Hi, I am posting this for a friend. He is in the market for a new rifle that will be used for out west hunting, say Elk, Mulies, and maybe Moose of Big bears. He wants to purchase one rifle to handle these tasks. First question, what caliber should he purchase, and what rifle. He doesn’t reload. He’s a large guy, and can handle recoil very well. He currently has a 30-06 that he uses for Pa deer hunting. He would like to be able to hold dead on out to 300 yards to take the guess work out of aiming. I know this is the best forum out here to get good proven answers. Please help. I will print the results for him to help in making his decision...

R1

He could well stay with his 30-06. He would gain a little by going to the 300 Mag. I would say the 300 WSM. If that is not big enough to suit him he could look at a 375 H&H Magnum. Long range shooting would be a good job for the 7MM STW. If he shoots well with his 30-06 thats all he would really need.

To hold dead on and be within 3 inches of his cross hairs to 300 yards he will need a cartridge to fire a hunting weight bullet at 3000+- fps.

A 300 magnum of any sort firing a 180 grain spitzer bullet will do this.

However, if big bears were on the list I would rather give up a little trajectory and get a 338 magnum. If he handles recoil well then a 338 ultra mag or a 338-378 Weatherby mag will also give him a point blank range of +- 3" out to 300 yards with either 225 or 250 grain spitzer bullets.

Well, as noted by JamesB, I might have suggested he stay with what he knows, his 30-06. Or, maybe, go to a 7mm Rem.Mag. BUT, you're including "Big bears" complicates matters some. In light of this I'd have to recommend no less than a 338Win.Mag. using 250gr. bullets. You won't get the trajectory you wanted, but then you won't have to hold over too much either. And, you won't be "overgunned" for mulies, elk & moose either.
As to the rifle, I'm partial to wood stocks, but for an allround and tougher rifle I'd look for a stainless steel rifle with synthetic stock. Check out Ruger, Remington & Winchester. The cartridge and rifle are available from any one of the three. A little browsing of their websites or catalogs, and I'm sure your friend will find what interests him. Good luck.

Hoorah! I vote for the .338, too.

.340 Wby. Mag. Good luck.

Well.......Thinking that the "big bears" hunts will be few and far between, I would go with a 300 WBY or RUM. Either of those (even the 300 Win, for that mattter) will easily fit the bill for 95% of what he is going to do, and I wouldn't hesitate to use a 300 for the "big bears" either. Guides would rather see a guy show up with a 300 they can drive tacks with, than a 338 that makes a guy flinch and anticipate the shot so bad that it's a crap shoot on where the shot will land.

Also, just because a guy is big doesn't mean recoil is not a concern. Some guys can deal with it, some can't. Practice makes it easier to deal with, and proper shooting techniques..... Get your brow split with a 338 and you will flinch the next time you draw down on the target.[:@]

Erik

Rusty Axe Camp

If I were in the market for a rifle today, I'd look at one of those 30 caliber short magnums.

.348 Win Mod 71 Deluxe !

One caliber many have surpassed is the new 325 WSM. You could use 180 gr. bullets for White-tail & Mulies. Then step up to the 200-220 for the larger animals. At the local gun shop the owner states Winchester will be bringing out a fail safe load for this round soon. The Fail-Safe will take the large bears with good shot placement. Even large men can become recoil sensitive.

The other thing that most say is to stay with the 30-06 and you could use it for all but the big bears. Also, the 06 is more potent today with the High Energy and Light magnum loads available for the 30-06.