Two guns to end them all?

[Lrt307]

I have always been a single rifle guy. I do own multiple rifles for hunting but I have my number one and I hunt everything with it. I shoot a browning 7mm. I found for myself by sticking to one rifle I was able to shoot that single rifle a lot and get extremely confident In my setup. Just another option to look at. With that being said I don’t own a 6.5cm but I have a lot of buddies that swear by them and I know guys who are even killing elk with them. And the 30-06 and 300wm speak for themselves being tried and tested great hunting calibers for many years.

This is why every gun I had built with same hard parts. Other than the bullet in the chamber they are all the same with the exception of my 270. It has a 4.5x14 vx3 with tmr reticle and target turret for dialing. It will be getting a huskemaw soon to match the others.

 

[Dirt Wagon]

If the 30-30 is working for you on deer sized game at your hunting ranges I'd say keep that & just buy a 30-06 to use for big game.

This way you can work with your new rifle and see if you still need something else to replace the 30-30.

 

[Corey Paulsen (teamkabob)]

Thanks for all the replies and advice, even though my head is spinning more now than it was before. Too many guns, calibres, cartridges and loads to choose from. I’ve read every single post and what I’ve got from it is that I might be better off to stick with one all around rifle and spend a bit more on a scope. I think I’m going to get the Tikka T3x super lite Cabela special edition stainless steel in 30-06 and throw a limb saver on it. And top it with either the Leupold Vx3i (to save money) or the Zeiss conquest V4.
A question I would have about the scope is that this Leopold does not offer the dialling like the Zeiss scope does. Is dialling and more clarity worth an extra $1000?

To 400 yards you don’t need to dial. Zero the gun at 200yds and know where the bullet drops. But being newer at hunting limit your self to a yardage that you can know you can hit. Like 200yards is achievable after some range time to hunt. I’ve been using a vx3 4.5x14x50 since 99. Really only recently have I thought about getting a dialing scope. Thanks to @mcseal2
Find someone who likes to shoot and learn from them. Vx3 is a good first scope and has been reliable for me. Good luck as your going to get a lot of info

 

[Brandon_SPC]

30-06 and 6.5 creedmoor have too much over lap in my opinion to honestly have two dedicated rifles. Especially if you are not shooting long range. Personally if I was going to have two dedicated rifles for hunting NA I would buy a 6.5 creedmoor and a 338 win mag.

With that said I would buy a 7mm mag or a 300 win mag in Tikka t3x just because they shoot. Use the other funds to buy quality glass and buy a small reloading set up for the house. You can download both these magnums to 7mm-08 and 308 velocites or load full house loads to go after any thing in the world confidently desides probably dangerous game in Africa (Cartridge restrictions).

 

[HawkCreek]

The .30-06 covers all of my big game hunting out to 400 yards and further if the conditions are right for me to make the shot. If I find myself needing more than that id step up to a larger caliber rather than pushing the same .30 caliber bullet faster.

 

[Alaskanopolis]

Montana Rilfe Co X3 in 33 Nosler or WM and use it for everything. Put a muzzle brake on it if you’re recoil sensitive.

 

[IanCOLO]

I had a 6.5 CM and was underwhelmed with the ballistics and actual velocity. I traded it for a 270 win and have a 7mm Dakota for my elk gun. I would recommend a 6.5-284 or PRC for a little better performance over the 6.5 CM and still have reasonable recoil even if you don’t put a brake on it. As for the big gun 30-06 and up would be good.


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[ChasinDoes]

No love for the 7mm-08 on here?

I have a .300 win mag and a 7mm-08 and feel like I am well covered for anything.

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[rileybassman]

No love for the 7mm-08 on here?

I have a .300 win mag and a 7mm-08 and feel like I am well covered for anything.

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It's a wonderful cartridge... For a one and done it is an extremely enticing round. Cousin killed an elk at a little north of 700 this year with one.

It will probably be the chambering I buy for my boys when they start hunting.


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[IanCOLO]

I am hoping to get my wife into hunting enough this year that I can talk her into me getting a 7-08 for her. That’s what my plan was when I got the 6.5CM, I just got impulsive and bought the CM instead.


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[Corvus Corax]

1:8 twist 223 and 30-06.

This is a solid combo. Or perhaps a .243 win 30-06 combination in matching Tikka t3x Lites.

 

[RazAlGhoul]

Like stated all of the above are great calibers. I shot a 30-06 for years but finally got tires of the recoil. Great round though and ammo is always easy to find but I have since dropped to a more "shoulder" forgiving caliber (25-06). So if I were in your shoes I also would go with the .308 or 270.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

You got a pretty nice budget for two rifles and scopes.
I used to hunt with 30-06 only (in Alaska) and I went on a magnum kick 338wm, before I realized that it wasn’t necessary. 30-06 will kill
Anything I want to. Last two seasons I’ve hunted with a 6.5 creedmore. I planned on using it for caribou or moose or bear. I’m not on the coast anymore so big browns aren’t as common, but they can still be found. i have no desire to shoot one though. Black bear though is much better tasting meat.
I think you are fine with either caliber and either caliber will drop any of the animals you plan on shooting. The 30-06 will ya e a little more oomph, but that doesn’t mean the 6.5 won’t do its job. The question is whether you will do your job or not.
Also, a 3-9 is all you need for scope.
BTW I own a browning A-bolt and BAR in 30-06 and my creedmore are a Tikka, ruger American (best shooter I own), and Thompson compass (going to turn this one into my winter fun).
All my rifles have Leupolds. They range from freedom and CDS. Vxiii, vx3i, or vx2. One of the creedmore had a vxiii 6.5-24 but I just took that scope off and will be replacing it with a vx3i cds.

 

[16Bore]

This is a solid combo. Or perhaps a .243 win 30-06 combination in matching Tikka t3x Lites.

I’m holding out for a T3 in 6CM....that would be the ticket.

 

[Brandon_SPC]

No love for the 7mm-08 on here?

I have a .300 win mag and a 7mm-08 and feel like I am well covered for anything.

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7mm-08 is what my wife will be getting soon. In all honesty I might steal it from her a time or two. lol

 

[clockworkgator]

Nothing wrong with any of the cartridges recommended... but if you're going that light in more than a 6.5 or 708, might be a good idea to test fire before committing. 300wm or bigger 3006 loads can pack a punch in a regular weight rifle. In a super lite setup, that's not going to be fun to practice with.

 

[Fonkie]

If I had a $3000 budget I think I’d buy one really nice all around setup in one of the 30’s. If forced to choose a couple T3’s I’d go 300wm or 300wsm coupled with a 243 or creedmoor

 

[eoperator]

I started out hunting with a 270win always wanting more I wasted alot of money rummaging through cartridges (280rem-7mm rem-260rem-308win-257wby-30-378wby-338-378wby-338win-243win-2506rem-25wssm-300wsm-6.5cm-300win-3006spf-probably forgetting a couple). Sold off all but 4 6.5cm-308win-7mmrem-300win. Moving forward the 6.5cm and 300win will most likely be the 2 that will be used consistently.

 

[howl]

No love for the 7mm-08 on here?

I have a .300 win mag and a 7mm-08 and feel like I am well covered for anything.

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If my goal is lower recoil deer, I like 120gr. That means .25 or .26. I haven't seen 140gr 7mm08 do anything 120gr 6.5mm hasn't. People will load 120gr in 7mm08 for lighter recoil, but what's the point? You're as well or better off getting a cartridge better suited to 120gr if that's your goal.

If I'm going to deal with recoil, I might as well go up to where I'm still comfortable, which is more than 140gr 7mm08.

Another way to put it is .284 isn't enough different from .308 to want both. You could just do a larger capacity .284 and slow it down for deer. Or not. 7mm mags can be tolerable for recoil and you're already dealing with recoil in 140gr 7mm08 anyway.

This comes down to personal preference and ability, of course. Someone having a preference is justification enough in these instances.

 

[16Bore]

Splitting hairs and pole vaulting mouse turds.