best big game round
 

what would your choice be for a grizz or elk hunt as far as caliber. looking to get a big game gun and just thought I'd ask you good'ol boys what you recommend.

RE: best big game round
 

If the shots weren't going to be past 250ish, I'd take a .35 Whelen or a .338 Winchester. I'd hunt grizzly and elk with both of those calibers.

RE: best big game round
 

If it was me I would take a 375H&H shooting a good 270gr pill

RE: best big game round
 

If I were to buy an elk/grizzly gun, I would look at 2 cartridges. The 35 Whelen, and the 9.3x62. Both have similar case capacity, but the 9.3 can push a 286 grain bullet into the 2300-2400 fps range, which should be plenty to handle the big bears and elk under about 250 yards. That also is about as fastas the 35 pushes 250 grain bullets. Only draw back to these two would be there aren't a lot of factory cartridges available, so handloading would most likely be the option to go with. But, they would be able to be had in standard length rifles that aren't going to break the bank too bad and which most people would be able to shoot quite accurately more than other cartridges. Good luck.

RE: best big game round
 

.340 Wby. Mag. Good luck.

RE: best big game round
 

You opened a can of worms here. I would say something in the .338 caliber range. The new .325 WSM could be an option as well.

RE: best big game round
 

338 win mag

RE: best big game round
 

Ditto!!!!!! maybe the 338 ultra mag also. That is if your not recoil sensitive

RE: best big game round
 

30-06 with 220gr Silvertips and all of the above cals the guys listed.

RE: best big game round
 

IMO the list for a goodelk cartirdge is pretty long but since you added grizzly to the mix .338wm would be the min.I would start considering for such a purpose.

RE: best big game round
 

Ditto 338 is the one.

RE: best big game round
 

I like 338 a lot. 338Winchester Magnumsare good RUMs and Weatherby's even better.Lots of folks here seem to agree. However in answer to your question my favorite calibre for such a task would be a bore of .375" and the cartridge would be the 375 H&H (Hittem Hard - Hurt& Holler - Ouch & Ouch). It is a timeless classic that I just never tire of using. Nice recoil-power-confidence package and only about 6 years younger than the jack of all trades 3006.

RE: best big game round
 

JIMMY, Good luck on finding the just so right round for both. I own 26 different hunting rifles and I started wanting just one rifle to hunt with. I have everything from 223 bull barrel to a 338winmag. If I had only 1 rifle to take to Alaska it would be my 338 Win Mag. Its a Rem 700BDL Custom Deluxe. I put a newer syn stock with the R3 pad and it is tame as a 06. Good luck. Jovan

RE: best big game round
 

Big Game Round... It'd be nice to choose 2 calibers :D But if I had to choose one for all Big Game, which includes game like Antelope, and deer, not just large animals like moose... I'd choose the .308 or 30.06

RE: best big game round
 

Original Post:
I dont think were in kansas anymore. Antelope and deer don't bite, grizz do.

RE: best big game round
 

30.06 or a .300 mag

RE: best big game round
 

I wouldnt worry so much as what caliber, as i would bullet placement.

RE: best big game round
 

I'd seriously concern myself with BOTH accuracyAND cartridge! Why not? A hunter who excessivelyrelies onshot placement while discounting cartridgeis like a high wire walker that practices andperformswithout a safety net,and preaches "Just don't fall and you won't need a net!" Similarly , always place your shot and you only need a "just get by" cartridge. Just one major difference.

When the high wire walker screws up: the police investigate, there is a death certificate, it is in the newspaper, it is public knowledge, and mothers teach their children. Whenthe hunter who overly relies onshot placement to the detriment of capable rifle (with a margin) screws up, thenNOBODY and I mean NOBODYever hears about it! Soon even the hunter himself is convinced"that it was just one of those things."After all, who is ever going to know?

Don't ask what cartridge you can get bywith ifeverything iworks perfect. Ask yourself what cartridge you can getby with when things DON'T go perfect! I'm not talking deer and antelope here as they whack pretty easy. Grizz can bite back especially on the follow up of a wounded one and elk are bigger and tougher (geting back to the original post). I wouldn't get casual on cartridge even ifyouarean "Annie Oakley".

If you are hunting the biggest game on the continent, then use the biggest you can handle AND shoot accurately and if you can't handle much, then it is your responsibility to stay home on the porch.... or at leastback home where the deer and the antelope play.

RE: best big game round
 

35 whelen, .338 win mag or .340 weatherby. If i was justhuntingelk and grizzlies these would be my choice. And if I was just hunting gizzlies I wouldn't be affraid touse all the previous mentioned, but I also woudn't hesitate adding the 375 h&h to the list either. But seeing that elk is on your list of game along with the grizz.....then the 375 h&h is not at all needed to harvest elk.

I swear by the 30-06, butI would still choose the larger calibers to take the grizzlies especially(if I had the option).

RE: best big game round
 

It seems .300 Win Mag has been a very good round for me on big game. I'm sure there a number of "favorites" folks have. The best big game round in my opinion is the one that gets the job done as quick and cleanly as possible. The .300 WM fits that description for me.

RE: best big game round
 

30-06. 180 grain partition for elk and 200 grain Partition for bears.

RE: best big game round
 

If I could have just one big game rifle period, for all species in NA... 300 weatherby mag