What else do I need...

[marksman13]

My goal is to hunt a large portion of North America’s game species to include moose and elk, maybe even brown bear one day. I’d also like to shoot some plains game out in Texas. I’ve already made plans to pick up a 6.5x55, a 30-06 (thanks to a THR member) and a 270 Win. Not much on my list that can’t be killed with those three cartridges. I guess my question is, do I need something bigger for brown bear? I feel like that 30-06 with heavy bullets would be capable, but marginal for brown bear. Do I go up to a 338 Win Mag? 375 H&H? Honestly, a brown bear hunt is way down the road, so I’ve got time to figure it out, but if I really need a fourth bolt action, I might as well go ahead and pick it up and start shooting it.

 

[MaxP]

Your .30-06 with the right bullets is up to the task. However, I have always had a soft spot for the .338 WinMag....

 

[ericuda]

If game is the goal, the 06 is all you need. Save the cash for better gear. I always wanted a nice wool shirt/pants.

45/70 for the velociraptor should work.

 

[marksman13]

If game is the goal, the 06 is all you need. Save the cash for better gear. I always wanted a nice wool shirt/pants.

45/70 for the velociraptor should work.

Naw. They are just big lizards. Choke em out and watch them sleep.

 

[BigBore44]

If I were going after brown bear (likely never will) I have 5 rifles I would feel comfortable taking. My 30-06, 8mm Mauser, 444, 45-70, and 375 H&H.

I used to think people who hunted North America with a 375 were using too much gun because of the correlation to it and Africa big game. But it really is an extremely versatile cartridge. And I’d recommend one if you happen to reload or have the money to burn on factory ammo.

 

[caribou]

30-06 on Brown Bears is a fine choice.

Ive shot many many Brown Bears with 30-06, 8mm Mauser, 7.62x54r and a .243w, all died just fine.

 

[LoonWulf]

I've got zero interest in hunting bears, but I can say from experience that the .375s are versitile enough that I'd be comfortable if that was the only centerfire I owned.

I can also say that for the 7mm mag, or a 30-06.....

When I shot all the time I'd have been comfortable with smaller, but I only shoot 100-200rnds a year now as opposed to every month, and I shoot game once every 3 or 4 months, where as at one point I shot something (s) every weekend.

 

[marksman13]

Sounds like all my bases are covered. Maybe I just won’t tell my wife I have enough guns though...

 

[jmr40]

45-70 is over rated. You don't need a 30-06 AND 270. Especially with a 6.5X55 thrown in there. I think a 30-06 with good bullet options is fine for anything. I'd get the 6.5 for smaller big game and the 30-06 for bigger stuff. Nothing wrong with a 270, but it slides in there between 6.5X55 and 30-06. And that is a pretty small gap to try to fit anything else in between. I'd have to pass on 270.

If you feel the need for something bigger than 30-06 for really big stuff go 375 and forget everything in between 30-06 and 375.

 

[MaxP]

45-70 is over rated.

How so? If you don’t mind me asking.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I agree, though I like .35 Whelen and would opt for that alone for your list of quarry.....a .30-06 is plenty, especially with the great variety of improved bullets for .30 calibers, compared to 30 years ago or further back in time. .

I'd say instead, spend money on good optics, and very accurate ammunition, THEN spend money on a range where you can put your accurate ammo and your optics to the test....then practice practice practice... Where I live there are seven, 100-yard ranges within a 30 minute drive, but you have to search for a range where you can shoot 200+ yards. I think you will be much happier as a master of one rifle, learning different loads for different harvests, than trying to master four or five rifles PLUS loads for them.

You should be able to find excellent factory ammo for the .30-06 OR you may find you need to take up reloading. (IF you want the best from that 6.5 Swede, you're going to need to do that anyway.) So consider getting the most form your .30-06.

The old addage, "Beware of the man who owns only one gun", is about that fellow's shooting ability and knowledge of getting game with that one gun. Not so much about self defense.

LD

 

[marksman13]

I agree, though I like .35 Whelen and would opt for that alone for your list of quarry.....a .30-06 is plenty, especially with the great variety of improved bullets for .30 calibers, compared to 30 years ago or further back in time. .

I'd say instead, spend money on good optics, and very accurate ammunition, THEN spend money on a range where you can put your accurate ammo and your optics to the test....then practice practice practice... Where I live there are seven, 100-yard ranges within a 30 minute drive, but you have to search for a range where you can shoot 200+ yards. I think you will be much happier as a master of one rifle, learning different loads for different harvests, than trying to master four or five rifles PLUS loads for them.

You should be able to find excellent factory ammo for the .30-06 OR you may find you need to take up reloading. (IF you want the best from that 6.5 Swede, you're going to need to do that anyway.) So consider getting the most form your .30-06.

The old addage, "Beware of the man who owns only one gun", is about that fellow's shooting ability and knowledge of getting game with that one gun. Not so much about self defense.

LD

I have an 800 yard range with targets every hundred yards. No cost associated with that. I’m not really sacrificing anything in terms of optics or ammo by buying more rifles. I honestly don’t know how many rifles I own right now, they are just of the black rifle variety. I’ve never really bought in to the notion of mastering one firearm. It’s not hard to be proficient with numerous platforms, especially with modern access to different reticles and ability to print and tape dope to a rifle stock. I get your point. I just don’t believe there’s a real need to choose one rifle and stick with it. Same with pistols. I prefer Glocks, but there’s not much difference between how I shoot them and how I shoot my Berettas, CZs, Sigs or 1911s.

 

[marksman13]

45-70 is over rated. You don't need a 30-06 AND 270. Especially with a 6.5X55 thrown in there. I think a 30-06 with good bullet options is fine for anything. I'd get the 6.5 for smaller big game and the 30-06 for bigger stuff. Nothing wrong with a 270, but it slides in there between 6.5X55 and 30-06. And that is a pretty small gap to try to fit anything else in between. I'd have to pass on 270.

If you feel the need for something bigger than 30-06 for really big stuff go 375 and forget everything in between 30-06 and 375.

The 270 is more about the rifle than the cartridge. I’m in a position where I can splurge a little, so I am. It’s a Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather and it’s been calling my name for a while. Pick it up every time I walk in the gun store.

 

[Rembrandt]

My goal is to hunt a large portion of North America’s game species to include moose and elk, maybe even brown bear one day. I’d also like to shoot some plains game out in Texas.

Are your plans are to hunt the majority of North American game species? If so, does that include varmints, game birds, Turkeys, small game, Midwest Whitetails? You may want to expand the arsenal to include shotguns, small bore rifles, varmint rifles, Black powder, handgun, and straight walled cartridge calibers. By doing so you open up many more opportunities for licenses in multiple states that may not allow necked rifle cartridge hunting.

 

[readyeddy]

I would go with a 6.5 and a .375 and leave it at that. Maybe a 30 cal if I felt I had to have a third rifle.

Of course this is only if I were trying to go minimal. Nothing wrong with collecting or just enjoying many rifles.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I highly suggest that you need a .375 H&H and a plus .40 cal heavy rifle too. Because, that’s why!

 

[marksman13]

Are your plans are to hunt the majority of North American game species? If so, does that include varmints, game birds, Turkeys, small game, Midwest Whitetails? You may want to expand the arsenal to include shotguns, small bore rifles, varmint rifles, Black powder, handgun, and straight walled cartridge calibers. By doing so you open up many more opportunities for licenses in multiple states that may not allow necked rifle cartridge hunting.

Solid considerations, but I can get the varmint bug out of my system locally. Zero interest in turkeys, muzzle loaders or shotguns. Strictly hoofed mammals and maybe bear and wolf. If I find myself wanting to hunt in a “straight-wall cartridge state” I’ll likely just choose to bow hunt.

 

[Bfh_auto]

I would skip the 270 unless you have a sentimental reason. If you do, drop the 6.5x55.
30-06 will kill anything in NA with the right bullets.
The cost savings would buy you 2 decent scopes. For hunting, a 2.5-10 is awesome.

 

[Flintknapper]

The 270 is more about the rifle than the cartridge. I’m in a position where I can splurge a little, so I am. It’s a Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather and it’s been calling my name for a while. Pick it up every time I walk in the gun store.

Splurging would be the only reason I would consider the .270 for the purposes you lined out.

6.5 would be fine. The '06 with proper bullets will handle all that you have mentioned (game animals), but you can up the ante on Moose, Elk, Brown Bear with the .338 Win. Mag. especially where longer distances are encountered.

For many years the .338 was my go to gun...even for whitetail. I hand-load and would just load 200 grain bullets down to '06 velocities (2600 fps or so). For larger game....(250 grain bullets +) it hits with authority. If I were going to 'splurge' and you are actually going to hunt moose or brownies some day, that's the direction I would go.

 

[marksman13]

I would skip the 270 unless you have a sentimental reason. If you do, drop the 6.5x55.
30-06 will kill anything in NA with the right bullets.
The cost savings would buy you 2 decent scopes. For hunting, a 2.5-10 is awesome.

I don’t need to cut costs. I get that there’s crossover between the three cartridges listed. A 30-06 would absolutely kill anything that the x55 and 270 would do. No doubt about that. I’m more concerned with whether or not I really need a fourth larger rifle for large brown bears. I guess that’s really the main question.

 

[BigBore44]

I’m more concerned with whether or not I really need a fourth larger rifle for large brown bears. I guess that’s really the main question.

Then really the main answer is no. You have the right tools. Can you put them to good use?

 

[D.B. Cooper]

If game is the goal, the 06 is all you need. Save the cash for better gear.

Amen to that! And also for ammo to hone your skills.

Spend your money on optics. Especially if you're coming up here to AK for sheep. Buy the best glass you can afford. Also, buy the best rain gear you can afford. And boots that fit your feet well. (I had to special order quadruple triple double E width boots, for my fat feet to match my fat...nevermind...point is, protect your feet.)

You've already heard one Alaskan (caribou) say the 30-06 is good for brownies, and I'll second it.

 

[marksman13]

Then really the main answer is no. You have the right tools. Can you put them to good use?

Yes. I’ve been hunting/shooting/soldiering my whole life. I’ve just never hunted anything larger than southern white tails. Seems as though many took my post to mean that I am a novice hunter/shooter. I’m not. I’ll just be a novice elk, moose and bear hunter. Thanks for all the input, fellas.

 

[BigBore44]

Then we expect pictures of your upcoming successes. Even if it’s just a sunrise through the aspens, or a sunset on a mountainside.

 

[marksman13]

Then we expect pictures of your upcoming successes. Even if it’s just a sunrise through the aspens, or a sunset on a mountainside.

Gonna get after the deer pretty hard starting Friday. It’s been a rough season thus far. Spent all of December in the hospital with my Mom until she passed away just before Christmas. I’m going to take advantage of the rest of January though. Time to find some peace and quiet and put some meat in the freezer.