Rifle Caliber- Which would you choose?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Did you read my post? I said it was NOT the best. I'm giving first hand experience or I guess good 2nd hand experience to the OP.

Personally I bought a .270win as my got to caliber for if I do go on a elk, moose, bear, deer, antelope, or hog hunt.

I have to ask have you ever shot an elk or personally know someone that has? I ask because you are recommending something you have no experience with but probably have read somewhere that someone else had done.

If you have feel free to discredit the experience I have.

Personally I have not but my gun has shot 2 elk and two moose carried by best friends. Ballistics and terminal performance are widely documented. Your story is an account of what can be done with a marginal caliber. A quartering to shot in a heavier bones animal is not a shot for a marginal caliber especially at that range. Claim all you want but the 243 is a marginal caliber for elk and moose which was one of the conditions the OP listed.

You relative is lucky in a shot as you described. To take out the heart out on that shot without impacting the near leg is threading a needle. Personally I would want a bullet and caliber that I knew would do it. I think most horror stories though are bad bullet selection. You need the properly constructed bullet and then a caliber that will deliver it with the speed that it requires for its design.

[pitweiler]

an arrow and a bullet kill by very different means. An arrow kills by cutting tissue and causing hemorrhage. A bullet kills by destroying tissue by shock. Sure, a .243 can kill an elk but it is certainly not good or even close to an ideal choice. Why recommend a suboptimal cartridge to the OP

A bullet can explode and cause all kinds of shock, but have minimal destruction because it doesn't penetrate (cut) deep enough.

BTW, I am the OP.

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[Buckmaster7600]

Yea, I listed it as a maybe. Elk is more probable than moose, but AK is out of the question right now. Something lower 48.

I know the .243 will work, but is marginal for larger game. I'm hoping to put together an elk hunt out west in 2016 or 2017.

My '06 is just fine, but I want something that's finished nicer. I don't particularly enjoy the Savage ergos or the detachable magazine. I prefer stainless steel and a stiffer stock. I would like a cartridge that was as versatile as the '06, but in a short action and compatible with a 20-22 inch barrel.

Basically I want something that puts out 1500 ft lbs of energy at 350yds. Really looking for another do-all cartridge.

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=358 Winchester!

[Culvercreek hunt club]

You want a chambering that is as versatile as the 30-06, but in a short action and compatible with a 20 inch barrel ??

You just described the .308 Win...

A consideration I would have in selecting a multi-use rifle would be readily available ammo, in a wide range of bullet weights and constructions, proven and a long history so it isn't a fad and a good supply of components if I reloaded. Also rings true for the 308

[Culvercreek hunt club]

=358 Winchester!

I have always wanted one of those.

[beachpeaz]

I have shot Whitetail, Mule Deer, Caribou and Elk with a .270.  It is the flattest shooting (next to a .300 Ultra Mag) and most reliable gun out here in my opinion.  My father also took it on an African Safari and shot 7 species (3 being large sized proportion to a Caribou).  Its hard to argue against a .270.

[pitweiler]

A .308 is definitely a possibility.

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[gastrodoc]

I have shot Whitetail, Mule Deer, Caribou and Elk with a .270.  It is the flattest shooting (next to a .300 Ultra Mag) and most reliable gun out here in my opinion.  My father also took it on an African Safari and shot 7 species (3 being large sized proportion to a Caribou).  Its hard to argue against a .270.

 

Per the great Jack Oconnor

 

" If the hunter does his part the .270 will not let him down"

 

Love the .270, especially for whitetails

[chrisw]

300 WSM. Short action, can be had in the 20-22" barrel, easy to find ammo at any gun store, large variety of bullet weights/construction. Like a short action 06 with a little more oomph...

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

300 WSM. Short action, can be had in the 20-22" barrel, easy to find ammo at any gun store, large variety of bullet weights/construction. Like a short action 06 with a little more oomph...

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how has you luck been in small mom and pop stores in remote locations? I don't have any experience with this caliber.  

[chrisw]

how has you luck been in small mom and pop stores in remote locations? I don't have any experience with this caliber.

Out of any of the shortmag calibers you're most likely to find this one, I've never walked into a gunshop or a Walmart that didn't have it on the shelf. You're 20X more likely to find this than some of the other recommended offerings in this thread (35 whelen, 338 Win, 358 Win). I can't really speak to an extremely remote location but I wouldn't forsee an issue in most instances. And if you are primarily whitetail hunting with the occasional elk/moose hunt I think the 300 is about perfect, not crazy overloaded for deer and perfect for anything else.

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

Out of any of the shortmag calibers you're most likely to find this one, I've never walked into a gunshop or a Walmart that didn't have it on the shelf. You're 20X more likely to find this than some of the other recommended offerings in this thread (35 whelen, 338 Win, 358 Win). I can't really speak to an extremely remote location but I wouldn't forsee an issue in most instances. And if you are primarily whitetail hunting with the occasional elk/moose hunt I think the 300 is about perfect, not crazy overloaded for deer and perfect for anything else.

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round cost for a good whitetail round?

[Buckmaster7600]

Out of any of the shortmag calibers you're most likely to find this one, I've never walked into a gunshop or a Walmart that didn't have it on the shelf. You're 20X more likely to find this than some of the other recommended offerings in this thread (35 whelen, 338 Win, 358 Win). I can't really speak to an extremely remote location but I wouldn't forsee an issue in most instances. And if you are primarily whitetail hunting with the occasional elk/moose hunt I think the 300 is about perfect, not crazy overloaded for deer and perfect for anything else.

I have a way easier time finding 35 whelen then I do 300wsm the good thing about the 35's is any bullet will work for anything but the 300wsm around here if they have it they will most likely be 150's in a light jacketed bullet like a ballistic silver tip or similar. I have never understood the availability of ammo argument, I know when I go on a hunting trip I have lots of ammo and ammo in different places in case some is lost. I have always felt that if your worried about forgetting ammo you should have to buy 2 rifles too just in case you forget or lose one.

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[chrisw]

round cost for a good whitetail round?

Same price/couple dollars more than 30-06. About $25-30 a box for whitetail soft points.

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[chrisw]

Out of any of the shortmag calibers you're most likely to find this one, I've never walked into a gunshop or a Walmart that didn't have it on the shelf. You're 20X more likely to find this than some of the other recommended offerings in this thread (35 whelen, 338 Win, 358 Win). I can't really speak to an extremely remote location but I wouldn't forsee an issue in most instances. And if you are primarily whitetail hunting with the occasional elk/moose hunt I think the 300 is about perfect, not crazy overloaded for deer and perfect for anything else.

I have a way easier time finding 35 whelen then I do 300wsm the good thing about the 35's is any bullet will work for anything but the 300wsm around here if they have it they will most likely be 150's in a light jacketed bullet like a ballistic silver tip or similar. I have never understood the availability of ammo argument, I know when I go on a hunting trip I have lots of ammo and ammo in different places in case some is lost. I have always felt that if your worried about forgetting ammo you should have to buy 2 rifles too just in case you forget or lose one.

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I'm not sure where you are shopping but around CNY if you walk into a box of 35 whelen on the shelf you got lucky.

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[Buckmaster7600]

Of the 5 or 6 gun ships I have within 30 miles of me I bet 4 or 5 have whelen on the shelf. I don't consider dicks or Walmart a gun shop.

[chas0218]

Of the 5 or 6 gun ships I have within 30 miles of me I bet 4 or 5 have whelen on the shelf. I don't consider dicks or Walmart a gun shop.

I don't either but if they have my ammo for $5 less a box you better believe I'm buying it there.

[philoshop]

.243 for elk??  That would be an extremely poor choice in my opinion even with the hottest of handloads.  If you ever showed up on a guided hunt with that round you would likely be sent home

 

I have a good friend who is a licensed guide out of Livingston Montana who carries a .243 for elk hunts. He won't let most of his clients carry a .243 because most don't know how to shoot accurately.

Then again, he shoots 5k rounds a year at prairie dogs so that he knows how to hit with a gun that he's carried since the mid 1970's.

I'm quite certain he would never be laughed at for having his .243 in an elk hunting camp.

 

But you're absolutely correct. Firepower is the best alternative to proficiency. I mean that sincerely.

[G-Man]

My personal opinion I want to shoot everything I hunt under 100 yards , maybe 200 for a stretch, I'll take my 45-70 every time, any longer range than that your target shooting not hunting....

[Buckmaster7600]

I don't either but if they have my ammo for $5 less a box you better believe I'm buying it there.

I call my gun shop and tell him what I need "guns or ammo" if it can be got he has it for me in 3 business days. I drive by a dicks and 2 walmarts to buy from him. If that costs me 5 dollars extra a box oh well!

[Pygmy]

Very interesting thread..I must admit that being somewhat of a traditionalist ( read PREJUIDICED OLD FART), I sometimes overlook some of the often redundant newer fat, short cartridges, such as the short mags.

Some do fill a niche perhaps as well or better than older chamberings, especially if you happen to be a short action fan. I readily admit lack of experience with these chamberings, but from what I have read, both the 270 WSM and the .300 WSM have been quite successful and useful chamberings, allowing .270 Win and .300 Win mag performance in accurate short action chamberings.

[Chef]

300 win mag

[CuseHunter]

Maybe I'm way off but when I think of big game and long range, I think of .300win mag or wsm. Designed for long-range shooting with its flat trajectory and can be easily shot with 180gr bullets compared to the smaller alternatives of the .270/308 you've suggested... Just my input.

Yet if you read online you'll hear plenty of people say "you can even shoot a polar bear with a .243. It's shot placement, not size."

I'll take my odds though with a larger round (given the same shot

Placement, which should be consistent upon the shooter).

[BizCT]

Deer/Elk 270 wbymag or 7mm wbymag. Moose, maybe you bump up to a 300wbymag. Anything 400-500 yards or closer is a chip shot

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[Lawdwaz]

I'd sell that Salvage 30-06 AND the 30-30 in a heartbeat then get your RUGER Hawkeye or better yet a Tikka T3 or even step it up another notch and score the Kimber Montana in .308 Winchester.

Ok, back to sleep.........