Good rifle for really flat country

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300WM is way overkill for 200 yard shots.
Sounds like between the 308 & 300WM, the 308 would be the much better choice.
- cheaper ammo
- much less recoil
- lighter rifle
Get a decent range finder and you won't have to as much about flat trajectory.
Several people have mentioned the 270. That is my absolute favorite all around caliber. I've shot many a whitetail with a 270 and dropped all but one in their tracks. They have very light recoil, lots off ammo selection and will kill everything you're talking about hunting.
IMO the ability of the shooter is more important than the caliber at those ranges. The larger calibers are more difficult, for most, to shoot accurately because of the recoil - causes flinching and other bad habits. Stick to a light recoil round and practice good shot placement.
Happy hunting.
 
30-06 and 270 are both really good at those ranges, like Art said it's really about practicing.
 
I vote for a good 270 WBY mag. I built mine on a Sako action with a 25.5" Pac Nor barrel. With WBY factory loads it moves 130 grain bullets out at 3395 FPS. Shoot very flat, hits like lightning, recoil is fairly mild with the 130s.
 
300WM is way overkill for 200 yard shots.
Click to expand...

Jlg you believe this on elk as well? Deer maybe true but elk is a different story.

Eitherway.. 6.5,7mm anything will be wonderful..
 
Factory Ammo ballistics

____________150gr_________________180gr____________130gr
___________7mm Mag_______________300WM___________.270
Yards

100___________0_____________________0________________0
200_________-2.6___________________-2.9______________-2.3
300_________-10____________________-10.7_____________-8.9
400_________-19.5__________________-22.9______________-19.5


This is according to Winchester's ballistics on their Ballistic Silver Tip ammo. I shoot the Silver Tips in my 7mm Mag and .270 for whitetail. My 300WM will be eating some 165gr BT Spitzers this hunting season.
For elk hunting, I would fee more secure with a belted Magnum. This will give you a bit more recoil, but will also give you some more OOMPFF on the opposite end. Ballistically, there isn't much difference between these 3 calibers in their flight pattern. But their energy downrange has some difference in variation. Obviously, the bigger the bullet, the more energy. So between these 3 calibers with their weight, the 300WM wins with around 400 ft/lbs of energy more than the 7mm Mag.

Meat damage? Probably. But shot placement is the key. Usually, lighter bullets at their best performance will tear meat to shreds. A heavier, deeper penetration bullet might keep it from tumbling or fragmenting a lot when it hits.
 
For value, utility, and function; Get either the .257WbyMag or .270WbyMag.

Having owned, reloaded, and shot most of the recommended rifles/calibers by the other posters, I think you'll find to above two to be most to your liking.

The .257WbyMag may be a tad on the light side for elk, but It'll work.

A friend has a .270WbyMag in a MkV, and has taken a number of LARGE Elk with it and no complaints (Factory ammo w/150gr Nosler Part.).

I have a Vanguard (Howa action w/24"bbl), and it is amazing. I prefer heavier bullets as it's more accurate with them with the "cheap" loads I've using. I form my brass from range picups in 7mmMag. Single pass through the die, and presto, .257mag brass. I'm also using WC-860 which is a .50BMG surplus powder that I bought for $25/8lbs. I shoot my .257wby for less than it costs to shoot my .257Robt.

The .257 and .270Wby mags are enjoying greater popularity now than ever with the intro of the Vanguard in these superb cartridges.

Don't believe the negative hype associated with them. The reputed barrel wear is no worse than that of the .22-250, (got one of those too!) that is the darling of the long range prararie dog shooters.

With a 100gr bullet, I'm getting over 3,500fps. 2"high at 100, 2"high at 200, 4" low at 300yds. Sub-moa accuracy.

About what you're looking for ???
 
I don't know what YOUR maximum, relalistic range is, but I would choose a 7X57 Mauser. It doesn't shoot like a lazer, but it is relatively flat. It is idea for deer and antelope, and I have shot two elk as well, each being clean one-shot kills. And the ballistic coefficiency (very important in long distance shooting), with a 160 gr. bullet is excellent-much like what you find with a 6.5 X55 Swede. I truly think a 7X57 is the greatest round ever developed. So that would be MY choice.

I would also like to add that I normally don't like to take shots over 300 yards. I take great pride in my accuracy and clean, one-shot kills. There are MANY variables over 300-350 yards, with trajectory being just one. Sometime, look at how much a bullet drifts in a 10 mph wind at 500 yards. It is really amazing. Furthermore, especially in open country, the wind tends to do multiple things over a 500 yard distance. At that range it sounds neat, but in a hunting situation people just don't (because they can't)make good shots consistently. And that creates an unethical situation. And there it is...my $.02.
 
If you spare cash laying around begging to be spent I'd go with the .338 Lapua. If not..the 300 Win Mag.

I certainly wish I had your "predicament" of living in New Mexico with plenty of flat land. :eek:
 
The .308 will do as well as anything else. No matter what you're using, ya gotta know the trajectory, once Mr. Critter is out past 250 or 300 yards. If you know the distance, and have learned the drop for that distance, all you have to worry about is wind and your own skill.

The main thing is to do enough shooting to get "all married up" with your rifle. After that, if you can see it, you can kill it. No point in beating your shoulder to death during the ceremony.
Click to expand...

This is truth. Another thing thing to note is that you can find .308 practically anywhere that sells guns and ammo.
 
7mm mag. About the same recoil as a .30-06, and flat shooting. Packs alot of punch at long range, and shoots like a laser with 140 gr bullets :evil:
 
The OP said, "I found a good bolt action rifle with an ajustable trigger and 26inch barrel in two calibers; 300 win mag or 308 winchester."

The thread is about those two cartridges. It's not about all the other cartridges which have been mentioned. Nothing against the offerings, but they're irrelevant.
 
My vote: 7mm Rem Mag. Not as punishing as a 300 Win Mag and shoots very flat. I really enjoy mine. On a side note, I also have a 300 Win Mag but it spends most of its time in the safe.
 
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For typical game in that region, I'd say .308. If you were hunting where elk and big bears were around and allowed to be hunted, I'd say .300WM.
 
The .308 will do as well as anything else. No matter what you're using, ya gotta know the trajectory, once Mr. Critter is out past 250 or 300 yards. If you know the distance, and have learned the drop for that distance, all you have to worry about is wind and your own skill.

The main thing is to do enough shooting to get "all married up" with your rifle. After that, if you can see it, you can kill it. No point in beating your shoulder to death during the ceremony.
Click to expand...

Art knocked that one out of the park...truer words were never spoken.

I'm a hunter and a long range shooter...my caliber of choice is the 308.

Some will ask "But why...when there are so many other calibers that can do it "better"?

The answer...Because I do it better with a 308...most (but not all) people are the same...whether they want to admit it or not.

Get familiar with whatever caliber you choose....very familiar, then, as Art said...If you can see it, you can kill it.

You know the old saying...Beware of the man with 1 gun. Well, I have quite a few guns...but several of them are 308's.;)
 
Good plains, mountain and prairie calibers for pronghorn or target shooting.

As far as good calibers for the plains, mountain and the prairie goes, I've always thought that these were some of the better calibers out there. The top three (.260, 7mm-08 and the 6.5 Swede) would be good choices if the shooter is somewhat recoil sensitive.

  • .260 Rem
  • 7mm-08
  • 6.5X55 Swede
  • 25-06
  • 6.5-284 (one of the better competition calibers for a reason).
  • .257 Weatherby Magnum
  • .270 Win
  • 7mm Rem Mag
  • .280 Remington
  • 308 Win (It's not quite as flat shooting as some of the others, but match grade ammo is easy to find).
  • 30-06
  • .300 Win Mag
  • .300 Weatherby.
  • .338 Lapua
The highlighted ones would be my picks based on flat shooting performance at ranges past 300 yards, accurate and reasonably priced ammo availability and price of the rifle itself (for instance I'd love to get a 6.5 -284, but the rifles in which that caliber lives are WAY out of my price range). Plus the ammo would cost quite a bit more which would translate into less practice for me (which is absolutely neccessary if you actually want to be good with that rifle).

So I go with the calibers where I can actually afford to shoot them and where I actually enjoy shooting them.

Also as you can see I prefer the speedy 6.5's and 7mm cartridges since they're really flat shooting and (with the exception of the 7mm Rem Mag) since they recoil a little less than some of the others which means that I can shoot more, but there's nothing wrong with any of the .30 caliber cartridges up above at all. It's just based on my preference.
 
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Write down all the calibers suggested in this thread. Then see if you can find a way to shoot as many of them as you can. We have, or used to have, some ranges in this area that will rent you a gun to shoot on their range. You may find something similar where you are at. If you find one you like to shoot and that you are accurate with, buy that one. Then find out what that caliber will do and limit yourself to shots within that caliber's envelope.

If you can't hit the animal, all the energy in the world is wasted.

Then practice, practice, practice. Once you can actually hit the target, shot placement is king.
 
Flat country...

If you want to shot out from 100-350 yards and NEVER have to comensate for bullet drop....aim less than 1.5" higher at 100 and dead on out to 300.

Again.... 25-06 Ackley Improved...
 
Good lord. This thread has become a case of the keyboard runs.

The perfect caliber to do what the OP wants to do has been doing it for over 100 years. .30-06. It handles heavy (elk) bullets better than the .308 without magnum kick, it's available anywhere, and shoot flat enough. If he ever wants more juice, hot factory loading are available and for even more an Ackley chamber will get it into the 3000's.
 
308 would be my choice between the two cartridges mentioned. At any ethical range for hunting (which is 300-400 MAX in my opinion) the 308 is quite enough cartridge to do the job as long as the shooter is up to the task. If the shooter can't do it (which recoil can impact) then caliber selection doesn't matter. A .460 Weatherby through the leg won't do any more good than a .223 Remington.
 
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