Help me chose a caliber.?

Question

Ok i am looking fo a caliber that can take down Moose, Elk, Caribou and paper. I also do not want the ammo to kill my wallet when i go to the range to pratice and get my grouping tight. I was thinking of a 7mm mag but i am not to sure but post all of your ideas. So in the end i need a high powered rifle that wont kill my wallet.

Answer 1

If you are looking for a rifle caliber that will cheaply punch paper, but still has what you need for Big Game, go with either the .308 Win. (7,62 NATO) or the venerable old veteran .30-06. Both wil do just about anything the hot-rod belted Magnums will do, just as accurately, and a heck of a lot cheaper. One is as accurate as the other, and both can be had in just about any bolt gun on the market; and, even tho you may have to look a little harder for surplus .30-06, surplus ammo is still available in quantity from a number of sources. I have a H-K G-3 and a FN/FAL, both in 7,62 NATO (.308 Winchester) and have never had any problem feeding both of them with military surplus. Not only that, but if you shop wisely and reload, enough of the surplus out there is Boxer primed and reloadable, which I do. In fact, you could also buy once-fired cases and surplus "pulled" bullets and stuff your own from the get-go and save even more coin.
Even if you don't reload, you can punch paper with the military fodder and use the factory hot rod loads to bring home those big rackers you're dreaming about.

Answer 2

1st, you need a caliber that can pack enough punch to down the animal you seek. The .308 nor the 30.06 was designed nor recommended for this type of hunting. The 7mm is a better choice indeed, however the cost may still be higher than you want.

I would suggest you go with a 45-70 or a 450marlin. Both have excellent knock down and the range is plenty for the beast you seek. The cost will keep you under 20.00 a box for practice rounds and 30.00 a box for hunting rounds. Both of these calibers are avalible in the Marlin rifle line which will also no cost you the bank and you will have a better rifle then most bolt actions running 200.00 more.

When you say take down, it means just that. When you shoot a elk with a .308 in any area other than the head you going to have to track him. Thats the facts. The 2 calibers above will drop the beast in less that 25 yards usually.

Hope this helps. Happy shooting.

Answer 3

For that size game I would opt for the 30-06.
I am a big fan of the 308 but it is at its best with 165 grain bullets and lighter,
For that size game I would use 180 grain minimum and up to 200 grain for the larger species of Mouse.
With the heaver bullets 180 grain and up 30-06 outperforms the 308 hands down.
I look at what I believe will be the most human 1 shot kill, I wont clean and quick I don’t wont to spend my day trailing a wounded animal.

It is true that all of these species you listed have falling to even the 30-30 but that is under gunning.

The 7 mm mag is not a bad caliber but you don’t get the bullet selection of the 30 cal offer.
7MM offers 110 grain up to 175 grain as its heaviest bullet, in 6 bullet styles and weights.
30 cal offers 100 grain to 200 grain as its heaviest bullet, in 9 bullet stiles and weight.
This came from Speer manual no. 13.
That gives the 30-06 more versatility, now consider availability 30-06 is a very common ammo.
Economic just a quick look at the Cabelas shows 30-06 $5.00 cheaper for the same make and style of 7 MM mag.
I only use magnums when it is needed.
I a big boy and the recoil is not the deterrent, I’m Cheap I am not spending any more then I have to.


D58

Answer 4

I have five .308s and agree with the people who recommend this caliber. Get an inexpensive reloading set up with an "O" frame press and soon the money you spent on the equipment will pay for itself and you will be able to shoot real cheap and have better ammo than you get at the stores because there are some easy things you can do to customize your ammo for your rifle. You can get cheap .308 brass at most gun shops and on line. If you want to hunt something as big as moose or elk use a 180 grain bullet and get the most velocity you safely can. For whitetail deer I use a 150 grain Hornady Soft Point Boattail bullet that is cheap and accurate. For smaller game you can load smaller bullets which are even cheaper and get awesome velocity.
Get a Ruger Model 77 with a stainless steel 22 inch barrel and a synthetic stock, and put a variable power scope on it that goes up to at least 18 power. Start out with some cheap 150 grain store bought ammo, and then when you see how great the rifle shoots with those factory loads, start loading your own and you might be surprized at how good you can make your rifle shoot.

Answer 5

if your looking for a reasonable rifle consider a 30/06 you have your 125 grain loads up to your 180 grain loads for elk, as far as ammo the cheapest would be the federal 150 grain loads but also providing for the cheapest results. the fusion brand rounds are the best...........

go to greybread outdoor forums and those guys are nuts about the H&R/NEF
handi rifle break action single shot, if you have been in the woods and you listen to someones three shots in the distance, you know that third shot at that deer is a hail mary pass.

if you go with the 7mm mag instead of a 30/06 you are only gaining an additional 200 to 240 ft lbs of force at 100 yards, and you will end up paying a dollar a round at the range. I pay $11 and change a box for my federal rounds. with the federal rounds you will spend some extra time cleaning the barrel...
good luck

Answer 6

sound like based on the animals you gave that i would select at least a 280 winchester to 388 to do the job very skillful. the 30-06 would be the best cost effective way with a 280 grain bullet which can be found at most store's on sale, i have taken big deer at a range of 300 plus yards with great success. note:i own a 30-06 winchester pre-64 bolt and my brother has a 7mm mag i shot the better group at 400 yards with the same grain ammo.

Answer 7

Sound like the .308 Winchester would be your best choice followed by the .30-06 Springfield. In fact, stated as your question is, the .308 is your only choice in high powered rifles.

Best,

H

Answer 8

Cheep you say I say 7.62x54r. You can get Wolf Gold 180gr soft points or Sellier & Bellot 180gr soft point for about $13.00 per 20 and for shooting paper military ball for $4.00 to $6.00 for 20 rounds. A Mosin Nagant rifles start at $63.95 and up to $700.00 for a PE scoped WWII Sniper rifle. CTD has Stripper Clips for $13.47 for 10.
Now you could save a little money and Buy a good 91/30 for around $100.00 and a Monte Carlo stock from CTD for $50.00 and scope mount for $36.00. A good scope for it run you from $50.00 to $200.00.

The Mosin Nagant 91/30, M44 and M38 are all very good rifles and the 7.62x54r is a hard hitting round.

Answer 9

Go with the 7 mm mag or a 30-06.These are common calibers and you can find them at any sporting good store or at Walmart.

Answer 10

a 30-06 will do just fine the shells are cheap and it comes in a variety of grains, and is more than capable of taking down large game it dosnt have a very extreme range but it will get the job done.