Looking to add a few rifles to the safe

[TacticalCowboy]

30-06

[WyoBull]

Your choices of 7mm-08 and 300 Win Mag are great choices but in my opinion are too much overlap. For example, both cartridges are great for elk but there are better calibers than the 7mm-08 on the bottom end as an example.

If I were buying two guns to cover me for deer size game up through moose for example, with the caveat of readily available ammo, I would choose the .243 Win and the 7mm Rem Magnum.

I grew up hunting with a 270 Winchester and it will do everything you mentioned in one rifle, just like the 30-06, I just am partial to the 270 because that is what my dad started me with.

[RifleBowPistol]

I have a .22, 5.56/.223 AR-15 (set up for predators) and 12 gauge.

Looking to add 2-3 guns for deer hunting, possibly an elk trip or two.

What calibers would you get?

I’m thinking 7mm-08 and .300 win mag. Any other recommendations and where factory ammo won’t be in an issue?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's really your preferences in gun style, type, locations you will hunt and what you are hunting and then what do you want from the guns, performance wise. As far as velocity, accuracy, reliability, durability. Then how you prefer to acquire ammo, do you want something you can go to Wal Mart or Academy and pick up ammo, or do you plan to order most or some of your ammo on line, buy from guns shops or hand load the ammo.

Me, I like a lot of different style guns, wide variation of calibers, bore sizes, ECT. It sounds to me like you are trying to figure out what will work best for you, that you don't have a lot of experience with different types of guns and calibers. I would get to meet different people who have larger gun collections and are willing to let you shoot their guns. To help you figure out better what you like and maybe figure out what likely will work best for you and your hunting plans.

I and other people, could throw out a bunch of suggestions on calibers and guns, but you may not like any of them, once you actually purchase them, shoot them, then try to hunt with them.

You are likely going to get biased opinions and opinions of others who have owned a few guns and like some of them, then think that what they own, is a great choice, not having tried other guns.

If you get into buying numerous guns, you will start to figure out what you like and what you don't.

There are so many good calibers out there and a lot of good rifles, have been made over the years. So you really have a lot of good choices. As time goes on, the most popular calibers change some. Years ago, the top choices were 30-30, 30-06, 243, 25-06 and the 270. As time went on, the 30-30 and the 30-06 faded some, along with the 270 and 25-06. The 308 became more popular, along with the 7mm-08, and the 7mm Rem Mag. For a while now the 6.5 Creedmoor has been very popular, along with the 6.5 Grendel, 300 Blackout gaining popularity. There is good and bad to all.

When you get suggestions that sound like something you are interested in, start reading up on those suggestions and asking people who have owned and shot a lot of different guns and calibers and not so much people who own a lot of the same type of guns.

[brokeno]

270 or 7mm

[kkp005]

I’d go 308 and 300 win mag

[gfulton]

I've got two .257 Roberts for sale if you are interested PM me.

[30-30]

I have always liked the idea of having a primary hunting rifle with a nice wood stock in a classic caliber; 270, 30-06, 308, etc. A gun you’re willing to save up for and invest in a quality scope and trigger.

Back that up with a more affordable gun in a more specialized caliber, bigger or smaller. 22-250, 257Rob, 6.5 creed, 7mag, 300 Weatherby, 338, etc. It could be a budget gun that you don’t mind beating up, or a nicer all-weather synthetic/stainless setup for rainy days or Western hunts.

[Wayspr]

Don’t listen to the boutique caliber boys. The 7-08 and 300wm are great choices.


Sierracharlie out…

What he said

[PlanoDano]

7-08 is great in a light weapon like Tikka T3x lite
270 is more versatile at the expense of a little more recoil and possibly a little less barrel life. You will find 270 ammo everywhere.
I know a couple of very deadly hunters who use the 300WM for almost all their big game hunts and honestly I have not had the success they have had or the opportunity. I prefer a lighter gun for hunting on foot and I find anticipation of the recoil from the 300WM affects my accuracy in the field. I have switched to 7 RM on the top end. I have never taken a shot where a 270 would not have been sufficient as far as that goes nearly every shot I have ever taken could have been done well with a 7mm-08. Just remember to budget for glass.

[gatorgrizz27]

I think 7mm-08 and .300 Win are great choices. IMO, people focus too much on cartridges and not the overall packages.

A lightweight 7mm-08 with a 20” barrel and 2-7 scope, and a heavier .300 with a 24-26” barrel and 3-15 scope would be a nice pair.

It’s nice to have cartridges with a bit of overlap for special hunts where something might go wrong. I’ve had rifles fall over and lose zero while they were leaned up against a bumper. It’s nice to be able to grab another and keep hunting, even if it’s not ideal.

[kae006]

If you want a lightweight 7mm-08 I have a Kimber Montana I’d sell you

[Leverhunter]

Don’t listen to the boutique caliber boys. The 7-08 and 300wm are great choices.


Sierracharlie out…

Solid advice right here.

[muddydog]

308 or 30.06 will kill anything in the U.S.

[kc5rkg]

I think 7mm-08 and .300 Win are great choices. IMO, people focus too much on cartridges and not the overall packages.

A lightweight 7mm-08 with a 20” barrel and 2-7 scope, and a heavier .300 with a 24-26” barrel and 3-15 scope would be a nice pair.

It’s nice to have cartridges with a bit of overlap for special hunts where something might go wrong. I’ve had rifles fall over and lose zero while they were leaned up against a bumper. It’s nice to be able to grab another and keep hunting, even if it’s not ideal.

I agree with this! I think the 7-08 and 300WM would be great choices. I personally have a 7-08 and a 30-06 (along with several others). I've never had an issue finding ammo and have never forgotten my ammo to where I need to go find some at a remote gas station.

[Raypo]

Factory ammo might be an issue with any caliber. As you can already see, caliber talk varies significantly based on peoples experiences. You mentioned 300 win, and it’s hard to say anything bad about that round. If you are looking for bolt guns, I don’t know if it matters much for Texas whitetail hunting. The conditions are normally very controlled, and the deer are small. Anything would work. If it was me for TX whitetail I would probably use a 6-6.5 caliber. Maybe 6.5 CM, 6.5 PRC... For elk, I would go for a more packable/light rifle (8-9lbs). I would probably chose a rifle and caliber that I would be comfortable shooting up to 500 (or so). My elk guns are: GAP 300PRC, GAP 6.5 PRC, Sendero 300 RUM, and so on. My go to is the 300.