Medium to large game caliber for anything up to moose?

[rifleman14]

Im looking into a hunting rifle for anything from whitetail to moose. I dont want a 30-06 or 308. So what are your suggestions?

Also, can a thin barreled hunting rifle reach out to the same ranges with equal accuracy as a heavy barreled rifle? same caliber and everything, but would a thin barreled hunting rifle be just as suitable for those longer range hunting shots as a heavy barreled rifle? At what range would the heavy barrel out perform the thin barrel?

Thanks,
Dylan

 

[rdb]

Winchester Model 94 Big Bore in .356 Win.

Any .270

What's wrong with a 30-06 or .308?

 

[I'm Kilroy]

Don't want 30-06 or 308?
I guess you should try 7.62x54r then.
Care to eliberate why.

Others
-280 Ackley Improved
-300 RUM (Remington Ultra Magnum)
-300 Win Mag
-370 Sako Magnum
-300 Weatherby Magnum
-505 Gibbs
-50 BMG

 

[HOLY DIVER]

the heavy barrel ONLY comes into play on follow up shots,the thin barrel heats up and looses accuracy. while the heavy barrel displaces heat better and retains accuracy longer. i would recommend a 30-06 for your hunting needs but since you already don't like the 06 guess i'd recommend the 300wsm it has great long range performance. and if you have your heart sett on a round that has very high muzzle velocity i'd say 300win mag

 

[Maverick223]

the heavy barrel ONLY comes into play on follow up shots,the thin barrel heats up and looses accuracy.

Ding! Heavy barrel is no better for hunting...unless you are hunting an entire herd.

Might be a good use for the .338WM, .375H&H, .280Rem, .338-06 (only if you reload...still a wildcat to the best of my knowledge), or .35Whelen (last on the list, but probably the best choice IMO).

 

[HOLY DIVER]

yea Maverick i was thinking 338win mag also....i'm a big fan of the 35whelen also both are fine MOOSE rounds might be alittle much for a whitetail but will get the job done no doubt

 

[NCsmitty]

How many shots are you going to take at game that would heat a lighter barrel to that extent? A standard hunting rifle barrel is more the adequate for the job and would feel heavy enough, carrying up and down mountainous terrain.
A 338 Win Magnum, 35 Whelen or 350 Rem Mag are up to the task.



NCsmitty

 

[Kernel]

Something larger than a .30 cal. for best moose DRT probability. The .338 Federal/Marlin and .358/.356 Win would be good starting points.

 

[Maverick223]

both are fine MOOSE rounds might be alittle much for a whitetail but will get the job done no doubt

You know what they say...it is always easier to work a moose cartridge down for mouse than it is to work a mouse round up to moose. I plan to take the new .375H&H out whitetail hunting this fall...downloaded properly (with light 220gr.) it should result in less meat damage than a light and fast .30-06...and kill em' just as dead.

 

[HOLY DIVER]

hey if you hit a deer in the heart with ANY high powdered rifle round it will fall over dead no doubt i guess the issue at hand is the MOOSE i think a 300WSM would do fine on a moose. any reason it would not?

 

[Maverick223]

...any reason it would not?

Moose are used to .30cals...they just bounce off. Honestly, I too would prefer something a little larger for a dedicated Moose hunt...but with proper shot placement a .300WSM will do as good as a 105x608mm, .30cal. or smaller magnums (especially the WSMs) aren't my favorite hunting rounds...but that is a different story altogether.

 

[rifleman14]

sorry i didnt specify why i dont want a 30-06 or 308. Im trying to get rid of my savage 116 30-06 because after over 40 different loads tested through the rifle, 2 scope setups, 3 shooters, and 6 factory ammos, it still wouldnt group under an inch and a half at 100 yards, often times not even under 2 1/2". so ive had sort of a bad experience with the 30-06 and would like to try something new. i dont want the 308 because somewhere down the road i would like to get a tactical rifle like a remington 700 5R milspec and would like to get it in 308.
so the information youve given me so far is to get a skinny barreled rifle, which will take care of shots out to longer ranges and short range shots. i got to thinking and figured that i probably wont be hunting moose...so im sorry for not having my mind made up but i'll now be looking for a cartridge for anything from whitetail to elk. i was looking into the 7mm-08 because the bullet selection is broad, recoil is low, and its got the accuracy of its parent cartridge, the 308. what do ya guys think? im open to any other suggestions you guys may have.
thanks!
Dylan

 

[HOLY DIVER]

moose are big critters.......A .30 cal is .300 a .338 is just that a 338.....witch is 38thousands of an inch bigger in diameter than a 30 cal i think it comes down to making a good shot on an animal that big.....if you shoot it in the butt it will most likely charge and run slam over you....well it might not if you shoot it in the butt with a 375h&h but dang now were talking african hunting rounds

 

[HOLY DIVER]

elk?elk? what?what? now we have to start all over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!gezzzzzzzz

 

[Maverick223]

A .30 cal is .300 a .338 is just that a 338.....witch is 38thousands of an inch bigger in diameter

True, but the area (which I don't feel like computing tonight) is significantly higher, as is the SD, which equates to greater penetration for a shot that is not perfect. That said, you won't hear me say that a .30cal won't get the job done...not for moose anyway. Many a moose have fallen to the mighty .30-06.

i'll now be looking for a cartridge for anything from whitetail to elk. i was looking into the 7mm-08 because the bullet selection is broad, recoil is low, and its got the accuracy of its parent cartridge, the 308. what do ya guys think?

If you plan to use the rifle almost exclusively for deer, the 7mm-08 is a great cartridge, otherwise I would go for something a bit bigger. 7mm is a good start...now all you need is a .30-06 case to plop that 7mm in. .280Rem would be perfect, but the 7mm-08 will do fine if you want less recoil (FWIW .280Rem. is about equal to .30-06).

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

6.5 x 55 Swede, little recoil, making you a better shot and as effective as you can get with a variety of bullets.

 

[d2wing]

How about a 7MM Rem mag, 7 MM mauser, 300 H&H, 30-30, really many choices.

 

[Buck Snort]

Rifleman14 wrote: "Im looking into a hunting rifle for anything from whitetail to moose. I dont want a 30-06 or 308. So what are your suggestions?"

There's something wrong with a gun that has killed EVERY dangerous game on the planet?

 

[shadowalker]

My family and many others in Alaska have killed a lot of moose with .308 and 30-06.

That said I think 7mm-08 is a bit small for moose. Honestly I'd give 30-06 another try, sounds like the rifle, not the caliber.

Since you are planning on a .308 anyway I'd also seriously look at it. Being able to share ammunition between rifles is a good thing.

 

[GunsBeerFreedom]

45-70. Been doin the job all over the world for the better part of 3 centuries now.

 

[bad_aim_billy]

.223 is the only caliber needed in North America, it's all about shot placement, I learned this on the High Road.

But seriously, I'd think 7mm/08 and 6.5x55 are 2 of the best all-around choices for most hunters in the lower 48. Far too many people shoot a rifle way bigger than they need, thinking "someday I might need it for grizzly or moose", and then they never get around to hunting anything bigger than deer.

 

[HOLY DIVER]

a 7mm-08 will get the job done on elk or white tail people really can't conceive how much energy there is in a normal everyday high power rifle round. that's why they tend to over do it with there cartridge selections. the 7mm-08 has great long range performance i have one my self and i have killed deer(6) with it with no complaints what so ever 1 at long range (350yds) all fell over dead. but the most popular elk/deer combo rifle i know of would be the .270win if it were me i'd go 7mm-08 ..........just to inform on the energy of a high powered rifle"a .308 impacting at 900ydys hits with more energy than a 357mag" we all know a 357mag will stop a deer in its tracks and is a pretty good side arm for bear hunting.....with that said a 7mm-08 is a .308 necked down to 7mm ......what ever round you decide to go with practice practice practice! if you GUTT shoot an elk unload the dogs call all your buddies we are going tracking no matter what round you go with....just my opinion

 

[Kernel]

45-70. Been doin the job all over the world for the better part of 3 centuries now.

You do know how long a century is, right? (Hint: 100 years). The self contained metalic cartrdige was only patented in the 1850's. The .45-70 came along some time well after that fact. Without getting my Google-Fu on, I'd say the .45-70 is at most 145 years old. Not 300. Percussion rifles didn't even exist 300 years ago.

 

[Sunray]

"...heavy barrel ONLY comes into play on follow up shots..." Not even then.
"...the better part of 3 centuries..." Eh? No .45-70's 300 years ago. Not even 200 years ago.
"...dont want a 30-06 or 308...wouldn't group under an inch and a half at 100 yards..." Any of the medium calibres, .260 and up. You don't need a magnum anything for Bullwinkle. You don't need heavy bullets either. Yes, he is big, but he isn't hard to kill.
A Savage 116 is a hunting rifle, not a target rifle. Consistent 1.5" to 2.5" groups at 100 is dandy for hunting. If you think you need better than that, depending on which 116, you put a better barrel on it, bed the rifle and adjust the Accutrigger to about 3 lbs. Mind you, wanting to try something different is a dandy reason to buy a rifle too. So is, "I want."
"...can a thin barreled hunting rifle reach out..." Yep. Accuracy doesn't have much to do with the weight of the barrel. Heavy barrels are usually on target and varmint rifles, not moose/deer rifles.

 

[sig220mw]

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