Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats One Planet One Rifle (for Non Dangerous Game)

I need the collective wisdom of you guys to decide on a pee shooter for me.
Ok here�s the question;
I want a rifle to take to any place on the planet and be able to take small to large non dangerous game with.
The boundaries are, the action is a Win WSM, the rifle has to be light, the scope has to have a min of 2.5 zoom and max ocular of 44 and be able to take game out to 400yards/meters.
Considerations; I live in Australia and mainly hunt Sambar and Fallow deer with a yearly visit to N.Z to hunt the full bag. Currently this rifle is set up as a 7WSM shooting 140/160 Woodliegh�s. Am due for a new barrel hence the questions. I like the 7mm and the338RSM????? But don�t let them get in the way.
Cheers
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Small game with a 7mm??

I would just leave as a 7mm WSM or buy a new ss barrel from manufacturer of your choice. Get it throated for heavier bullets and twist for such and you should be golden.

So you're in OZ. Why not go with one of your endemic wild-cats: 35 Sambar? (This is the 300 WSM necked out to .358".) You'd be able to use bullets ranging from 180-gr. to 310-gr., which is one of the things that makes the 35's so versatile. All of the African plainsgame species could be handled, including Eland and Giraffe, and you could easily hunt OZ, NZ, North America, Asia, and Europe.

mtn-hunter.............The 7 WSM will do exactly what you are seeking to do for all smaller game and larger non dangerous game!

If you`re looking for heavier bullets than what the 7mm can give you, then you can go with the 300 WSM. The 325 WSM or the 338 RCM would also be feasible, assuming you can get the factory ammo or the brass if you reload down there in Aussieland.

Your best all around variable for a scope imo, is either the 2.5x8 or the `ol variable standby 3x9.

Seems to me, for a genuine "world" rifle, that rifle should be chambered for a cartridge widely available. Since that's my criteria, the only round that will work on an M70 WSM action that's available from Alaska to Africa is the 300 WSM.

It's an easy cartridge to work with and works great on big game.

Brad, have you tried the following: Why not the 300 Win. Mag? IMHO, it's a classic and also gets you another round in the magazine and an extra 100+FPS. Or, if going a little lighter, why not the 270 Winchester? It's also a classic and shooting 85gr TSX to 150 gr. TSX it can get the job done from varmints to Moose.

If you noticed the man's criteria, said cartridge HAS to be able to work on an M70 WSM action.

A 300 WM doesn't meet his parameters... nor does a 270. Hence my recommendation.

My apologies Brad. Sorry.

Let's pretend that he had a STD. action, would you prefer the 300 Win. Mag, the 270 Win., or another like the 30-06?

Just get a 30-06 and be done with it. A WSM action limits you to WSMs, and a WSM with a simple mishap limits you to a borrowed rifle in most of the world.

I broke down and bought a Kimber Montana 7wsm... It's one hell of a rifle and chambering, IMO.

Thanks for the replies so far.

Brad I can remember a while back that you posted that your favorite cals where 300wsm and 308win, how do you find the 300 for range practice? I ask this because I find that my 7mm gives me a headache after 20-30min. I have never shot the 300 but people report that it is very sharp on recoil. What is your opion on say the 300rsm, 4rounds shorter barrels maybe less recoil?? I shoot a 375h&h so recoil isn't the main concern But Hey, less is always better, for me and more importantly accuracy.

Cheers Paul

I've got a 300wsm in a Kimber Montana. Recoil in not my fav and this rifle /cal handles well with 180's.

Tim

Historical perspective is in order...guys that actually hunted the world instead of wondering about it(like many Weatherby award winners,and others) use either magnum capacity 7's(Warren Page, Burt Klineburger),300 magnums(Burt Klein, Elgin Gates,Jay Mellon)....and in some cases the 30/06 (George Landreth,one of the early guys into the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan).

Boddington has used about everything....

I don't know how hard 300WSM is to get in other parts of the world,so it wouldn't be my choice....but given the action requirements,it's the only way to go,along with the 7mm WSM.Both are too obscure for me so I'd get a 7RM or a 300 Winchester.

One rifle on a M70 action? That's the 30-06.

For availability in Oz, I'd lean toward 303 British. Both have killed everything that walks for a hundred years or more. But I think the 30-06 has the edge over the old rimmmed cartridge. There are more projectiles and loads on the market than you can imagine whether you buy factory ammo or handload.

TSX...

No worries Brooks!

Me, I think I'd go 30-06 and call it good.

Bob, around here 300 WSM ammo is everywhere and in a mind boggling variety. John B. reports he found it widely available in Africa.

The 300 WSM is the only genuine cartridge phenomenon I've seen in my lifetime, and I wonder whether ANY single cartridge has ever had the swift and wide acceptance it's had.

Not saying it's a "perfect" cartridge (far from it), just commenting on its amazing growth.

My suggestion is to rebarrel the action to whatever WSM that you want and to expand your battery to other rifles for other game that its not ideal for.

To each his own.

Paul, I've had several M70's in 300 WSM and a handful of the Kimber Montana's in 300 WSM. I far and away prefer the Kimber. Feeds better, hold three down easily and, even over a pound lighter, handles recoil better (for my build) than an M70.

In fact, I've owned a pile of M70's, and three of the 30-06 Fwt's have worn either McMillan Edges or Bansner fiberglass handles. All three were 1-12 oz's heavier than my current 300 WSM Montana and all recoiled harder and hurt my shoulder at the bench. Not enough to get worked up over, but noticeably more. The 300 WSM Montana has a lot of muzzle jump due to its light barrel and weight, but it doesn't hurt at the bench. I can sit in a t-shirt and shoot through 20-30 rounds no problem. With my m70 06's I'd have been very sore.

Go figure.

Guess, were I in your shoes and wanted something lighter recoiling, I'd sell your rifle and go in a different direction (but I'm not aware what that entails in Australia).

The 308 always amazes me how gentle it is, yet it's a heck of a lot of power.

At the end of the day, I'd go 308 Win in your shoes, based on what you're describing. I can't fathom the Ruger rounds will really take off or ever become widely available (my criteria for a one-world rifle). The 300 WSM is far too firmly established IMO. If it can't be killed with a 308 Win, a bigger cartridge isn't likely the solution.

Just some rambling thoughts on a cold and snowy Montana morning...

Brad: Anything that gives a 180 gr bullet 3000 fps is a game -getter anywhere you take it.....