NDR: Rifle selection...

Nate Grace

Nate Grace

Well-known member
Hi gang,

Earlier this summer, I won a nice Trijicon Accupower scope. I'm not really a rifle shooter/hunter, but I have started to think about what kind and caliber rifle I want to put under this scope. If you had to choose one caliber to hunt a variety of big game, what would you select and why?

I've been looking at a Weatherby Mark V in .308. Figured that would be good enough for most North American large game. I'm hoping to get west soon to hunt pronghorn and maybe an elk or mule deer. I think .308 would be large enough for bear, moose, and whitetails here in New England.


Thanks for your insights.


Nate
 
I've only shot deer with it but I like the .30/06. Your choice of a .308 is only slightly behind the aught six and should do just fine within reason and the right bullets. There is plenty of power with either one. Even though many like to talk about 300+ yard shots the reality is that few animals are killed at those long ranges. Out to 250 yards, most people should hold their shots under that, a 165-180 grain bullet will kill anything in North America coming from those rounds.

Tim
 
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I shoot a 308 the boys shoot 243 and 223 at Deer and coyotes. All work well. The 308 would work on everything you mentioned.
 
I love my 308's I have killed big hogs and deer with them and would have no issue taking north Americas largest game with the exception of large bears with a 308. Accurate rounds and bullet designed for the game you are chasing are as important as the cartridge caliber.
 
I'll echo what everyone else said.
You might need to switch bullets going from pronghorn (long range??) to deer ("normal") to bear/moose/elk (heavier bullet).
But if you find the right load in each one and zero it in, you have a great all around gun.
If you weren't going after bear, moose or elk, I would say 7mm-08. Very flat shooting and light recoil.
Very close to my 6.5x55 Swede, which one sweet shooting gun at 100 years old, but its easier to find guns chambered for 7mm-08. If I needed to buy a new modern rifle, it would be that 7mm-08.
 
I've shot mule deer, pronghorn, and elk, from 25 yards to 265, with my .30/06 and it's never failed me. I know that lots of other calibers are newer and sexier but if I had to pick one I'd stick with the old .06 every time. If you think about it you can realistically shoot bullets from 125 to 200 grains and cover pretty much any situation that you can think of, although I've settled on 165 grainers as the best all-round for everything.

By the way, although people think of pronghorn as a long-range game, I've shot 4 (3 does and 1 buck) in Wyoming and Utah in the past few years and the longest shot I've ever taken was a hair over 200 yards. The long range element is definitely there if you want it but I've always had the best luck spotting them and trying to sneak as close as possible-it's so much fun trying to put a stalk onto such a wary animal!
 
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Nate, seeing you are in Mass and probably will hunt in the NE. I would go with a 06, if you have ideas of going west 308 would be my choice.
Craig S, is the bailing wire for scope mounting?
 
I know a few guys that go all over hunting, and they say the .308 drops a lot more at long range than a .300 at long range. Something to think about if you go that route. As far as whitetail hunting some sort of .270 or maybe a 30/06 might be worth looking into.
 
Ever think about a 270 for your needs. Will handle all game you,ve mentioned. Most shine w bullets in the 130 to 165 class. But realistically a 30-06 can handle everything hunting wise you,ve mentioned. And ammo is stocked everywhere for that caliber.
 
Nate, seeing you are in Mass and probably will hunt in the NE. I would go with a 06, if you have ideas of going west 308 would be my choice.
Craig S, is the bailing wire for scope mounting?
Click to expand...


Bailing wire goes with this...


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That was Bruce, He's no longer with us, ;)
 
My money would go on the 6.5 grendel, I have grown up on 270 and 308 and used both to take deer and hogs at ranges from under a 100 out to 640 is my longest kill to date.

The 308 does have alot of drop at longer ranges, but so do all the other rifles stated here.

The reson I choose the 6.5 is because the recoil is so light and because it out preforms the 308 at ranges past what most hunters would shoot. And ammo can be had from the 100 gain up to 130 grain loaded with soft points, hollow points, balsitc tips, amax, sst, tsx,ttsx,gmx and many others.

It has been proven effective on deer,hogs,proghorns,elk,black bear, exotics down in texas like orix and others, I think someone even killed a buffalo with it.

It can be had in my favorite platform the ar and is also availible in a bolt action.

I just the ar rifle platform becuase I can build the rifle to fit any hunting need I have.

Before you laugh this off take the time to research it, I promise you it will live up to all I have stated about it and more.

Im a member of a fourm set up just for this round and there is a member on it that has shot milk jugs with it at a mile and over a mile.

My 270 and 5500 dollar 308 dont leave the safe anymore because of this rifle.

Just my .02 cents hope it helps sir.
 
I am a died in the wool .270 fan but any of the ones suggested will work just fine. Most important just get out and shoot it until it is really comfortable. Maybe I just read too many Jack O'Conner stories in my formative years instead of doing schoolwork.
 
The rifle you mentioned as your choice, is very accurate. The 308 with the correct bullet, a good choice. It will do the job without beating you up so you develop a flinch, the curse of heavy thumpers.

Correct bullet placement, then studying the effect it had on the animal as you butcher it tells the tale. You will learn just as much doing that, as at the shooting range. Anyone can shoot, some choose not to butcher, or be present when butchering is done, to learn what they have done. The circle is incomplete.
 
I will add that I shot a Savage 110 in .270 for about 10 years. with a 140 grain bullet, I could easily shoot nice group at 200 yards, never had a chance to shoot it out to 300.
Great round, flat shooting.
I just got tired of the recoil.
I had the 6.55 Swede and someone offered me a fair price on the .270, so out the door it went.
Why subject yourself to recoil of an 06 or .270 when there are so many lighter recoil rounds that do the job?
 
Nate,

Your choice of rifle and action are sound as long as the rifle / site combination fit you. While I'm a huge fan of the 308 for the 1 rifle only, I believe the 30-06 is a bit more versatile and handles the larger bullets better for moose and elk. Any hardware store in hunting country will have a selection of either 08 or 06 ammo, a well stocked gun store should have rounds adequate for predator sized game up to moose, but the 06 will have a few more choices on the extremes. The draw backs of the 06 are that it will kick a bit harder since it requires a bit more power to send the same bullet down range at the same speed and generally the factory bullets out of the 06 will be traveling a bit faster too. It takes a longer action, reducing available actions but that's obviously not an issue with the [font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Weatherby Mark V[/font].

If this wasn't a a one rifle only situation the discussion would be a lot more interesting, matching a rile caliber and rifle to specific tasks lets you get into comparing 270s with 284s Vs the 06s or 7mm 08s with 7mm Mauser and 6.5s. Or the long range 300s, and 338s that require a longer heavier rifles and longer barrels for the slower burning powders that are so impractical to hike around with especially in the woods and marshes where moose hang out.

For familiarity purposes have you thought about an action that matches your duck gun? There are decent pumps and semi-auto rifles out there in either 308 or 30-06.

Finely have you driven up to Kittery and strolled though the used gun racks to see what floats your boat? I'm not saying buy used just that there are so many different actions, models and configurations to check out in one place at your pace. And they probably have a Mark 5 in the right length action and wt for you to check out behind the counter.

Enjoy!
Scott
 
Have you considered a magnum caliber? I would feel much better about being able to make a clean, quick, ethical kill on elk-sized game and bigger with a 300 win mag or 7mm mag, both of which have numerous factory loadings available to match up with the game you are hunting. The extra downrange energy could also come in handy on deer and antelope out west, where shots may be at considerable range. I tote a .270 to the deer woods, but would consider it marginal at best for elk-sized game. It is a great flat shooting round for deer and antelope, however.
 
The 308 will certainly handle anything in New England and with patience and bullet placement, would handle most any north American game. That said, I shoot all 30-06 calibers, a BAR Browning and A-Bolt both topped with Leupold scopes. Also my old standby, Remington 742 carbine topped with a Nikon. Bullet choice for all is the Boat tail nosler partition in 165g. Longest shot was my Maine moose, 310 yds, 907lbs. Most other shots are under a 100yds.
Good luck with your search, should be a fun quest!
 
Thanks everyone for the great replies and insights. I have some thinking to do for sure. I was leaning toward the .308 only because I've shot that rifle/round a few times and liked it. I've shot a .30-06 a number of times, including at a CMP clinic last year....the M1 Garand is sweet, but the recoil has me a little leary. I have given some thought to the 7mm round, but have not fired it and don't know much about it. I'll have to look into that a bit more.

Again, I appreciate all of the replies and thoughts.


Very best,
Nate
 
I agree with Troy about the Nosler Partition as my favorite bullet. Even in smaller calibers they are very lethal (some bullets are not) with proper placement.

If you do not like recoil, it will be on your mind & body and effect your shooting. That should be your first consideration. Also one rifle may not be the answer for all that you want it to do. Start with the 308, get to know it very well and what you and it are capable of doing correctly. I wish you well.
 
Nate, I went thru the same search about a year ago. Ended up with a savage model 11 in .308. It came from the factory with a decent Nikon 3x9. It's a joy to shoot and is darn accurate even with my minimal skills.
 
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