Here's a semi-hypothetical question/scenario...

You have the following guns in your safe:

Winchester M64 .30WCF
Winchester M71 .348WCF
Savage 99 .300 Savage
Winchester pre-64 M70 FWT .30-06
Winchester pre-64 M70 Standard

You are going to go on an elk hunting trip. If the money to buy a more powerful medium bore rifle (.338 Win Mag/.35 Whelen/9.3x62/etc.) were not an issue (within reason) do you buy a rifle for this trip or take one, or a combination, of the ones already in the safe?

Apply the same scenario to an Alaskan moose hunt.

Now I'm not asking this looking for and excuse to buy another rifle just for it's own sake, but is there anything to be added for the game mentioned at typical ranges? Could something be added that would add a significant capability to this battery for the species mentioned?

TIA,
Bob

[ 09-24-2003, 04:27: Message edited by: bobvthunter ]

Personally Bob I'd be for taking your 2 06's and saving the money it takes for a new rifle and putting it towards the hunt or another hunt.

Just me, but I feel a couple of rifles that one shoots great is gonna be a great plenty for 90% of our hunting-and with an 06 you are covered my man!

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dogz

Seems to me you've got a great rifle for both elk and moose already: the M71 in .348 WCF.

Since you are NOT looking for an excuse to buy another rifle (shame on you), I would just take the 06 & hunt some elk. With good bullets you are in fine shape out to 350yds or so. Practice, practice, practice.

Well to be honest I think the '06 with a good 165-180 gr. bullet will do anything you need at normal ranges. However I used an elk hunt last year as an excuse to buy a 338 WinMag and never regretted it.

Happy hunting,

I have one alpha-numeric collection of symbols for you:

9.3x62

(I'd capitolize it if I could). Think of it as a super-charged 348 that shoots pointed bullets.

Also, here's an enticing tidbit: The 9.3x62 will shoot a 250 Nosler BT almost exactly as flat as a 308 Win. will shoot a 180 gr Nosler BT.

And to underscore a sentiment posted earlier: Shame on you for not welcoming with open arms an opportunity to stretch the hinges of your gun safe!

9.3

Bob,

I use a 338Win Mag on bigger game like Bear, Moose,Elk, and Buff. If I didn't have my 338Win I would buy a 338 Ultra Mag for the bigger stuff. The reason being the longer cross canyon shots on Elk and the extra knock down in case of bear trouble when Moose hunting.

take the -06, and the .348.In my collection those are the 2 i would take.my .300winmag is not shooting groups I like, and is also longer overall.So I would still take my rugerm77 30-06 and my browning m71 .348.M71 for timber, -06 for open area hunting.

I would take the two 30-06's with some 180 grain bullets.

I would take the .30-06. However, since you mentioned Alaska, I would later add a .338WM to your rifle battery. The .338WM is one of the most popular cartridges in Alaska.

If your standard M-70 is a 30-06, I'd use it as a spare and hunt with the Featherweight. Zero the irons and scopes on both rifles at 200 yards with Federal's 180-grain Trophy Bonded load. If I knew I'd have no shots past about 200 yards, I might use Remington's 220 CoreLokt zeroed at 150 yards instead. I've used both loads on big animals from 30 to about 100 yards, and they work fine. Also, I've seen the TB shoot MOA in three different older factory rifles.

Anything else you mentioned would also work fine. Hope this helps, Okie John.

As far as caliber is concerned, you can get an awful lot done with a .30-06. If you are looking for an excuse to buy a new toy, and you have room in your budget and your gun cabinet, I suppose one could always dream of a new gun. But it is not like you *NEED* one... What does the "missus" say? If you get anything bigger, make sure you feel comfortable with the recoil before you splash out on a new toy. It would be a pity to buy something and find it was too much to be used.
- mike

Don't want to buy an new rifle? Already got a .30-06? Want to hunt elk?

What's the problem?

Dude! Get yourself a .376 Steyr in the Steyr pro-hunter and be set for life. I believe Hornady offers ammo and one loading is in something like 225 grains at 2,600 plus, this is a reduced load for standard hunting.

Turn your standard M70 into a 338 WM.

As Bill Cosby says "there's always room for a
new rifle" or something like that.

Jeff

First of all, thanks for all the responses. Just for a little more background here is why the question is "semi-hypothetical". I don't have all the guns listed in the safe just yet, and I don't have any western trips booked. I've got the Savage 99, the .30-06 M70 Std, and tomorrow will have the 71. But the list that I posted is something that I had thought about working toward in the next year or so. Since I live in the east most of my battery will be directed toward the denser woodlands that I hunt here. However, I do have aspirations to go west which is where the thought of something a little bigger comes in. The more I think about it the more I think that it might be wiser to abandon the thought of getting a 64 in .30WCF and taking the money I would have spent on it and putting toward a .338WM. I really like the 64, but it seems like it wouldn't add much to a battery that already has a .300 Savage.

So, why all this terribly rampant practicality!?!? Well, as someone suggested, I would rather take the money that I would have spent filling my safe to the gills and use it to go hunting. So what I'm getting at is that I want to have a small collection of hunting rifles with as few compromises as possible. Planning this stuff is half the fun for me!!!

Thanks again,
Bob

The ott6 will termintate both without hesitation. It's as easy as that!

bobvthunter

The 35 Whelan would well suite your taste in rifles.

The 338 Winchester would suite you weller though.
The 338 Winchester is the 95% solution and yes you can shoot it. If recoil is a concern load it a bit slower. When my buddy got his first .338 (his first gun) I loaded it with 225 Nosler Partitions at 2450 Fps. He murdered everything he aimed it at for several years. All was well until I let him shoot it over a chrono....Stupid me!

The 338 is just like a big 30-06. If you don't shoot beyond 300 yards you don't need high speed.
A well placed premium quality 338 bullet will kill anything and everything that walks this planet.

Just my thoughts.

Jamie

Take the .348, its such a damn nice round and so under appreciated.
Andy

Heck, instead of another rifle, buy a good set of optics and a larger freezer and you're good to go.

I would opt for a cz 550 in 9.3x62 and top it with a leupold 2-7 Vari X 11 in warne or talley's. I would load some woodleigh 250 or 286 gr bullets and you would have one awsome rifle with low recoil and hard hitting power.

until you've owned a .375 you haven't lived.....go for it

Bobv,

If your talking about moose in Alaska there is a chance of running into one of those big brown bears up there. If it was me, and it isn't, I would opt for a 338 or 375 H&H and not worry in the least.

Not to sure I would want an 06 in hand when Mr Grizz shows up unexpectedly.

My 2 cents,

Don

I'd take the .348!!!

Vapodog

Well said!

Man shouldn't live by '06 alone!

Jamie