Magnum Rifle - Is there a sweet spot?

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Robert said:
375 H&H or it's long action twin, 375 Ruger. Very gentle recoil for a medium bore, components are not hard to find, and can be loaded with common rifle powders like 4895. Loads can be tailored from 30-06 lever, or lower, to full bore dangerous game levels.

I've been toying with the idea of have a Winchester Alaskan rebarreled to 300 H&H. Just cause...
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300 H&H. Should have thought of that. Completely irrelevant but I find it one of the most aesthetically pleasing rounds in existence (same for 7 STW)
 
forty_caliber said:
I've been thinking about acquiring a new rifle in a "magnum" caliber. I'm not anticipating winning an all expense paid African Safari or having sudden polar bear invasion down in Texas. It's just an idea I've been toying with for a while.

I've always wanted a "belted magnum" since a stranger I met at the rifle range in my youth let me fire his .458 Win Mag. Damn near knocked 12 yr old me out of the chair and kicked like a mule...I couldn't get the grin off my face for days. I realize that the time for this technology may have come and gone or at least is passing by. This type of case certainly isn't a requirement.

In any event in my research I keep running into roadblocks of one kind or another that keep me from settling in on the definitive choice.

.375 H&H - cases and dies are hard to find but keep coming back to this one.
.338 Lapua - way to expensive for a pinch-penny miserly man such as myself.
.300 Win Mag - Hmmm... possibly but does it have enough attitude to really shine vs .308
.300 RUM - Horror stories of it being a barrel burner <1000 round life
7mm Rem Magnum - Flat trajectory like a .270 but comparable energy to a 30-06?
Lots of others that give me pause due to availability or just plain lack of knowledge...338 Win Mag, .300 Norma, 416 Rigby.

Lost in the data.

.40
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I know I already posted a couple suggestions but I've been in the reloading room all day poring over data for one of my rifles. I paged through my Nosler no.7 manual and stumbled on the 8mm Rem Mag. It looks like I might have found my next rifle cartridge! I think Craig Boddington would agree. Also looks to be a decent step up from my 300 wsm.
 
.38 Special said:
And if practicality is of no concern at all, I would just get the .458 Winchester. I went through a Robert Ruark phase and so ended up with a .416 Rigby. I have no earthly use for it, but still thoroughly enjoy it.
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Absolutely, .38 Special! I've told the story many times about the "why" of my beloved 308 Norma Magnum - when I was 16, my then girlfriend's dad had a 308 Norma Magnum that I loved. He even let me shoot it once. And when that girlfriend broke up with me, it broke my heart because I knew I'd never see that rifle again. So when I retired, (and with my wife's blessing) I got myself a custom 308 Norma Magnum and paid for it with my first two Social Security payments.:)
It has nothing to do with practicality. I've had a couple of 300 Win Mags, and my 308 Norma won't do anything they wouldn't do. In fact, for all practical purposes, my 308 Norma won't do a whole lot more than the 30-06 I shot for years won't do. Besides that, I also have a 338 Win Mag just in case Kodiak bears ever migrate south and invade Idaho.;)
It wouldn't take much to talk me into getting myself a 257 Weatherby either - just for the "practicality" of it for mule deer and pronghorns. The only reason I don't already have a 257 Weatherby is I've never been all that "practical" when it comes to guns.
BTW, my 16 year-old girlfriend's name was Margaret, not Norma. And my lovely wife's name (of 49 years) is Barbara. And Barb is prettier and more understanding than Margie ever was anyway.;)
 
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811EFCAF-A00C-4265-A150-33DB1862AF7D.jpeg In all honesty... just get a .375 H&H.

(To the hook in Don Henleys “Dirty Laundry”:

‘You can it up, you can load it down... you can take it to the range, you can take it all around’

I don’t own one, but as a teenager I shot one... an Interarms Mark X that a guy let me shoot at the Carson City,Nv public range many years ago.

I was directed to shoot at an empty two gallon gas can that was set on the farthest berm (200 yds?) I aimed a bit high... and the bullet hit...a bit high! I was surprised how flat it shot.

The recoil was stout, the checkered forearm gripped the clenched fingers of my left hand so tightly it actually pulled the skin away from underneath a fingernail or two. But it was worth it!

I still have that very cartridge case, above. It, and a .300 H&H my Dad gave me, was the start of my cartridge collection.

Stay safe.
 
If I had to pick a magnum,( I've owned and shot quite a bit) it would be a 7mmrm or a 375h&h/375ruger both make impressive power but at the same time are not over kill on deer sized game. I would prefer not to have the belt, but there's nothing wrong with it just you have to do things different. The stw is a great round and lays down some impressive ballistics, there are many other good magnums to many to list.
 
Riomouse911 said:
View attachment 905964 In all honesty... just get a .375 H&H.

(To the hook in Don Henleys “Dirty Laundry”:

‘You can it up, you can load it down... you can take it to the range, you can take it all around’

I don’t own one, but as a teenager I shot one... an Interarms Mark X that a guy let me shoot at the Carson City,Nv public range many years ago.

I was directed to shoot at an empty two gallon gas can that was set on the farthest berm (200 yds?) I aimed a bit high... and the bullet hit...a bit high! I was surprised how flat it shot.

The recoil was stout, the checkered forearm gripped the clenched fingers of my left hand so tightly it actually pulled the skin away from underneath a fingernail or two. But it was worth it!

I still have that very cartridge case, above. It, and a .300 H&H my Dad gave me, was the start of my cartridge collection.

Stay safe.
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The 300 h&h is an excellent cartridge imo. I'll probably never have one though (because of the Weatherby in 300WSM that dad bought me for my 18th birthday/high school graduation). The performance of the two is almost identical with the wsm being a much shorter case.
 
I’ve sold off nearly my guns. Whittled down to only “purpose” guns. No duplicates. I have a 7 Rem Mag. It’s my only big game rifle, and would easily kill anything I’d ever hunt. Hits harder than a .30-06, shoots flat as a varmint rifle. Moderate recoil. And it’s got the modern, super way cool, performance enhancing belt.

Guys always spout off about hunting “the big bears”. Really? How many guys here will ever hunt Kodiak bears in their lifetime? One in ten thousand?

Now, if you’re really into the “I gotta have a big ‘un mode”, my LGS has a DWM (or DMW, I forget) .458 that’s German made in maybe the 60’s that’s really nice, has a VX-III 1-4 big game scope. It can be your for a mere $950. The scope alone is probably worth $250-300
 
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My recent experience with 375 Ruger is 270s at 2650 fps showing a great deal of promise. Light loads include cast 265 bullets at 1785 that should do for any realistic North American hunting needs.
 
Sneakshot92 said:
I know I already posted a couple suggestions but I've been in the reloading room all day poring over data for one of my rifles. I paged through my Nosler no.7 manual and stumbled on the 8mm Rem Mag. It looks like I might have found my next rifle cartridge! I think Craig Boddington would agree. Also looks to be a decent step up from my 300 wsm.
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....... The 8mm Rem. Mag. is one of Boddington's favorites; and by necking it down to 7mm you get a 7mm STW. I have zero experience with the 8mm Rem. Mag. but it seems to be one of those nice rounds that never caught on due to other factors. Like the 7mm STW, which never caught on like I thought it would despite being a very good cartridge. Buddy of mine had a 7mm STW built over 30 years ago when it was still a wildcat. It impressed the heck out of me one year on a Wyoming antelope hunt as an accurate long range powerhouse. For a magnum with a 7mm bore it's a shame that one never took off like it first appeared it would.
 
Here is a little different look on the idea. If “magnum” has to be in the name, the 240 Weatherby Magnum is a good one to start with. Flat shooting and accurate yet it can be built on any standard action.

If the word magnum is not required, consider the 405 WCF. A hard hitting, domestic round from the early 1900s. It launches a 300 grain bullet at about 2200 fps, sound familiar?

So, maybe not a lot but at least a couple options for you.

Kevin
 
22250Rem said:
....... The 8mm Rem. Mag. is one of Boddington's favorites; and by necking it down to 7mm you get a 7mm STW. I have zero experience with the 8mm Rem. Mag. but it seems to be one of those nice rounds that never caught on due to other factors. Like the 7mm STW, which never caught on like I thought it would despite being a very good cartridge. Buddy of mine had a 7mm STW built over 30 years ago when it was still a wildcat. It impressed the heck out of me one year on a Wyoming antelope hunt as an accurate long range powerhouse. For a magnum with a 7mm bore it's a shame that one never took off like it first appeared it would.
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Remington brought out the 7 ultra not too long after they standardized the 7stw.
The ultras a little ridiculous, even for me, but if you want about as much performance as you can get from a 7mm bore....it'll do it
 
338 Winchester Magnum.

Unless you are hunting lions

In which case the H&H 375 of course. (the light rifle for the safari)
 
Bill M. said:
338 Winchester Magnum.

I had one, a Browning A-bolt medallion.
The nicest looking rifle I have ever owned, bar none! :thumbup:

It also punched me in the beak like an old SxS shotgun shooting magnum shells, the recoil came straight up into my cheek like a left hook. I guess that gun just didn't fit me right. :(

I sold it off to pay the rent ages ago and never really missed it.

Stay safe.
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LoonWulf said:
Remington brought out the 7 ultra not too long after they standardized the 7stw.
The ultras a little ridiculous, even for me, but if you want about as much performance as you can get from a 7mm bore....it'll do it
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Ya the rum is a little to much, I remember my dad blowing up 140s with it, they would come apart about 50 yards down range. Made a cool cloud of smoke. I've always wanted to build a 7mm Canadian magnum, its similar to a 7mms Dakota but fists perfect in a long action Remington. To bad it never got popular.
 
I use a 300 WM hunting but beyond that I just don’t have the need or a particular use. So, I skipped over the others and built a 50 BMG. Satisfied the bigger and more powerful bug and is cheaper to feed than some of the more scarce “magnum” rifles.

If it’s just power your after, the 50 can send a ~650 grain bullet down range over 3000 FPS with more than 13,000 ft/lbs of energy.

For comparison, the 300 RUM can push a 200 grain bullet about the same speed for just over 4,000 ft/lb of energy.
 
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50 BMG..... Go big or go home. Gotta be the ultimate magnum. And no belt !!.......... I had the privilege some years ago to put some rounds through a 50 BMG bolt gun and it was something I'll always remember. Didn't even pound me with recoil, seeing as how it weighed 20 something pounds. But what a rush unleashing all that power. Not a walk around rifle by any means. Left to right : 50 BMG.... 7mm STW..... 300 Win. Mag.... These are some of the many dummy rounds that were once displayed over my loading bench. Now they live in a plastic box. Nice pic for size comparison....Magnum City.. IMG_2007.JPG
 
Aletheia said:
Use enough gun. Think that advice would ever catch on? I'm pretty proud of myself for thinking it up.

There is no such thing as "too much gun",
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I thought I just read something to the contrary...;)

In general around here, when some poor, conflicted soul needs to be talked down from the precarious precipice of buying a new firearm, with reason and practicality, we don't.
We push them over!

THR enablers unite!:)

Since when did there ever need be pactical forethought in buying a new rifle?:D
Removing tooth fillings and detatching retinas is a viable concern...REASON! I meant reason, to purchase a new rifle.

Personally, I buy rifles to have not bought timeshare...

So, @forty_caliber , heavy hitter, or far away flattener?
New World performance, or Old World charm?
Scientific efficiency or Cavernous Combustion Compartment?
A solid cylinder of stately lead or a blossoming bloom of bonded death?

Man, I wish I was getting a new superfluous cinderstick.
There is an absolute glut of aluminum in my safe at the moment...
 
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