Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Pick your North America big game battery.

I think it'd be hard to beat the combo below.....

223 Rem
270 Win
338 WM

6mm rem in a Ruger 77 4x14 Weaver grand slam
264 Win Win 70 Nikon 3x9
35 Whelen Ruger 77 Pentax 3x9

The only 2 rifles I use for hunting anymore......

Rem TI 7-08AI with VXIII 2.5-8 for sheep hunting......6lbs ready to hunt.

Win 70 SS 338 WM in a McMillian w/VXIII 2.5-8. I use this rifle for everything but sheep.........8lbs 4oz.

JF

ruger 77 tang safety 22-250 remington 700 7 mm mag for everthing else and marlin 1895 45-70 with corbon 405s for the bears this is one bad dude.

I don't hunt dangerous game so here goes.
Mountian rifle in 260 rem, shooting 125 gr partitions for all pure der hunts.
Sako Finnlight in 300 WSM for critters bigger than deer such as moose and elk etc. shooting 180 gr Barnes at just over 3000 fps.
No need for anything smaller than the 260, no need for anything bigger than the 300 WSM.

1. 350 mag on a TI action wearing a 1.75x6 short tube leupy

2. 257 roy on a TI action wearing a 6x42 leupy

3. cooper VE in 223AI wearing a NF NXS.

geez, now all i need is about 10k...........

woofer

North: Merkel drilling, 20 ga. x 20 ga., over 9.3x74R. The shotgun barrels are for when the partridge show up but the caribou don't.

Plains: CZ 550, .270, 6x scope

Swamps, brush, etc: Savage 99F, .300 Savage, receiver sight

God forbid I was ever limited to 3 big game rifles but if I were these would be it.

Gun #1 would cover 95% of any big game needs. It is my custom 9.3x62 built on a P17 enfield with 2.5x leupold scout scope in detachable rings along with the original battle sights dilled out to ghost ring sights. Refinished with metal life finish and a kevlar synthetic stock with a 22" barrel. Loaded weight of just under 9lbs. With 286gr Nosler partitions @ 2400fps the ghost rings are dead on at 25, and 2" high at 100. The scout scope is 3" high at 100, zeroed at 200, and about 10" low at 300 yards. Muzzle to 300 yards there isn't anything on this continent that it won't bring down.

Gun #2 would be a long range affair. It would be a 338 RUM. Built with accuracy in mind it would have 26" barrel with muzzle break. Stainless with a lightwieght synthetic stock. Probably built on a winchest classic crf action. Scope would be a 3-12x50 burris black diamond with ballistic plex reticle. Shooting a 225gr Accubond @ 3150fps.

Gun #3 wouldn't really be needed but since I could have three it would be featherweight rifle in a medium bore for long days walking or climbing. It would also be stainless, a short action rem TI with 20-22" lightweight barrel, the lightest kevlar stock available with a lightwieght leupold compact 3-9 ultralight scope. The factory rem extractor would be converted to the AR15 extractor for more reliability. It would be a 7mm-08, 284, or 6.5-284 rem. Maximum weight reduction would be the numer one priority with this rifle.

6.5x55 win 70 stainless featherweight, Leupold 2-7 x 32 - deer, coyote, bighorn sheep, etc.

300 H&H win 70 stainless classic, leupold 3-9 x 40 - deer, elk, black bear

375 H&H win 70 stainless classic, leupold 2-7 x 32 - elk, moose, brown bear, anything else that need killin'


tq

I sold my .375 xtr 94 for that reason ..I couldn't get that rifle to shoot straight..

Robert

Does anyone notice a pattern here??..alot of .30-06..and .375 h&h's..I didn't notice many short-mags listed..with the proper bullets and bullet placement I think the .30-06 is damn hard to beat..I've never owned a magnum I simply haven't ran into a animal that could withstand a .30-06 with the above mentioned requirments..

Robert.....

I just don't think you could do any better....

.22 LR Ruger 10/22 Rifle S.S. - cuz I love rabbit hunting. Similar weight/size to my big game rifle so I can also get in plenty of inexpensive practice.

.308 Kimber Montana: Will do all my normal big game hunting and excels at the backcountry stuff I like most. Currently has a Leupold VX-II 1x4 but if I purchased the .375, I'd swap that over to the big gun and get an FX-II 4X for the Kimber.

.375 H&H Winchester Model 70 Stainless: If I have to add a third, this one will handle big bears and is similar in function to my Kimber yet not overly heavy for a .375.

.270
.338WM
.416

Send me an email and I'll send you my reloading and chrono result spreadsheets.

But basically Hornady 220's and AA1680 seems to work very well for myself and others.

Only Need 2 Rifles for Big Game:

308 Win with a 6x42 Leupie

375 H&H with a 1.75-6 Luepie (wish they made a fixed 3x)

BMT

Heck:

Do it all with the following:

Ruger 10/22, Luepie 3-9x40;

308 with Luepie 6x42;

375 H&H with Leupie 1.75-6;

Remington 870 12 guage; and

Ruger Super BlackHawk 44 mag

All in stainless please (except the 870)

BMT

My .300 win mag M70 with M8 6x36, matte finish. I shoot 200 NP. This is my go to rifle that I could hunt anything with. It has a Echol's Legend stock on it. I'm not afraid to scratch it and it can take any reasonable abuse. What can't I hunt with this?

I do have my grandfather's 7x57 FN that I hunt with when I won't be around horses or don't think it'll involve much abuse. It's got a 4x redfield. I could never replace it so it gets babied.

7 mm mag with 160 grain Accubonds for everything except brown bears.

.375 mag with 300 grain TSX for brown bears if I ever got the notion to spend that much money on one animal.

Both Stainless, Both with Leupold 2 1/2 - 8 x 36 scopes with B&C reticle. There is nothing like familiarity with equipment.
I like the smaller scopes because they don't bind as bad in a saddle scabbard, and the lenses don't bang into everything as easily.

6.5x55 or 7x57 for deer.

30-06 for moose & elk.

9.3x62 for bear and big moose.

Ruger M77 in 7x57 with a Leupold 2-7x for short to medium range deer and hogs.

Winchester 70 Fwt in .270 with a Leupold 3.5-10x40 for medium to long range deer

Winchester 70 in .300 Win with a Leupold 3-9x for long range deer, elk, moose & black bear.

I would try to avoid any confrontations with ole grizz.