Hunting bolt gun

[newyork]

These are my fears too and why I’m gravitating toward 308, 270, 06 and 300 WM. Unfortunately most available guns I’m seeing are in 6.5 or 300wm.

So far what’s appealing (as the list keeps growing and shrinking) ;

Bergara wilderness hunter or wilderness ridge in 308 or 300
Mauser M18 in 308 or 06
Weatherby Meateater, first lite or high country in 308 or 30-06
Tikka T3x in 270, 308 or 06
Sauer Ceratech in 30-06 or 308

[cornstalker]

Though I have now killed 2 elk with mine, I still think it is a little on the light side of things. There has lately been a race to push the envelope to see how small a cartridge hunters can use to kill very large game. There are many success stories about guys using 6.5 CMs on elk, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there are also a whole bunch of instances where guys took shots beyond their personal abilities and the cartridges' abilities, due to the massive hype the industry has put forth about the little round. Those are the stories that they are not putting on the internet, The ones where the wounded elk went over the next ridge with a tiny bullet in their guts to die a slow miserable death, due to people shooting beyond abilities.

The 6.5 cm is a great round, but if you read up on it, you will find that many believe that they can replace a .300 win mag simply because the wind bucking ballistic coefficient numbers can be similar. Yes, due to the high BC numbers of the better bullets, they put up some good numbers, but they still are a tiny little bullet and when compared to the bullet of a good .300 wm load, they just don't compare when you get out there at extended distances. But there are guys on the net that will tell you that the 6.5 CM is an 800 yard elk rifle. I wholeheartedly disagree with this. They certainly can hit the elk, but making clean kills, getting complete broad side penetration is a whole other story.

Personally I think the thing many leave out of the equation is the elk. They deserve a quick clean death. Not an ugly all day, multi day, painful one. Trying to show how small you can go, I believe is some sort of ego thing. There is a clown over on the Rokslide forum who (aside from being a serious BS'r and pathological liar) who has convinced a great many people he is some sort of firearms, hunting and ammunition expert. He goes by the handle Formidilosus. He used to hang out on the 24 hour campfire but rarely pokes his head around there anymore due to getting called out on his ridiculous tall tales. But he has a BUNCH of people convinced that the .223 is a perfectly viable elk cartridge. He has fooled enough people over the years that there are guys going out and buying .223s just to hunt elk with. As far as I can tell the guy has only ever killed one elk in his entire life, but he makes it sound like he is an SME on all things related to elk hunting. Anyways, elk deserve a clean quick death and while a 6.5 is absolutely capable of doing that within a certain range, I think most guys would be better off with a little larger cartridge.

Just my thoughts.

Very much this. Great post from a guy that is clearly speaking from experience.

In my opinion, if you are going to hunt elk, get the .300 WM. If not, the 6.5 Creedmoor will do everything you need and be a dream to work with during the process.

One other consideration would be Mountain Goats. For their size, they are about as tough as an animal gets. Sometimes the hunting situation calls for anchoring them in place so they don't fall 2000 feet. Overkill is valid in this scenario. (That is assuming that you have enough years left in your life to draw a tag)

Moose and Brown Bear I would get the .300 WM. Black bear are pretty easy to kill and any deer rifle will do, but I would probably feel a little under-gunned with the 6.5CM even though the biggest black bear I have seen killed first hand fell to a .257 Weatherby with a 115 grain NBT. It switched him off like a light. I have killed black bears with a .284 Winchester, a .375 JDJ in a Contender handgun, and a 7mm Rem Mag. All clean one-shot kills.

[newyork]

Realistically, the first year will be white tail only. After that I really don’t know if I’ll branch out to other places and bigger animals but that is my goal. I’d love to make it happen.

My aim initially was to buy a gun for white tail and so I figured 6.5 would be all I needed and I was going for that Sako. Then the more I thought of it, I figured why not get one rifle now that can handle most things and decided after reading here I should get beyond 6.5.

So I either buy a 6.5 now and buy a big boy later, or I cover all bases in 1 rifle now and get it done. (308/270/30-06/300Wm)

[Borderland]

I've never hunted elk so take this with some Tums. I generally hang out at the range in the fall when lots of people are getting ready to hunt elk. I talk to them about their hunts and their rifles. They hunt all over the west. I see 300 Win mag as the primary cartridge choice for elk. Down the list would be 06 and 270 but those are mostly old timers who have hunted elk forever and know what it takes to bag one. My FIL, now deceased, hunted elk in the Blue Mountains in NE OR for a very long time and shot many elk with a 270. My wife says they always had elk in the freezer when she was young. That would have been late 50's and 60's. I think the 270's popularity had to do with the writings of Jack O'Connor.

Weird, but .308 doesn't seem to be very popular.

[cornstalker]

I've never hunted elk so take this with some Tums. I generally hang out at the range in the fall when lots of people are getting ready to hunt elk. I talk to them about their hunts and their rifles. They hunt all over the west. I see 300 Win mag as the primary cartridge choice for elk. Down the list would be 06 and 270 but those are mostly old timers who have hunted elk forever and know what it takes to bag one. My FIL, now deceased, hunted elk in the Blue Mountains in NE OR for a very long time and shot many elk with a 270. My wife says they always had elk in the freezer when she was young. That would have been late 50's and 60's. I think the 270's popularity had to do with the writings of Jack O'Connor.

Weird, but .308 doesn't seem to be very popular.

Not to spark a fight, but in the elk hunting circles around here, we call the .308 a potato cannon. Lol.

[newyork]

Is it general consensus that the 300 should be reserved for only if I end up knowing I’ll be going for bigger game and as a 2nd gun?

[Duelist]

Realistically, the first year will be white tail only. After that I really don’t know if I’ll branch out to other places and bigger animals but that is my goal. I’d love to make it happen.

My aim initially was to buy a gun for white tail and so I figured 6.5 would be all I needed and I was going for that Sako. Then the more I thought of it, I figured why not get one rifle now that can handle most things and decided after reading here I should get beyond 6.5.

So I either buy a 6.5 now and buy a big boy later, or I cover all bases in 1 rifle now and get it done. (308/270/30-06/300Wm)

Nothing wrong with 2 rifles, and a lot right with it, if you can afford it. Light caliber for smaller stuff and to practice with, larger one for bigger stuff.

If you are just going to have one rifle for North America hunting, and don’t reload, I’d recommend the .308, .270, or .30’06. They are great on deer, fine for bigger things, and won’t make a day at the range nearly as much a chore as a comparable weight .300 WM might. If you reload, anything can be loaded to the performance level/recoil level needed. Reloading won’t turn a 6.5 or 6 MM into a cannon, you have to be realistic about that. I’m talking about not needing to take the full power of a given cartridge for a ride every time you shoot it.

[cornstalker]

My opinion. (again and again...)

The .300 WM is a one-and-done gun for hunting whatever you want to. For deer and antelope-sized game, you have to choose your bullets and shot placement carefully to keep from wrecking all of the meat. Heavy, tough bullets blow less of the animal apart. The drawbacks to it are expense and wear and tear on the rifle, including fast barrel heating resulting in extended cool down periods at the bench when practicing and sighting in. The muzzle brake will negate the recoil issue to a very tolerable level, but it's brutal on the ears and requires ear pro in the field no matter what. One shot without ear pro can cause permanent hearing damage.

I recommend two rifles, starting with the one you will shoot the most. If they were the same make and model of rifle, even better. Used as they were intended, pretty much everything discussed here will meet your needs.

If I wasn't already dialed in and needed to acquire two rifles to cover the continent, I would get matching rifles in 6.5 Creedmoor and .338 Win Mag.

[Borderland]

Is it general consensus that the 300 should be reserved for only if I end up knowing I’ll be going for bigger game and as a 2nd gun?

You really need to shoot a 300 WM before you buy one. Many, like me, find it unpleasant to shoot.

Honestly, If I didn't know for certain if I was going to be hunting in the west I'd just buy a 264-270 something or other and enjoy shooting it. Ammo and rifle availability will return when everyone gets the vaccine and things open up.

[newyork]

You really need to shoot a 300 WM before you buy one. Many, like me, find it unpleasant to shoot.

Honestly, If I didn't know for certain if I was going to be hunting in the west I'd just buy a .264 something or other and enjoy shooting it. Ammo and rifle availability will return when everyone gets the vaccine and things open up.

Could you fill those blanks with 6.5 just as effectively or those cartridges are better for whitetail?