fall. I believe my 9.3x66 goes to Africa next with Andrew in Zambia for its debut.

Don't want any of these beauties feeling ignored...

What I dislike about hunting Africa and really like about deer hunting in South Carolina - I am not restricted to a couple of guns:

I hunt with a different gun in morning and another one in the evening. Over 3 days I can use 6 guns.

I sighted all guns other than 300 h&h today - took 30/06 ammo by mistake.

Everyone dead center at 107.1 yards - i took my range finder with me.

The back up blaser r8 in 6.5 creedmoor shot .217 inches with $16 federal 140 grain non typical soft point ammo. The gun is too accurate to hunt with.

Mike

Michael R, hard to argue with that logic..I just hope I never have to make such a choice..

"Best" for what?

There was a time when the 30-30 would have gotten a generic hurrah.

For me, anything that does not have as good of a bullet selection as 7mm, .308 or .338 is automatically disqualified.

The .308 win is still pretty exceptional being highly versatile, inherently accurate and efficient. Like I said, best at what?

Im sure this thread will reach a consensus very soon now.

The question this thread asked was settled back on pg.1:

quote:

Originally posted by reddy375:
35 Whelen ... 375 H&H is superior and definitely better for buff etc, but the whelen is truly a super cartridge. I just flattened a Russian brown bear at 200 yards with it.

Correct.

You can flatten a lot of big hulky critters with the 'poor man's magnum.' Elk, moose, caribou, all species of bear, hogs, and deer.

The .375 H&H is arguably a more versatile medium bore if you regularly hunt Africa, rather than just merely fantasizing about doing it, ya know, 'one day.'

But as Rifle Magazine's John Barness - a writerly dude with oodles of real-world hunting experience - has pointed out many times, for the hunting of North American big game (to include the big AK bruins), the .35 Whelen is simply THE BEST of the medium bores. It kills out of all proportion to its size and velocity, especially when using the 250gn & heavier slugs, and does so with manageable recoil on a standard-length action.

The .35 Whelen. None better.

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by surefire7:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
In less than 4 weeks (South Carolina deer season) I will be hunting with

Blaser k-95 6.5 creedmoor
Ruger number 1 300 h&h
Remington custom shop awr 7mm rem mag

I like playing with my different guns.

Mike

I hear 'ya Mike. When a person acquires enough guns, he finds himself wanting to hunt with all of them.

For me, medium bores start with 338 caliber on up to 375 bore.

My favorites in that group are 338-06, 338WM, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, 9.3x66, 375 H&H and 375 Ruger.

So far, I have only hunted with four of them, but my goal is to hunt them all. Hopefully, the 338-06 gets initiated this fall on elk. Got the tag, just need an elk to cooperate! I've always wanted to take a Moose with my 35 Whelen, and I have that tag also for this fall. I believe my 9.3x66 goes to Africa next with Andrew in Zambia for its debut.

Don't want any of these beauties feeling ignored...

What I dislike about hunting Africa and really like about deer hunting in South Carolina - I am not restricted to a couple of guns:

I hunt with a different gun in morning and another one in the evening. Over 3 days I can use 6 guns.

I sighted all guns other than 300 h&h today - took 30/06 ammo by mistake.

Everyone dead center at 107.1 yards - i took my range finder with me.

The back up blaser r8 in 6.5 creedmoor shot .217 inches with $16 federal 140 grain non typical soft point ammo. The gun is too accurate to hunt with.

Mike

Mike I like the way you think. I'm bringing two rifles elk hunting this year, the 500 Jeffery for jump shooting elk in the dark timber (just because I want to) and my hard used 270 Weatherby for when I'm hunting the meadows and may need to take a longer shot.

I weighed by Tikka T3 Lite sans scope this morning. 6 lbs 4 oz.

In 300 Win Mag, shooting 180gr bullets, with scope and Harris. bipod, it slaps hell out of you.

I shudder to think of a .338 that light.

BH63

quote:

I shudder to think of a .338 that light.

Well, we would usually sight in the 338 after doing the 416 Rigby loaded like a Weatherby. In that way we did not really appreciate how the 338 would "jump", but we did notice that it was more than expected, even after playing with the 416. The recoil was pleasant enough because we were ignoring it.

A 7 lb Rem XCR II in 270 Weatherby would be a nice elk / sheep rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
A 7 lb Rem XCR II in 270 Weatherby would be a nice elk / sheep rifle.

For me in Alaska, a .270 for caribou hunting is just about perfect, and paired to a .338WM makes for a great rifle battery. While I use a .338WM for all my hunting in Alaska, the .30-06 is quite popular as an all around gun, and so the .300WM. Next is the 7mm Magnum, and then the .375 H&H. Some gun writers speak about the best cartridge for hunting in Alaska, but most Alaska hunters use the ones I mention above.

I am not sure of the best ever, but I do like many of them.
By what this forum classifies medium bore, 27-366.
I appreciate these, not necessarily own them:

270 Winchester
7mm Rem / 7mm WSM
308 Win
30-06
300 Win / 300 WSM / 300 Wby
8mm Mauser / 325 WSM
338 Federal / 338 Win / 340 Wby

Outside the forum classification:
375 H&H / 375 Ruger

I still don't know the best. But my choice for a single all-around medium for North American when larger game is regularly mixed in is the 338 Win. I Really like this cartridge.

I usually only moose hunt and in limited visibility areas. Most of the time I use a shorter barrel 375 Ruger or 416 Ruger.
More open areas, I will have my 338 Win or 325 WSM.

quote:

Originally posted by Ray Alaska:

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
A 7 lb Rem XCR II in 270 Weatherby would be a nice elk / sheep rifle.

For me in Alaska, a .270 for caribou hunting is just about perfect, and paired to a .338WM makes for a great rifle battery. While I use a .338WM for all my hunting in Alaska, the .30-06 is quite popular as an all around gun, and so the .300WM. Next is the 7mm Magnum, and then the .375 H&H. Some gun writers speak about the best cartridge for hunting in Alaska, but most Alaska hunters use the ones I mention above.

To summarize:
270 Win
7mm RM
30-06
300 WM
338 WM
375 HH

quote:

Outside the forum classification:
375 H&H / 375 Ruger

I still don't know the best. But my choice for a single all-around medium for North American when larger game is regularly mixed in is the 338 Win. I Really like this cartridge.

I usually only moose hunt and in limited visibility areas.
Most of the time I use a shorter barrel 375 Ruger or 416 Ruger.

quote:

Originally posted by Ray Alaska:

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
A 7 lb Rem XCR II in 270 Weatherby would be a nice elk / sheep rifle.

For me in Alaska, a .270 for caribou hunting is just about perfect, and paired to a .338WM makes for a great rifle battery. While I use a .338WM for all my hunting in Alaska, the .30-06 is quite popular as an all around gun, and so the .300WM. Next is the 7mm Magnum, and then the .375 H&H. Some gun writers speak about the best cartridge for hunting in Alaska, but most Alaska hunters use the ones I mention above.

the same as in Alaska for here except for bison where the 30-06 is the minimum caliber.

quote:

Originally posted by medved:

quote:

Originally posted by Ray Alaska:

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
A 7 lb Rem XCR II in 270 Weatherby would be a nice elk / sheep rifle.

For me in Alaska, a .270 for caribou hunting is just about perfect, and paired to a .338WM makes for a great rifle battery. While I use a .338WM for all my hunting in Alaska, the .30-06 is quite popular as an all around gun, and so the .300WM. Next is the 7mm Magnum, and then the .375 H&H. Some gun writers speak about the best cartridge for hunting in Alaska, but most Alaska hunters use the ones I mention above.

the same as in Alaska for here except for bison where the 30-06 is the minimum caliber.

If I well remember, the .30-06 is the minimum for bison in Alaska, too.

Pairing a 338 Win with a 30-06 or 270 is as good as its gonna get for NA...

30-06 Springfield

338 win mag it's totally awsome. I have used it 32 years for a ton of big game .Its always shot very accurate and has lots of knockdown power for any thing in North America!

It’s pretty sure, no one agrees on this topic, and that’s ok. That’s the fun of a forum.

As a fan of both the 35 Whelen and the "Eutotrash" 9.3x62 , as my son who loved the Whelen calls it. I have always considered reboring my M95 Winchester 30-06 to one or the other.
And then I shoot 220 Partitions in it and think
WHY ??

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
As a fan of both the 35 Whelen and the "Eutotrash" 9.3x62 , as my son who loved the Whelen calls it. I have always considered reboring my M95 Winchester 30-06 to one or the other.
And then I shoot 220 Partitions in it and think
WHY ??

35 Whelen is cool, would be great in a 95 carbine. I have a Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen, it shoots great.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
As a fan of both the 35 Whelen and the "Eutotrash" 9.3x62 , as my son who loved the Whelen calls it. I have always considered reboring my M95 Winchester 30-06 to one or the other.
And then I shoot 220 Partitions in it and think
WHY ??

35 Whelen is cool, would be great in a 95 carbine. I have a Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen, it shoots great.

The .35 Whelen is cool!

But it's even cooler when chambered in an M1 Garand, ... full-size or Mini.

medium bore why the 280 Ackley Improved hands down

I hunted the 35 Whelen, 9.3x62m and .338 for elk and in Africa, they all worked well and no complaints..Problem is they did exactly the same as does my 30-06 on game, but not on paper where all this BS arises in the first place....

If the 30-06 won't perform then its time to skip all of the above and go with a 375 or up..The rest become lovely play toys and most are in my toy box..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I hunted the 35 Whelen, 9.3x62m and .338 for elk and in Africa, they all worked well and no complaints..Problem is they did exactly the same as does my 30-06 on game, but not on paper where all this BS arises in the first place....

If the 30-06 won't perform then its time to skip all of the above and go with a 375 or up..The rest become lovely play toys and most are in my toy box..

I have to disagree with my esteemed elder. And pass a cold beer.
The 338WinMag can put more os a 'sick' on an animal than the 30-06 and it makes retrieval easier. And a 338 can be found in lightweight rifles like a Tikka that make an all-day carry every bit the equal of smaller calibers.

So when heading out for a hunt and given the choice of an equal weight rifle and equal accuracy, the 338 provides an advantage over the 06. Granted, one needs the right bullet in either. I would certainly agree that a 375 provides a similar advantage on game, and the 375 Ruger sometimes offers a lighter rifle.

For me, that question partially depends on the game intended. I like a rifle that puts a hurt on an animal from any angle. So for a light California black-tail mule deer or a cob or impala I'm happy from a 270 on up. (I admit that even a 243 will usually do fine, too.) However from hartebeest and larger, there is a bit of an advantage to something more than the three sisters (270, 280, 30-06) though always with deep-penetrating bullets.

When it comes right down to it, the best medium bore is probably a rifle that one has confidence in. I look forward to a Calif deer hunt this year with a 338. My wife will choose between a new 270 and a new 308. It will depend on accuracy and feel, which appears to lean toward the left-hand 270.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I hunted the 35 Whelen, 9.3x62m and .338 for elk and in Africa, they all worked well and no complaints..Problem is they did exactly the same as does my 30-06 on game, but not on paper where all this BS arises in the first place....

If the 30-06 won't perform then its time to skip all of the above and go with a 375 or up..The rest become lovely play toys and most are in my toy box..

If I were forced to choose one 3-rifle battery for Africa, it would be:
30-06 Light
375 Medium
458 Lott Heavy

I consider this the best African battery of all, for me.

But I have others that I love as well.

Having said that, and given due credit to these three fine calibers, I have to admit that I don't use the great 30-06 very much. I have taken it to Africa and used it in that very 3-rifle battery about three times. It is SO versatile, and the ammo so common to find.

But I tend to look at bullet weights as much as caliber, maybe more?

For my hunting, anything the size of Antelope and Deer, I use 140 gr. bullets or less. Usually a 25-06 and sometimes a 280. Recently, I have used a 6.5x55 and a 275 Rigby, both with 140 gr. bullets.

For Elk and anything bigger, I tend to use 250 gr. bullets or heavier.

For Africa, the same idea works except for DG, and then I want 300 gr. or heavier, but preferably, 400 gr. and heavier.

So, beyond 'small' big game, where a 140 gr. suits me fine, I want 250 gr. bullets, and the 30-06 falls a bit short there. That is where all of the fun medium bores shine with 250s, like the 338-06, 338WM, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, etc. I CAN shoot 250s out of my 375s, but I prefer a lighter rifle with better SD and lighter recoil. The above mentioned medium bores are perfect IMHO for that task.

So instead of calibers, I think bullet weights like this:

100-140 gr. light: Antelope/Deer, Small PG
250-300 gr. medium: Elk, Moose, Lion, Medium/Large PG, etc.
400-600 gr. heavy: Thick skin DG

I like these bullet weights for the intended game category, and note there is about a 100 gr. jump in bullet weight from the heaviest in one category to the lightest in the next higher category.

This is how I think, for my hunting, but not suggesting right for anyone else.

No argument on my part, the .338 Win is one of my all time favorites and would not be without one,it may be the ultimate elk rifle, and of course its bests the 30-06, but given the same bullet placement with proper bulllets the 30-06 performs the same service out to about 300 yards, I have never felt uneasy hunting any animal with the 30-06..Sicker animal? perhaps but it would be hard for me to say, maybe on a poorly placed shot but that's suggestive only, it seems it would, but I do recall a rather gun shot bull elk that humped up from a poor hit with a 30-06 and a 200 gr. Nosler partition and I walked 200 yards to shoot him again still standing, I recall almost the same experience with a big cow elk and my 338 Win. these instances just happen and we draw too much fake knowledge from them. it is what it is..

Just my two bits based on not much.

quote:

If I were forced to choose one 3-rifle battery for Africa, it would be:
30-06 Light
375 Medium
458 Lott Heavy
...
But I have others that I love as well.

...

So instead of calibers, I think bullet weights like this:

100-140 gr. light: Antelope/Deer, Small PG
250-300 gr. medium: Elk, Moose, Lion, Medium/Large PG, etc.
400-600 gr. heavy: Thick skin DG

That is good thinking and a reasonable battery.

Currently we have a 500 AccRel Nyati and a 375 Ruger on site and are considering bringing over a 308 Win for grandkids who visit.

On bullet weights for deer, I would concur, if using monometals. For cup and core, a 30 caliber might want to start around 150grain.

Again, because of monometal bullets, we have a slightly lighter 200gn GSC and 250 TTSX in 375 Ruger. Some of that is due to the Ruger belonging to Lady Tanzan who has yet to take on a buffalo and the TTSX could work.

It is also bullet weight that we hunters can work to our advantage when adapting a rifle to the game.

My wife has not recovered a 110gn .277" TTSX on Calif deer (3 out of 3). So the 110 gn TTSX seems adequate, even devastating, at 3350fps. This backs up the 100-150 grain range for deer.

However, when we are discussing loads for a 308 that we might ferry to Tanzania, then we face a couple of options. The 130grain Hammer Sledgehammer is looking good for grandkids for reedbuck, impala, hartebeest. It is currently being tested against the 130TTSX.
But Africa is Africa and we probably want to bring a heavier monometal, too, for optional use. The 168gn TTSX, a deep penetrating all-copper, is looking both accurate and reasonably hard hitting at 2750-2775fps. Why not a 30-06 with 200 grains? The rifle is a lightweight Kimber and a 308 seems a better scale for pre- and early teens to hold.

On bullet weights in medium bores I do something similar with a 338WM. 30+ years ago we used the 250gn NoslerPartition, 275 Speer, and 300 Barnes in .338". They worked and worked well. Buffalo included. A lot of game was taken and we also recovered nice bullets ('cepting for 250gn Sierras that came apart and shed their jackets). More recently, we have been using the .338" 225gn TTSX and have yet to recover a bullet from game (much less hunting these days). The 225gn has been so impressive that I am now testing the 210gn TTSX for potential NA use. It, too, looks accurate and flies a little flatter with equal drift, and I would only expect angled shots on something like elk to retain the bullet. It also provides impact speeds of 2600fps out to 200+ yards, which some think produce more examples of DRT in the right place. I wouldn't know, but muzzle velocities of 2950, 3100, and 3300fps have often been impressive.

So yes, choosing a caliber is fun and important, and choosing appropriate medium bore bullets is a major part of the game.

Well, I am with the 358 Norma Magnum. It works for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Pancho:

30-06 based on worldwide popularity.

Most popular does not equate with the best.

Look at the most popular cars, cameras etc. and etc.

If one reads all the posts, one can only come to one conclusion!! Its all a matter of choice, nothing more, nothing less..The actual results are pretty much the same.

quote:

Originally posted by svehella:
Well, I am with the 358 Norma Magnum. It works for me.

Works for me also, shoots as flat as a 270 and hits like a 375 what's not to like!

I HAVE to get/make a 358 Norma before I die.

Bucket list...

Ive never owned a 358 Norma, but I had a 35 Chatfield Taylor at one time. It was the full equal of a .338 Win..The 358 vs. the 338 Win is a tie ball game, in every respect.Both fine rounds.

I started hunting with a 30-06 years later I started comp shooting my mentor sold me one of his pre 64 win. target rifles in 30-06 the only bullet it really liked was 168 gr. sierra now I use 168 gr barnes tsx in a 1952 deluxe mauser 30-06 if I need more whak than that I use 35 whelen AI 225 gr.

My latest is having my 8x60 Brno mod 21 rechambered to a 8mm/06 Ackley Imp. It just has to be a dandy caliber..

It wasn't original in that it had claw mount bases sans rings, so I had the small dovetails tigged up up and D &T it for a set of custom low bases for Talley rings, installed a timney trigger and added a 1/2 inch recoil pad without cutting the stock. Had the original flat bolt turned down to allow low scope mounting, had to harden the cocking slot..and she will be ready to go..It shot pin holes so I expect to continue to do that..It will be a nice elk gun and flat enough to pack in a saddle scabbard comfortably for both man and horse..

Short action - .358 Win
Long Action - .300 H&H

O.K. here we go round-robin. If you could only have one.what would it be. That is kinda the acid test. As much as I love the 6.5x54 + the 7x57 I would opt for my ONLY rifle like a .375 H+H.

Pushed 'post' too fast. That calibre has the ability to cover all the bases.

Why isn’t the 6.5x57 more popular here?

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
O.K. here we go round-robin. If you could only have one.what would it be. That is kinda the acid test. As much as I love the 6.5x54 + the 7x57 I would opt for my ONLY rifle like a .375 H+H.

I tried working within that framework about 35 years ago. One rifle for everything that I hunted. 338 WinMag. It was wonderful, and I was not restricted from hunting buffalo. No problems. However, in a situation where a person must use a .375" or larger for a buffalo license, the 375 Ruger gets my nod. It is just a more modern, compact package of the 375H&H.

These days I have been especially impressed with the 338WM in a Tikka rifle. They are remarkably lightweight and easy to carry. A good recoil pad makes them easy to shoot. While a 375 Ruger might provide a slight improvement of energy and diameter, the rifles being offered by manufacturers add almost a pound and a half heavier than a Tikka in 338. I would easily trade a pound and a half for the proven lethality of the 338. And where buffalo is a main menu item and the law wants more than a .338" then I would go with a 416 Ruger. But 416 Ruger is no longer a medium by most definitions. So, yeah, 338 Win Mag in a Tikka 3x, or maybe a carbon custom for those with the cash. Naturally, this assumes normal hunting, 0-400 yards. (Hunting at 600 yards etc. is a very special proposition and shouldn't be included in a "best medium bore" discussion.) If and when there is a 338 PRC in a factory rifle, I would accept a trade or mini-upgrade.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
Why isn’t the 6.5x57 more popular here?

Maybe because the 7x57, 7-08 and 270 already exist and because the 6.5mm is starting to get a little skinny for best medium bore, 1 1/3 caliber below 270.