My two rifles for North America big game hunting? A 35whelen and a 270win With these two rifles what big game could you not hunt in N.A.?

Ah a good choice, but mine are a .280 & .338-06 (or .338wm if you want to download ).

nice pics.

Mine would be a 375H&H, and 30.06... yeah, I like vanilla ice cream too

DGK

.270 Win and .340 Weatherby covers the field
rather nicely.

Had two barrels made up into wildcats, 6.5 WSM and .338 WSM...on a switch-barreled rifle.

6.5x55 & 338.

I shot both of my NA rifles yesterday. A .358 STA and a .270 WSM. I have hunted all of NA with the STA, the WSM is new and WOW is it hot to trot. Good shooting.

I like, and have, a .338-06. I think this would cover all my likely hunts - with a guide etc for Canada and Northern USA.

For practicality, based on reading various books and articles, I think I would choose a .30-06 and a .338 Win Mag.

If I knew all my hunting would be in wooded areas, a 9.3x62 would be good. If I needed to stretch the barrel and give something a spanking, I think the .358 Norma Mag has advantages over the .375 H&H mag.

Limited to two rifle calibers?

No dought the 375 Belted Rimless Magnum and the .22 Long Rifle.

You can hunt anything in the world with this combo.

Mark,
I have to agree with you since I currently use either a 270 or a 35 Whelen and find that everything falls down dead if I do my part. I'm having a 9.3x62 built (just because mostly) and I'll use it for elk this year if it gets done in time. I do not feel under-gunned with the 35 Whelen or the 270 for that matter. I prefer the Whelen for elk since most of my elk hunting is in heavy timber and shot angles are often less than ideal. My 270 is a Ruger No.1 and has proved itself over and over on mule deer and antelope out ot 400 yds. I took both the 270 and 35 to Africa last year and they worked very well on the plains game in Namibia.

Now if I absolutely could not have anymore than 2 rifles, fate worse than death here, I'd probably opt to keep my CZ in 22LR and either the Whelen or the 9.9x62. (Don't know about this yet as the 9.3 is still at the gunsmith!)

I've love the 270 Win. and have used it extensively for over 27 years. That's a solid medium game performer anywhere.

To be honest, I don't like "cocktail-time cartridges", and I don't have much use for a 35 Whelen. For one thing, it you want to use big, heavy bullets for big, heavy animals, you need to increase case capacity. A bigger bullet demands a bigger case for optimum use, pure and simple. The basic '06 case isn't all things to all situations, nor can it ever be. I also think that the 35s give away all-important sectional density to the 338s.

To team with a 270 Win. I'd rather run with a 300 Win., 300 Wby., 338 Win. Mag., 340 Wby., or 375 H&H for complete North American hunting. Picture yourself with a long, cross-canyon shot at the biggest mountain grizzly or elk your guide has ever seen, and it's the only shot opportunity you're ever going to have. You can't stalk closer. Then picture yourself on Admiralty Island with an honest ten-foot brown bear in front of you at fifty yards, it's getting dark, and you have to iron-out that bear RIGHT NOW, on the spot, so that he can't make it into the timber before it's too dark to see.

In both cases, you have a 35 Whelen in your hands, and you've got a big-money opportunity at the end of the bullet's flight. In your mind, look at that rifle, think about that cartridge, and ask yourself, "Is this the best I can do?"

Personally, I don't think so.............

AD

Very eloquently said Allen.

Since the requirement is to cover the entire range of hunting big game with rifles in NA I suggest three rifles. Of course just one will do it but with even two the compromises are uncomfortable.

One of the real problems is including brown bears in the mix. The 300 mags have the worst record for instance on brown bear in that a survey reported that they require the most shots with that cartridge group.

Otherwise the 300 mag and similar rounds are very useful as there are some really long ranges to cover in many places. An argument could even be made that the 300 magnum could cover all hunting with the exception of the big bears with a two rifle battery.

For just three rifles I would select a Featherweight in .358 Win for woods hunting. A 7mm Mag of some persuasion for long range hunting and a .375 H&H for dangerous game.

quote:

For one thing, it you want to use big, heavy bullets for big, heavy animals, you need to increase case capacity. A bigger bullet demands a bigger case for optimum use, pure and simple.

Not at all. It really depends upon the range. For instance optimum bullet performance occurs at velocities less than what the medium bore magnums impact game at under 150 yds. I will take a 35 over a 300 anyday on anything under that range and there are plenty of places where thats a longer shot than you will ever get.

On the other hand I find that Allen Day is my favorite here for playing off of. He is an outstanding writer, full of energy, resources and with plenty of experiance to make it in the big time as a world wide magazine contributor.

For instance his delivery, content and theme is consistant yet somewhat controversial. Just enough to wake a reader up.

All Allen needs is that scanner and some practice here with a few hunting stories. I look forward to it.

I mean all of the above as a high compliment.

I'll second Allen's comment's... I see cartridges like the 35 Whelen existing in a sort of ballistic "no man's land." I just don't believe they have enough to offer over a properly stoked 30-06, especially with today's excellent bullets. I've always felt the 270/338 WM combo to be the most peactical NA pairing, and is one I had for a number of years. An equally good pair that would truly "do it all" would be the 270/375 H&H or 30-06/375 H&H. Truthfully, however, the whole idea of the "perfect battery" is, for me, largely an excercise in mental gymnastic's. I have no desire to kill big bears and no real desire to hunt Africa so a simple 30-06 or 270 will suffice for everyting.

If someone had your battery and is aspiring to "hunt the world" I'd strongly encourage them to rethink the 35 Whelen in favor of a 375 H&H.

quote:

Originally posted by Brad:
If someone had your battery and is aspiring to "hunt the world" I'd strongly encourage them to rethink the 35 Whelen in favor of a 375 H&H.

First of all we're talking about North America but I have been to Africa twice and we are planning a return trip for next year. Also since DG is not on the menu I don't see a need for a big bore. At this moment I have a 270win in my rack, a 300wsm, a 338win, a 35whelen and a 375H&H. I like the 35 better than the 338 so its for sale, please see the classifieds. Also since DG is no longer on the wish list the 375 will be for sale in a few days, if my gunsmith don't buy it. With the hunts I hope and plan to do in the next few years, (Antelope, Bison, Musk Ox and Caribou in Oct. of this year, deer here at home, Africa and Moose in 2006, with Mt. Goat, black bear and others on the short list) I don't see me needing a 375 or the 338. For that matter I think I could get it all done with the 270/35 combo or just the 300wsm. but I do like having more than one gun and can't bring myself to get rid of the wsm. So for now I'll have 3 in the rack, go hunting and have fun! I've played the "safe full of guns" game before, finaly sold most of them and went hunting. I can't afford both, so I'll keep 2 or 3 rifles and do my best to hunt the world.

Sorry Mark, I never did answer the question. I was engrossed in the kill pics.

As always, AD makes good sense, and so do a lot of the above posts.

But, Mark did ask for 2, and 2 only, that should encompass any and all hunting that YOU do in NA.

I had to think about it for a minute because I'm getting into this bear hunting thing and half will be over bait. So, to me a big bullet with a moderate case is fine, but that is for this specific application only. I may have John Noveske build me a 458 Noveske specifically for close up bears. This is a 300 WSM expanded to the bullet.

But, I am also a distance freak. ie, the big, "what if's", just like AD put it.

I have to stick with my comfort zone, and I don't mind big magnums. Thus, my 2 for covering all of my current and future hunts would be:

270 and 338 RUM. Thank you, thank you, no applause please. I know I know, I covered everything with these 2 for all NA game.

quote:

Originally posted by mark65x55:
My two rifles for North America big game hunting? A 35whelen and a 270win With these two rifles what big game could you not hunt in N.A.?

There are certain Alaska game that I would be a little cautious with. If I was primarily hunting grizzly/brown, I would seriously consider one of the .416's with 400-grain (or so) bullets.

I only have a .338WM for all my hunting in Alaska, which is mainly moose, caribou, etc. A .270 (or .280) would be an excellent addition.

quote:

Thank you, thank you, no applause please. I know I know, I covered everything with these 2 for all NA game.

For North America I think it would be hard to beat a 300 Win Mag and a 375 H&H.
I spend a lot of time at my local deer lease where I do not need rifles of that power or range. It is a simple matter if you reload to "tone" them down a bit, or if you don't there are reduced factory loads for the 300 Win Mag, and the 375 Federal 250gr Trophy Bonded Bearclaw load is slightly reduced from a full load.
Hunts out of state are expensive, so If you get one chance at your trophy it is nice to have a rifle that can do the job.

However if pinned down I would probably take my 300 Mag and my 9,3x74R Chapuis Double Rifle.
The Chapuis has really done well for me.

Mark, frankly two rifles chambered for the same cartridge make more sense to me than all the internet-batteries dreamt up on these forums , be it two 270's or two 30-06's or whatever (one being a backup). A 270 is good for anything in NA. So is a 30-06 or 300 Mag. My belief is it's better to become intimately aquainted with one cartridge/rifle. The man who does so becomes poinon on big game. The rest is fun-time fluff and filler.

Although I have a number of rifles in various calibers, my long time two favorites with which I've killed a lot of lower 48 big game, are my old .280 Remington (Rem. 725), and my kinda old (1974 mfg.) Ruger 77 in .338 Mag.

If I could only afford two rifles, those two would do for my hunting of big game.

L.W.

MMMMMMMMM only two rifles? That would sure make my wife happy!

For elk size and smaller animals I would be happy with any caliber from 6.5X55 up to 300 mag. I really doubt that any would cause me to lose an animal I wanted. I would not select one of the ultra 30's. Why? Because they need to be much heavier and must have 26" barrels to make them reach their velocity advatage over smaller calibers. I like to hunt the high steep country and want a light rifle with reasonable recoil levels and 22" barrels. Maybe a 24" at most. For costal brown bears and possibly moose any caliber from 338 up to the 375s will work. I would make an exception to this for hunting brown bear by walking up salmon spawning streams in SE Alaska. I'll cheatand take my 465 H&H double rifle, thank you! For mountain griz that won't weigh any more and then a black bear (300 lbs.) my light rifle will work just fine.

In that light, he rifles I would and do use are a 270 Win and a 375 H&H.


465H&H

My 7mm rem mag and my .260!

But in reality you only need the magnificent 7, or 7 mag!

I'm 100% comfortable wtih my .270 win and my .416 Remington. Don't believe there's anything I can't put down with eather.....

99% of the North America critters have been taken with the .270....

quote:

Picture yourself with a long, cross-canyon shot at the biggest mountain grizzly or elk your guide has ever seen, and it's the only shot opportunity you're ever going to have. You can't stalk closer. Then picture yourself on Admiralty Island with an honest ten-foot brown bear in front of you at fifty yards, it's getting dark, and you have to iron-out that bear RIGHT NOW, on the spot, so that he can't make it into the timber before it's too dark to see.

In both cases, you have a 35 Whelen in your hands, and you've got a big-money opportunity at the end of the bullet's flight. In your mind, look at that rifle, think about that cartridge, and ask yourself, "Is this the best I can do?"

And my answer is no, but it's good enough for me. I'll pass on the cross canyon shot because the flukey winds will carry whatever bullet from whatever caliber back into the elk's guts and I have no desire to wound and lose the elk. As for the big bear, I know my .35 Whelen, I know its capabilities and I know my shooting abilities. If there's enough light left for me to see to aim, I can put the bullet where it belongs, and I know from experience that it'll work on that bear at 50 yards.

Can I do better, you bet. The question being, though, what can I not hunt? For me, I'm ready for anything in North America.

quote:

Originally posted by mark65x55:
My two rifles for North America big game hunting? A 35whelen and a 270win With these two rifles what big game could you not hunt in N.A.?

Nothing wrong with those 2. My 2 candidates would be the .270 coupled with the .375 H&H.

I'd have to go with my 280 Sako with a 6.5x20 scope and my 280 Rem Mtn Rifle with a 3x9 on top. I think that would do it for me. I have taken coyotes, whitetails, muleys, mature bull elk, mtn goats, moose, etc. I have a buddy in Alaska that shoots a 280 on Brownies. May be generic, but why change a good thing? Also, you don't grab a box of shells out of the safe and get to the field and find out they are for the wrong caliber.

Of course, I have other rifles (even in other calibers) and if I had to pick a different caliber to go along with my 280 then I'd take a 25-06. Or maybe a 50 cal sidelock muzzleloader with a can of FFF Black and a bag of round bal1s.

Ive gone the way of the 700 yd rifle with the wonder belt and built in flinch actuator, and after several "half moons" engraved on my eye socket and putting up with the feeling that Im compromising my dental work with every shot I says to myself, "self.. is this the best we can do?" Now I own a 35 Whelen and and am not only comfortable in the knowledge that it has proven itself on every species on the continent, but Im also comfortable off the bench for as long as I need to be for whatever reason as well. Ive found that being able to tolerate your rifle off the bench for sighting in, working up a load and long shot practice can be a nice perk at the very least. A nessesity is probably a better choice of words. The truth is that not unlike the 06 vs 300 mag debate, a Whelen or a 338/06 carefully loaded will perform right on the heels of a 338 WM with little or no noticable difference in the field, especially when one considers the ranges that animals are typically taken at, but you will notice a difference off the bench.

That "coctail time whelen" coupled with a handy little 257 AI closley duplicating 25-06 ballistics keeps me pretty happy.

Another excellent duo IMO would be a 6.5/284 and 338/06 or 358 win.

Once again, less is somehow equal to more. Based on that brilliant logic, I guess a 300 Savage must be the equal of a 30-06..........

AD

Allen!

I don't think anyone is saying that all cartridges are equal. At least I didn't say that. What I said was that at the end of the day few animals if any will be lost because you used a 300 Savage instead of a 30-06. The 577 Nitro is a hell of a lot more powerful then my 465. But the 465 has enough to be safe and effecient to use on any elephant anywhere. It is also lighter to carry and has a lot less recoil. Maybe we sometimes want to make too perfect of a choice when it really seldom matters if we don't.
465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by allen day:
Once again, less is somehow equal to more. Based on that brilliant logic, I guess a 300 Savage must be the equal of a 30-06..........

AD

If that is the way you feel then why do you choose a 300 Wm instead of a 300 ultra? All Im saying is to each his own and offering my story for anyone who may be interested. Clearly we dont all see things the same along the lines of cartridge selection, which is why there is no such thing as a one size fits all cartridge to end all others.

I do think that it is good that we can share our views on this forum and benefit from each others experience though.