Mike,

The .308 will do it all, as long as you place your shots well, use good bullets, and are careful with your shot selection on the largest animals. I hunt primarily with a .308, but have LOTS of other rifles to use. I just admire efficiency so much that I keep using one of my 4-.308s. I shoot a very small percentage of my animals beyond 150 yards, but because I have taken so many, I have taken a pretty good number of animals at longer ranges and the .308 works fine. That includes several pigs between 250-300 pounds at 300-318 yards, and a Gemsbok at 346, as well as quite a few smaller animals at over 300. I have also taken game as large as Zebra and Wildebeest with it at closer ranges. I prefer my .375 on the larger animals, but I won't hesitate to use the .308 if it's handy. I'll understand if you don't take me seriously though, as I have yet to shoot an Elk at 1,000 yards.

------------------
Greg Rodriguez
Mombasa Trading Company
www.mbogo.net
(281) 494-4151

Just read the name

Johan

The 308 wil be ok for most your shooting. It won't be that popular if not

Mike,

I'm getting the impression that this will be the sort of only gun that will join the others! Sort of 'if I had to have only one rifle then this is the one I'd keep'

Am I right?

1894,

You are probably right.

I will still have my (not yet arrived) Ruger 77 in 9,3x62.

I will still have my Ruger 77 in 7x57 (its a 1/2 inch gun just can't sell it...yet)

I will still have my custom 8.59 Galaxy on Remington 700 (its a sub 1/2 inch gun just can't sell it...yet)

Serious selling considerations are my Browning BLR in 358 win and Thompson Encore in 358x57 improved.

------------------
MED

The sole purpose of a rifle is to please its owner

1894... very astute!

The first deer rifle I ever bought, with my own money, in the mid-60s, was a Remington Model 600 in .308 Win. I grew up with it. It was like an extension of my arm. I could carry it all day and never know it was there. I reloaded for jackrabbits to mule deer in southern New Mexico. I got away from it in the 80s. I had to have a Model 700 in 25.06 Rem.

A few years ago I pulled the little vent-ribbed carbine back out and took it on a whitetail deer hunt. It nailed a nice buck, and the following day dropped a doe on a perfect, up close, head-shot. It felt like I was back hunting with an old friend.

Two years ago I thought about buying a new rifle for a trophy elk hunt in northeastern New Mexico, but kept coming back to hold the 600. Finally said, "what the Hell". I shot it in with 168 gr. Win. ammo. The third day out a 6 x 6 followed a cow out of the trees. He dropped at the first shot, and died with the second as he tried to get to his feet. I've got 40 years of .308 memories.

If I had another 40 years in front of me I would buy the 300 WSM (which I've already done), wait for the reloading potencial to be available, and enjoy.

Mike, if I may ask, why are your selling your Galaxy?

As far as the .308 Winchester goes, it's a cartridge that has gotten better and better as time's gone on, much like the .30-06 has. With modern powders and modern factory ammo, it's a very near-equal to the .30-06 with standard loads and with bullets of 180 grs. or less in weight. If I wanted a light, short, short-action rifle for general hunting that didn't kick very much, the .308 would be right at the top of my list.

Since I don't mind more weight and more kick, I'll stick with the .300 Winchester, though, for my own use........

AD

I was telling my buddy how I wanted a .264WinMag.He said get the tables out,then we talked about what we hunted and where.We agreed that his .308 was as flat and much,much better in close.I am still going to add a .264 to my 30.06 and .338

life without a Marlin Lever What a horrid thought

Hmmm...Allen re: the Galaxy...I luv the rifle. Purely a handloading proposition...my Galaxy on Rem 700 is probably the most accurate reliable gun I have. It is an honest 1/2 inch gun and with Hornady 200 gr its a 1/3 inch gun. It literally is a great all around gun.

About 8.25 lbs scoped with a leupold 2.5x8 its flat to 300...Ahh I won't sell it until I quit reloading. I live in the suburbs outside of San Francisco and the closet place to buy powder is 20 miles away. Used to be 5 of within 15 miles. I suspect within 10 years you won't be able to buy powder over the counter in CA. I am probably just spoiled compared to the rest of you guys.

The 308 would just be I don't know more efficient more of a classic I guess.

Mike, Before I got as smart and well-off (wife says well what?!?) as I now am, I had only one rifle, for about 10 years. It killed a lot of deer and a few elk, was shot a lot, and even sustained a lengthwise long crack in a serious automobile accident. the gun shot about 2" at 100 yds, which I thought was just fine---it was a Mossberg .308. Back then, the big gun guys carried 30-06 rifles. The 308 is not spectacular, It just quietly does its job--everytime. I'm still too dumb to see much advantage to short light rifles---offhand they are problematic. I later owned an 18" Rem 600 308 --it was cool but not all that useful. Later bought a Model 70 Featherweight--This was the worst offhand rifle I ever owned--it was a moa rifle off a bench, But that whippy lightweight barrel was very difficult to steady for an offhand sshot. Make mine a a medium contour barrel. The interesting thing is that for some reason I no longer own a 308---but it is not a good reason----

Mike,

I thought I recognised the symptoms

Is the main thrust of the project the calibre or the fact that it'll be custom? Reason I ask is your 7x57 is surely as close as makes no odds? If it really comes to Elk surely you'd be nuts not to use the 9.3x62?

I personaly think you need the sort of only rifle that is more antelope biased ie the 6.5x55. Not a lot of difference between it and the 7x57 (yes I have both) but a touch more balanced with the lighter weights. A 120gr(or 100gr) ballistic tip just plain looks perfect in it, the same cannot be said of 7x57 with that bullet weight.

So you'll have the slight chink in your armoury filled with a 'one gun' for elk on down and you'll be able to join us in beating Don Martin 29 over the head with SD figures

My name is Byren and Im a gunaholic.

It wont work! Youll try it and it will sometimes seem like its working as planned but then you will begin to wonder if the "other" caliber you considered would have been the way to go and thats how it starts. Next thing you know your attending gun shows and looking at 308 Normas and so on. Its not pretty but it happens in gunshops around the world every day.

1894,

A little of both I believe. Now I am looking at custom stocks for my 308 win...agghhh.

I need serious help.

Mike

Why anyone would want to do such a thing as limit themselves to just one gun unless they had to escapes me. Anyway your choice of the .308 will probably work. I'm wondering why you would choose it over the 30-06 though. The '06 would do a better job on those Elk size critters simply because it can throw a heavy bullet more efficiently. I have shot literally thousands of rounds of .308 in matches and it is probably a better target round than the '06 but so what. It is very unlikely you will ever see the difference in a sporter rifle. I have to admit that in spite of all the shooting I have done with the .308 I just don't really like it. I think it is better for military applications than the'06 and if my prime purpose was punching holes in paper I would go with it. As a game round there seem to be better catridges for just about any application than the .308.