Question (caliber change)

[broey1]

I have a friend who needed to sell off a couple of guns to get some extra cash. Long story short, I now own a Savage in .300 winchester magnum. I like the 300 winchester, but already own a 30-06, 35 Whelen, and a 338 Win Mag. I really don't need (or want) another 30 caliber something or other. I was hoping you all could give me some ideas in terms of a new caliber that would require not a whole lot more than maybe a rebarreling. I owned a 260 Remington a couple years ago that I liked but sold to a cousin. I really liked the .264 bullet, so was thinking about trying a 264 Winchester Magnum..... I'm not sure if that would work with the 300 winchester or not?? Any ideas. Remember simple is better! Thanks guys and girls.

[jmfa1957]

Your action length would be fine if you switch to a .264 Win Mag, but would you really want to rebarrel to this caliber? The .264 Win Mag is an extremely hot caliber that has a justly deserved reputation as a barrel burner. A buddy had one of these, loved it for awhile, then was horrified when the accuracy deteriorated after a few hundred rounds.[:-] Just something to think about; if you only shoot a few rounds a year at game you may not notice.

I share your fondness for the .264 (6.5mm) bullets. One of my favorite calibers is the 6.5x55 Swede. This is not quite as potent as your .260 was but is still reputed to be a fine game getter, extremely accurate, mild recoil and very pleasant to shoot. Of course, from the list of calibers you already own I suspect that recoil is not something you find too unpleasant.

[driftrider]

Well, it'll have a standard magnum bolt face and magnum length action, so that'll limit your practical choices a little bit.

If you are set against another .30cal, I'd suggest that you rebarrel it to something like 7mm Mag. By selecting a good custom barrel and having the necessary work done to the action (blueprinting, truing, etc...), you could have a very accurate custom hunting rifle.

If it were me, I'd stick with the .300 Win Mag. Absolutely nothing wrong with the caliber, and it'll handily outperform your .30-06 (with the associated cost of increased recoil).

Mike