Still in a pair of rifles caliber debate

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Doc7;

I have, and regularly use, three game hunting rifles. The calibers are 6.5 X 55mm Swedish Mauser, .30-06, and .338 Winchester magnum. The Swede is a custom built gun based on a Tikka. The .30-06's are a Winchester model 70 USRAC gun, and a Tikka. The .338 is also a Tikka. A large part of the reason for the Tikka's is that they have the selection of left hand bolt guns.

As for caliber capabilities, the Swede hunts elk too, but not in lousy weather. According to the JBM Ballistics site, it puts 1189 ft. lbs. of energy on target at 500 yards. It's accurate enough to make that a very real world option. I run nothing but 150 grain bullets in the ought-6's & no need IMHO to go heavier as I've always got the .338. That runs a 225 grain handload that packs a couple of tons of energy at the muzzle & will do for anything on the face of the earth that lives & breaths. All the guns get handloads.

I do live in what I like to call "Outer Montana", & hunt every year. Oh, and this year the Swede happened to take a 300 lb boar black bear. One shot, one dead bear.

Hope my experience is helpful to you.

900F
 
if i was limited to one rifle for the US and half the rest of the world it would be a 7mm mag weighting in at 8 -8.5 lbs scoped and i would load for it, being able to run 120gr bullets at 3200-3300 fps to 175gr bullets at 2800-2900fps, my second choice would be a 300 win mag and i would not feel under gunned on any but two of the big five. todays bullets are so much better than those made in the past(match the bullet to the game). the cape buffalo in my avitar was shot with a light 1940,s MS in 9.3x62 that is like a 35 whelen. eastbank.
 
Everytime I get the urge to pick up a 7mm Rem Mag for elk/deer, I wind up trying to think of what the 7 Mag would buy me over the .30-06 that I already own and load for. I haven't been able to come up with a real substantive advantage yet...

Better performance at long range? I'm not going to take a shot at an animal past 350 to 400 yds. I shoot targets further than that often enough in windy country to know it's not a great Idea to take that kind of shot on flesh.

Flatter trajectory? I have a laser range finder, and on longer shots generally have time to use it, so I'm not sure this is the advantage it used to be.

Maybe I'm missing some real world advantage...

O.P. ~ I would probably sell the Savage and buy a Winchester, Tikka or X-Bolt (or two) in .30-06, but I'm not a big fan of the Savage action. It is worth having a similar rifle for a backup, whenever I pack up and drive the 3 hours to my deer/elk/antelope hunting spot, I always take my .270 Tikka and my. 30-06 X-Bolt. If you fall or drop one rifle and are afraid you might have damaged the scope, it's nice to be able to hike back to the truck and switch right over to the other for the rest of the hunt.
 
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Soldiers carry a he11 of a lot more weight on their back, with an ~8lb carbine in tow for a lot more days than any of us hunters experience...
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So what. My son humped a 240B all over the mountains of Afghanistan for a year, tore up his knees and back hopping out the ramps of chinooks with total wt of 300lbs plus. Is it a good idea, of course not. Hurrah for you if you actually did what you claim on your hunting trip. I am 65 and hiking up and down Idaho and Montana mountains is something I am blessed to be able to still do. A light weight rifle is not a necessity but it sure is nice.
 
The 9lb rifle will end up being a range toy and stand deer hunting gun, make this one something easy on the wallet and shoulder. A 7mm-08 would fit the bill, so would a .308, even better would be a 6.5mm Creedmoor or maybe the 6mm Creedmoor, as the latter two will extend your supersonic range quite a bit if you want to try your hand at long distance shooting in the future and are still going to be very effective game getters for most game you can hunt locally from stands.

For your bigger stick for elk or other bigger game in unknown locations, the advice to stick to a lighter rifle is sound. You're going to end up humping it around for elk, or at the very least getting into and out of a vehicle a lot with it. So about 7.5lbs to 8lbs with glass and sling is about the limit I would set, if it's lighter than that good for you, but the upper limit will still be handy enough. That means you're looking at a fiberglass stock, sporter weight barrel, and a high quality lightweight scope of decent size and power but not a tactical or target scope. I'd recommend Talley aluminum one piece mount/rings since they save a lot of weight and they are very stout. Caliber is up to you based on what you can afford, and tolerate from a recoil standpoint. If you wanted to you could run the same caliber as your other rifle, but I'd look at stepping up in power and flatter trajectory if you can tolerate it. Something like the .26 Nosler, .28 Nosler, or .30 Nosler are all intriguing due to flat trajectories, ample power, and excellent factory ammo and available reloading components.
 
Now lucky me finding that 7mm-08 M70 EW isn't NIB for sale anywhere I know to look ... 308 either. I will probably keep an eye out til end of January and then expand my range to 30-06....
 
I got super impatient, wanted to save some money as well, Drank the Kool Aid and just bought a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless in 7mm-08. Next to buy a McMillan stock for it and VX-3i 2.5-8x36.
 
Doc7 said:
I got super impatient, wanted to save some money as well, Drank the Kool Aid and just bought a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless in 7mm-08. Next to buy a McMillan stock for it and VX-3i 2.5-8x36.
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I bet that rifle will end up as a really nice overall package: light weight, reasonable recoil, plenty of umph, and if it's anything like the 4 Tikkas I've had, excellent accuracy. Congrats.
 
Doc7 said:
The Savage is already in 7mm-08. I guess I could sell it off to fund the M70 in 7mm-08 sooner. I just am not sure yet as to the acceptability of 7-08 for elk. I got the Savage at such a great price that if i rebarreled it I feel like I would have a rifle that really shoots above its price point, like 800 dollars with a custom aftermarket barrel and accutrigger.

I like the idea of having a rifle that I could confidently take on any hunt in NA (such as 30-06 or greater power) but also want to keep a 7mm-08 around for my white tail hunting.
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Make that Savage your "mountain rifle" and then get a 30-06 or 300 wsm for your "heavy" rifle. That's what I'd do.

I have a 7x57 Ruger RSI stainless that I have converted for now into a "mountain rifle" with a synthetic stock and lightweight scope. It's a dream to carry, shoots great and looks great. It's compact and easy in the deer woods too. You could easily do something similar with your 7mm-08 (I can tell you how to get that rifle down to under 7 lbs. including scope, like my model 10 Savage is) and have a rifle you'd probably reach for on every deer hunt.

I'd want the 30-06 for elk personally, in a classic rifle like the Winchester Featherweight pictured on this thread.
 
Doc7 said:
I got super impatient, wanted to save some money as well, Drank the Kool Aid and just bought a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless in 7mm-08. Next to buy a McMillan stock for it and VX-3i 2.5-8x36.
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Just saw this. Darn good choice.
 
Shot my Tikka with the VX-3i 2.5-8 today. My first and only five 3-shot groups at 100y (no cherry picking here) on a front sandbag with a Caldwell rest with 150 grain Federal Powershok loads went: 0.994", 0.548", 0.905", 1.05", 0.931". Yeah, I am happy!
 
I like to pack light, and my Ruger American 270 is the lightest bolt action rifle I own. I've taken an elk with it no problem. No reason a 7mm-08 couldn't do it. I know people that use .243's for elk. If I ever get drawn for my moose tag I will probably take something a little bigger like a 35 Whelen or 300 win mag, just because I have them in the safe.

Sometimes I will take the 30-30 lever action bear hunting, I just hope I don't come across a grizzly. It helps to have fat friends.
 
Llama Bob said:
Well, it's all personal preference I suppose but there are some guiding principles. I want lighter recoiling rounds in lighter guns, and heavier rounds in heavier guns. I much prefer the modern M70 or Montana action to the Savage action, not so much because of CRF (although that's nice) but because of the feel. And IMO 7mm-08 is a somewhat more useful cartridge than .338 Federal due to higher sectional density and ballistic coefficient. The 160gr accubond load is fine for Elk. So I would go get the M70 or MRC in 7mm-08, and I might not even bother modifying the Savage depending on what caliber it's in now.

But of course that's what I would do. You sound like you have a complicated plan for modifying the Savage, and if you're attached to that then go for it. When you get right down to it, most non-dangerous game calibers are more similar than different.
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This, for me it is an easy choice. Lighter rifle with lighter recoiling cartridge and heavier rifle with harsher recoiling rifle.
 
Doc;

Are you sure you need to put that in the aftermarket stock? Pretty good shootin' as is I think.

900F
 
I'm really rounded in my selection.

Savage Predator Max, .243
Savage Hog Hunter w/suppressor .308
Tikka wood stocked M695 7mm mag
Zastava Mauser M70 .458 Win mag
...aside from my AR15 and AK 47

It's nice to have a selection, if I had to pick two, probably the 308 and the 7mm mag.
 
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