New Rifle next year

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ExAgoradzo

ExAgoradzo

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Got the news that (good Lord willing) I'll be getting a new rifle next year...yeah, I know it takes a while to save up. I need to decide on a caliber.

I have the basics covered: 270 Win, 6.5x55 Swede, and smaller. I only have a 35 Rem for the medium bore. Anything smaller than elk I feel adequately covered.

I want something to 'go big'. I have a dream for a Grizzly hunt someday, and an even more desperate dream of a lion hunt someday. But let's be almost realistic.

It will either be a Win 70 (Alaskan SS Lam), or a Kimber or other quality rifle that could be used in a Grizz hunt.

I am interested in all opinions (".30-06 is the only gun needed" "never hunt a grizz or a coyote with less than a 375 H&H") and anything in between.

Here are my (rather obvious) choices at the moment:
.30-06 All time classic caliber. Ammo widely available. I am not lying to myself: I am not realistically going to shoot much past 200 yards unless I get much better than I am (Hey, at least I'm admitting I'm an average shooter at best!) With my 270 this summer I hit the 254 target with my elbows on a table 4 out of 5 times...I know not impressive...hoping for more time to shoot next year.

.300 Win Mag A step above the .30-06 Still good availability of ammo and parts, but a bit more expensive. Better on the Grizz (this is a real goal of mine: I'm going to really try to do it someday in the next 5-10 years).

One of the WBYs?

.338 WM A def step up again... Ammo still widely available. Recoil getting bigger, I have shot the 300WM and didn't feel over powered, will the 338 WM be that much different.

.375 H&H I kind of lust after this gun (Win M70 Alaskan SS Lam!) But ammo is prohibitively expensive. And, am I asking for too much??? Is the jump from 270Win to 375 H&H too large of a jump? Perhaps not. IDK I may put this dream off for if I ever do to to Africa.

I'm not really considering wildcats, and I am not interested in uber punishing rounds that are way overbore (as I list 338WM and 375 H&H...LOL).

1. Do the job (and look good doing it)
2. Available ammo (I think all of the above is reasonable, except maybe the H&H)
Don't be afraid to throw in other options (a WSM?, 338 Fed?)

I'll worry more about the rifle when the time comes closer.

Thanks,
Greg
 
Get the 375H&H and don't look back. I went with the Win Safari Express rather than the Alaskan, as the Alaskan had not come out yet. And I like the look of the SE better, but that's me.

If you hand load the 375 is a dream. Load it light for the range or small game or go up to the 300gr solids for cape buffalo. The recoil of my 270gr hand loads is like heavy field load in a 12 ga.

There is no reason not to get a 375. If that is what you really want then go for it. No reason to stop short of what you want. And come on, you know saying I own a 375H&H is pretty cool. ;)

Look up posts by member H&Hhunter, he has extensive knowledge and use of the 375. He has used his old Winchester from Alaska to Africa and everywhere in between, and taken a lot of game with it.

Edit:
While I love my rifle Winchester does have a few flaws. Mine had to be bedded and have the crown cleaned up before it would group worth a damn. Winchester does not view this as their problem and will not fix it. But knowing that I'd still buy another as they really are good rifles. If I had the money I'd be looking at Kimber and Montana as well.

The only thing I plan to change on my rifle is the stock. I am planning on adding a Manners or McMillan stock when I can. Which at the current rate is never...
 
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I had my budget in there but when I was editing it (I didn't realize my post was a book!), I must have cut it.

I'm looking at under $2k. But at this moment, the caliber is what I really want to decide on now. Because this rifle would be for 'large ungulates' or better I wouldn't want anything less than a quality gun: but I don't have money for a custom gun. Maybe like Robert says I could get one that has 95% of what I want and then get something tuned later when the sticker shock doesn't hit my wife so hard. My last rifle (2012) hit her pretty hard at $1300 (not incl glass).

My real question is (Robert I've read you before, you're part of the reason I am lusting after the H&H) is the .30-06 really what I want: will I ultimately be completely happy. I am pretty sure I will end up with only 1 'big gun' (OK, I do have a 45-70, but while it is big, it isn't 200 yards big...not for me anyway.) Then the 300WM doesn't seem to be 'overkill' but the 338WM is??? (That is one opinion I've heard at least.) But then I read H&H Hunter and Robert et al and I think, 'man, why not just get one gun like this and If I ever see a nice Savage or Ruger American get the .30-06 that way...

Thanks for reading my musings. I appreciate yours.
Greg
 
I didn't notice if you reload or not; does not appear so, but I might have missed it. If you don't reload, I wouldn't go .375 H&H. I think it would just prove expensive to shoot and overkill for nearly every game animal in North America. .375s are also big, heavy rifles and typically much more expensive than standard magnums.

I'd go .338 WM. It is very available and comes in many platforms. I think it does definitely have something on a .300 WM for lethality but it also gives up something in terms of long distance trajectory. 338 is one of the most versatile rounds for people living or regularly hunting where the animals are a bit bigger and maybe dangerous. Elk, moose, grizzlies, etc.

If you reload though, I don't think .375 would be a bad choice.
 
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I would add, I think you need to put together a realistic vision of what you will do with this rifle. If you are looking at a .30-06 as well as a .375 H&H as your "big rifle", I'm guessing you don't know what you want to do with it. What is the likelihood you will ever hunt Africa or a grizzly? What percentage of the anticipated use will be on elk or moose? What about deer? I'd optimize it towards what you will likely do with the rifle the most as long as it would suffice for other anticipated roles when called upon.
 
From my own experience if you do not get what you really want you're settling for something less than you expected and will not really be really happy. I believe you really want the 375 and you should get it.

If you plan to hunt grizzly and go to Africa than this is the rifle you want. In some places in Africa depending on what you are hunting the minimum you can hunt with is a 375.

Ammo for this cartridge can be found almost anywhere. As already mention you can load light for deer and elk. Since you plan not to shoot beyond 200 yds this caliber will fit the bill as it has a flat trajectory with the lighter loads. At 200 yds the 375h&H with a 260 gr bullet has almost the same knock down power of the 30-06 with a 180 gr bullet.

It also won't turn the meat on a dear into hamburger any more than a .270 will.
 
Most of my hunting (deer, pig) is adequately handled with the 270. (I bought the 6.5 Swede because I want to learn to shoot long distance and it is a cool round. We have a range 45 mins north that goes from 5 yards to 500 something yards and a lot in between on a long hillside.)

I'm thinking that the 270 will take anything with the exception of the bear I want to get and I'd rather have more umph for the elk I someday also want to hunt. The Africa dream is just that at this moment.

I am in the beginning processes of reloading. I have two friends who have coached me through the very basics. If I go the H&H rout, reloading would be a must.

I understand that this being a 'big rifle' though there are many bigger than this is a little funny. And I understand that the 270 and .30-06 for the majority of my hunting is 6 of one and 1/2 dozen of the other. This is why I'm debating myself as to whether it is a big enough step though I'm sure it will take and elk in my ranges and the guides in AK say .30-06 is a minimum b/c they are carrying something much bigger (338 WM, 375 H&H?).

Mauser? That would fit my 'odd' side. I'll look into that.

Thanks again guys,
Greg
 
Not to knock the 8mm, but there is nothing it can do that the 30-06 can't. And as far as I know no one makes a new rifle in 8mm.

I was in the same boat, I have my money in hand and had to pick what would ne the last rifle I'd be buying for a long time. I was going back and forth between the 30-06 and 375 and finally said to heck with it and got the 375. I wanted something to I could love if it were the last rifle I ever bought.

The 375 with the right scope and practice is easily a 500y gun. I ring the 300y and 425y plate at the local range with relative ease. Man what a commanding thwhack...
 
I'm not experienced enough to offer "real advice" but... is cost of ammo a concern? Maybe not if you reload but if you want to buy factory loads it might be. Ammo cost for .375 H&H Mag is at least $3 per round.
 
Something different and kinda cool to me would be a 8mm rem mag. Easier to find brass for, not gonna cost a fortune pretty good bullet selection too. Maybe a 338win mag too
 
As mentioned, the .35 Whelan is a great choice and there's a good selection of factory ammo choices. A .338 Mag would be your best bet though IMO and it can be downloaded to pussycat levels rather easily. A .338 is capable of any North America game......big and small.
 
What I like about the Whelen is that I can use .30-06 brass. What I don't like about it is that it doesn't seem as readily available in factory ammo. (Perhaps if I was in a location where hunting a big bear or elk was a real possibility it would be different.)

Question: comparing the Whelen with the .358 to the .338-06 what are the bullet choice availablities? Construction of bullets? Weights? I believe I've been told that I could use old .357 lead for plinking: that is attractive as I have a source for that (although lead is more difficult to find now and I don't like the idea of breathing that stuff...).

The comment on the 338WM I assume is true, which would make it also true for the 375. Having never shot either caliber, I can only go on what others have written here: that the 375 is less punishing and more of a push. Now, I've shot some heavy loads out of my 45-70 that I've been told is similar to the 375. If that is true, then I don't believe I will have a problem (this isn't a sit all day at the range gun...that is what the 223 is for). Any thoughts on the experiential comparison between the two. I know I can handle the 300WM and the -06.

What I like about the Rem mag is that it is cool. But someone above mentioned that it just isn't around. I noted (I think on Chuck Hawks) that it kinda fell out of favor. In CA where ammo is hard to find already, try finding something odd and there is no chance: not even at Bass Pro.

(Funny story. I asked a guy there for 30cal (M1Carbine) and he said there was no such thing. I did find it and I gave a box to his boss b/c I couldn't find him and he apologized and said he'd take care of it. I wouldn't have minded if he said "I don't know" but he told me it didn't exist!)
 
I got more guns than I need, usually when I go hunting I take a .308, in the cow pastures I like my .22-250, got almost every caliber in between. I am almost 60 and stay away from magnums and wsms etc. don't need anything like a .375 here. for my 60th I am gonna treat myself to a .257 Roberts in either a Ruger M77 or a Winchester. I hunt everyday, part of being out with cattle, am overrun with hogs and coyotes.I was hog hunting tonight and my 2 rifles were an old Remington 788 in .308 and a Springfield Armory M1A standard loaded with walnut stock...both beautiful and accurate rifles.
 
I think the reason most .375s don't recoil too much is that they weigh around 8 to 9 lbs before you scope them. There are exceptions like the Remington 700 CDL 100yr anniversary .375, but generally they are big heavy guns. Not what I would want to carry hiking up and down mountains chasing elk.
 
I hear you TX Pat. That's why I want to get one before I'm 43. I won't want to shoot it when I'm 63. (One of my long term dream guns would be the 257 WBY in a Mark V. But I've got the 6.5 to cover that niche in my collection--I don't have as many guns as you do.)

I also hear the heavy gun thing. But it seems to me that my 270 will do most of my work realistically. Maybe I could start lifting weights again.

Greg
 
Robert, my concern with getting a straight forward walnut stock is the humidity/warping issue. This prob isn't a prob in Africa, but as I'm more likely to go to CO, NM, or AK have you ever seen an issue or been worried about it throwing off your barrel? Do they worry about that in cold/wet places or is that just a myth/uncommon problem out there?

Greg
 
Right now there are a few of the American assembled winchester extreme weather models hanging around in 325WSM. The rifle has a Bell & Carlson Synthetic stock with the aluminum bedding block in it, the action is 'bedded' at the the recoil lug and it sports a 24" fluted stainless barrel.
Also Remington offers their XCR 2 in 338 Win. Mag. Again, synthetic stock, and some neat anti-corrosion finish on the metal.

Now, it is said the 325 is on its way to the grave, but I'm not totally sold on that idea just yet.
8mm bullets are being added to most bullet manufacturers line-ups each year. Hornady just released a new .323 (8mm) in their SST line, 170gr, with a bc of .445. p/n3233.

I am partial to the 338 Win. Mag. it'll do anything you ask of it, and well. Along the lines of hunting.
I did just acquire a Winchester Extreme weather in the .325WSM, we'll see how this one does and get back to you.
 
It's not a myth, but I'd be far more concerned about it if I were in a very humid environment like that found in coastal Alaska. Here in CO we have pretty low humidity, even when it is snowing or raining. ;) Also, my barrel is free floated and the action is bedded pretty dang solid, so even with the walnut stock I am not worried. Not here at least.

In all honesty it is not something worry about here as our humidity stays pretty constant. It never gets high enough long enough for me to really worry. My desire for a Manners or McMillan stock is more to keep my walnut stock from getting beat to death as I can be pretty rough on stuff. That and a good solid stock like theirs is dang near bomb proof.
 
A cartridge I've never had, but have studied quite a bit is the classic 9.3x62. It's just half a step below the .375 H&H in power, has noticably less recoil and has been cleanly harvesting pretty much any game you could name for the last century, lion's and bears included. Tikka, Sako, CZ and others all make awsome rifles, even Ruger made a limited run. The rifle can be fairly light without pulverizing you, plus you generally gain an extra round in the magazine over the belted numbers. The trajectory isn't as flat as the magnums but will certainly do for the 200 to 250 yard range you're realistically looking at using it in. I'm thinking it would also be a far more pleasant round to shoot at 63, or any other age for that matter. It also strikes me as a supurb "heavy" to match with your 6.5 Swede.
 
I ha vent checked out the SoCOM, a friend has one I've shot.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I divide big bullets into two catagories in my head.
One are like the SoCOM and the 45-70 that pack a wallop but are hard to get good with at any respectable distance.
Two are the ones like those mentioned above that can be trusted to have a nice MPBR. Partof the reason I picked the ones I did is so that I'd have little drop at 200-250 so I don't have a ton of variables floating around when a bull elk is in my sights.
So are there more bullets in category 2 I don't have above?

Thanks again,
Greg
 
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