Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Rethinking My "Big Gun"

I'd add that threads like this, minus morons, were very helpful in my own "de-devleopment" moving from magnum to standard cartridges. I grew up reading Wooters, Hagle, and others and thought I certainly needed a 300 magnum of some sort, and a 338 WM was better yet, for elk. I tolerated the recoil and 9lb rifles but never enjoyed shooting them.

I recall in my late teens thinking a good, minimum deer rifle was the 7 RM. In fact, I'd shot a 280 for several years at that point - and bought a Ruger 77 in 7RM in 1983. It killed deer, made a heck of a mess at close range, and barked alot. In hindsight, it didnt kill any better than my 280, or the 30-06 my Dad used, or the 270 I also had. Or my 243 that I started with. Or the 7x57 we loaned to people. Or about any other standard cartridge with reasonable bullets we used. I did kill a few deer with the 338 using 250 gr Partitions loaded to max. All deer died but I cant say any of those cartridges was a better killer of deer than the others. I wish it didnt take me 40 years to come to that........

Amen, brother!

I don't know if Imentioned it Teeder, but when recovering from my neck fusion, one of the rifles I had put a brake on was a Kimber 84M Classic in 7mm08. It was a kitten! It was a "three holes "perpendicular to the bore" kind, I call it an 'artillery style" brake. I sold it to finance something else when I healed up good...but I freely admit to be a bit "loony".

You certainly don't have to justify or explain your desire for a lighter shooting rifle, heck, as I have gotten older, had more joints replaced, more surgeries, etc, I have had to change a lot of things! While I can now shoot whatever I want, my problem is "getting there and back", ha, its "do it different now" or "it don't get done"! So I "enjoy" any kind of "hunt" anymore ( well , not canned hunts, I still want them wild!) You just keep on trucking Pard!

I have been blessed to live in the Yukon territory for the past 50 years. Have hunted solo and with friends, and guided a lot of folks from “Outside”. Consequently, been there to watch a pile of big game put in the freezer. Not the first time I have mentioned this, but it is my distinct impression that I have seen more one shot kills with the 270 Winchester than any other cartridge.

Makes sense too, I guess, as every 270 I have owned was very accurate, and the modest recoil made them easy too shoot well.

Ted

Those Hellfire units look bad to the bone.

What a bull! You certainly get things done.

My Tikka weighs just at 7lbs with the scope, no bullets... 120gr BTs and 43.6gr of H4895 give 3080fps and that calculates to about 15.5 lbs of recoil. This load has killed about 10 elk and some deer easily, last year my brother a cow elk and the next week my wife a decent muley. It balances well and shoots 1/2 moa.

I tried big game and did get 3160 top end, moa, but it calculates to 17.5 lbs of recoil and is definitely harsher in recoil and sound, big fps spread. For me the extra 80 fps isn't worth the extra recoil and isn't as balanced overall at the shot.

I can push a 139sst 3000 with staball but that really makes the gun jump around and recoil was around 21 if I remember right.

Kent

Growing up in SE Texas, my Dad always called my 30-30 "the Big Gun". He and his family ( Depression survivors, WW2 Vet) used a .22 or 12ga. on everything from squirrels to putting a Brahma Bull down! He said a 30-06 was for killing Japs and wasted too dammed much meat! ha I miss those folks...

Growing up we raised calves, we'd get 7 from the dairy, just dropped males, 5 bucks or free depending on the dairy owners disposition that day. Brother and I did all the work, bottle feeding ect. After about 9 months dad would take 6 to the auction and we would butcher 1. Dad took the money and put it in savings accounts for us kids including the girls. When dad left mom I was 16, mom gave me my savings account book and it had close to a thousand bucks in it, was supposed to be for college but I bought me a car with it, 68 fastback, dad was mad.

Anyway by 12 I was doing all the killing as I was a hand at it I guess, I didn't desire it but dad said I was the best at it, on the beef I used 22 shorts.

Dad's friend one day brought over an old range bull he bought at the auction, straight over, gonna make burger I guess. I was up on the top rail to get the angle, shot that bull 5 or 6 times and it'd just shake it's head. Dad finally went and got the 06 and put it down... from what I remember it had grown a thick skull plate that the 22 couldn't get through.

Kent

That's a tough thing to go through krp...poor old cow can't help it, he's got to go, and that whole thing rested on your young shoulders, tough.

Looking in my notes, I see a few well known writers on hunting rank the 257 Roberts as suitable for non dangerous game in the US. The 243 doesn't have as many champions, but some use it successfully.

Moose are not a very hard kill.

When people say "dropped at the shot" or "DRT" they often don't specify where they hit them. I suspect like in the video with the one being dropped with the 7-08 in the video posted earlier. its a high shoulder/spine shot.

Just about any decent bullet from any decent rifle can do that. My dad's go-to was a 180 grain round nose doing about 2450 fps from a 303 British. We never lacked for moose meat. Course he wasn't really stretching the range either but there never was much need to here. I can understand if someone primarily hunted clear cuts they'd be missing some opportunities.

I'm with the guys saying make the 7mm-08 heavier etc. Any of the 6.5s, 7mms, 308 etc are going to get the job done just fine. I do want two holes from tougher angled shots to put more blood on the ground but thats about it. I'm not keen on a miserable long track if I can avoid it.

Last thought, my 30-06 weighs about 9 lbs scoped. Good thing I ain't running around on mountains with it. But a 30-06 that weighs that much won't feel toooo different than a 308 that weighs a pound and a half less. Even better if you reload it a bit on the softer side.

A few years back I was leaving on a trip and could not find the hunting ammo I had made. What was there was some handloads I had put together for a Garand. Pretty tame. Some H4895 pushing a 165gr SST at about 2650 fps. bet that was around the 15 lbs of recoil area of a Tikka in 7mm-08 with a 120 gr going fast.

Guess what? Worked.

I see my 257R as a very good deer chambering but would not choose to use it for moose if I had other choices in the 270, 7x57, 30-06 range.

The two smallest cartridges I’ve used on elk 308 with Speer grand Slam - that was when Speer just came out with the Grand Slam - it wasn’t a good bullet; the rifle a 660 Remington. I understand the Grand Slam is a good bullet now, I never bought a second box though.
The other was a 270 with 160 grain Partitions. Dropped the lead cow - it didn’t take a step.
The biggest I’ve used is a 338 WM (and also a 350 RM) both with 250 grain partitions.

Like deer hinting, I think that elk hunting is very different from one area to the next. I’ve gotten within slingshot range in some areas and the closest I’ve gotten in other areas is 350 yards measured by binocular range finder. That one was killed by the 270. In Colorado in the wilderness areas on top of the mountains I thought the closest bull was going to about 750 yards after hiking all day, then on the way back I came across another bigger bull at about 50 yards.

To be safe for all ranges possible and angles possible I’d use my 300 WBY with 200 grain Partitions. Most places I’ve hunted though I think the 270, 280, 30-06 with heavy partitions would be just fine.
If I were healthy and young enough to be hunting near Nez Peres pass by the Selway River again I’d be taking as light a rifle as possible with enough power - I’ve hunted there once - 1978. My 270 with the light weight stock would likely be my choice, unless I bought a lighter rifle such as NULA.

I'm in the same boat and I decided I didn't need a big gun. I got rid of my heavy recoiling rifle. I already have everything I could ever need. I just need to work up loads. Modern bullets can take up a lot of slack.

i have had many surgeries all you have listed and more i am stick`n with my 257 Weatherby mags. this cartridge kills a long ways out with less recoil than a 30-06 but 30-06 is a good choice too maybe ?

Jim, your observation makes me chuckle. When I was a kid my Grandpa bought his "big rifle", a 742 in .243 Winchester. Of course in the mid '70's to mid '80's there were quite a bit fewer deer than now and the only other animal to use it on was a coyote. I'm pretty sure that it was the only centerfire rifle he ever owned.

KC

My big rifles are 45-70's. I don't know if they'll continue to hold top honors though because I keep thinking about getting a .50-70........

Just put a brake on your 338-06 or have it magna ported and keep running it.

I would go with the 7x57 or 7mm-08 with 139-145 gr bullets. I’ve never fired a 7mm-08 but I do have 2 7x57s. Recoil is not an issue.