Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Thinking About Next Rifle....Opinions Welcome!

I've got a .22LR, a .17 HMR, a CZ 550 in 6.5x55 and an M1 Garand (in .30-06 with the adjustable gas plug).

I keep pondering the next rifle to add to the bunch. I tend to want something like a .300 or .338 Win Mag to extend my reach on large game like elk. I used my 6.5x55 on a bull elk hunt in AZ and was fine with it because I knew in this unit I was in I probably wouldn't have too many shots past 100 or 200 yards. But one day we drove up to the wide open area in the north end of the unit and I glassed a cow elk at a laser-range 861 yds. Later we spooked a bull near her and I watched him run up a draw and crest the top with his two cows. I didn't mind passing on that shot at all, it was great just to see those animals and I count it as a successful, happy day. But it did give me an inkling for something bigger.

I originally went with my 6.5x55 because I was new to centerfire rifles and genuinely wanted to become a skilled rifleman. I progressed to the M1 and I managed to get in a lot of trigger-time over a couple of years and I got into reloading. So now I wouldn't be so concerned with having too much gun/recoil/muzzle blast.

The other side of the coin is that my CZ is a little on the heavy side. I was thinking about getting something like a .260 Rem or a 7-08 in a lightweight platform. I didn't mind carrying the weight of the CZ on my AZ Bull hunt, but if I were ever to hunt, say, sheep or goats I'd love to have a nice light tack-driver in something similar to the two chamberings I mentioned previously.

So I'm just wondering if anyone is bored and wants to throw their 2 cents out there. I'm not ready to buy right now anyway, but I'm always thinking about guns, it's 3am and I can't sleep and I haven't started a thread in awhile.

I'm currently living in Michigan, but desperately want to get back out west as soon as possible, either AZ, ID or MT. I am living in Livingston County here so I'm technically in the "shotgun zone" but I can rifle hunt up north if I want. Seems like the bigger deer are down here though.

Anyway, what would you add in my situation? Something bigger or something lighter? I feel like I'm pretty well gunned for North America. I'd hunt the big bears with my M1 shooting 180 grain handloads, maybe something in a monolithic. I feel like it is a very reliable rifle with great sights and if I had to move into a thicket tracking a bruin I'd be scared, but I'd still feel confident in my Garand. I think I'd rather have something like a .350 Rem Mag though, especially in a cool scout rifle config.

So the table is open and I'd love to hear your opinion. Would you prefer a .300 over a .338 Win Mag? My thought is to take advantage of the superior BC of the .338, but plenty of guys use the .300 to great effect. Or something different all together? Maybe like one of those Wild West Guns levers in 500 Alaskan or something? Or just keep what I have now and spend any extra money on more ammo! I love handloading and I'm always hearing about old-timers who love the 6.5x55...maybe I should just stick with her and make her my bride for life.

I wouldn't say I am recoil sensitive (I've shot .458 Win Mag and 12 Gauge slugs pretty commonly and well) but I'm not cocky about that and I know that the less recoil/blast the easier it is to shoot and I aspire to be a crack first shot killer with all of my rifles.

Thanks for the feedback!

Get a 30/06 bolt rifle of reasonable weight(any would be lighter than your Garand)A M70 FW or Ruger Hawkeye come to mind.....Put a good scope on it,and handload for it with some of the very good 165-180 gr bullets out there today.And pratice to distance with it.

There simply is not much that you won't be able to do with it.

Good advise...Check out the Model 700 Remington too.

If you are really looking to stretch range, the 300WM would be a better option than the 338, likewise one of the fast 7s might be better yet. But we're talking really getting out there with those. The -06 with a good load will reach further than most can shoot in field conditions. Really depends on just what your limits are on the statment "...extend the range on elk." Use the Hodgdon reloading guide for sample velocities and plug them into JBM using the elevations where you hunt and see what floats your boat. If I were to build another rifle I'd be looking to do about what you are, and I'm leaning towards a 7 WSM or something similar.

First as to cartridge selection I think a 30 caliber starting at 30-06 on the low end, 30WSM, or 300 win mag would all do the job. I think 30WSM is a great choice. As to a rifle, if your budget would allow, a Soko 85 would really be the nuts but there are a lot of great choices out there. Like Browning, Weatherby, etc. Good luck

I'd give you some advice but I can't think of a way to improve on Bob's advice. I like my .300WM but I've never found the difference between it and my 30-06 to make a difference.

A 300WSM in Kimber 8400 or Sako Finnlight should do what you need.IMHO get the Finnlight

You touched on a lot of bases: bigger, lighter, farther...

.338WM would be a safe choice, given that you'r OK with recoil/muzzle blast.

I like your .350 RM choice, given that I was going to suggest a Whelen

I was thinking along the lines of something bigger, because I doubt you'd notice much difference in recoil or killing power from your Swede 'til you get over .30 cal.

I suppose you could also go for a small centerfire, like a .223 (do you have any interest in AR's?) or a .22-250. Then again, you never mentioned varmints, & those wouldn't be your best bet for mountain/sheep cartridges.

Usually, the corrrect answer is "ALL OF THE ABOVE"!

Good Luck,

FC

Being a fan of the .284 caliber, ie 7mm may I suggest a reasonable weight rifle in 280 rem, 7mm Rem Mag, or 7mm stw if looking for long range work. The 7mm-08 is another great option as is a well built 280 AI. Many choices out there so good luck

And I was going to say a Kimber Montana in 300 WSM (or 7mm WSM if you're a 7mm fan)...

You already have one CZ, thinking of a .300 Mag. I can give you the answer in just 3 letters....UHR!!! Thank you drive through...

Thanks for all the good ideas! I already have the M1 in .30-06 and with the adjustable gas plug I can load and shoot any .30-06 cartridge without regard to bullet weight or charge (keeping within safe loading ranges of course) and not worrying about op rod damage. I've thought about putting a scout scope on it too and they have a new mount that replaces the front handguard for doing just that. Also, I forgot to mention that a good friend of mine from Mizzoula has a sporterized 1903A3 with an old Leupold and a sweet trigger job that is going to be mine someday so I hesitate to consider another turnbolt -06 right now. Not that I don't LOVE THE HELL out of the -06!

Adding an AR-style rifle would be nice and I do like pred-hunting. I've used my .17 HMR for pred calling, but with the caveat that I'd only take broadside shots on fox or bobcat inside of 80 yards or so. I figured I'd pass on any yotes that showed up unless they popped out of the brush right on top of me. I was always loading the 20 grain XTP bullets up when I'd go out with the hummer for preds. I like pred-hunting enough that I'd consider something like a flat-top Colt AR-15. I think I'd prefer a carbine barrel though rather than a varminter barrel so I'm not sure what my limits would be there. It's worth the consideration though, thanks for mentioning it.

@BobinNH- I don't know that there's all that much I can do with an -06 that I can't already do with my 6.5x55...at least not enough as to not be redundant-ish (especially considering I already have the M1). Keep in mind the Swedes have been killing Alg with them for a very long time and Norwegian explorers used them to take out polar bears too. The 6.5x55SE is definitely no slouch.

@PRM- I'm curious how the .300WM is better at range for large animals than the .338WM? Flatter shooting? I figured the .338 had the ballistics gak going for it and at least comparable if not superior bullet selection. I like the idea of the .300WM and that might be a better choice for me if the difference between that and the .338WM is really significant. I was kind of thinking a great "Alaskan" would be a Browning BAR MarkII in .338WM with the BOSS system and a good recoil pad on a well fitted stock.

I'm not a big fan of the short mags. I don't like the idea of rebated rims too much, especially in a rifle that I'd be using in dangerous country. It's probably not that big of a deal, but I usually prefer to err on the side of caution.

As far as the suggestions of the Kimber Montana and the Sako 85 Finnlight go, I'm really on board with both of those and it would be great to have either. I thought I read that the Sako 75 action was better though because the newer ones are no longer "true controlled feed". I think it was an article in AH that I read about that. It said the new ones are very nice, but they were not absolutely controlled feed.

Of course, if I had that kind of money to spend I'd be hard-pressed not to _seriously_ consider a new Blaser.

Bob, he already has a 30-06. Don't you think he'd be pretty impressed with something like your Extreme Weather in 300 WSM?? You know me I'm a 30-06 and 338 win mag guy, but I'm liking the 300 wsm more and more now days To the OP: If I had to choose between the 300 win mag and the 338 win mag I'd take the 338 hands down over the 300. Its just a personal preference I have from shooting both of them over the years.

You already have a 30-06 with the garand. Next step is a 300 Weatherby mag. It is as much of an improvement over the 300 Win. as the 300 Win. is over the perennial '06.

I have been down that road and it is a real good caliber. I have it in the Sako Deluxe, and it shoots phenomenally well. It is an easy killer to 650 yards and capable of 800 yard shoots when you do your homework.

Short mags are ridiculous, try a tested and proven round, you won't be sorry...

The short mags are rediculous in fact:

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com...2-815-record-at-1000-yards-with-300-wsm/

I'd agree......the 300 Wthby Mag. Maybe a custom Rem 700 or find a KS.

When you say you want to extend your range, does that mean you want a flatter trajectory, or you just want a little more power at longer range?
The 338 will have similar trajectory to the 30-06, but does make a bigger hole and arrives with more energy. Plus, it allows for better penetration on angling shots. The 338 recoil really isn't bad in an 8 lb rifle, provided it doesn't have a metal or hard plastic butt. my 338 doesn't kick much more than my light weight 270
If you want to go with a light weight rifle, many have already suggested good calibers. anything from 280 to 7mm mag would be my choice in a light rifle. sounds like you are comfortable with recoil, so maybe a step up to a 300 weatherby or RUM in a lighter rifle might work for you. Another thought is the 8mm mag or 325 WSM
But, i have to side with the 338 cause I like it.

Oh, yeah, I'm thinking about the Weatherbys too! My uncle just got a .300 RUM and I'm going to set up my reloading bench out at his farm so we can start playing with that and a bunch of other rifles he recently picked up from a guy who was liquidating his collection. Personally, I don't want a barrel-burner like a RUM and I am not a fan of that cartridge based on everything I've read about it. But it will be interesting to shoot it and gauge my tolerance to recoil against it. I think he uses a shoulder pad when he shoots it but it is not braked as far as I know. If I can handle the RUM then I can probably choose just about anything like .300 or .340 Roy, win mag, whatever.

@Folically_Challenged- I would love either a Whelen or a .338-06 for a good timber rifle for Elk or Moose. In fact, I'd love either of those rounds just for a fun, classic rifle to have, shoot and spend time with in the woods. I think about both those chamberings pretty frequently and it's a real coin flip as to which one I'd eventually settle on. I think the .338-06 takes the lead when you look at ballistics but it's still no kind of long-range gun and I have always been a BIG fan of the Bradford Angier/Col. Whelen books like "On Your Own In The Wilderness" and others. I think it would be really sweet to get on the mountain some morning with a bull tag in my pack and a .35 Whelen across my back!

It's really helpful getting all these ideas, I'm thinking I just need to figure out what I'm going to be doing with my next rifle to lock-in a direction...pred-hunting, long-range cxp2, or long range cxp3/big bears. If I stay here in MI I'm pretty well gunned for everything except pred-hunting so I'd probably go with an AR-15 in a flat-top config with a Trijicon Reflex. If I start feeling like a move West is imminent in the next year then it's going to come down to getting either a nice light sheep/goat gun (that would also be great for Muleys, Coues, Cougar, etc) or a high-intensity magnum like the ones we've discussed.

Eventually I'm going to have to get myself a big-loop lever gun in .30-30 or .45-70 but with my 21" 870 and my bows I have the brushy stuff pretty well covered for now. But I definitely want something like a guide gun one day. Those are so neat and handy.

When you say you want to extend your range, does that mean you want a flatter trajectory, or you just want a little more power at longer range?
The 338 will have similar trajectory to the 30-06, but does make a bigger hole and arrives with more energy. Plus, it allows for better penetration on angling shots. The 338 recoil really isn't bad in an 8 lb rifle, provided it doesn't have a metal or hard plastic butt. my 338 doesn't kick much more than my light weight 270
If you want to go with a light weight rifle, many have already suggested good calibers. anything from 280 to 7mm mag would be my choice in a light rifle. sounds like you are comfortable with recoil, so maybe a step up to a 300 weatherby or RUM in a lighter rifle might work for you. Another thought is the 8mm mag or 325 WSM
But, i have to side with the 338 cause I like it.

I'd just like something bigger than my .30-06. I'm not really thinking extreme long range, but a step-up from the -06. My first thought is .300 Roy or .300 WM or similar. But if I'm going to step up I would like to step up a significant amount without going too crazy with recoil/muzzleblast (ie- I don't want a .300 RUM or something that big/hot). I don't know if anyone would use the word "sensible" to describe any magnum chambering, but that's kind of what I'm thinking. That is where I feel like I have a gap currently in my collection, bigger than -06 (but within my limits of tolerance). The other gap is a lightweight rifle for high-altitude hunts and (thanks to the earlier responses) a better pred-hunting rig.