Rifle Battery/Caliber Selection

My next rifle after that would definitely be a medium bore. I'm thinking the .338 Winchester Magnum, which would enable me to hunt any North American game (or at least the vast majority of it).

This had been a long time coming, but I sold my .243 (Mossberg ATR) and bought another .243 (Savage Euro Classic). It came in today, and the wood is the nicest I have ever had the pleasure of owning. I don't know how to describe it, other than it has a really nice horizontal grain (from buttstock to barrel crown), as well as a GORGEOUS vertical striping the whole way along. I literally pulled the rifle out of my safe to stare at it for a while.

I'll post pics later.
 
+ 1 on the lever. Every one has to have a lever in their collection … it’s just unAmerican not to lol!!

A good 45-70 and you’re good to go – after all, you just about have everything else covered!

Once you shoot it you'll understand why :).
 
Reloader, there aren't any NA big game that can't be prudently hunted with the .338 Win mag. Run a 250 grain partition out of them at 2650 or so and that's a real thumper. That's why its a go to round in AK. I've got one and a 45/70 but what I don't have is anything between .22 and 30. So like you maybe next time I'll fill whats missing and for me I'm thinking a 25-06 barrel for that Rem 700 30-06 I bought last week when I already got an 06 and 3.08 Win on the way.

You can drive a whole freight train of calibers between .22 and .30 so I might need a couple of them.
 
I tend to purchase firearms for the shooting I enjoy doing. I don't purchase rifles for a hunt I'll never go on. A .338 for an alaskan moose hunt? It would set in the safe next to the 7mm mag I haven't shot since I last was able to go elk hunting in '04. A nice .22 bolt action patterned after all my other favorite rifles? I'm there & it will probably see 3000-4000 rounds per year as enjoyable, unpunishing practice for my smaller centerfires. I shoot my .223 w/ 40 grain v-max quite a bit while hunting coyotes. If the wind is whipping or I'm in wide open country I'll grab my 25-06 (love that caliber btw). It truly is a decision based in what you prefer to do. For the hunting I do, small calibers carry the day. For someone whose interests don't migrate south of trophy whitetail, 90% of my guns would be worthless so it truly is up to you & what you like to do with the rifles.
 
I tend to purchase firearms for the shooting I enjoy doing. I don't purchase rifles for a hunt I'll never go on. A .338 for an alaskan moose hunt? It would set in the safe next to the 7mm mag I haven't shot since I last was able to go elk hunting in '04. A nice .22 bolt action patterned after all my other favorite rifles? I'm there & it will probably see 3000-4000 rounds per year as enjoyable, unpunishing practice for my smaller centerfires.
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These are words of wisdom to me. I enjoy shooting my .223 & .308 quite a lot, whether for varmints (.223) or medium game (.308). I also shoot quite a bit of paper.

I'm still rather on the young side of things, so I really have no need for a medium/large bore rifle for the foreseeable future. The .260 Remington that I am thinking about would probably be redundant - but I might divest myself of the .243 if it turns out that the .260 works out well for me.
 
The .260 is a nice caliber to choose, you dont need a monster caliber gun. That .260 you can load up right and it will easily kill anything in North America just as fast as any one elses big rifle, choose the right bullet and get it shooting perfect and you will outdo every guy on here that said to get a 338 or bigger. The .260 is very accurate with much less kick and is in general funner to shoot
 
I tend to purchase firearms for the shooting I enjoy doing. I don't purchase rifles for a hunt I'll never go on.
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Well, yes and no. Yes, in that I certainly do purchase firearms for shooting I enjoy doing, which includes (but not limited to) upland hunting (pheasants, grouse and woodcock), waterfowl hunting, turkey hunting, varmint hunting (mostly woodchucks), deer hunting (whitetails in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio) and competitive target shooting (trap, cowboy action and Bullseye pistol). Not to mention firearms dedicated to self-defense purposes.
No, because some firearms I own reflect dreams and "bucket lists". The best example is a .338 Magnum sitting in the safe, zeroed for an elk hunt that is still just a glint in my 67 year old eyes. And, though (short of winning the lottery) I doubt very much that I'll ever be included in an African safari trip, there's no doubt that I'd buy a big bore, dangerous game, double rifle in a heartbeat if I ever could afford one. Just imagine how many charging Cape buffaloes I could mow down in the confines of my living room...:cool:
 
Just wanted to follow up with a big thumbs up to the Savage Custom Shop - Effie is a pleasure to deal with, and she knows exactly what you want and how to get it.

If you haven't already done so, and are thinking of a custom Savage, go for it!
 
An update - I took a little while to gather up the funds, but the shop just called and my new custom Savage 14 Euro Classic .260 Rem just came in!

Can't wait to get it in my hands and I will try to post pics as well.
 
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