Ok magnum hunters, recommend me one.

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wankerjake

wankerjake

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Ok here's the scoop. My brother-in-law wants to buy a hunting rifle, and he's looking hard at the magnums. He seems to want most a 300 short mag or a 270 short mag. His goal is to buy an all around rifle for both deer and elk. I know this has been beat to death and I've searched a lot and found a lot of conflicting stuff. The hard part is that he eventually wants to have two rifles, one for deer and one for elk. But for now he wants one that will do both for a few years. Of course I'm an ogre and tell him to get a 30-06 and invest in a good scope, but he wants more gun. He is a giant (6'5" and 325 pounds) so recoil is not a problem. I think a 7mm mag would be pretty adequate for him, or a 300 win mag at the top end. I'm trying to steer him away from the short mags because I'll be reloading for him and the brass is just so much more common and less expensive... but he is really intrigued by the short mags. Some guy at work plants this seed.
Anyway, my biggest question after reading other posts are:
Why a 7mm mag over the 270 WSM for elk? Ballistics seem to favor the 270WSM though they are slight, but recommendations for elk favor the 7mm.

I persist that the only advantage of a magnum at all is in 300+ yard situations, in which case they'll all work. And a 300 mag will destroy an 80lb Coues deer.

Basically, any input on what you shoot and why you like it would be helpful. I get by with my 30-06 and .243, so I guess I'm not much help to him. I don't think there is a clear cut right answer, but I told him I'd start a post. We appreciate any advice. Gracias amigos!
 
Get an AR with a 1:7 Twist.

Load him some accurate 70+/- grain Barnes TSX or Nosler Partition.

Get some 20 round magazines and some 5 round magazines. For the 5-Rounders, I go with OEM as they fit better and drop right out when empty upon pressing the magazine release button.

Have yourself a blast.

Get the Magnum for his second gun he wants to get.
 
Yea, I would agree, nothing wrong with the 300 WSM except for the brass being harder to come by and more expensive than that of a 300 Win. Mag. The 270 WSM would have the additional disadvantages of less penetration and not as generous selections of bullets.

The advice to get a 30/06 was good advice since it would do deer and elk just fine. Your friend, however, seems stuck on the magnum idea. For the best in bullet selection, available brass and performance, I would steer your friend to the 300 Win. Mag.

If your friend is the thinking type, you might ask him about the 458 Win. Mag. as opposed to the 458 Lott. The latter isn't called a magnum yet trounces the 458 Win. Mag. Similarly, you could give the example of the 222 Remington Magnum vs the 22-250; once again the one not called a magnum handily beats the other one. The magnum part is only a name and doesn't predict performance.

As for the WSMs, RCMs, etc., though I don't deny they work, they were entirely unneeded and just a marketing gimmick.
 
270 WSM...not too big for deer and good enough for elk if he does his part.

300 win mag/wsm can be a bit much for smaller deer and just great for elk

Id go for a 270 wsm for deer and antelope and if he want some big boomer try a 338 mag for elk. That will rattle your teeth!! Or he can go REAL big and get a 30-378 weatherby!!!!!!! That will shake you to your bones!!
 
If he is set on a mag. (nothing wrong with that) I would go for the older full length cartridge in 7mm or 300 if he doesn't intend to reload. The short mags will be tougher if not impossible to get factory ammo for in some places whereas the old 7mm and 300 are at most places that sell ammo.
 
The short mags will be tougher if not impossible to get factory ammo for in some places whereas the old 7mm and 300 are at most places that sell ammo.
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I got to agree with X-Rap. If your gun and ammo ever gets separated on a hunting trip,(and this happens a lot with airlines) you can buy 7-Mag & 300 Win-Mag at convenience stores in small towns in Texas. For many years a 7-Mag was my only rifle. I now split my hunting between a 7mm-08 and a .270 Win. Your friend is going to have to buy for himself, what ever makes him happy at the time. I personally don't see the short mags standing the test of time, but then, what do I know?
 
My preferred is a 700 in 7mag....a 160 Nosler partition will work just fine

That being said:
because I'll be reloading for him
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Let HIM reload his ammo on your equipment - when he sees the costs, etc. it might help change his mind
 
I have the 300WSM and it all depends on where you are hunting. the 300WSM is great if your not going to shoot over 300 yards. I use mine for bear and when I am hunting in thick trees. I have a 300 ulta mag and it is great on elk I love this gun. it's flat shooting out to 500 yards with tons of knock down power out to 800 yards.
I also use a 270 win and a 7mm mag. the 270 if for deer when I am in the the thick trees for deer and the 7mm mag out in the high dessert for the big Mulies. But before I started using four guns I used a 30-06 165gr round and killed everything from a rabbit to an elk. if your brother in-law is just looking for one gun go with a nice 30-06 with a good scope.
 
With the 7 mag you won't have to sweat finding brass, it's a magnum, and has plenty of quality bullets available.
 
Love the 300 win mag, easy to handload and lots of factory options if you don't wan't to handload. I had the chance to shoot 300wsm and 300wm back to back less than a week ago and recoil is the same IMHO both ruger rifles. I shot deer and elk with 30-06 for 10 years and never had a problem but I switched to the 300wm for a little more energy and flatter shooting. But it kicks more and weighs more. I guess because I grew up shooting elk with a 30 cal round I just like it more than 270 or 7mm for elk but thats just me.
 
Opinions are like belly buttons- everybody has one. Heres mine. You don't need a 30 cal. mag. to kill elk. I shoot a 270 Win. I have never had any trouble killing elk with it. My brother shoots a 25-06. He has killed everything with it from mice to elk. In my opinion, the 25-06 is on the light side for elk. My brother shoots his 25-06 year round. He is a cool and deadly shot with that rifle killing elk at ranges verified with a range finder at over 500 yards. My recommendation is get a rifle with recoil that you can tolerate and then shoot it enough to get good with it.
A 270, 30-06, 7MM Mag. will work for all but the most extreme situations. Recoil produced by these calibers is manageable to most shooters.
 
Well if I just HAD to have something with "magnum" in the arbitrary name given to it by its maker/hyper/seller, for an all-arounder, I'd probably run with 7mm REMINGTON magnum, but the .270 WSM and 7mm WSM look interesting as all-arounders.

killzone, chas08, oneounceload, deepsouth, mc gunner, and blackops:

What in the holy living hell is a

"7 mag"
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that you guys keep referring to? Sure can't find that one in my reloading books. Would that be 7mm Weatherby, Winchester Short, RUM, Dakota, or STW? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
.375 holland and holland. Tell him if he wants something bigger start looking for something with wheels and a pull cord on it.
 
My '06 has served me well for many years. It's never failed me on elk, deer, bear, boar, etc. It is a little overkill for squirrels however.
 
My all-time favorite do-it-all magnum is the 30-06.
Oh wait! It's not a magnum.

But it does do it all, without kicking my fillings out..

rc
 
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