Which caliber to get....

[lightsareout]

I'm going to be buying a new bolt gun soon here. The use will be longer range deer hunting (I have a 30-30 for shorter range wooded stands). Something that I will want to practice with and can afford to practice with. I am buying this gun for when I am able to head west and use it on Elk (What should my effective range be max? 400, 600? I know this depends on the shooter; why i want to be able to practice a lot with this gun.). I will also use this gun for black bear hunting in Wisconsin.

I am fairly sold on a Savage.

I am considering the following rounds-

-6.5 creedmoor (smooth shooting, flat shooting, less wind drift but does it have the knockdown power needed for a large bull elk?)
-30-06 (First deer rifle was a 30-06 and can't go wrong with 100 years of use)
-7mm mag (flat shooting, lots of ammo choices, will the recoil be a factor?)

 

[TNRifleman]

If all I had was a 6.5 Creedmoor I wouldn't hesitate to take it out west. At 500 yards, you should still be north of 1250 lbs of energy.

However with your choices I would say the 30-06 or 7 Mag are better suited. Between the two, flip a coin. I am a big 30-06 fan and but that doesn't mean the 7 mag wouldn't do the job either.

The other thing to keep in mind is that just because you are headed out west doesn't necessarily mean you will need to take a 5-600 yd shot. Where I hunted elk, about the longest shot I would have encountered was just over 300 yards, but most of the areas I hunted would have presented shots of 100 yds or less.

 

[hunter0925]

Some guides I know would not let you hunt elk with them if you brought a 6.5 creedmoor. Both the 30-06 and 7mm will do the job well. A well constructed 180+ for the 30-06 or a 160 plus for the 7mm would be my go to. Between those 2 I would go 7mm if elk was what I was after with a 160 accubond and I would practice to 500. Many places you won't be able to shoot that far but a lot you could shoot further than you would want to. I killed my elk with a 200 accubond at 350 and I could have shot to over 1000 where I was sitting, even though I wouldn't have. Last year I had elk as close as 50 yards or as far away as 800. I will be practiced to 600 when I go back in a year and a half.

 

[markwondi]

7mm mag would be ideal with the 162gr eld-m.

 

[Deer Assassin]

7 mag

 

[lightsareout]

Thanks guys, my gut was leading me towards 7mm right away and I started second guessing myself when i started researching other options.

Think I might pick up a 6.5 down the road.

 

[JimFromTN]

If you are worried about recoil, get a decelerator pad and if that is still painful, get a muzzle break. Don't worry about the noise. It only bothers the people around you which is worth it when you realize you can shoot an infinite number of rounds in a day and it never bother you.

 

[hunter0925]

If you are worried about recoil, get a decelerator pad and if that is still painful, get a muzzle break. Don't worry about the noise. It only bothers the people around you which is worth it when you realize you can shoot an infinite number of rounds in a day and it never bother you.

Amen

 

[rdl65]

.243 Winchester

 

[Lost Lake]

I never thought I'd ever catch myself saying this, but why not a .270? It's sure enough a flat shooter, recoil is very manageable, ammo seems to be everywhere, and its got plenty of punch.

Seems to me it offers a lot for a person who hunts wide open spaces.

JMO.

 

[knightrider]

I never thought I'd ever catch myself saying this, but why not a .270? It's sure enough a flat shooter, recoil is very manageable, ammo seems to be everywhere, and its got plenty of punch.

Seems to me it offers a lot for a person who hunts wide open spaces.

JMO.

there isn't an animal on this continent that would walk away from my 270 with 150 grain partitions!

 

[lightsareout]

I never thought I'd ever catch myself saying this, but why not a .270? It's sure enough a flat shooter, recoil is very manageable, ammo seems to be everywhere, and its got plenty of punch.

Seems to me it offers a lot for a person who hunts wide open spaces.

JMO.

there isn't an animal on this continent that would walk away from my 270 with 150 grain partitions!

Ive also thought about the 270 or 308. Part of me says .308 to get lots of practice in - plus my first elk hunt get in close plus lighter gun to tote around the mountain. Years down the road get a larger gun when i feel more comfortable with longer range shots on elk.

 

[EastTNHunter]

30-06. The 150gr Partition .270 is no flatter shooting than a a 165gr Accubond 30-06, and the 30-06 will carry more energy. My .30-06 Savage 116 with B&C stock will shoot consistently under an inch with hand loaded 165 ABs and RL17 at 2950fps. It shoots the 180 ABs with I4350 even better, but I can't get any more than 2750fps.

.30-06 will do anything that the .308 can do, but better, and ammo and components are almost equal in cost. 30-06 will use a little more powder, though

 

[mike243]

Poor old 300wm just dont get the loving it once did lol

 

[bloodtrailing]

With today's bullets the magnum and big game rounds like the 06 are not necessary. I would look at a 308. Variety of bullet wights short action. Good bullet characteristics. I have an 06. I hunt with my 243 more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deer Assassin]

Poor old 300wm just dont get the loving it once did lol

true


just not a fan of 30 cal bullets

very capable round though

 

[jlanecr500]

30-06 the do it all caliber. I've stuck with 30 caliber for several reasons. When times get bad, 30cal components will be easier to find. I can shoot the same bullet in 308, 30-06, 300wm. I have all 3 that I built with Criterion match barrels and hunt with them too.

165gr accubond at 2950 in the 06, 200gr accubond at 2850 in the 300wm, 165gr Accubond at 2850 in the 308. They all kill. The 06 is just more versatile to me.

I never got into the smaller calibers other than a 25-06.
I kill most of my deer with sml and I am a firm believer that bigger bullets bring them down quicker with less meat loss and less tracking too.

 

[jakeway]

With the right bullet, a 6.5 Creedmoor will do just as well as a 270. A 280 or 280 AI would be even better, if it comes in the rifle you want. But I've never shot at an Elk, so I only know what I see on the internet. If you go with a Savage, don't get the plain Axis...it has the worst trigger I've ever used. At least get the Axis II with the Accutrigger. Or better yet, get a Ruger American or a Browning A Bolt III.

 

[Boone 58]

Just bought a 30 30 for nostalgia reasons , started out with one in 1974 but never killed a deer with it having traded it for a Win. 270.........fast forward, handed the standard long action 270 down to my son and purchased the 270 WSM in the Model 70, Extreme weather SS.............Love it.....3200+ fps and a buck killer.

 

[playping2]

7mm