[hobgob]

I know there have been a lot of these threads lately, so I am sorry for posting another, but I need some advice on which caliber to get my remington 700 in. I am going to pick up an sps stainless in the next few weeks here and at first after hearing about remingtons new power level ammo I thought I would get the rifle chambered for .300RUM or the 7mm mag. After some thought I am not so sure this is the best idea. The majority of the hunting I would do is Whitetail, but in the next few years I intend on hunting Elk and possibly some other big game as well, depending on how things go. I have the equiptment to reload, so ammo is not a huge deal. The SPS Stainless doesnt come in .338 unfortunately so that is out of the question. I guess my question is, does anyone use the power level ammo or shoot .300RUM? Is this a good way to go for a versatile rifle? any advice is much appreciated!

[ants]

Either cartridge will kill a whitetail, elk, moose, mastodon, bull elephant, blue whale, or some hideous creature larger than my mother-in-law.

Those are rather powerful magnums. I believe the choice is up to you and no one else, but you can shoot a deer and an elk with half that cartridge.

Unless you only shoot 2 or 3 rounds per year, do some research on barrel erosion. No big deal, just something new to learn.

Bottom line: Buy whatever your heart desires.

[DRYHUMOR]

Look into the ballistics of the rounds the 700 is offered in. Look for good energy at the distances you will shoot at. Then look at the cost of feeding it, whether you buy new or reload.

I shoot 308 up to 100-150 yds, beyond that I go to a 7mm to about 200-250. I don't hunt where I anticipate any thing longer than that, so I don't practice at more than 200 yds.

I have shot 300's 338's and 340's all shot well and all have good energy at distance. Pretty much the choice is your's.

I'd lean towards the 7mm.

[dakotasin]

i am a huge fan of the rum cartridges, but if you are asking the question, i think you may lack the experience required to handle a rum. i really like 'em, but recoil is not a joke, nor is the 100-grains of powder per shot.

get the 7 rem mag, go forth and kill all manner of things with confidence, and be happy.

[BIGR]

I don't have any experience with the ultra mags but it appears the 7mm ULTRA MAG is a flat shooter for sure.
As far as a rifle you might want to look at the model 700 remmy in XCR. THey are costly but they should last a lifetime and be a great all weather gun.

[langenc]

Remington is making a model 7 (some anniversary model) in 7 mm-08. Excellent for deer. Little light for elk.

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Of those choices, definitely the 7mm Rem. Mag. The other cartridges are poor choices for an all around rifle.

But be prepared to get beat up and pay a lot for ammo. I'd go .270 win or .280 rem for an all around rifle big enough for Canada - but 7mm rem mag is not a terrible choice either.

The .300 Rem Ultra mag IS a terrible choice - it's way too much gun; too overbore, and very inefficient. It beats you up in both cost and noise/blast/recoil, and you get nothing in return: Here are the cartridges I'd look at, roughly in order, for an all purpose North American big game rifle:

1. .280 Rem
2. .30-'06 Spfld
3. .270 Win
4. .35 Whelen
5. 7mm Rem mag
6. 9.3x62mm
7. 7x57 Mauser
8. .338 Federal
9. .308 Win
10. .338-'06
11. .300 Win mag
12. 6.5x55 swede
13. .358 Win
14. 7mm-08
15. .338 Win Mag
16. .45-70 Gov't
17. .260 Rem
18. .444 Marlin
19. .35 Rem
20. .303 Brit
21. .30-40 Krag
22. .270 WSM
23. 7mm WSM
24. .300 WSM
25. .30-30 Win

This considers a balance/calculus of many factors including terminal performance, external ballistic performance, ammo availability in remote areas, ammo cost, versatility, etc.

.300 ultra mag wouldn't even make the NEXT 25 choices after those.... But hey if you're a masochist, rich, and don't value your hearing as much, it's a great choice! :)

Either cartridge will kill a whitetail, elk, moose, mastodon, bull elephant, blue whale, or some hideous creature larger than my mother-in-law. :eek: :D

[BOSS302]

.30-06 or .308

[BENELLIMONTE]

hobgob,

What are you using the gun for; Moose, Elk, Bear, Deer? If you are using it as a one gun for all north american game the 300 RUM is a solid choice depending on the bullets used.

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Benelliemonte proves my point:

You are getting an SPS, an *economy* gun. Therefore I surmise you are not rich but on a budget. One look at Mr. Monte's sig line -

Benelli Montefeltro 20ga
Beretta 686 Onyx 12ga 3 1/2"
Beretta 470 20ga
Browning BSS 12ga
Browning BPS 12ga 3 1/2"
Browning Gold Hunter 12ga
Mossberg 9200 12ga
Remington 1100 LT 20
Sigarms/Rizzini Aurora 20ga

shows that he has a LOT of disposable income (most people have one or maybe 2 so-so shotguns - he has MANY HIGHLY EXPENSIVE ONES). He can afford .300 RUM ammo. YOU cannot. .300 RUM is a good choice for him, but not you. 'Nuff said. :)

[BENELLIMONTE]

PREMIUMSAUCES,

I feel a little guilty about the guns I have. Most have been hand me downs from a "rich" relative. I would never be able to afford most of the guns I have recieved as gifts. Good point on the 300 RUM. Check out my new signature of rifles. These I have paid for on my own.:)

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Well maybe I jumped the gun in stating that you have a lot of disposable income, if they were handed down - my bad. :)

[BENELLIMONTE]

PREMIUM,

No problem. All I am waiting for now is for him to "hand me down" even a small portion of his ammo stash!

[skinewmexico]

For a deer rifle, buy something fun to shoot, accurate, and affordable to shoot. Then start hiding $10 a month, and if you get to go elk hunting, but an elk rifle. Like a 30-06. Elk were hunted almost to extinction with a 30-30 (or less. Definitely non-magnum).

[jmr40]

The 30-06 or 7 mag, as well as many other non-magnum cartridges, will kill deer or elk beyond 1/4 mile. The bigger ultra-magnums will get the job done a bit farther but I am not good enough to take advantage of them. Neither are 90% of the shooters out there.

[Zip7]

Looking at what's available in that gun, I would certainly stick with 30-06, 270, or 308 - and since it's a bolt, I would probably go with 308 since it's a short action.

My next big game rifle will be a Ruger #1 mainly because I bought one in 270 for my son, and I like it much better than any bolt I've ever had.

I'll get it in either 7x57 or 35 Whelen if I can find one. And I won't be undergunned anywhere in N America.

In a rifle that weighs 7.5 pounds, I would sure steer clear of the big kickers. I can't shoot anything that far away anyhow. If you calculated the exact range for every whitetail I've killed in my life, and plugged it into eharmony and matched me up with my ideal deer hunting weapon, it would be chambered for 45 Colt I'm sure.

[Art Eatman]

hobgob, since you say you're gonna reload, I'll bring up the idea of the '06. For a handloader, better performance with a 180-grain bullet can be had than for a .308.

As a cartridge, I know from experience that either will easily kill deer beyond 400 yards. The trajectory isn't all that much more "basketball" than the high-power magnums, so it's not all that hard to learn how to deal with Ma Bell shots. And most deer are shot inside of 200 yards, anyway.

I'd prefer a 180-grain bullet on elk, so that's part of my reasoning for the '06 over the .308.

I'm not knocking the 6.5s or 7s, but I'm really sorta down on magnumitis.

I'm sort of big on practice with plinkers, to work on eye/trigger-finger coordination. A really good plinker load for an '06 is 20 grains of 2400 and whatever cheap bullet you can find. 100-grain Carbine, lead gas check, or most any old stray bullet lying on the loading bench.

Getting all married up with a rifle that's chambered for almost any of the usual deer cartridges is far more useful than messin' with magnums.

[Shawnee]

+1 for Skinewmexico's idea. Get a fun deer gun in a deer caliber and get good with it so you can actually enjoy your hunting while you save up for a rifle in a caliber that is appropriate for much larger game.

In one of his hunting books the late, great Jack O'Conner made the comment: "The first two Grizzlies I shot with my .270 hit the ground so hard they bounced."

Think about that. ;)

:cool:

[skinewmexico]

Never a bad thing to work towards a solution that involves having to buy more guns.

[hobgob]

Thanks for the advice all! The .280 remington is interesting, just did some reading on it. Too bad the sps doesnt come in .280. Anyway, I will take the advice here and hopefully end up with a great rifle! thanks!

[Legionnaire]

Lots of new and fancy cartridges out there. But I'd recommend the .30-06, unless you plan to hump mountains on foot, in which case I'd opt for a lightweight, short action .308 (i.e., Remington Model Seven).

[Henry T]

Hobnob, hope I am not too late to post. You got a lot of good advice here, and I like premiumsauses and skinewmexico's ideas. For "one rifle" no question, the venerable, enduring, ever popular 30-06 is the best and most versatile. I chose a rem .280 over the 06 because it has a flatter trajectory, with only a slight trade off in energy, and the recoil is noticeably easier. I love to shoot it. I have used many bullets in it but found the Nosler 150 grain partition very effective. Me, I like the sentiment, "I like the solution that requires me to buy another rifle." I love them. I love to shoot them. I buy each one for a special characteristic. I am now saving up for my next, which will probably be an elk/moose rifle (even though my .280 would probably do.) Finally, before buying a magnum, shoot 20 rounds at a bench rest and then see if you still want a magnum. It's fun to read about them and their power, but I'm glad it is the other guy shooting them (as long as he is not in the next booth to me at the rifle range, especially with a muzzle brake.) Happy shooting, and happy hunting.

[koja48]

Hob,

Forget about the testosterone calibers and go with an '06, .280, .270 or something similar. Awesome power is awesome power . . . being able to place a round where you want it to go consistently is crucial. Accuracy is paramount . . . the critter really doesn't care what round hit it . . . you do & "hit it" is the operative phrase.

[hobgob]

Thanks for all the advice! Picked up an sps stainless in 30-06. Cabelas had a sale on em. came with a camo stock, cabelas 4X12X40 scope + plus hardshell case and sling. Im pretty happy, cant wait to shoot it!

[koja48]

And a fine choice of caliber it is. Enjoy!

[whiskey]

Glad to hear you got one in 30-06!