What large caliber rifle should i get?

Im thinking of getting a larger caliber rifle then what i have..Only rifles i have are .22,7.62x39,30-06,and 12 gauge,,I live in Oregon in the woods but not anywere where i see bear or anything that big..See deer all the time.IM not into hunting just into shooting..I really want a gun that could take down a big animal if needed..Any suggestions are appreciated..Was thinking 375 h&h mag but not sure if thats big enuff..The bigger the recoil the better :)

Just any suggestions are helpfull..Thanks as always

OH, thats easy, you want a .50 BMG :D

But really, for somthing that you can pack around and shoot. Think of a .338 Lapua Mag or a 458 Win mag

Your .30-06 or 12 gauge should be fine "if needed."
Get a .50 if you just want more.

I bought a Ruger #1 Tropical in .416 Rigby without having a "real" use for it - just "recoil therapy" and fun.

It's become one of my favorites - great fun and highly recommended. Plus, I can shoot it at a range 5 miles from me as opposed to a .50BMG which requires a 70 mile road trip (one way), night at a motel, etc.

45-70 Lever action.

Check out the Marlin lever action in .45-70 or .444 Marlin.

I do enjoy my 1874 replica Sharps Sporting Rifle in .45-70...would like to try a .45-120!:evil:

In .45-70. 405gr bullets, 2000fps. Yee-Haa!

http://mauser98.com/rugerbenchsmall.jpg

I'd opt for the 45/70 also given the choices and terrain. You aren't going to run into anything that you can't handle with your other weapons where you intend to roam. If you ever plan on taking elk at long range or maybe Alaskan Fare, you might want to consider the 338 or 375. The reason I'd go for the 45/70 lever is that it does less blood-shot damage to the animal. The 338 is nice because it usually anchors the animal where it's hit or at the very least you'll have a large, short blood trail to follow!

You didn't mention budget, class of rifle, or if you handload. If you like autoloaders you can get .50 Beowulf cal uppers to fit AR-15's. This carridge is largely a handloading proposition, though.

A .338 win mag is a safe choice, and useful for deer, as well. Ditto the .35 Whelan. The .375 H&H has been hammering game for 90 years, and is a grand old cartridge. All three of these calibers are powerful, practical, and available in medium priced rifles. Factory ammo is pretty easy to come by in the 338 & .375, a bit harder in the .35 Whelan.

Shop around, you can probably find some used .340, .378, or .460 Wheatherbys under $1000. These are stout guns to handle, whether for recoil, or for cost of shooting.

I have a Ruger #1 like Gewher's, except in .375 H&H, and it is nice shooting rifle. A bit hard to hold with full power loads, but extremely accurate with lighter handloads. You can also find them in .458 Winchester, .416 Rigby, .416 Remington, and .405 Winchester. The latter is a handloading proposition. Browning also has a cool .45-70 single shot, but expensive.

In lever guns, there are medium priced .348 Winchesters, .375 Winchesters, .444 Marlins, and .45-70 Marlins. It's pretty easy to find imported Sharps single shot replicas under $1000 - most are in .45-70, some in other calibers.

Lastly, a couple of eccentrics - the .358 Winchester, which is a .308 case necked up to .35 cal - available, but not common, in a variety of rifles. Not much kick, but it still makes big holes. Remington also now has out a re-issue of its .350 Remington magnum, which is more of the same, basically.

Thought this was a simple question, huh?
:D

Well I really can't add anything to good advice already given. I'd just like to throw my 2 cents in with another vote for the .375H&H.

Shoots as flat as your 06. Easy to feed and strikes games like Thors Hammer. Possibly the best Elk round ever invented and a great big game round as well.

And of course all of the other suggestions are good too!

I recomend you get a different one each month untill you've collected them all.

Thats been my plan

I own the following

M-70 .375H&H
M-70 .458Lott
1895 .45-70
BSC .470NE

I hope that this is not a sign of my trying to compensate for something.:uhoh:

You want something bigger than a 12 gauge shotgun?!!! :what:

A .700 Double Nitro Express, perhaps? 8 gauge shotgun? I don't know, there's not a whole lot of civilian stuff around that's got a bigger bore than a 12 gauge.

Is an 8 guage legal?

For you guys that suggested the 45-70..How much bigger is the cartridge to a 30-06.Or how is the recoil vs the 06..I ask because i have never fired one..Thanks

8 gauge shotguns are NOT legal for birds, as far as I know. 8 gauge rifles are a whole breed unto themselves, and still do pretty much what they were intended to do 120 years ago.:D

A good shootable 8 gauge rifle will probably cost you at least $10,000, or more. They are interesting guns but are basically museum pieces. Look up the old articles in Double Gun Journal for more info.

and to answer on the .45-70 - with mild loads it probably kicks about like a .30-06, but makes bigger holes. Short range caliber.

With high powered loads, fired in a modern single shot or lever action rifle though, it is about 3/4 of a .458, and that's a lot!

Couple years ago, one of the Russian manufacturers was advertising a pump action 4-gauge!! Baikal, I think. Ammo isn't commercially available, but brass, with paper body, was. Think you can take that? ;)

I would shoot anything once :)

.338 Lapua Magnum, out of most rifles (26" tube) has the ability to carry the 300gr SMKs out to 2000yards or more, and remain supersonic.

About the same as the .50BMG actually.


Though the latter of course has MUCH more muzzle energy (and downrange energy...)

The .338 is north of 5,000lb/ft at the muzzle though, that's not messing around.

i picked 375H&H for my next step from .30, and have been very happy with it. .338 isn't a very big step up in bullet weight and energy, but .375 gives you many more options.

45-70 is a short-range round, and I wanted something suitable for open country too.

The Weatherby round has impressive claimed numbers, but have you checked the ammo prices? They're unbelievably high. Also, I've seen lots of suggestions that Weatherby's claimed numbers may be a little "optimistic."

And you can get .375H&H ammo anywhere.

I just bought an 1895 about ten days ago. I've wanted a .45-70 for about ten years now. I just love the round and the history that goes with it. I reload so I can make it just as hot or mild as I want. Great rifle!

Mark

45-70 is a short-range round, and I wanted something suitable for open country too.

The .45-70 has a rainbow trajectory, that much is true. It still carries enough energy, even in the light Trapdoor Springfield loadings, to knock over steel buffalo silhouettes at 800-1000 yards. A typical mild Trapdoor load, say 405gr @ 1500fps, still delivers over 1000 ft-lbs of energy on a 250 yard target.

There's a reason those old Sharps rifles had tall vernier sights behind the actions. You just have to learn how to shoot the .45-70, it's not like the laser bug-zapper magnums the gun rags promote. ;)

Thanks for all the sugestions guys.Im curious to out of what has been suggested what has the biggest kick..And i should of stated in my first post that i dont want to spend over 1500 dollars...Heck even if it was under 1000 i would be happy..As always thanks for your time.

Have you seen the new 405 Winchesters?

375 H&H, 416 Rigby, 9.3x62, 404 Jefferies, Large Medium Bore
475 Nitro Express, Large Bore

The absolute cheapest is probably the CZ-550 in the 9.3 I think these are right around $500

If you crave recoil may I suggest the .577 T. Rex 11,000 lbs of energy in a 13.6 lb rifle, see video below:

http://www.accuratereloading.com/videos.html

Of all the the things listed I'd have to say that the .416Rigby in a #1 would have to be the hardest kicking. Followed by a HOT loaded 1895 in .45-70.

Of course the 8bore may well be the king but I've never shot one.

All of the 50BMGs I've shot have been pussy cats because of the massive parachute breaks they have but they are LOUD!!!!!!!!!!

If I could only have one caliber it would the 9.3x62mm Mauser. I have a CZ 550 FS and it's my pick over my 06, 8mm 308 etc. Load to top end it will take any north american game load down and it can be used for whitetail. Besides it's something different. The 9.3x62 is basically a 06 shorten a hair and expanded to take a .366 dia. bullet. But make sure you reload as the cost of ammo is expensive compared the 06 etc.

Have a good day and remember to pray for our troops.

Turk

I could've bought a second Ruger #1, this one had been rechambered from .458 Win Mag to .458 Lott. The guy selling it had installed a Hartt's mercury recoil reducer, the jump from the .458 Win Mag to .458 Lott was just a bit much for his shoulder.

Thinking back on that, the .458 Lott should do quite well on thick-skinned or dangerous critters, perhaps just as well as the .416 Rigby, right? The price on that gentleman's .458 Lott #1 was reasonable, but that big round made me flinch just looking at it. A 500gr bullet moving at 2300fps. Big medicine!

When I load 405gr JSP's to 2100fps in my .45-70 #1, it pounds the living bejeezus out of me, hence me usually throttling them back to 2000fps. Which means it's almost suitable for dangerous game, although it's not a Nitro Express. I may just get one of those Hartt's mercury recoil thingies and give it a try.

Still one heck of a thumper, though:
http://www.rifleshootermag.com/rifleshooter/featured_rifles/RSbuff_1124B.jpg

You can find the CZ long actions in .375 H&H, 416 Rigby, and I think also the .458 Win. The rifles are reasonably priced, but very large. I read they are now bring them in with American style classic stocks, and so if true I know where I'm getting a .416 Rigby:)

Many of the Rugers & Remingtons I've seen recently are far too heavy for the caliber. Yes these are powerful rifles, but a 375 or 416 is meant to be carried more than shot and don't need to weigh 11 pounds. The Ruger Express rifle is an elegant piece, but far too heavy.

My next step up from 375H&H was a 458 -
surprisingly enough, the 458 is one of the most versatile cartridges around.
Available bullet weights for handloading, last I checked, run from 300 to 600 grains - not too many rifle cartridges allow a 2;1 range without going to sabots.

I got an English Whitworth for under 1000, but CZs and some others are in that price range. Also (as with .454 etc.) you'll often see like-new used pieces that got sold before their first boxful!

And you can load 458 down to 45-70 levels if you want, but you can't load 45-70 up to 458.

I'd say that 458 is still a short-range round, but it's less limited than 45-70.

And my hat's off to the gentleman who can hit silhouette targets at 1000 yards with a 45-70, but i don't quite see the relevance of that to hunting.

kind of off topic but I have heard stories about a 2 bore shotgun, which equates to 2 guage in american terms. Read an article of a guy hunting buffalo in africa with one.

My vote would be the .375 H&H.....

If you wanna spend the dough, go with a .338 lapua......the shells for the lapua are running more than .50 BMG right now though.

Brett

And my hat's off to the gentleman who can hit silhouette targets at 1000 yards with a 45-70, but i don't quite see the relevance of that to hunting.

In other words, NRA Blackpowder Cartridge Rifle Silhouette competition. Heavy steel targets shot offhand, at ranges out to 500 meters. The Creedmoor matches move their Bisley targets out to 900 and 1000 yards.

http://www.digisys.net/bayside/personal/quigley/quigley.html


What does this present-day competition have to do with hunting? A lot. How do you suppose the vast American Buffalo herds got wiped out so efficiently in the late 1800's? Sharps, Remington-Hepburns, Remington Rolling Blocks, Trapdoor Springfields, Winchester Hi-Walls, Winchester 1886's, and so forth, pushing 500gr lead bullets via blackpowder cartridge loads ranging from .45-70 up to .45-90 and even .45-110. Then there were the .50 calibers, too. Using those tall vernier sights on the single-shot blackpowder big bores, they were able to drop buffaloes at ranges way out there. That says a lot for the shooting skills of our forefathers. Just like the 500-meter battle zero on the Springfield 1903 rifle. ;)

Gewehr,

here's the deal on a .458Lott VS a 416Rigby. the .416 will do anything a .458Lott will do. the .458lott will just do it harder.

There is a noticeable difference when you swat a buff in the shoulder with a 500gr soft vs a 400gr soft at simular velocity. And there is a noticable difference on bull elephant as well. I've seen a lot floor a good sized bull with a shoulder shot.

That being said however unless your planning on hunting bull elephant in the thick jess a .416 will do anything you need it to.

And I wouldn't feel undergunned with a .416Rigby under any circumstance I'd just feel better with a Lott under some circumstances.

As far a recoil goes. I've got to tell you I can't tell all that much difference between hot loaded .416rigby and a .458Lott. Now when you hot load a Lott and try to push it over 2300FPS it gets a little violent. I load my Lott to about 2200FPS and it is a healthy recoil yet not unmanagable. If your stock fits you and is the correct shape for a heavy it is really surprisingly comfortable.


A .470NE in well fitted 11LB double is a pleasure to shoot. Just kind of rocks you back. Of course its pushing a 510gr bullet at 2150fps and utilizing 35,000cup psi where the lott is doing just a hair more at like 55,000cup. I believe that the Rigby should be a lower pressure round as well as large as it is.. But I'm not sure??

You can learn to shoot a Lott just don't go fro a light weight rifle. Mine weighs 9lbs and has no recoil reducing stuff on it. I wouldn't want it any lighter.

I also believe that the perfect one gun battery africa is any one of the .416's or a .404 pick your falvor, with a low power variable on it. Pretty much covers all your bases.

I personally always bring an iron sighted heavy and a scopped .375H&H. Just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside......