Opinions on a caliber please

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All around western hunting caliber to 600yds or so. I will shoot factory ammo.

I have a 7mm-08 so I want something a bit bigger for elk at the longer ranges. I was at Sportsmans today to look at the Tikka 300WSM and they have a Tikka T3x Lite in 300WM for $699. I also have a $30 off coupon. I am tempted to go get it. Then I started reading about calibers, searching old threads, and now I dont know what I want. Should I get a 300, 7mm, 6.5-300, 270wsm? To many...

What would your top 3 calibers be in order of preference?
 

elkguide

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#1. .300 Win Mag
#2. .300 Win Mag
#3. .300 Win Mag



You might consider me a little bit biased. I have hunted from the East coast to the West coast, Canada and even New Zealand. I spent 10 years guiding elk hunters and saw elk taken with lots of different caliber weapons. As much as I love so many calibers and at this moment have rifles in more than 10 different calibers in my possession, (multiples in many calibers) when it comes time to head to the hills to hunt, I seem to 95% of the time, grab a .300 Win Mag. Just picked up a Cooper rifle in...………. you guessed it, a .300 Win Mag. (I just counted 3 other Win Mags in the safe)
Every company makes a rifle in that caliber.
Lots of available choices if you reload for bullets and lots of choices if you don't!
Recoil? Yes but tolerable for most.
The Military has gone back to the .300 Win Mag for their snipers.

And best point for me...… lots of dead animals.
 

rbljack

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Thousands of opinions out there on this. But for me when I started hunting and the game was deer elk and antelope, I decided on a 30-06. Easy to get ammo for, plenty of options, and not "too" big. 600 yards is a bit long though. I have been looking at calibers again now, and the 300 WSM sure does look good to me as an elk gun, and may be my next purchase.

That being said...for mountain hunting I really am looking long and hard at the Mountain Ascent rifle in a lightweight option like 308 or 7mm-08. So there you have it....if you don't mind some recoil, I think that 300 WSM may be a great option. If you go with a lightweight gun, it might be a bit much and cause a flinch. Only you can decide if its within your comfort range. Good luck in your decision. And I am no seasoned expert or anything...just giving my opinion based on what I think I want as well.....LOL.
 
Joined
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All around western hunting caliber to 600yds or so. I will shoot factory ammo.

I have a 7mm-08 so I want something a bit bigger for elk at the longer ranges. I was at Sportsmans today to look at the Tikka 300WSM and they have a Tikka T3x Lite in 300WM for $699. I also have a $30 off coupon. I am tempted to go get it. Then I started reading about calibers, searching old threads, and now I dont know what I want. Should I get a 300, 7mm, 6.5-300, 270wsm? To many...

What would your top 3 calibers be in order of preference?

If you already have a 7mm08, the only one that makes sense out of the calibers you listed would be a .300 IMO.


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EastMT

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That’s the toughest question in the woods. I shoot a 308, I love it. I hate 30-06, even though I know it’s faster, better round. I don’t like it for no explicable reason. A 300 mag or WSM in my opinion is the best all around caliber made, hogs to griz it will get it done.

As an outdoor guy recently said, I’ve never killed an animal with a gun, but a lot with a bullet. Pick a good bullet and all of your calibers will be fine, which one appeals to you? It doesn’t have to be a reason we understand, see above.

I like short rounds, I don’t care about performance. Everything I point my 308 at dies, everything you point X caliber at will die, IF you are confident and competent with that rifle.


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I use a 7 mm Rem Mag for the exact same purposes.

With that said 7 mm Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag and you got it licked.

Quality ammo on every shelf world wide.
 
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The problem with a .30 caliber is that if you go with a lighter bullet for whatever reason, your BC suffers. If you stay heavy, it won't matter.

For longer range shots, you want as high a BC as you can get.

Best all around caliber is the one to give the best BC for the ranges of bullet weights you'll use.
 
OP
MuleyFever
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In the 300wm will the Tikka mag be an issue for the heavier bullets? I hear of issues with the 300wsm but does the 300wm also suffer?
 

elkguide

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The only issue that I am aware of in the Tikka, or any light weight rifle, there is a learning curve to shoot a light rifle and it becomes magnified with a magnum.
You have a 7-08, which is one of my favorite calibers, and if you add a .300 Win Mag, which is my most favorite caliber, you will have all of your bases covered.
 
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MuleyFever
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I have read that the mag length is an issue in the Tikka wsm because the longer loads dont fit. That is what I was referring to. Wondering if the standard 300wm has the same issue?
 
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I have read that the mag length is an issue in the Tikka wsm because the longer loads dont fit. That is what I was referring to. Wondering if the standard 300wm has the same issue?

The win mag has greater issue than wsm. You can convert tikka to a long action and have more room than needed for wsm.

Doesn’t really matter though because you get an 11 twist barrel in either chambering so I wouldnt plan on shooting the heavies.
 

ckleeves

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The mag length and twist handicap the win mag in a Tikka. There are some aftermarket options out there for longer mags but the twist is still off like Wind Gypsy said.

It kinda comes down to what bullets you want to shoot. If your happy with bullets like 180 accubonds and Barnes that like to jump then it’s not a big deal. You can load them at mag length and they will probably shoot great.


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hodgeman

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It kinda comes down to what bullets you want to shoot. If your happy with bullets like 180 accubonds and Barnes that like to jump then it’s not a big deal. You can load them at mag length and they will probably shoot great.

^^^This.... the modern, heavy for caliber, high BC bullet is very trendy and extremely helpful for long range shooting. But we tend to forget that for a hunting cartridge, what we've come to consider plain has worked for several generations. I've shot a 300 WSM nearly exclusively for a dozen years with 180ABs and have never wanted or needed a heavier bullet. That bullet has shot great in factory ammo through 3 WSM rifles- including a Tikka with the 1:11 twist rate.
 

elkguide

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I have read that the mag length is an issue in the Tikka wsm because the longer loads dont fit. That is what I was referring to. Wondering if the standard 300wm has the same issue?


Since you are planning on shooting just factory loads, a 180 grain loading is your likely go to bullet. Those will work through the Tikka magazine just fine. For a handloader, a Tikka is not going to be the rifle of choice particularly because of the short magazine.
 
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I agree with others who've pointed to the bullets. You'll see more difference between a good and marginal bullet for the job than even a 300 wm to your 7mm-08. And about bullets, there's little reason to need a heavy for 30 caliber bullet in the western states. 180 gr tops for lead bonded, 165/168 gr for copper. Going even lighter, consider these max loads and trajectories at 300 yards with 10mph cross wind:

7mm WSM (7 rem mag is slower)
139 Barnes LRX, BC 0.47
Muzzle velocity 3240 fps
2621 fps, 17.9" drop, 5.79" drift, 2120 fpe

300 WSM (300 WM could be even better)
150 Barnes TTSX, BC 0.42
Muzzle velocity 3350 fps
2646 fps, 17.0" drop, 6.25" drift, 2332 fpe

The half inch less drift of the 7 WSM probably won't make as much of a difference as the wider caliber and energy difference, so to me, the 30 cal looks like the easy decision unless I knew that really long distance shots were likely. Still, powder cases and barrel lengths being equal, a 30 cal will sustain an ethical amount of energy farther, than the 7 for elk size game.
 

eamyrick

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I’m going to be the odd man out and say making consistent hits on game requires a pretty dialed system or extremely competent shooter past 450 or so. A $600 Tikka ain’t it. Great rifle no doubt but I’d be looking for a semi custom and some solid glass for dialing regardless of caliber. Practice at that range is also an important factor and I know I would be limited shooting the heavy recoiling magnums. I’d say get the nicest 308 or 6.5 you can reasonably afford and shoot it until you are making 4 out of 5 first round hits at your desired distance.
 

Carl

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I’m going to be the odd man out and say making consistent hits on game requires a pretty dialed system or extremely competent shooter past 450 or so. A $600 Tikka ain’t it. Great rifle no doubt but I’d be looking for a semi custom and some solid glass for dialing regardless of caliber. Practice at that range is also an important factor and I know I would be limited shooting the heavy recoiling magnums. I’d say get the nicest 308 or 6.5 you can reasonably afford and shoot it until you are making 4 out of 5 first round hits at your desired distance.
Ok, I will bite. What will a semi custom or custom gun do that a tikka won't? I own two tikkas, a 300wsm, and a 260rem. With custom loads my 300wsm will shoot 1/2 moa groups all day. Im still breaking in the barrel on the 260, but with factory federal premium, it has been extremely accurate, and repeatable. Attached is a group off of bipods at 200yds. With how well guns are manufactured these days, a custom gun doesnt do any better than a tikka, bergara, Browning, etc. The accuracy comes from the load recipe and the shooter. I will agree that good glass is necessary for repeatable dialing adjustments. There was a story longrangeonly.com of a police sniper in the eastern us who traded his custom model 700 for his factory tikka 308 hunting rifle for 1000 yd shooting competitions.

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