Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters HELP!! I have a glaring "gap" in my line-up and need help.

OK, since it's the off-season and we all need something to fill the time......let's discuss the "perfect" rifle to fill out my arsenal (I have more than 3 rifles, so it HAS to be an arsenal).

Currently the safe is filled with the .22 LR (lots of them), .22 Mag., .223, .243, .25-20, .250-3000, .25-06, .270, .7mm Rem. Mag., .30-30, .300 Savage, .308, .30-06, .338 Win. Mag., .35 Rem., .358, .375 Win., .44 Mag., and .45-70.

I have come into a Sears Model 53 (post-64 Winchester Model 70 built for Sears) in .30-06. It's been restocked in a Winchester Featherweight stock and is great.....however, since I have 5 .30-06 rifles in the safes, it begs to be rebarreled to something more interesting.

Here are my thoughts.....looking at the current line-up, the .22 Hornet comes to mind, but the long .30-06 action seems a waste and ther modififations to the head and feed rails could be a nightmare (a Ruger 77/22 seems better suited and less trouble than getting the long action to work with a Hornet).

Could go with a .22-250 (still too short for a full length action) or better yet a .220 Swift. I always loved the idea of a Swift, but I'm really not a "varmit" guy and it's not that far from the .243. Still, there is just something sexy about the Swift.

Another seldom seen, but intriguing round is the .240 Weatherby. Basically a .24-06 with a belt. Neat, but not so much better than the .243 (and .25-06) to really make me jump on it.

The .25's are pretty well covered (I really like the .257 Weatherby, but already have a .25-06) but there is a "glaring" gap between the .25-06 and the .270.......called the 6.5mm. A neat 6.5x55mm would work well, but if your going to run....why not run fast!! The .264 Mag. would fit in very well......although it's really not so much of an improvement over the .270 and 7mm Mag. I've always like it though.

The 7's are weak, but with the 7mm Mag. a smaller 7x57mm or even .280 seems kind of silly in a full length action since the Mag. can cover that ground. If this were a shorter action the 7x57 would sing, but why carry full weight to shoot a weaker round.

I'm really leaning toward a .300 Magnum (either Winchester or Weatherby). I know it requires work to the bolt head and feed rails, but that's really not a major problem. The .30-06 will mostly do anything the Magnums will, but not quite everything. To me, a Magnum is NOT about more velosity, but being able to throw a heavier bullet at the same velosity as a smaller round. A 200 grain Nosler at 2850-2900 fps seems a small but significant step up from the '06.

Bigger is always better to me, but it's really hard to think of a round that would be superior to the .338 Mag. for North America or the .358 if ranges are more modest. That said, there is the option of a .35 Whelen or maybe a 9.3x62mm. Both would fit the action so well with minimal work.......but am I really gaining anything over my beloved Savage 99 in .358??

Since BIG is better......I could go with the .375 H&H (I know the Ruger .375 looks good, but I like "classics") or maybe all the way up to a .416 or .458. I really like the idea of a true "big-bore", but honestly......what on the North American continent requires more than a .338 Magnum with 250 grain bullets? I still dream of Africa, but can always get a "stopper" if that becomes reality (one more reason to buy a new gun!!).

OK, that's the thoughts here.......convince me what "new" rifle I need. Maybe I'm overlooking something. I really don't want to go with an exotic "wildcat"......adding more "letters" doesn't impress me (as in AI, TTSX, or any other alphabet garbage). Would be nice to just rebarrel without work on the head or feed rails, but I'm not opposed to doing this if the result is truely useful.

Yes, I know.....I don't really have a "gap" to fill, but this is the off-season and riflr nuts need exercise for the brain!!

Operated at modern pressures the 7x57 is an amazingly good round.

I notice that you don't have anything in 6.5. Either a 6.5x55 operated at modern pressures (another very fine round) or a 6.5-06 would be a nice choice.

They are amazingly versatile and would be the one to get my vote. That is assuming your action could be opened up enough. I use my .375 for everything ( you ought to see what it does to prairie dogs). If you action couldn't be opened up I would say the 9.3X62 or 64. This would give you some power on the upper end of your arsenal.

I did include the 6.5mm....and by the way, it's a real contender to fill the "gap".....Love the 6.5x55, but why not go all the way to the .264 Magnum. The 6.5-06 IS nice, but I really don't wnat to go with a wildcat.

It's a Winchester Model 70, so opening it up to .375 H&H is not a problem, but what would I gain over my .338 Magnum with 250 grain bullets? Not arguing, just want to be convinced.

A Model 70 in 9.3x62 has a five-shot magazine, which is nice if you get into a mess of hogs. Recoil is about like a 30/06. It matches the 338 with 250-grain bullets, and with 286-grain bullets, it's right on the heels of the great 375.

It's a really versatile round that's almost perfectly balanced. But then so is the 30/06.


Okie John

A real posibility (the 9.3x62)....but wy is it a better choice than the .35 Whelen??

At first I saw a missing 204 Ruger. But based on your action, 338-06 for hog? A 6.5-06 would be covered by the 25-06 and 270.

It has the same effect on game as the .375 H&H, and is legal in most African countries for DG. It is one of those magical rounds that does more than appearances would indicate.

There is no way to come close to justifying an additional gun based on a caliber gap. Your only choice is to go for a function or style gap. If you have only a light 7mm, then a long heavy beanfield 7mm fills a gap. If all you have is a synthetic stainless in a favorite cartridge, then a walnut/blued fills a gap.

I think a 9.3x62 would be a lot of fun to experiment with, even though I have it covered on each end by the Whelen and the 375 H&H. It would certainly be a cheaper conversion for that action than going to a magnum cartridge.

I don't think you're going to find a round that's "better" than what you've got already. You're going to have to base your decision purely off of lust, on this one.

If it were me, I'd rebarrel to .375 Ruger. It's the almost same length as the '06, so it'd be a nice fit for the action length. Plus, I really want one, myself.

The other option would be the 9.3x64 simply because it can match and even better your .338 in performance, plus it has a definite "cool" factor!

If I had a synthetic / stainless rifle in the safe.....I hope someone just shoots me. I like rifes......I don't like modern bullshit, no matter how "efficient" they might be. Seal your stocks, use oil and take care of your rifles and blued steel and walnut work fine. If you want to ignor your rifle at the end of the day.....that's your choice, but you really don't deserve a decent rifle.

I agree....I have no real "gap" in my line-up, but us rifle nuts can quickly make a mounatin of a molehill. The "cool" factor of a 9.3mm is attractive.

I'm really surprised that the .300 Magnum is being ignored.......that was my first inclination.

I say .300 Win Mag. Extremely versatile, pleasant to shoot in a rifle of Model 70 weight. Everybody needs one.

I like the 300 win mag. if I had to limit myself to one rifle, it would be the 300 win mag. and I don't even own one.

The obvious gaps were identified already at 6.5mm and medium and large bores. If you're conservative, a 6.5-06 can fill that gap, but if you're an experimenter a 6.5 Gibbs with 26" bbl will easily get you into the lower end of 264WM territory. Neither requires either bolt face or feed rail work.

For the larger bores a 375 Scovill or a 411 Hawk will provide you very similar performance to their belted counterparts with no mods to bolt face, feed rail or magazine.

With a standard length action I don't see much advantage to using any of the 284-based wildcats when the -06 case is so readily available and you have the mag length to fit it's offspring. Good problem to have IMO. Looking forward to your solution.

You are shockingly devoid of anything 8mm.

Just sayin' <g>.

can't go wrong with a 300 wm it kills stuff vidy good intrance exit

Actually I had thouht about an 8mm, but the 8mm Rem. mag. is too close to he .338 and te 8x57 is just a european 30-06.

stxhunter,

That looks like a destroyed ham! Were you able to salvage it?

I don't think that's where his heart is supposed to be....