Only Three Bolt-gun Hunting Calibers - Which Ones?
- Thread starter USAF Ret
- Start date
Loving the Mausers!
Ruger had a run of their 24" M77 Hawkeye Africans chambered in them.
Very nice rifles.
6.5x55mm
9.3x62mm
9.3x62mm
Red
Beautiful rifles, Red. I know that a lot of companies stop running lines of calibers due to popularity. Makes good business sense, but it is a shame. 257 Roberts is another good round you can hardly find anymore. 25-06. I have also noticed that quite a few of the newer rifles are dropping the 270 Win. Can't even get an M77 in 270 anymore.Ruger had a run of their 24" M77 Hawkeye Africans chambered in them.
Very nice rifles.
6.5x55mm
9.3x62mm
Red
Winchester still has their non-MB M70 EW/SS/.270 Win in production.
Was in the market for another .270 Winchester?
... would be looking very hard at the current Remington M700 CDL/SF.
24" Bbl'ed 416 stainless/fluted barreled action w/ 5R rifling.
Very nice.
Red
Winchester still has their non-MB M70 EW/SS/.270 Win in production.
Was in the market for another .270 Winchester?
... would be looking very hard at the current Remington M700 CDL/SF.
24" Bbl'ed 416 stainless/fluted barreled action w/ 5R rifling.
Very nice.
Red
This is mine
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Those are really nice.This is mine
Looked at'em for the longest, in both .260 Rem and .270 Win.
... and then they were gone.
Red
I got this one from an estate sale. Looked like it had never been shot. I tell you, it is one of the most accurate rifles I have. It is a 2004 model, so does not have the fluted barrel. That would be very nice to have, just for the heat dissipation. After 5 shots, my barrel gets smoking hot. But, it's a hunting rifle. If I have to take that many shots on a critter, I might as well hand it up.
jackstrawIII
New member
Very, very hard.
The Happy kaboomer
New member
NEVER GONNA HAPPEN............Why not 1 or 6 or thirteen.
$$$ and space in the safe. Haha.
IMO,it just does not matter much.
If you are determined to be "A long range shooter" .....OK. By today's standards,no cartridge does that for you. A rangefinder and precise,repeatable sight adjustments does that.
Bullets have a minimum velocity to perform. In many cases,its around 2000 fps.
So,IMO, your "Long Range" is limited (generally speaking) to the range the chrono and the bullet maker tell you the bullet will perform.
Then consider many of us focus our attention/equiptment on the 1% or 5% fantasy shot...the "monster bull or ram or buck posing at something over 600 yards"
And we may choose a heavier,harder kicking, more expensive rifle,at the expense of the 95% or 99% of the shots a more modest rifle would excel at.
I have more than three. I don't much worry about what is on the shelf.
I have an old South Bend lathe. I can buy a receiver and a barrel. I've built most of my rifles. I handload. I don't buy factory loads.
My bolt hunting rifles include a 257 R AI . That covers most of it, I have more than one 30-06. I don't really need it,but I have a nice 375 Chatfield Taylor. Or (in other words) I neck 458 down to .375. Thats a nice cartridge.
Around 2600 with a 260 gr Accubond. Still fun to shoot.
Yes,I have 7mm Rem Mag and 30-338. I just got over the 400 yd plus idea.
My 5.56/223 varmint guns are AR's not bolt guns.
Any cartridge equivalent to WW1 and WW2 battle rifle cartridges and most of the neck up and neck downs will make a good hunting rifle.
It does not matter if you use a 7x57 or a 7-08 or a 308 or a 30-06 or and 8x57 or a 303. Get your range down to not much over 300 yds,place your shot and get your knife out. Or,get closer!
What do you want to carry,and what can/will you shoot well?
An interesting combination that I do not own is a 308 and a 338 Win. You can have two nearly identical rifles with nearly identical trajectories,
BC's and velocities line up (if you choose/load well) That means every round if 308 you shoot is good practice for the 338.
I suppose starting from scratch a 260 or a 6.5 Manbun ,(or 257 AI or 243) and a 308 (or 30-06) and a 338 Win (or 375 ) would get just about anything done. and a 9.3, or 338-06, or 35 Whelen all would serve well as medium bores. An arguement can be made that with modern bullets in North America.....they are more preference than necessity.
But your 270 ,and a host of other cartridges are just fine. So is your 30-30.
Where do you hunt? What do you hunt? What do you shoot well?
And things like "Its the Rifle Grandpa hunted with and gave me" matter. You can't buy one of those.
If you are determined to be "A long range shooter" .....OK. By today's standards,no cartridge does that for you. A rangefinder and precise,repeatable sight adjustments does that.
Bullets have a minimum velocity to perform. In many cases,its around 2000 fps.
So,IMO, your "Long Range" is limited (generally speaking) to the range the chrono and the bullet maker tell you the bullet will perform.
Then consider many of us focus our attention/equiptment on the 1% or 5% fantasy shot...the "monster bull or ram or buck posing at something over 600 yards"
And we may choose a heavier,harder kicking, more expensive rifle,at the expense of the 95% or 99% of the shots a more modest rifle would excel at.
I have more than three. I don't much worry about what is on the shelf.
I have an old South Bend lathe. I can buy a receiver and a barrel. I've built most of my rifles. I handload. I don't buy factory loads.
My bolt hunting rifles include a 257 R AI . That covers most of it, I have more than one 30-06. I don't really need it,but I have a nice 375 Chatfield Taylor. Or (in other words) I neck 458 down to .375. Thats a nice cartridge.
Around 2600 with a 260 gr Accubond. Still fun to shoot.
Yes,I have 7mm Rem Mag and 30-338. I just got over the 400 yd plus idea.
My 5.56/223 varmint guns are AR's not bolt guns.
Any cartridge equivalent to WW1 and WW2 battle rifle cartridges and most of the neck up and neck downs will make a good hunting rifle.
It does not matter if you use a 7x57 or a 7-08 or a 308 or a 30-06 or and 8x57 or a 303. Get your range down to not much over 300 yds,place your shot and get your knife out. Or,get closer!
What do you want to carry,and what can/will you shoot well?
An interesting combination that I do not own is a 308 and a 338 Win. You can have two nearly identical rifles with nearly identical trajectories,
BC's and velocities line up (if you choose/load well) That means every round if 308 you shoot is good practice for the 338.
I suppose starting from scratch a 260 or a 6.5 Manbun ,(or 257 AI or 243) and a 308 (or 30-06) and a 338 Win (or 375 ) would get just about anything done. and a 9.3, or 338-06, or 35 Whelen all would serve well as medium bores. An arguement can be made that with modern bullets in North America.....they are more preference than necessity.
But your 270 ,and a host of other cartridges are just fine. So is your 30-30.
Where do you hunt? What do you hunt? What do you shoot well?
And things like "Its the Rifle Grandpa hunted with and gave me" matter. You can't buy one of those.
Where do you hunt? I hunt in NC right now, but ready to start my bucket list before I get to the point I can't hunt. Planning a hunt in TX for deer and hog, Maine for black bear and CO for elk.
What do you hunt? Above. Mostly whitetail.
What do you shoot well? I have to say, I probably shoot my Remington 270 Mountain Rifle and my CVA 6.5 Creedmoor the best. Still trying to get better with the 30-30, but I am good enough at 100 yards to kill a deer and if I take it out, it will be because shots are shore distance in the woods.
Cool. Rifles are like golf clubs. You migt need a driver,a 5 iron,a 9 iron,and a putter but it depends on where you hunt and what you hunt.
I've lived in Northern Colorado since 1966 .
FWIW, bow hunters and muzzle loader hunters get their game.
We are having fun with shades of grey and splitting hairs. Thats OK.
Your Grandpa could do anything that needed doing with his one hunting rifle.
It might have been a $20 NRA/DCM 1903A3 that Old Louis the local crotchety gunsmith slicked up, put a Bishop stock on it,and maybe a Lyman All American 3X or 4X scope on it. (Or a Weaver or a Redfield) .Original barrel in 30-06.
That,or an equivalent Mauser or Remchester would take any pronghorn,deer,or elk Grandpa decided to shoot at. It would do it then,it would do it now.
And it would not matter if it was a 7x57 or 6.5x55.
I know,hunting public land within 50 miles of my house,some years things went wrong and I never saw an elk. Obviously,I needed a bigger gun!
Except it ain't the arrow. Its the native indigenous hunter person.
But wanting and buying new guns is part of what we do.
I've lived in Northern Colorado since 1966 .
FWIW, bow hunters and muzzle loader hunters get their game.
We are having fun with shades of grey and splitting hairs. Thats OK.
Your Grandpa could do anything that needed doing with his one hunting rifle.
It might have been a $20 NRA/DCM 1903A3 that Old Louis the local crotchety gunsmith slicked up, put a Bishop stock on it,and maybe a Lyman All American 3X or 4X scope on it. (Or a Weaver or a Redfield) .Original barrel in 30-06.
That,or an equivalent Mauser or Remchester would take any pronghorn,deer,or elk Grandpa decided to shoot at. It would do it then,it would do it now.
And it would not matter if it was a 7x57 or 6.5x55.
I know,hunting public land within 50 miles of my house,some years things went wrong and I never saw an elk. Obviously,I needed a bigger gun!
Except it ain't the arrow. Its the native indigenous hunter person.
But wanting and buying new guns is part of what we do.
Most of what I have seen is private land for bear. Not near where I am. Need to make some connections for that or try and find one of those places that caters to disabled veterans.
stagpanther
New member
About 95% of all the land in Maine is privately owned. But we do have big bears--big deer and big moose.
My buddy does an annual trip up there and I have an open invite every year. One of these days when things get better I am hoping to go.