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

Ok you guys. Pick up to three rifle calibers for your ideal North American big game battery. From Alaska to Florida. State your rifles' finish and scope size also. Justify your choices. Let's see what is popular and practical by this group of "average" hunters.

.270 Remington Ti, with a Leupold 6x42--Because I like it
30/06 Ruger M77, blued, Tang Safety with a 6x42--Because I like it
10/22 Ruger with Burris scope (Bigfoot Killer)- Because I like it

Being a confirmed Rifle Loony I could write a book from all my wants and desires for the perfect battery of rifles.<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

But I shall refrain from such a lengthy diatribe and just put down what my current battery contains:

1. - 6BR : Varmints and smaller deer- super accurate and miserly on powder consumption - My current one is built on a Rem. Model 7 Action with a #4 Douglas XX SS barrel@ 22 inches bedded into the factory Laminated stock. It wears a Weaver V10 2-10x 38 SS scope in Burris Signature mounts.

2. .280 Ackley Improved: For general purpose hunting from deer to elk--7MM Magnum performance with much less recoil and powder consumption.

Mine is built on a 1982 vintage Remington 700 with a 23 inch Shilen SS matchgrade barrel bedded into the factory ADL stock. Its topped with a Burris Fullfield II 3-9x40 with the Ballistic Plex Reticle in B-Square (don't laugh, they are cheap, light, and hold zero very well. Also, this rifle is shooting so well right now I'm afraid to turn a screw on it, lest I screw everything up) mounts.

3. .300 Remington Ultra Magnum:: Long Range shooting for deer to elk and more thump for bigger critters such as Grizzlies than the .280 AI offers.

The .300 RUM is fast, accurate, and has power to spare for any critter this side of a Cape Buffalo. Mine is a Remington 700 LSS wearing an older US made 30 MM tube 3-12x56 Redfield Illuminator in Burris Signature mounts.

Good Shooting,
HBB

30/06 with a 2-7x Leupold in a plastic stock and a 10-22 with a 4x Leupold....

Browning .22 auto (Belgian) - plingking and all the small stuff
.257 Roberts, Cooper 3x9 Redfield - everything short of elk and moose....
.375 H&H M70 Win...2-7 Leupold....big bears and anything else

AR-15 223 Rem Mine is a Bushmaster Varmint with free floated hand guard, flat top, and 18" barrel. It has a 3-9 B&L Elite on it. It's a sub MOA gun, short, and handy. Plus, the 20 rd mags are just the right size. I consider it the #1 varmint rig available.

300 Rem Ultra Mag Mine is a Rem 700 Stainless, in a Brown Precision stock, with a matte gray teflon finish on the metalwork. It has a 3-9x36 Zeiss Diavari. It is also a sub-MOA gun, and shoots everything from 150 gr cheapos to 200 gr Partitions to the same point of impact at 100 yards, every time. I've used it for Whitetail, Blackbuck, Caribou, and African game from Springbok to Zebra. I made a serious mistake buying this one, because I really can't justify buying much else for anything below Dangerous Game. I was thinking about getting something else for a Dall Sheep/Grizz hunt in a few years, but what else would be better? Oh well... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

22-250 for any varmit
7x57 Ackley Improved for deer to elk
338-06 for elk to moose or big bears with XXX,Partition,or Trophy Bonded Bearclaws

OK I'll play.

For yotes and such savage model 11 w/acu-triger in 223.
For everything up to cow elk 300wm in parker hale m1200.
For everything else ruger M77 tang safety 338wm.

tom

Here goes,

358 win in a short light 21"bolt, topped with a 1.75x5x 32 for everything east

280 Ackley in a 24" bolt for all things far away and not too big. a 3x9x40 with a balistic plex

338 win mag 24" for all things to big to shoot with #1 or 2. Mine has a 2x7x40.

If life was perfect all would be stainless with a good synthetic stock. Mine would all be rugers cause I like them.

NoKnees

"Pick up to three rifle calibers for your ideal North American big game battery."

Kimber Montana 308 with Zeiss Diatal 4x32 in Weaver Quad lock mounts. Rifle is all SS and composite. Use in all woods, mountain and open hunting as well. Total weight six pounds.

Kimber Montana 270 WSM for long range medium game. Zeiss Conquest 3-9 in Talley detachables. Would change out mounts as soon as I can get Weaver bases.

For dangerous game I have a couple of 375's. Suppose that I would take the old M70.

If "big game" means deer and critters bigger than deer, then ........


1.) .35 Remington, in a Marlin 336 carbine with Lyman receiver sight

2.) 7mm-08 in a Win. Model 70 FWT with Loopie 1.75-6X

3.) .35 Whelan in a Ruger M77 (tang safety) with Loopie 3X and an NECG receiver sight

Well I have alot of guns to choose from everything from a the .223 caliber through .350 caliber just lacking a 6.5. I can say all I really need is my old and worn .300 Weatherby fibermark that has a 4.5-14x50 Leupold on it when I pick this gun up I know that what ever I point it at falls over. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Are we to pick what we would get if we had unlimited funds, or what we already have?

Going on what I have, if I had to narrow it down...

AR15, 223, 20" Hbar, 3-9x40 scope.

30'06, 3-9x40 scope

338 Win mag, 3-9x40 scope.

.30-06 is all I need..
.257 roberts when the 06 needs rest
.30-30 when all else fails

300WM in a Browning A-bolt M1000 Eclipse. Matte finish, grey laminated stock - thumbhole design.

Deer and smaller -- 168 Barnes TSX at 3050 fps.
Moose and such -- 180 Nosler Partition at 3140 fps
Dangerous game -- 200 Barnes XFB at 2900 fps

Or just pick any one of those loads and have at 'er, and apologize to the animal for being over or under gunned. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

.257 Roberts or .25-06 for whitetail and antelope. My .257 has a 4.5-14x as it doubles as a varmint rifle.
.300 Win Mag for mule deer through elk. 3-9x scope.
.45-70 for moose, bison, and big bears. 2-7x scope.

In whatever finish you like.

Of course 3 rifles would seriously limit my fun. I�ve got Marlins in .30-30, .375Win and .45-70, and bolt guns in .257 Roberts, 7mm Rem Mag, .308 Win and .300 Win Mag. And I still "need" a couple more to fill in the gaps.

.243 for varmints & light big game - Mauser action, 26" barrel & Leupold scope.

Winchester model 94 .30/30 - for when I am in the timber & working in close.

.375 H&H for every thing else - commercial Mauser action, 26" barrel & Leupold 3X9 scope

I already have the .375 and my .243 is close to this. I only have to get the .30/30. Shucks, throw in a good .50 cal muzzle loader, 12 ga shotgun & a .22 rf and I would hunt the world with this battery.

Tikka T3 270 WSM for open country

Kimber Montana 308 for everything else except

Bxroad's old 338-06 (Colt Light Rifle with all the bells and whistles) for bears and such.

I'll pick the 3 rifles in my safe that I'm most likely to hang on to, no matter what.

1.) Pre-war Savage 99R .250-3000. It wears either a Lyman tang peep, or a Lyman Alaskan ( 2-1/2X w/Lee dot ). For deer/antelope and smaller sized critters.

2.) Ruger No.1A 7X57 w/Leupold 6X36. For deer/antelope up to caribou sized critters.

3.) Pre-64 Model 70 .375 H&H w/ Leupold 3X in QD mounts. ( also has Lyman peep and factory irons ). For big critters and bears. This rifle is probably the rifle I would be least likely to ever part with.

All are blue/walnut.

Jeff

Coyote Hunter:
I have a Marlin in 375Win that I inherited from an old friend. It had been fired about 20 times with factory 200's. I haven't found an accurate load for it with Hornady 225's yet. How do you load for yours?