You have a 30-06 or a similar general-purpose rifle. You are not a trophy hunter, but would take a trophy animal if the chance arose. You decide to start making self-guided hunts for hogs, bears and elk, and you decide you need �more gun,� whatever that is, to do it.

Do you

A) Buy a high-velocity magnum with bullet weight from 150-200 grs and a bore diameter from .264� to .323� (such as the WSM�s, RUM�s, etc.),

B) Buy a medium bore with a bullet from 200-300 grs doing from 2,400 to 2,600 fps and a bore diameter from .324� to .375� (such as the 338-06, 35 Whelen or 375 H&H), or

C) Stick with your current rifle?

Thanks, Okie John

Your current rifle will do it, but given an excuse for a new gun, I'd opt for a 338WM

My vote is A

Doc in Texas

my current rilfe just happens to be a 9.3x62 so i guess i'd stick to that.

[ 09-20-2002, 02:48: Message edited by: Curtis_Lemay ]

I would vote "A". If I wanted something bigger than "A" I would skip your "B" and go to "D".

Axel

Okie John,

C is a good option and should always be considered, however I am never one to pass on the opportunity to rationalize the need for a new rifle. I choose A and would look at the .30 to .32 range. Sorry I can only help on the opinion side of this, I had a rationalization attach not to long ago.

Safe shooting
cjw3

A-All of my hunting rifles fit this description.

A 30-06 will kill the same species that any "magnum" sporting a 150-200 grn bullet will. More gun to me means bigger (heavier) bullets. That in turn will mean either less velocity or more recoil, opt for whichever suits you.

With the exception of a possible Grizz you havent named anything that the 30-06 wont kill quite easily. Still that being said, another thing that the 30-06 excels at besides being a general purpose gun is its ability to be re-barreled to numerous other fine rounds quite easily, if your wanting to go heavier that may be a consideration.

[ 09-20-2002, 04:12: Message edited by: Wstrnhuntr ]

I only have one big game rifle, a stainless (CRF) Ruger .338WM. It is the perfect rifle for my type of hunting in Alaska, and as you can see in the following paragraph, other Alaskans have similar ideas:

This is from the NRA's January 2001 issue, American Hunter: "The Alaska Department of Fish & Game hunter safety staff in Anchorage tallied the big game rifles sighted at the Rabbit Creek rifle range for the 1999 hunting season. The top three cartridges were the .30-06 (21%), .300 Win. Magnum (19%), and the .338 Win. Magnum (18%). These were followed by the 7mm Rem. Magnum (9%), .375 H&H Magnum (6%), .270 (6%), .308 (4%), and .300 Wby. Magnum (4%), .45-70 (1%), .280 (1%), and a host of others, including many wildcats. Comparable data are not available for hunters who live in the bush."

I'd choose option "A", as I consider the .338 Winchester to best fit in that catagory.

AD

I was in that very boat several years ago, except I owned a 30-30 Marlin 336 and.308 BLR instead of a 30-06. I have the opportunity to go to Alberta Elk hunting and bought a .300 Win mag and never looked back. It is still one of my best shooters and I would never get rid of it. I went from there to a .340 Wby for a Moose hunt, then to a .358 STA, then .416 Rem. You get the picture, my wife figured it out pretty quickly, there is always an excuse for a new chambering. The fact that they keep me in my reloading room and out of her hair, makes it tolerable for both of us. Good shooting.

If I were to only have one gun for NA it would have to be the .338, it covers all basses. It do
what the 300 will do and is better when you go up to the bears.
George.

I suppose that depends if you want a new rifle or not.

The '06 will do all you need it to do, and do it well. JMO, Dutch.

I suggest that you think hard about how you shoot the 30/06 now. Do you practice with it? How is the recoil and also the trajectory for the ranges you shoot at? If the 30/06 kicks hard already then a "Magnum" will only be worse.

In a eight pound rifle a 7mm Rem Mag recoil is about all most want to deal with.

As to the .375 H&H rifles. They are heavy. Unless the game is really big it's best to leave them home. But it's nice to own one. You gotta have a .375 H&H just in case!

As someone said. "Owning a 30/06 makes it hard to justify other rifles"

So pick something and make it work. Just convince yourself that it's terrific and practice with it. But don't kid yourself if you have not shot it from field postions at game ranges.

Another thing is that you can have two rifles in the vehicle. If your going into timber then a light 30/06 would be really nice for any of that game. If the ranges are really long then a hot 7mm might range a little better without kicking you over backwards. To me a .338 WM has the mean kick of a .300 Mag and the trajectory of a 30/06. Sort of the worst of the two combined.

The venerable .375H&H!

I went with C. Bought a Lever Gun to fill gap that 06 could but with longer and heavier rifle. Ah hell it sounded good at the time

[ 09-20-2002, 21:55: Message edited by: Gunnut45/454 ]

I don't think there is a wrong answer here. If you truley feel the need for a bigger gun than an 06 then I would say go with a .338. To me if you have a 30-06 there is too much overlap to get a .300. The .300 however makes an excellent choice for the game described. For that matter you've listed nothing that I would be worried about hunting with a 30-06. Sometimes we get ourselves pretty wound up in the perfect caliber for any specific occasion. The reality is that in many ways it comes down to what your comfortable and confident with. Hunting is very much a mental game. If you are not comfortable shooting a .300, .338 or a .375 you shouldn't use one. If you are, they can offer some advantages in game taking ability. I'm interested in a rifle that I'm comfortable with, that I know will put the bullet where I want day after day. As long as the caliber is adequate for the game hunted I consider that to be secondary. If you hope you can hit your target you rarely will. If you know you can hit your target it's fresh tenderloin on the grill. That has more to do with what's in your head than what's headstamped on your brass.

Jeff

My 30-06 is plenty gun for everything you described. If I had to go bigger, I'd probably go with a 375 H&H or a 35 Whelen.

Paul