Hello All!

So I could use some good knowledgeable input on a new rifle/scope combination I am considering. But first a little background on what I do as a hunter…

I live in the great state of Wyoming and so hunt a lot of big game here and in Colorado and Montana. I have been here 15 years and always seem to shoot 3-5 mulies, 2-3 antelope, 1-3 elk, and a moose (usually in Canada) every year. I almost never trophy hunt and shoot a lot of cows and does, but if I do happen to draw a good limited-quota tag I’ll hold out for good horns. I have a huge family and we go through the meat over the course of the year so none of this is wasted. I have hunted black bear here in the spring the last 2 years (spot and stalk) although I have yet to harvest one. I seem to do a lot of spot and stalk stuff in the mountains and deserts here.

I hunted for a long time with an old .30-06 and never had a complaint, but won 2 rifles at a DU banquet – a .270WSM and a .300 win mag, so I gave the old .30-06 to my son and have been using these 2 guns for the last 5 years. They are good accurate rifles but I always thought they kicked a little hard for me, but I made the best of it and killed a ton of game with them.

Here is the problem. I had shoulder surgery last year and the recoil of these 2 rifles is now painful enough that I am flinching and finding reasons to not practice and my shooting suffered over the summer. I considered a muzzle break but I HATE the increased noise level on guns with a break. So I ended up borrowing a .243 from a friend and I really liked it. I killed 2 antelope, 3 deer, and a cow and calf elk with it this season. I found it was plenty of gun for deer and antelope out to 302 yards, and the cow elk I shot was at 206 yards (Laser range finder) and went down with a bullet thru the lungs after running maybe 60 yards (I must admit I did felt under gunned on that one!). I was shooting hand loaded 100 grain Accubond bullets and was pretty impressed with them. Because this little rifle is easy on my shoulder I found myself practicing more, flinching less, and shooting with confidence again.

From this past seasons experience I have formed some opinions. Firstly, bullet construction is more important than bullet velocity or energy, and bullet placement is easily the most important factor of all when it comes to killing game.

So here is what I am considering…

I think I am going to sell my .270WSM and .300 win mag. and use that cash to buy a 7mm-08. If the published data is to believed, it kicks more than a .243, but not a ton, and I like the higher BC and weight of the 7mm bullet, it has more energy (a nice edge for the elk and moose I hunt) and shoots plenty flat out to 300 yards – my absolute limit under field conditions. The Remington 700 CDL looks like a nice rifle with enough weight to it, but not too much, and I do like Remington’s.

Does anyone have practical experience with this caliber? What scope would you recommend? I have old Vari-X III Leopold’s on my other rifles and loved them, but saw some of the newer Leopold’s that sit low to the rifle by virtue of a half moon shaped divot in the bell. That intrigues me…anyone have experience with those? Is it worth the extra cash? What power range would you go with? Antelope are really pretty small and I wondered about going to the 4.5-14X scope with the Boone and Crocket reticule over the standard 3.5-10X40's I have used - but do not know if it would be accurately calibrated for bullet drop with the 7mm-08? Would you get a 50MM or 56MM objective on it?

I just want to make good decisions and sure appreciate your input!

daniel