Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What caliber to add next?

I like the .243 suggestion for the short, but it's not that much smaller than the 6.5CM. If your ARs are good varmiters, I'd go .243 - if not, I'd go .223 bolt action for the short.
I think the previous poster that said the 30-06 and 300WSM were redundant made a good point. So, to really round out your battery, get the little rifle you want, keep the 300 WSM, and send the 30-06 to JES along with $250 and have him rebore and rechamber it to 9.3x62. Now you'll have a great medium bore and your battery solidly covers everything that can be hunted on this continent!

The only downside to that plan is then you will be an American without a 30-06. And that just ain't right...

I just got my 1903 Springfield back from JES after being rebored to 9.3x62, and it's averaging .65 MOA so far (only 27 rounds down the bore to date). But it has about a .630" muzzle. If your -06 is a really lightweight barrel it might not be as good a candidate for the rebore - food for thought. LOTS of folks on 24CF have used JES.

Let us know what you decide.
Cheers,
Rex

I'd pick my 243 over my 223 also. But the 243 is essentially my big gun. And itt has more effective range over the 223.

But 907 already has a 6.5 Creedmoor, and an AR. So a little different scenario.
I guess it depends on the configuration of the Creedmoor. If it's a heavy target rifle then a lightweight 243 would be a great choice. But if the 6.5 Creedmoor is a lightweight hunting rifle, then I might feel different.

My 6.5CM is my light, alpine-hunter setup. Actually, my .300WSM is a lightweight gun too. Most commonly, my 6.5CM is for blacktails and my .300WSM is for black bears.

As TRex brought up, yes one of my AR's is set up as a varminter. I've been really happy with it, and get sub-moa all day with it. But don't worry TRex, my 30-06 isn't going anywhere. I may not hunt with it very much, but it is a sentimental rifle and it'll stay with me regardless of whatever else in my safe moves around.

For those with .223 bolt guns: what twist rate are you using, and are you happy with it?

And for those of you with .375H&Hs:
Why Holland and Holland and not .375 Ruger?
Why .375 over .338?
Any specific rifles you like in .375?

I'm loving the suggestions and opinions; thank you all.

tikka 1:8, SWFA. Forget about all the bullschit.

That's what I'd add, too, and then probably sneak a 22-250 in as well, just for the hell of it...

I guess I'm getting old and losing some of my rifle loonyism. I think you already have things pretty well covered. I would just use what you got and spend money on tags and hunting trips.

2 with 1-9, 1 with 1-12. I like the 1-9 better. I'd prefer a 1-8, but they are harder to come by. The 1-12 is an older Ruger M77 MarkII Ultralight that fits me like a custom. The 1-12 is a little limiting, but the rifle isn't going anywhere.


I don't have a 375 and have absolutely no need for a 375. That being said, the H&H just has a cool factor that's hard to top. My dream rifle is a Pre 64 M70 in 375H&H. After reading about the 375 Ruger, I think it's a well designed round, but it just isn't as classy as the H&H.

Trip one of the .30 cals, throw in a 1:8 223, and quit messing around.

i still shoot my bench rifles plenty,but i purchased this winter a new Ruger s.s. bolt action 22 Hornet and its been accurate and deadly on varmints this spring and this little rifle has very little recoil and a great magazine/clip system . everyone should own at least 1 - 22 hornet rifle and reload for a hornet too,its cheap to shoot ,check out the reloading book on volume of powder used per 22 hornet cartridge = 7gr.s-10 gr.s of powder.

I've never entirely warmed up to the Ruger American. But I'm considering selling my old slower twist 223 and getting a Predator in 223 because of the 8-twist, and AR style mag. I heard of issues with the rotary mag in 223. And the main reason, is I believe with the barrel nut you can set the barrel back enough to AI it without cutting a thread off...maybe. Then add a Boyd's stock for a reasonable long range toy that shouldn't be too heavy to hunt.
I don't know jack about the AR style mags that they come with. But I believe I read that Magpul makes an AI mag that will fit and let you seat the heavies out long?

Mainly to get into the long range dopin and dialin with relatively cheap ammo that's also not expensive to reload. But also to hunt with.

But this is just something that struck me all the sudden. So I'd have to do some calculatin and ponderin to see if it'd really be worth my while. Or if I'd be happy with it in the long run, because it'd likely never be worth the money put into it.
Seems like a reasonable compromise of light heavy barrel and portability though. And ring options would be more than with a Tikka, although I don't know if their rep for accuracy is equal at this point.

Also I appreciate the 70° bolt lift for scope clearance.

Really, there’s not much difference in the H&H vs. the Ruger. About 100 fps, and no game animal will know the difference.

The .375 H&H is a more common cartridge than the Ruger. You can find the H&H in gun stores with more commonality.

The advantage of the Ruger is that it’s chambered in a standard length rifle - the same as an ‘06. This reduces manufacturing costs and therefore makes an “Africa Dangers Game Rifle” generally more attainable.

Purists will say that any rifle with a Controlled Round Feed is the only answer for a Dangerous Game Rilfe...though the reality is that the Garand, the M14, the Rem 700 Sniper and the AR-15 are pushfeeds used in the most dangerous conflicts around.

Which one’s best? All of them. It’s hard to find a truly bad rifle anymore. Winchester, Remington, Browning, Dakota, Customs...there is no best without knowing how you define “best”. For me, I have an 8# 6oz Montana ‘99 scoped with a VX6 1-6 driving 3/4” groups with 300gr. Partitions moving at 2,500 fps. It looks like [bleep].

I suppose I could do “better”.../shrug.

Practice creates more value and opportunity than “better”.

PS: Get the H&H and go to Africa. Just go while you can.

Don't have either the H&H or Ruger, but favor the Ruger. Because I handload I'm not concerned about factory ammo. For a non-handloader the H&H makes more sense if your you aren't happy with the ***very*** limited varieties of .375 Ruger ammo (Hornady and Swift and the Swift prices are astronomically high.). Even as a handloader, I'd buy a lifetime supply of brass.

.375 over .338? There isn't anything in NA I wouldn't hunt with my .338WM. For DG, though, including big bears, I don't see heavier, fatter bullets as a negative.

I'd happily take any of the Ruger rifles.

I have a Bushmaster Predator 8" I like alot, seems to do it all the bullet weights just fine! I like the extra speed of the 375 Ruger "based on just one guys experience"...Hal Waugh. He loved the 375 "Weatherby" ( am Improved 375 H&H) and the 270gr bullet for big bear. I once had one made up, and it was one flat shooting big gun! ha The 375 Ruger is its equal, more or less. But, the only "big bears" I've seen are in zoos, and they "still" give me the heebie jeebies! ha

There’s been quite a lot of chatter in these parts about $300 rifles and $300 scopes doing lots things they “shouldn’t”.

RAR’s (Rough Ass Rifles) kinda grow on ya.

Yeah, I don't know. I watched a video after I posted that and the action sure sounded rough. Like fingernails on a chalkboard. I like the midweight barrel and the 8 twist. But if I look at one and the action sounded like that, I don't know if I could do it.

It adds insult to injury for the naysayers.

Okay, a new development. For a long action, coastal brown bear option:

I have the option to get a Win 70 in .300WM from a family member. I don't have a need for a .300WM, but I would get it effectively in a trade for something else and I was thinking I could rebarrel to .375 Ruger.

Or would just getting a .375 h&h factory rifle be a better way to go?

I will end up reloading whatever I end up with either way.

Locally here, I was in a mom-n-pop gun store. Town population less that 500 - UP of Michigan, 375 Ruger on the shelf along with 6.5 Swede and 6.5 Creedmoor.

Its probably localized as far as ammo availability vs the H&H.

Nothing between 35 Whelen and 375 interests me in the least, so I wont be recommending a 338.

I say go 375 and call it.