Have the money, now I have to choose…

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Luckily the odd calibers and the expensive magnums seem to be the ones that are on the shelves the most right now so ammo won't be an issue as long as you buy it before you go anywhere. I wouldn't want to walk into a mom and Pop place in remote Canada because the bag with my ammo didn't make it and have to look for a rare caliber.

 

I would consider cost of shooting it. Availability. And it sounds like you aren't going to cheap out on the glass and mounts. ( I think this is one of the biggest mistakes guys make)

 

Don't underestimate that 308 you have. Buddy in Maine drew a moose tag last year .308 at 225 yards. 30 yard death sprint and it was done. Short of Grizzly I wouldn't think twice about carrying it.

[Pygmy]

I read an article that  listed the three most popular rounds in Alaska, where encounters with brown/grizzly bears are always a possibility and EVERYONE wants a moose for thier winter meat...

 

#1....30-06

 

 Number 2 and number 3 were  .300 Win mag and .338 Win mag... I can't remember the order..

 

I DO remember hunting in Alaska a couple of times and  encountering grizzlies and thinking that my .280 rem looked REALLY small...

 

In my later hunts carried my .338 Win mag   or my 9.3 x 62... They gave me more confidence around the grizzlies ( on one hunt my party of four saw 13 grizzlies)  but fortunately there was never  an occasion where we had to deal with them.. Every time the grizzlies saw or smelled us, they went the other way...

[bowaholic]

my dad has a Remington Model 700 wood stock with a SS fluted barrel in 300 WSM, topped it with a nice Leupold scope.  BEAUTIFUL gun!

[Five Seasons]

I'd spend more on your scope then on your gun. Most rifles will shoot pretty straight. Most scopes are not created equal.

Edited January 1, 2014 by Belo

[Dinsdale]

Belo, on 31 Dec 2013 - 7:07 PM, said:

I'd spend more on your scope then on your gun. Most rifles will shoot pretty straight. Most scopes are not created equal.

 

 

This ^

[Lawdwaz]

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/8419763/gonew/1/WTS_Tikka_T3_Blued_338_Win_Mag#UNREAD

Here's a 338 to ponder.............price seems fair too.

Edited January 2, 2014 by Lawdwaz

[CuseHunter]

Check out ammo prices too, 338 will put a hurting on your wallet in a hurry.

exactly why I am going for a .300. I'm still 20 years old and in college and I bust my hump just to make ends meet with tuition and all my "extras" in life. I'm also plenty aware that with a budget of $1000 I'm not going to get a rifle that can compete at the level of 1000yd competition shooters. I just want a rifle that I know (with the skill) I can shoot a good group from 400 yards max.

[CuseHunter]

I appreciate all the feedback from everyone. Since I'm not in a rush to buy, I'll keep looking online around for used deals. I plan on definitely getting a good mount and glass (vortex viper) and still am sticking with a .300 win/wby because of ammo prices, and I personally would rather have a caliber I can use here in NY on a whitetail if I'd like to, and not just only at the range or on these big game hunts. If I went with a .338 I'd imagine it sitting in the gun safe collecting dust and only being used a handful of times throughout my life.

[MACHINIST]

So would a well placed 22LR at point blank range but I wouldn't shoot a bear with a 22LR at 400 yards.  Don't have any experience to relate to so I'm just going on pure speculations but I would hate to come across a trophy moose which happens to be on the other side of a valley, standing near a cliff, and having to pass on it because I can't anchor it.

 

A 300 win mag will anchor any animal in the states at any distance that the majority of us can effectively shoot at.Just because someone has a big ass shoulder cannon doesn't mean they can kill something over 500+ yards.Its a lot bowhunting,most guys will put arrow after arrow into a 2 inch circle at 20 yards.Now take that same guy and have him shoot at 40 or 50 and he cant hit the target.

[Elmo]

Just an observation.  You notice that when people discuss small calibers for larger game say like a .223 for deer, most people point out that it is not enough gun even though some people have killed deer with a 22LR.  When you talk about large calibers for the same game, people say you don't need a large caliber and that its all about shot placement.  They then point out the fact that some people have taken deer with a 22LR.

 

My personal feeling is that larger calibers allows you a tiny bit more room for error.  The smaller the caliber, the more precise you have to be.

 

The other day I was watching "Life Below Zero" on NatGeo and saw this native Alaskan Inuit take down a running wolf at something like 200 to 300 yards with a Mosin Nagant on iron sights with one shot.  I would not advise anyone to take that kind of shot but apparent to her that's nothing but a chip shot.

[Pygmy]

When I hunted caribou near the Arctic Circle in '94, my Inuit guide, George Konana, showed me a video of his 10 year old son shooting a 10 foot polar bear with a .222 Rem.

He hit the bear at the base of the skull and dropped it in its tracks.

An aquaintance of mine did a polar bear hunt years ago . He carried a .375 H&H mag. His Inuit guide " backed him up" with a 22-250...

[WNYBuckHunter]

 Plus I don't plan on getting a smaller caliber than a .308 anytime soon, not until I go to Texas for the Army again and then I just might grab a AR while I'm there.

 

Dont plan on bringing it back to NY. Just saying....

[phade]

Does active duty have exemptions here in NY?

 

I remember my dad bringing home and being allowed to keep some of his issued firearms back in the day.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Im not sure, but once he is no longer active duty, the rifle cannot remain here. Well, as long as the SAFE Act stands it cant.

[CuseHunter]

Does active duty have exemptions here in NY?

I remember my dad bringing home and being allowed to keep some of his issued firearms back in the day.

I'm not saying I'm bringing back a military issued rifle. That's a big no-no. I'm saying I might buy a AR at the local store while there.

[WNYBuckHunter]

You cant bring back an AR.

[Lawdwaz]

and still am sticking with a .300 win/wby because of ammo prices, and I personally would rather have a caliber I can use here in NY on a whitetail if I'd like to, and not just only at the range or on these big game hunts. If I went with a .338 I'd imagine it sitting in the gun safe collecting dust and only being used a handful of times throughout my life.

 

After a couple boxes of ammo at the range with 300 win mag I bet you'll be reaching for that 308 instead for 98% of anything you'll be doing the rest of your life. 

 

I'll gladly shoot my 243 or 7-08 over my 300wsm any day at the range !  Seat time is priceless, at any age.

[Pygmy]

I spent some time one summer prior to an Alaska hunt working up loads for my .338 Ruger 77 and my buddy's .300 WM M 70 ...As far as I could tell, one beat me up as badly as the other... I have since sold the .338 and replaced it with a 9.3 x 62, which is a little kinder to my shoulder.

My buddy is still using his .300 mag as his main rifle for everything from whitetails to moose, and he shoots it very well..

Of course he is a big, dumb, stubborn Irish farmer, and is as recoil proof as a tractor tire.<<grin>>...

[CuseHunter]

You cant bring back an AR.

I'll move to VA then

[Doc]

No matter what gun I buy these days, I always make sure that it is not a pain to shoot. All my guns see a lot of practice hours an I don't just go out to shot a 3-shot group like I used to do with that old 12 gauge shoulder mangler. I think that is kind of important to be able to enjoy putting some shots through any rifle that I own. Feeling comfortable with it and enjoying shooting it will bring home more game than going for a caliber that will kill the game many times over.

[thphm]

I think that is kind of important to be able to enjoy putting some shots through any rifle that I own.

I agree also most barrels should ( as they say have to be seasoned ) or broken in. With a number of shots threw them.

[ants]

I have shot a friends .338 Win Mag. and it didn't seem all that bad. Not much more than a 30-06. I also shot his 300WSM. that thing just pissed me off…3 shots and I was done.

[dbHunterNY]

Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 stainless 300win mag - $650

Tally mounts - $50

Nikon Prostaff matte black 3-9x40mm with BDC (mil dots and turrets are better but cost too much) - $170

Slogan outdoors ultraflex sling - $35

Federal Fusion 165gr ammo - $29

------------------------------------------------------

Total with tax - $1,009

 

that's what I think

 

Edited January 3, 2014 by dbHunterNY

[CuseHunter]

As of right now, I'm meeting a guy Monday to buy his .300win mag model 70 for $400. I couldn't pass the deal up. It is in mind condition, he never used it. Says only shot it about 8 times.

[dbHunterNY]

hopefully it's only a few years old at most or even better pre-'64.  ones in the middle I don't think shot as well.

 

good deal though.

Edited January 3, 2014 by dbHunterNY