Caliber Selection - Bolt Gun
- Thread starter rduchateau2954
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rduchateau2954
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I'll take a harder look at the 6.5. I know it's an amazing round, I just hesitate to pick a 140gr bullet to throw at elk.
I have both 260 and 6.5x47, I'd go 260AI if you are leaning towards the 6.5s for elk. Just a bit more speed to deliver a bit more energy.
Of course I also have 280; which is also in play. Standard or in AI for elk.
Coltdriver
Member
Sounds to me like you need two rifles. One to shoot a lot and one to hunt with.
You shoot a hunting rifle a lot and you will burn out the barrel in short order. Few people have the patience to let a barrel cool down between rounds and a 300 WSM or any overbore hunting round will burn the throat out if you abuse it with a lot of shooting in a single sitting.
So go get a single shot 45 70 and shoot the heck out of it. I think 45 70 is one of the most fun rounds out there. But, depending on the load and your rifle, they have a heck of an arc much past 100 yards. You can shoot Leverevolution 325 grain rounds out to 200 yards but thats about it.
I would recommend a .270 for your hunting rifle. They shoot pretty flat out to 300 yards and are great elk rifles. There are lots of choices there from utilitarian to pricey. And right after hunting season there are a lot of them available used. Just make sure you take a good hard look at the throat so that you don't get one thats already shot out.
You shoot a hunting rifle a lot and you will burn out the barrel in short order. Few people have the patience to let a barrel cool down between rounds and a 300 WSM or any overbore hunting round will burn the throat out if you abuse it with a lot of shooting in a single sitting.
So go get a single shot 45 70 and shoot the heck out of it. I think 45 70 is one of the most fun rounds out there. But, depending on the load and your rifle, they have a heck of an arc much past 100 yards. You can shoot Leverevolution 325 grain rounds out to 200 yards but thats about it.
I would recommend a .270 for your hunting rifle. They shoot pretty flat out to 300 yards and are great elk rifles. There are lots of choices there from utilitarian to pricey. And right after hunting season there are a lot of them available used. Just make sure you take a good hard look at the throat so that you don't get one thats already shot out.
Sheepdog1968
Member
Since you reload, any of the classic bolt action deer rifle cartridges (243, 260, 270, 308,) is what I,would go with. Or the new 6.5 Creedmore which seems to be really versatile. If one of those classic deer cartridges cost much less to reload because it uses much less powder per shot then I'd probably choose that.
Then again, you mentioned lever actions. I could see going with a 38/357 one. Would be a hoot to shoot, economical, and good enough on deer.
Then again, you mentioned lever actions. I could see going with a 38/357 one. Would be a hoot to shoot, economical, and good enough on deer.
alientrainwreck
Member
I say 30-06 , Ackley improve it if you wanna be a little different and also the superformance powder really does well in the 06 and it really makes the 06AI Worthwhile. Mine equals a 300H&H . But practically just the 30-06 will do most anything and if you get stuck away from your reloading table just about everybody that sells ammo will have 06 and .308 nowadays to.
alientrainwreck
Member
Ya the louder the muzzle brake the better job it does it's just the nature of the beast. I got a surefire break on my AR-10 .308 and I can't tell a difference between it and my AR-15'S But you need earplugs when you go shooting or you'll be Done after two shots, I bought a Blast Deflector for mine it really helps.
You don't need a new rifle...... You need two.
Fun gun with practical use= Marlin 444. A re-loaders cartridge in a lever gun and I think you'll have a hard time finding something funner. It may just be me but when I think fun gun I don't think of bolt guns. I see a bolt gun and see a useful precision tool. I look at a lever and see a brush gun/ milk jug destroyer.
444 marlin covers 3/4 of what your looking for. Distance will be slightly debated, but not a long range gun.
Fun gun with practical use= Marlin 444. A re-loaders cartridge in a lever gun and I think you'll have a hard time finding something funner. It may just be me but when I think fun gun I don't think of bolt guns. I see a bolt gun and see a useful precision tool. I look at a lever and see a brush gun/ milk jug destroyer.
444 marlin covers 3/4 of what your looking for. Distance will be slightly debated, but not a long range gun.
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