My proposed hunting system

[jeepmor]

I've been in the process of deciding a rifle CALIBER that I can build a hunting system on that minimizes my reloading consumables. Sounds techie huh. I've posted on this before and offer many thanks for the good advice folks. I've looked at my options and this is what I've come up with.

300 WSM for me, probably a Weatherby, definitely synthetic. I'm in the PNW, maybe stainless. This will allow me to take deer, elk, bear, cougar and moose. My brother is in Alaska, I'm hoping for moose, so I put it in there, but if needed, he has a gun I can use, he should be on OLN....seriously. Is the 300 WSM adequate for moose or am I off a bit?

.308 or 30-06 for my wife, whatever she likes in the budget price range. She wants to elk hunt too and I was concerned about the .308, but she won't be taking shots over 200 yards. The 308 and 30-06 are well matched out to 200 yards, so I chose the .308 for the reduced recoil. If she takes to hunting like she did snowboarding, we will be getting her a better setup in 2 or 3 years, but then again, she may not. She may come to appreciate my hunting trips as her time in Calgon bathwater.

This offers me the 30 caliber bullet for my stocks, now I can hope I can use the same powders in each also. Of course, I do understand that the 300 WSM will offer wider choices of weight than the .308, but the goal is the overlap and reduced inventory.

I have a Ruger .223 hb varmint rifle and I plan to introduce her to first so she can train without getting the flinchies. She's a former farm-girl and use to get 25 cents per ground squirrel tail as a kid, so she knows what she's in for.

I don't reload the .223 yet, but I do have a progressive press that is awaiting some home improvement completions. It will make turning out the pistol semi-auto rounds much more rewarding. It will accommodate the .223 also, maybe the WSM too, hmmmm. Maybe she should have a WSM too, uhoh. Answers only generate more questions.

Okay, that's my leanings, am I on track?


jeepmor

 

[hoghunting]

I have a friend in Alaska that uses the 300 WSM with Hornady 180 gr InterBond bullets for everything that Alaska offers. He has used it for many different bears, moose, deer, caribou and sheep. He hasn't missed leaving his 338 at home.

 

[Roadkill]

I'm using IMR 4895 for 7.62x39, 30-30,30-06,.303,and .223. This covers about fifteen rifles I regularly shoot. I use Reddot for .32,9mm,.38, .357, .40,.44, &.45. This covers about the same number of handguns. Lot simpler this way.

rk

 

[one-shot-one]

$0.02

i think sticking to premium 180 gr. bulletts and carefully picking your shots for the .308 would get you by.

 

['Card]

Recoil is obviously a pretty subjective thing, but I've never noticed any perceptible difference between a .308 and a .30-06. I've also found that with a well-balanced rifle and a decent recoil pad, my wife doesn't have any particular problems shooting a .30-06. To take it one step further, I'd be comfortable shooting pretty much any critter on the North American continent with a .30-06 - but the only bears I shoot are black, and I've never shot a moose, so if you feel like you need a .300WSM for that, I'm not going to second-guess you.

I'm 100% with you on choosing a handful of cartridges and sticking with them, though. I did the same thing a few years ago, and after a lot of research decided that the good old-fashioned .30-06 for my rifles, and .45ACP for my pistols, would pretty much suit all my needs (other than rimfires, anyway). This obviously makes reloading a lot simpler, and prevents me from ever again showing up on the first day of deer season with the wrong box of shells for my gun.

Yeah, that really happened. I was running late, and it was dark in my shop area, and I just grabbed and ran. Unfortunately, all the good excuses and good intentions in the world won't make a .300WinMag round fit into a .300 Savage.

 

[jeepmor]

Thanks again THR

Yep, I guess I'm happy with this decision since I do wish to try and one-size fits all with the 300wsm for myself. However, I don't anticipate my wife being as zealous with hunting as myself, so her .308 or 30-06 will round out the lower end for deer hunting if I'm concerned with damaging too much meat with the WSM cartridge.

As a handloader though, I suspect I can turn down the ferocity of the 300wsm into the 30-06/.038 range for the smaller sized game.

jeepmor

 

[H&Hhunter]

The .300WSm is fine for any and all of the animals you've mentioned.

It is in my opinon a bit on the light side for costal brown bears in thick cover. but you've got to ask yourself. How often am I going to be hunting brown bears in thick cover?

The .300WSM is a fine choice for moose as is a .30-06.

 

[BIGJACK]

I; hate to tell you this but in my humble opinion your wife is gonna have the most user friendly set up with a 30-06. EVen though a little slower, say less than 10 %, than the .300WSM the moose, elk, deer and bear will probaly not even notice the difference. And should she run out of ammo, almost anyplace in the world she can get a load at the first store she comes too, You most probaly would not.:banghead:

Really hard to beat the ole 30-06 for anything.

 

[1911ShooterTJ]

Don't forget bullet selection (and availability).

I personally use a 7mm Remington Magnun which is great for just about anything in North America. Maybe not my first choice for the largest bears but... it would work in a pinch with careful placement. It's also widely available and has a very large selection of bullets.

Your wifes 30.06 will also have a very large selection and great availability.

Oh, by the way. I'm not very fond of the short magnums, if anything because of the limited magazine capacity. Many will only hold 2 rounds where a regular magnum will hold 3. Just my 2 cents.

 

[TomFromTheShade]

I would go with the .308 Winchester. It is economical to reload, and it offers plenty of punch for everything but the BIG bears out to around 300 or 400 yards. I would not hesitate to shoot elk, deer, moose, blackies, hogs, antelope, goats, sheep, or anything else with it. I wouldn't want it as a last defense against giant bears, but from a hidden location a well placed double lunger will certainly do what you want it to!

 

[jeepmor]

I bought a 300 WSM in Ruger

Okay,

I went and bought the 300 WSM in Ruger. Stainless with a laminated stock, the price difference from walnut/synthetic and blued/stainless was within $50 dollars or so of each other, so I went with the stainless, laminated. Stainless for PNW rainy weather, and laminated stock because it's tougher than walnut. I'm a sucker for laminated stocks and with a woodworking background, I just couldn't warm up the the synthetic stock like I hoped.

It shoots fine and recoil is not bothersome to me, but I'm 220/6'2", It packs quite a punch and has functioned perfectly. I was leaning towards remington 700 and may have picked the lesser gun of the two, but I did not prefer a checkering on my laminated stock. So it boiled down to aesthetics in my case. I suspect the remington has a smoother bolt and quieter safety, but my other rifle is a ruger and I've had nothing but good luck with it, so I stuck with a ruger. I topped it off with a Leupold 3x9x40 VX1 scope that only set me back 209. I was looking at Bushnell optics in a higher price point, picked up the leupold and the difference was clear.

In hindsight, maybe I should have looked at more scopes in the Leupold line, but if I stumble onto a good deal on a better scope, I can fit this one on my wife's rifle when we go get her one in the coming weeks.

Once these two purchases are made, dies will be purchased and handloading will begin. Thanks again for all the inputs. With home improvements dragging on, I don't suspect I'll be slinging handloads and any quarry this season, but will next year.

jeepmor

 

[jeepmor]

magazine capacity

My Ruger in 300WSM holds three in the magazine, and one in the chamber. I think that's plenty. If I can't get the animal in 3 or 4 shots, I shouldn't be shooting at it.

jeepmor

 

[MCgunner]

All these short magnums are all the rage. I reckon they have advantages and I really like a short action rifle, but I also like a light rifle to tote afield and I don't think I'd want a gun that weighs what my Remington M7 weighs and kicks like my 7 mag kicks. Might be a little rough on the shooting bench. I reckon I could handle it, but my .308 is all I'll ever need. It's economical to shoot and easy to reload for. The thing is accurate, light, short and handy. I like that. I'm pretty happy with it, ain't lookin' for nothin' else.

 

[jeepmor]

300 WSM reports

It is a bit rough on the bench and I added a limbsaver recoil pad yesterday. Model 10 Much softer than the stock pad, but no reports yet. I've shot a 30-06 with the limbsaver on it, I could probably shoot that all day without pain. With my WSM, we'll see. I bruised my shoulder from leaning over the car with the stock pad.

Yes, I am now thinking the 300WSM exceeds my needs, but I plan to hunt all areas of Oregon I can, and this should include some looonng shots on Elk, I like the premise of 300WinMag ballistics in a short action.

Pad that fit best was Limbsaver #10001 onto my Laminated stock M77 MKII 300 WSM. Had to drill new mount holes, was not thrilled by that, but again, the fit is near perfect. Could only be beat by a grind to fit model.

Well, my 30 caliber dream vanished for now. I found a 270 mauser for a great price, it fell in my lap through THR actually, and I'm awaiting arrival at my FFL contact. Suspect it will need a limbsaver for my wife to be comfortable shooting it. I think comfort will be determining factor for her staying involved in hunting and shooting.

jeepmor