Jeff, as you know I used a 270/338 WM for a number of years... I think it's the "ideal" two-rifle NA big game duo. However, the older I get the simpler I like things. So, like Allen and Mark I'm leaning more and more toward's a one-rifle-rifle. I have a fine 30-06 that shoots well but I do covet a bit more range and energy especially with 200 Grain bullets. That's why I'll probably get a 300 WSM in Kimber's M8400 Stainless/synthetic called, ironically, "The Montana." The 300's (pick your flavor) combine, in a compromise, the flat shooting characteristic's of the 270 Win and the smashing power of the 338 WM... that's a darn good compromise in my book and one I can readily live with for the rest of my hunting career!

BA

I chose a 25/06 and a 300 Win Mag. Logic was they don't overlap too much and would make my decision of what to use easier.

I might as well put my 2 cents into this discussion and stir up the pot! I hunt with several different rifles but they are all the same caliber! I don't believe in changing the caliber for hunting! Since I live and hunt in British Columbia where grizzly can come to the sound of gunfire for a free lunch I have chosen the 338 Win Mag. I don't have any problem with other large magnums but I feel happiest with a 338 caliber bullet. However, I have been varying the weight of bullets for different game. I have been using the 180 Nosler BT for deer and other light game and the 225 Swift for everything else. However, since the advent of the new Nosler 225 Accubond and Hornady Interbond I may just use this bullet for everything with the same powder charge. My rifles are set-up differently though. One is set-up for alpine or open hunting with a long 26" barrel, longer LOP stock and 3-1/2 x 10 Leupold for long range shots from a tight sling or bipod. My other rifle is set-up for all-around hunting with a short LOP for me, a 6 x 42 Leupold and 24" barrel. This rifle is also lighter than the first rifle. I am now thinking of building a third 338 Win Mag for use as a close range rifle using the Montana action and a 21" barrel for heavy bush conditions. Recoil of a 338 Win Mag doesn't bother me so I would build this third rifle fairly light about 7#. The only other calibers I use are a 22LR for grouse and a 308 Win for practice. You become very proficient with your rifles if you always use the same cartridge and the loading costs really come down. How's that for stirring everything up! Have fun. Steve

Stir away!!! I'd never considered two rifles of the same caliber until I read some of the posts on this thread but it does make sense.
Hmmmmm!!!!

Can I play too?

I think it depends on where you want to hunt, how you hunt, what you hunt, and how much time you spend shooting in the off-season.

No rifle is perfect for open pararie pronghorn to fighting through the alder jungles of southern Alaska, but 2 can come mighty close.

You might want a "beanfield rifle" if you hunt whitetails from a tree stand and maybe want something lighter and more handy if plan to hunt sheep on scree slopes after climbing mountains all day.

Just depends on what your wishes are. I've got a 2 rifle battery that is just almost perfect for me. I've got a nice little mountain rifle chambered in 7x57 for sheep, goat, deer where there aren't any big brown bears, and I've got a 338 Win Mag for when the animals get big or long in the tooth and claw. Both do their jobs with absolute grace.

Just more things to consider.

I'll chip in too! You can't go wrong with the .300 winmag..there is nothing in NA you should worry about hunting with it.

The same can be said about the '06 and the .338 also. I think the .300winmag is a great choice.

Dave

I hunt in the northeast and have a two gun combo,both Savage 16FSS bolts one in 7mm-08 and one in 300WSM.Same stocks,bases,mounts,scopes,and configuration.Between them they cover from Coyotes/Deer to Bear/Moose and all in between.I prefer short actions and the same gun so safety type and scope characteristics and mounting height remain the same from gun to gun.Works for me,even the trigger pull weights are set the same.

woods

[ 04-27-2003, 17:10: Message edited by: woodseye ]

Nebraska,

While there are many here far more qualified to give an opinion than I, here are my thoughts on the 2 gun arsenal -

7X57 Mauser
.375 H&H

Both would be Model 70 Classics with the 7X57 built to match the .375 in every way. Both would have iron sights with Kimber Lever QR mounts. The .375 would have a Burris 1.5-6x and the 7X57 would have a Burris 2-8x.

Of course as you know Winchester does not make the Model 70 Classic in 7X57, so if you do not want to visit your friendly riflesmith, you will need to choose a .30-06 or .270, of which, I would take the .270. Since I am going to the riflesmith for the 7X57, it will modified to match my Super Express M70 .375, right down the barrel contour, iron sights, barrel lug for front sling swivel, etc. They will be twins except for the weight.

Now I already have the .375 and am just saving up my shekels for the 7X57.

I already own the rifle I would pick, if I was only allowed one rifle for the rest of my hunting days, my Winchester Model 70 Classic Super Express in .375 H&H. I have made the necessary changes to suit me, upgrades the irons sights, a few stock adjustments, and some action work. It is extremely accurate, with full house loads behind most any 300gr bullet, it will shoot inside a nickel at 100 yards. Since I am a fanatical handloader, I have concocted loads for everything from varmints up. As for recoil, well, I find less intrusive than some of the 7 mags that I have shot. Of course, when I hit that biblical 3 score and ten, I may have second thoughts about carrying around a 11lb rifle. But until then I am firmly in love with my .375 H&H.

Is this caliber or combination of calibers, right for you? Probably not, it is just my opinion and what I like.

Lynn Miller

Steve B -- I also shoot pairs of rifles. I have a pair of .340 Wby's, and a pair of .358 STA's. With different weight bullets, you can do wonders with a particular chambering. It is also fun to discover the differing personalities of the same chambering, different rifles. My .340's are of the Weatherby and Sako varieties. My STA's are both Winchester Model 70's, one having a "Lilja" barrel. Good shooting.

NE

I use a 7-08 with 140 X's for everything (wait/stalk for shot placement) unless I'm in bad bear country or hunting trophy elk. In those instances the 375 H & H with 270 Failsafes is used.

PHurley. I have shot pairs of rifles for years in various calibers. Last year it saved me because my 3-1/2 x 10 Leupold broke and put one of my 338's out of action for the season. Yes, Leupold lovers, it is true that a Leupold can fail. The Leupold service center actually replaced the entire insides of the scope!! I guess I am just so jaded about the various calibers now so much so that I really don't care much to hunt with anything other than a 338 caliber. All the hunting calibers work about the same for most animals but I just prefer the 338 caliber to anything else for hunting because of the success I have had with the various cartridges I have used these bullets in. I don't believe that it works magically better but this caliber just plain works well with almost any reasonable velocity you want to shoot the bullets. Good luck, Steve

I'm way too much of a rifle junkie to limit myself to a couple of rifles, but I have a few friends who go that route. Two of them hunt with two 30-06's, one guy hunts with two 300 Weatherby's. It's a spare rifle kind of thing, and it makes sense for a dedicated hunter, at least in North America. I would prefer more gun for big bears, but I wouldn't give up a hunt if I was restricted to just a 30-06 for example. - Dan

Nebraska, I think a lot would depend on what you're going to hunt and where. Assuming you are hunting in North America I've found, for me anyway, that a 7mm-08 and a .338 Win. Mag. will cover just about anything. I have a .338 WM Savage stainless synthetic that is really exceptional in crappy weather, and a Savage Sierra in 7mm-08 that is short, light and tougher than hell. I use Fail Safes in both calibers and have had pretty good luck with them. My own belief is two guns will do pretty much what you want. That being said I'm planning a .338-06 with 20" barrel but have no idea where that will fit into the scheme of things.

Nebraska, After I posted the last message I went through some of the others and had another thought. If I was not limited to NA and was going to hunt anywhere in the world I would have only one choice, the .376 Steyr Pro Hunter in 20" barrel. That's my dream rifle. If that's all I had, it wouldn't hurt my feelings. I could "suffer".

A 376 Steyr? Ouch!!!! You're braver than I am!!

That 7mm-08 and 338 WM sounds like a well-rounded pair. Just curious, why you would opt for a 338-06 instead of splitting the difference with a 30-06?

Thanks for all the replies so far. Great thread!

The 7mm-08 and .338 WM is a well balanced pair, thank you. The .338-06 I've been hearing and reading about for a long time. It's something for me to play with. It should be a fun project. While it is holding my interest for the time being, when it comes hunting season I still stand by my original two choices.

How 'bout a slightly different opinion here. My choice? My 16" 6.5-284 Win XP-100, 3-12X Burris LER, Ballistic Plex reticle/target turret. So far 1- 300 yd. Bighorn ram (www.perry-systems.com-- testimonials section), 1- 330 yd. cow elk, and 1- 906 yd. coyote. But if i were to have my choice (which i will soon) again i'd go with a 16" .270 or 7mm WSM XP or custom Striker (to replace the 6.5) for just about any big game, and a 17" 6-284 Win. for long-range coyotes/rockchucks (all 3 due to better current bullet selection for intended purpose), and some custom XP or Striker in .223 or .17 Rem. for pr. dogs/winter fur. Think about this for awhile and then sign up for Don Bower's Long-Range Handgun Clinic in Alliance, NE this year (see single-shot pistols forum for details) July6-11 for some eye-popping LR shooting fun, fun, fun.

[ 05-02-2003, 17:31: Message edited by: sscoyote ]

There is nothing on your continent that doesn't die after being hit properly by a .308 with a bullet of reasonably good quality. It's far more important that you can handle your rifle well than what is written in the technical specifications. No matter how experienced you are at handling rifles, you will undoubtedly shoot better and hit more consistently with a .308 than a .338. You would most definitely want to practice more with the .308 than if you had a .338.

If you still feel that you would be more confident with a little more push I'd recommend 9,3x62. That is a caliber that at the moment seems to undergo some kind of renaissance in Scandinavia.

Don't let your self get carried away by magnum hysteria. Go for 308, 30-06 or equal calibers.

[ 05-02-2003, 21:40: Message edited by: Olimahtes ]

Hmm

I would go for a 338 and a 280 rem.

I have the same plan of getting a matched pair bult on mauser actions, but my choice would be more European. The candidates for today are 7X64 and a 9,3X62, we see what I think tomorrow

One gun for NA including bear would be a 300 wby stoaked with 180-200 grain bullets.

Cheers
/ JOHAN

Well, I don't have a BS degree, but I been BS'ing as long as I can remember, so I'll throw in my 2 cent piece.
If I had to hunt in NA with just one gun, it would be a 338 Win Mag (but I like hunting paper with big bores), second choice, a 300 Win Mag, then I wouldn't be sad. But if every time I went out to shoot some guns, and all I had was a 300 Win Mag, that seems a little depressing.
If you did your 270/338 combo, you'd have your big game covered, from pig to deer to bear. And you'd have more than one gun to tote to the field for some hole punching.
I don't want guns based on what I hunt, and I don't suggest you do either.

My question, why do you want *less* guns?!

Olimahtes,

I will have to disagree with you on a .308 necessarily being more comfortable to shoot than a .338, since I find my .375 H&H a very comfortable gun to shoot.

I am of the firm belief that the design of the weapon has as much to do with its shootability as the caliber, within reason. The current trend toward lightweight, short-barreled rifles and magnum calibers is a cocktail for hard recoiling rifles. Since my .375 weighs in around 11 1/2lbs with a full magazine, the recoil is very comfortable with all loads except some very hot 300gr loads I have cooked up, and then it is more of a hefty shove instead of a sharp rap like a lightweight magnum. Stock configuration and barrel length also play a big part in making a gun user-friendly.

Of course, a properly configured .308 will recoil less than a properly configured .338, but it may not be less comfortable. And everyone has their own comfort level when dealing with recoil, and as soon as that line is crossed, one becomes less effective and proficient with the weapon.

So each person needs to find what works for them and then practice, practice, practice, until your rifle becomes an extension of yourself.

Lynn Miller

[ 05-04-2003, 03:58: Message edited by: Lynn Miller ]

I think I would take a 7mm Rem Mag, and a 240 wby or a new 243 WSSM if it's ballistics are close to the 240.

I've got essentially a three rifle battery if I have to use a rifle instead of a bow or handgun.
The first is a .225Winchester. I use this on varmints and predators. I like to be just a little different than the lowing herd. That's why I didn't get a .223,.22-.250, or .220swift. My medium game rifle is a .280AI on a Ruger #1. My large and DG rifle is a .411/.416Remington. Why? because I collect the .41 caliber. I either use commercial jacketed bullets in .411 or swage the .416s down. I've laid in enough brass for all to last me 'til doomsday. It's nice to be just a little different. RKBA!

I had to chime in on this one. I am new to this board but I have to put in my $.02 worth. My personal hunting set up includes 3.

1.win model 70 375 h&h
2.win model 70 30-06
3.Colt anaconda 45 colt
Both rifles are setup identical both stainless, same mounts (QR) same stocks (aaa walnut) same slings etc.. The only difference is the weight, the 375 is a little heavier. I choose this because the tragectories are almost identical out to 300 yards and in a pinch I can use either for any game in my neck of the woods. BTW I if all else fails i have the revolver with 300grain hard casts at 1300FPS and at under 50 yards I can even use that.

Also have to ad, contrary to Olimahtes comment, If I had only a .308 Win or only a .338 Win Mag, I'd shoot the Magnum more. I'd bring a recoil pad (lead bag, towel, whatever) but the increased confidence and vigorous thrill of boom goes a long way toward getting off the coutch and down to the shooting alley, you know.
I'm not a "minimum caliber" sort of guy though.
In fact, I guess I'm more in the overkill camp.
(Anyone else want to shoot an elk with a .45-110?)
So take it with a grain of salt.

IdahoElk101 - I like that tag! Welcome to the board and thanks for your .02.

One of these days I might feel like I have learned enough to move to 102.

In reading all the above posts I'm about to run out and buy a 270 and a 338, sounds like a very good North American solution. But wifey says "no more guns".

Consider the following.

There are different hunting conditions to be found out there. here is my solution to the problem. This fall I'll be carrying a Ruger #1 single shot in 300 win. I will have three available bullet weights on the stock sleeve for quick change out. A 220 gr. for walking around (I live in central B.C., heavy bush country with Griz and moose). This will cover anything that I need to shoot quickly within a hundred yards. Next on the sleeve will be 165Gr. for the 100+ yard shots. I'll know the scope adjustments well and will have it 0'd at 200 yards with this bullet weight. Finally I will have 110 gr. for wolf, coyote etc.

For the second rifle, I look at what I'm doing rather then the game I'm shooting. If I'm going to be walking with someone else who has a scope gun. I carry my 444 marlin for that quick unobscured shoot. This stratagy works very well in areas of open then close in (clear cut) country. Also if what ever I shot doesn't drop in it's tracks and I have to go find it. My little 444 is a better choice to wander through the alders with.

Whatever you use make sure you use it with confidence.

Bellhender

I'm getting in on this a bit late, but here's what I finally decided. I used to have a .300 Win Mag, but sold it because I didn't think I'd need it again (I hunt with a bow and muzzleloader a lot). Well, now that I do, I've decided to compliment my "small" 6.5X55 with a "big" .338 Win Mag. I've yet to take game with the .338, but this combo seems like a winner. Of course, the old stand-by .270 could easily substitute for the 6.5 I shoot.