Best caliber for CO

[diverdman]

Hey guys, i just came back from a week and a half of vacation time out in Colorado. I have various calibers from a .243 Winchester, .35 Remington to a .300 Winchester Magnum. Im lookin to move out there soon (hopefully), and i wanted to get yalls opinion on what caliber i should get next. My .243 aint exactly for long range shootin by no means nor is my .35 Rem. The only caliber i actually have for distance will be the .300 Win Mag, but ammo for that caliber is getting expensive like all magnum ammo. Any ideas? 30-06 or .308?

 

[1948CJ2A]

Depends on what you're wanting to do/hunt....

 

[Robert]

I have a 45-70 and a 375H&H that I use, have used or will use, for hunting. I have my AR for competition and my milsurps for fun.

There is nothing in the state that 30-06 or 308 can't take as far as hunting goes. Your 300 Win Mag would work just fine too. The 243 would work on Mule Deer and other similar sized game like Prong Horn. And the 35 would work for deer as well, up closeish.

 

[GJgo]

There is absolutely nothing else you *need*. Well, unless you want to hunt small game during big game season then you'll need a rifle 22 cal or smaller..

I recommend getting here & perusing the LGSs to search for something you *want*. I thnk you may see some things you aren't used to seeing back home.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Nothing you can't hunt with that brace of rifles.

I'd say the .243 is light for Elk, though on paper its legal.

I've used a .30-06 for everything, though I haven't hunted moose or bighorn sheep or mouantain goat.

 

[Texan Scott]

I know a fair number of guys who aren't happy without the latest superdooper magnumy caliber. fact is, i really only know one guy who A) can actually shoot and HIT at ranges long enough to justify them AND B) can afford to go places (like Colorado) where big game can be had at those ranges. (in the Hill Country, with all the rocks, trees, hills, arroyos, and cedar scrub, if you're shooting ovr 300 yds, it's hilltop to hilltop, and you're probably shooting onto somebody else's land anyway...)

You might be one of those very gifted and lucky individuals (i know i'm not). If so, you might NEED a .375 Ruger or something.... but most guys can't overshoot a .30-06.

Then again, maybe i'm a bit quarrelsome because I'm jealous of your .35 Rem.

 

[Abel]

You have everything you need. But a 270 or 30-06 would round out the lineup pretty good. Sell the 300 Win Mag if you can't afford to shoot her.

 

[hardluk1]

You want something cheaper to shoot in a hunting rifle . Not a play rifle. How many rounds would you shot a year for a hunting rifle. Might be time to reload your own.

Let pick 3 cartidges useing cabela's pricing and hornady's superformance ammo line
243 95gr SST $27.99
308 165gr SST $29.99
300 wm 180gr SST $ 37.99 for a grand difference of .50cent around

If you use remington cor3-lokt the prices run from 19.95 to 19.99 and 27.95 for a lower overall cost a .40cents a round difference.

You will find for most of use hunters our rifles don't get shot that much outside of hunting season .
Drag it out before the season and shoot half a box to besure all is right and that still give you ammo for the season.

Now if you simply want another caliber for small game or as a back up ?? We all should have atleast one. Use what is legal and responcable but don't expect cheap shooting unless you buy a really good .22lr or 17hmr for year round fun and to keep you sharp. The 17 hmr makes for a fine varment gun too at some ranges that can impress. Look at CZ or savage

 

[tc54]

sell or trade the 300 win mag and buy/trade for a 30-06. get some 180gr rem core-lokts at wmt and you are set. thousands of folks use that combo in co every year. if you reloaded, you could load that 300 down to 30-06 levels.

 

[elrowe]

+1! Spend the "rifle money" on a good set of reloading gear and you'll have less expensive (no such thing as cheap) ammo for ALL of your centerfire chamberings. Use the 300WM with 165 or 180gr bullets at 30-06 velocities and your rifle will probably become more accurate as the harmonics decrease too. Flinching less will probably be an added benefit also if you're soft shouldered like I am.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I do all my big game hunting with a .25-06 and an 8mm Rem Mag, which are just a notch above the .243 and .300 Win Mag, respectively. I have many others, but these are my go-to rifles.

You don't need anything else for big game. I mean, don't let that stop you from getting something different if you want and can afford it. But you do have your bases covered. The .243 is excellent for speed goats and deer, the .300 WM is plenty for elk and moose.

.280 Rem is a great do-all cartridge, but somewhat limited in bullet selection for the non-handloader.

 

[brnmuenchow]

I would go with a .30-'06, .308 Win., or even a .270 Win. all would be great choices. Personally the only difference I see in the .30-'06 vs. a .308 Win. would be at longer distances out beyond 800+ yds. in terms of accuracy and power. The overall power and accuracy for both are very close.

 

[Moose458]

The .300 Win Mag is a great rifle for that country, and you can buy a lot of ammo for the cost of another rifle that won't do what the .300 will. Also if you shoot a lot, you should get into reloading.

 

[jmr40]

The 300 mag is about perfect if you can shoot it well and if it ain't a tank. Any of the popular calibers will work fine, but the 300 will do it at longer range if you are skilled enough. You may find it to be heavier than you want to lug around in the mountains at 9,000 feet, but that depends on the individual rifle.

If you are just looking for an excuse to buy something new my personal favories are either a Kimber 84M in 308 or Winchester Featherweight in 30-06 or 270. Much lighter and easier to carry, mine shoot dime sized groups at 100 yards and have enough power for anything I'll be hunting and at any range I'll be shooting.

 

[MCMXI]

my personal favories are either a Kimber 84M in 308 or Winchester Featherweight in 30-06 or 270

I won't suggest a cartridge since the .300 WM is one of my all-time favorites but I will say that I couldn't agree more with the Kimber recommendation. I think I've found the perfect hunting rifle in the Kimber Montana whether it's an 8400 WSM, 8400 Magnum, 84M or 84L. I recently bought an 8400 WSM chambered in .300 WSM and it's nothing short of amazing (no pun intended). I haven't felt this good about a rifle purchase since I bought my Accuracy Iternational AWs.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

The only caliber i actually have for distance will be the .300 Win Mag, but ammo for that caliber is getting expensive like all magnum ammo. Any ideas?

Yep. Start rolling your own, then there will be very little price difference between it and the others.
If I were hunting Colorado and I had a .300 WM, and I shot it well, that's what I would take, hands down.

 

[diverdman]

I really want to hunt all of the wildlife (elk, pronghorn, mule deer, mountain goats, bear, and mountain lion) I know my 300 will be over kill close range, and my .35 is my brush gun, .243 is more along the line of 200 yd shots against deer. Just wanted yalls opinion on what caliber y'all would take. My 300 is an old Remington 700 CDL and ain't light by no means. What bout a Tikka T3 Lite in a 30-06 or .300?

 

[CoRoMo]

That's not all of our big game. What about bighorn sheep, moose, whitetail deer?

I use one of several .270 Winchesters in my collection.

 

[Meeteetse]

All of the calibers you currently own will do just fine for any of the Rocky Mtn. states unless they are all long barreled heavy rifles. If they are, I suggest buying a lighter mountain rifle in either .308(my preference) 30/06 (great all around cartridge) or the .270. One of the biggest things you are going to run into is the altitude coming from GA to the Rockies. Once you get here and become adjusted one of your current guns may work. Unless you want another gun, hunting in the Rockies does not require some specialized magnum flame thrower, in fact, simpler is better and often cheaper.

 

[Fremmer]

If you shoot the 300 mag well, it will work for everything.
It doesn't matter, you'll never see animals there during the season because of all the new people moving there, lol. Too many hunters.

 

[IdahoSkies]

My Father-in-law has hunted colorado for decades and has done quite well with his .270. Your 30-06 will be just fine. Your better off making sure you have a good set of shooting sticks, a great pair of binoculars, and a good multipower scope. Out west your glass is probably more important than the rifle you shoot.

 

[diverdman]

I think that I'm goin to buy a .308 on a AR Platform, probably a DPMS. Still a thought, but cant ever go wrong with a bolt action. Winchester M70 or Browning X-Bolt will be the two bolt actions ill look at.

 

[Fremmer]

Try a lighter bolt action for hoofing around the mountains. Jmho.

Edited to add : how much does an ar-10 weigh, anyway? Lol

 

[Jimro]

A single stage press, a set of LEE RGB dies, a cheap powder scale, a LEE trim guide and cutter set, you can get set up to reload for 300 Win Mag for under a C note. That will pay for itself inside of three boxes of ammo.

I've never had to buy 300 Win Mag brass, there has always been plenty of range pickups for me.

If you insist on not reloading, then selling the magnum and picking up a 30-06 is the way to go.

Jimro

 

[Kachok]

Light weight rifle in 30-06 or 308 is a good call, I would look at the Savage and Tikka rifles, both are light weight, reliable, and highly accurate in my experience. I lean to the 30-06 over the 308 for larger game since it can handle heavier bullets, but that said I don't think any elk can stand up to a bonded 180gr which the 308 can still handle reasonably well.