To be honest, I am eager to receive the opinions of the experienced hunters I know to frequent these forums.

I am looking to purchase two rifles to fully compliment my current .243 Winchester...I desire the two rifles I purchase to allow me to effectively hunt any and all N. American game (excluding brown bear).

My initial thoughts are a .270 and a .338 Ultra Mag. What are your thoughts as to the versatility of this battery (.243, .270 and a .338)? I hope to hunt any and all game in N. America--White Tail, Mule Deer, Wild Boar, Elk and Moose--with these rifles.

Please feel free to share your opinions. Thanks guys. I truly appreciate your advice.

Fusino

The 270 is a great calibre no doubt there. But if you are a handloader then a .30 calibre would allow you to chose from the many bullets available in that calibre.
I would also like to suggest the .375 H&H mag as your big bore. Good for brown bear I would think and you never know if there is a trip tom Africa in the future ? The .375 is a great allrounder and you can get bullets from 200 grn impala to 380 grn Rhino solid shank.

30.06 and .375 would also work with your .243
The two suggested cartridges are furthermore widely available through out the world.

PS there is nothing like owning a big bore .375 is just that

Cheers,

André

The 30-06 will take all game in north america. If you want or need more, that is up to you. Personally, I would look at a large bore for shoots under 200 yards.

Andre's words are wise, .375 H&H way to go.

Roland

Go with the .30-06 and the .375, then you'll have it all. The .270 is a fine caliber, but the gap between that and the .243 is a bit small compared to the gap between the .270 and .375, so move up to the middle and get the '06, then you're covered for everything shy of the big bears (and it'll handle them in a pinch, too). Add on the .375 and the big bears are yours.

If you are a handloader, a less popular option would be to go with the 7x57 or .270 as your medium gun, then go with the .35 whelen as you bigger diameter rifle. The 7x57 or .270 will reach out nicely to take the sheep & goats, and the bigger stuff is usually shortish range (100 yards and under) and the .35 W will take the bigger stuff just fine. You'd be using the 225/250 grainers for elk & moose, 250 to 310 for the big bears.

fusino,

Where I hunt we have "woods rifles". They are good fitting rifles of light to moderate weight that will take the heaviest common game. This makes the point that for much hunting the rifle is more important than the cartridge as long as an adequate one is selected.

The "Featherweight" size of rifle satisfies almost all North American hunting. It will handle woods hunting, mountain hunting-all hunting. These rifles weigh about 6.75 lbs sans scope and the most practical cartridge is similar to the 30-06 Springfield.

Then many, including me, want a "magnum" rifle for longer ranges and heavier game.

I would avoid owning a 338 RUM as I don't like to punish myself but that's me.

Many, many combinations of calibers will do what you want. A .243, .270, and .338 UM will do it to perfection! You have chosen 3 rounds that will do everything you would like to do in North America with great efficiency

I would go with the .243, 7mm Mag, and .375 H&H for the bigger stuff. If I need a rifle heavier than a .30-06, 7x57 or 7Mag. I'd just as soon have it a lot bigger.

Your .243 is a great coyote rifle and if you hunt the smaller whitetail races in the US, it will do a fine job on them too. Soooo........go coyote hunting and hammer a small whitetail to fill your tag if one crosses your path.
Here in Alberta the .243 is regarded pretty well as marginal for the big bucks we encounter here. Although with excellent shot placement and good bullets they do the trick for the occasional buck.
If you only want to buy one more rifle, get the 30-06 and you are covered from deer to moose.
If you plan on 2 more rifles,I suggest my personal combo, the .270 Win and the .338 Win.
The .270 shines on deer and antelope sized game with 130 grain bullets, does a fine job with 150 Nosler partitions on anything from deer up to including moose. I shot 2 Moose and 5 elk while deer hunting with my .270 and 150 grain NP. You are not under gunned.
If I specifically go for Moose and Elk I sometimes take my 22 inch barreled .338 Win.
Sometimes I have shot whitetails with that one too. Not that I feel I really need a .338Win.to kill elk and moose, but I happen to have one that handles nicely and I shoot it well, It also will break leg bones and penetrate on into the vitals with the larger animals. Your gain with the .338 Ultra mag over the 338 WIN is in the realm practical field performance on game negligeable. As you see there is a little function overlap between the .243 and .270 and a little overlap in function between the .338 and .270. Which is how it should be in a 3 rifle battery.
I also use a 20 inch barreled .308 Win. full length wood finely balanced rifle for close cover deer/moose/elk hunting with a 1-4X scope mostly stuck at 1.5X. I shoot 180 Nosler Partitions with it. It is deadly.It functionally is on par with the 06 at short to medium ranges. Having tried it on two occasions,
A .375 H&H hunting rifle for North American Moose and elk is in my view not practical at all, although it sure is up to the job. The weight with scope, shells and sling is for me too much to be able to get it in action quick enough for a jump shot, something I get to deal with regularly.. If you need to walk a lot for your hunting, then they are real pigs to carry around with their heavy barrel. Because of the weight they will stay mostly on your shoulder making you a non-consumptive user when an elk or moose jumps out of its bed and could be taken with a short range snapshot with a "on the ready" rifle.
I regard them as fine back-up rifles for guides to sort out messes left by clients. The .338 usually made considerable lighter, will do anything the .375 does on moose and elk.

Whoever said above that a .30-06 will do it all is correct. Still, I'd rather have a .300 Win Mag for everything, and stretch out the distance a bit. In fact, I do.

If you're hell bent on collecting rifles, go with the .270 Win and .338 Win Mag for North America. Having a .243, .270, and a .338 is a nice battery. Of course, on a mixed bag hunt, you'll only have one or the other in your hands.

A .375 H&H makes a lot of sense for huge brown bears, even if you didn't mention them, but how many would you kill in order to justify a purpose-built rifle just for them?

I was faced with exactly the same choice a couple of years ago, when I deliberated between a .270 and a .338, or a .30-06 and a .375. When I looked hard at what I would actually wind up hunting, instead of what I might wind up hunting, I went to a custom rifle builder of the best reputation (D'Arcy Echols), and chose a .300 Win Mag as my go-to gun.

For the game you listed, White Tail, Mule Deer, Wild Boar, Elk and Moose, a .300 Win Mag will do it all at ranges that might even be beyond what you're willing to shoot at.

Honestly, I believe if you already have the 243 you will not need the 270 or will shortly be looking for a new home for the 243. 338 ulti mag is specialized indeed truthfully may only really practical for north america. This is not a dig against it's performance just that if you are out of ammo or separated from it in some locals you will be SOL.

My opinion is a good basic minimum battery is Three rifles:

223Rem or 22-250
308win or 30-06 or 300winmag
375 H&H

All sorts of discussions can be started about what calibers exist that do it better than the above list. But these are journeyman calibers with a proven track record.

Less is more! Rather than having the perfect cartridge for any given hunt/game/terrain you are better off having one rifle that will do it all with which you are intimately familiar. If you are limiting yourself to NA, pick a cartridge from -06 on up and have the rifle fitted to you and scoped properly. If you may do the big bears or go to Africa someday, make it a 375.

Hello,
Few years ago, would have gone with what most have already suggested, but let me further suggest you entertain the 260 Remington, do anything the 243,257,270 will do, and for the final bone crushing type, go with the 416 Remington. Tough to beat all around and capable with the right loads to take plains type game at fair distances plus stop about anything that walks or talks and capable of hurting you and yours. Oh, to be faced with all these choices, only in America!!
Favor Center!!
dsiteman

If you are excluding big bears, which is what you said, then I think I would buy a 30-06 then buy .338 Win Mag not the ultra mag. I've sort of been going through the evolution much as yo are. I started with a 6mm Remington (which I've recently rebarreled to 260 Rem) and I've got a .308 Win. I also have purchased a Model 70 .375 H&H, but a .375 is going to be heavier than you probably want (9+ lbs fully outfitted). Thus, I just sort of changed out my Model 700 .300 Win Mag for a Model 77 Ruger in .338 Win Mag (both 8.5 lbs fully outfitted). I will probably end up getting a 30-06, either a Model 70 Featherweight or a Model 700 Mountain Rifle (probably 7.5 pounds fully outfitted). With a 30-06 you can have a light weight rifle that will do for just about everything in the lower 48 or a backpack trip into the mountains. A .338 Win Mag will be just a little more muscle for that mountain elk hunt or the trip to Alaska (thus it should be stainless steel and CRF) - no guide will snicker at your .338 Win Mag as long as you can shoot it well. The thing with both the 30-06 and .338 Win Mag is that you can get ammo for either just about anywhere - that can not be said for any of the Ultra Mags and the H&H is not setting on a lot of shelves either. The .338 ammo may be a little hard to find in the eastern or southern US, but I seriously doubt there is a gun store anywhere in the mountain west or Alaska that doesn't have several boxes on hand.

Now I'm going where I don't know the facts for certain, but if all you've been shooting is a .243, start with the 30-06 and work with it awhile before jumping into the magnum. It takes serious concentration to shoot the big boys, otherwise it will pound you and you WILL develope a flinch. I shot my .338 Sunday and I can still feel a little soreness today - there is a new Decellerator recoil pad headed my way from Cabela's. Make sure the stock fits, you have a long eye relief scope (Leupold rules), and that you have a quality recoil pad.

There are a lot of whiz bang new cartridges out today, but there is not any big game, including big bears, in NA that cannot be taken, more than adequately, with a 30-06 and a .338 Win Mag. I, like several of the other posters, think that the .270 is too close to the .243. In my case, I've got the .260 Rem, and if the ballistics tables can be believed, with 140 grain bullets, the .260 has as much energy at 300 yards as the .270.

If you decide later for a Cape Buffalo, or even a brown bear, then the cost of a .375 H&H or even a .416 will be minimal in comparison to the cost of the hunt.

fusino,

I noticed you asked a bunch of guys with almost no firm opnion!

The .243 Winchester is a popular, great light-purpose caliber that has all sorts of applications from comfortable target shooting through varmints and onto small & medium game hunting with proghorn and in some areas whitetail as well.

The .30/06 Springfield is such a universal caliber that to purchase a .270 Winchester in it's stead would not even register on my Richter Scale although I have both and the .270 Winchester is a very popular caliber in some parts of the world.

The .375 H&H is another no brainer for Africa, Alaska, and I wouldn't hesitate to take it on an Black Bear, Elk or Moose hunt.

But....if you were going to limit yourself to the three calibers & rifles for what you've stated - North America, no big bruins, etc.....then you could also forego the pleasure of owning the world's greatest hunting caliber, the .375 H&H and get a 9.3x62 Mauser instead. You'll end up with less recoil (it's a big deal for some folks), a standard length action instead of a magnum length and a great Deep Woods cartidge as well.

Based on what you're relating my suggestions for choices to you would be:

1. .243 Winchester
2. .30/06 Springfield
3. 9.3x62 Mauser



Cheers,

Gerry

I have a soft spot for the 338 Win. Mag. but a good 300 will serve nicely also.
Doug

Buy only ONE rifle and use the rest of the money for the best scope you can afford.

A nice 30-06 with a premium scope is a "difficult to beat" equipment for 90% of your hunts. Take care of him and he will not let you down.

I would choose a fixed Schmidt and Bender in 4x36 or 6x42 with reticle n° 1

L

The first rifle I ever bought was a 243. It was the only rifle I owned for about 8 years. I used it to take everything from red foxes, coyotes, pronghorns, whitetails, mulies and black bears. The 243 is the perfect pronghorn cartidge, but less than ideal for everything else. I also like it for deer in open country, provided it's not too windy. The 300 Win Mag is great for all North American deer, boar, black bears, elk and moose.

That being the case, for the final choice I'd buy a 223. Great for shooting varmints and the ammo is cheap, so you can spend a lot more time practicing for the big stuff!

Pete

Lorenzo offers very good advice. If you choose not to follow it, here's mine:

There are lots of good cartridges, each one right and wrong for many reasons. The 243 is too light for my taste, especially in the wind, but it will do if you’re careful.

The 270 needs no defense. It’s easy to shoot well and good ammo is cheap. You can get ammo anywhere, such as in countries where military cartridges are not allowed. Premium bullets make it more effective but are not required. I’d prefer a 30-06, but that’s a small matter until you need 220-gr. bullets. And if you need 220’s, you probably need more gun.

I question the big 338s. They’re plenty of gun, but you need a lot of practice to shoot them well, and it takes a special sort of man to endure that much recoil for that long. Ammo is an expensive specialty item and can be hard to find. You can handload, but the components can be expensive. You will need premium bullets, and you’ll need a long barrel for best results. That often makes a rifle awkward. The 338 WM is a jump up from the 270/30-06, and it combines reach and punch in a reasonably light, portable package. So do the 9.3x62 and 35 Whelen, but ammo for them is harder to find.

Whatever rifle(s) you get should be utterly weather-resistant; if you get more than one, they should be identical except for caliber. Safeties, triggers, scopes, reticles, rings, bases, trajectories, stocks and everything else should match. Then, going from one to the next in a hurry requires no thought.

I have solved this problem by going to a 308 and a 35 Whelen, both pre-64 M-70’s built by Jim Cloward. They complement each other nicely. If I had only one it would be along the lines of what Lorenzo described.

I hope your battery works out as well as mine has.

Okie John

Here in Finland calibers 9,3X62 , .308win and .30-06 are the most popular choises in moose and bear hunting.

300 Win Mag. and 375 H&H. Those 3 make a pretty stong group. Name an animal and I will contend that one of those 3 is a perfect choice.

As other have said though, if you have to choose, put the money in the optics. You can't shoot what you cannot find.

30/06 will take anything on the North American Continent and the .375 will make you ready for the whole world.JMHO-
Locksley

I use a 300 win mag with 200/gr trophy bonded and it works on everything except big bears. I agree with top quality optics. Get a gun that "feels" good when you shoulder it. Some do some dont but you can always shoot better with a rifle that feels good for you.

I think you choices would work fine for what you have in mind. I think with a 3 gun battery, you want to spread them out, but still have some overlap in use.

If I already owned a .243 and wanted to add 2 more for North America, my own personal preference would be a 7x57 or .280 and a .338 Win. Mag. But I guess I'm just splitting hairs. Your choices would also work.

Now if you throw African dangerous game in the mix, yes the .375 teamed with a 30 caliber (.30-06 or a .300 Magnum) make a very useful battery.

I have never hunted any where but Texas and New

Mex. I was thinking on the lines of a 25-06,

7 wsm and the new 325 wsm. Just my 2 cents.

Got to recommend against the .338 RUM. I fine cartridge but I am not sure it's going to make it. The .338 WM will basically do the same far more efficiently. I wish I had gone the .375 H&H route instead of the .340 I bought. Though no complaints about the .340 outside of added expense and severe recoil.

I recommend buying one rifle, a really good .300 WSM such as a Sako or Kimber. Then topping it with good glass.

fusion, 1st off nothing wrong with a 3 rifle battery, the 270 winchester is a winner hand down, i''d advise going with a 338 win magnum, to many shooters geting caught up inall the new calibers out there, not to offend anyone, it''s all GREAT, but many shooters can''t control their rifles, also pratice so you can shot them like you can a 22 rimfire.... you''ve set sail, now enjoy your Voyage,keep us posted regards jjmp

i think your choices are good ones. but if i already owned a 243(i don't) this would be my three rifle battery:

243: vermin but will do for deer

6.5-06(or 270 if you don't roll you own)- deer to moose with the right bullet

9.3x62-deer to whatever including bears(again, pick the right bullet)

my only problem is that i can't be happy with just 3 rifles

good luck with your choices...bud