J for the USA

Hello,

I'm in the'exploratory committee' phase of a second hunting rifle. I've had my old, trusty .30-06 for a few years now and I want to have something for longer shots (300-500 yards). Obviously, I know I'll need a nice (expensive) scope for that, but I also need a more powerful rifle. While we're on the topic, does anybody feel comfortable firing an aught six at 300+ yards?

The new riflewill mainly be used for deer and elk at longer distances, maybe bighorns or moose, but probably not grizzlies or anything African. Some ideas I've had are .300 Win mag, 300 ultra mag, 300 Weatherby, etc. It doesn't seem that going with a 7mm magnum makes sense being that my primary hunting rifle is and will be a .30-06. I'm thinking a .375 H&H or a .338 mag are too much(?).

Also, since it will be primarily a long-range weapon, my thought is to get a fixed 12x scope, that way I don't have to fool around with the variable feature, and I'll get a brighter image with wider FOV.

Any thoughts? Thanks for any input!

Alsatian

I think the natural cartridges that come to mind are either the .300 Winchester Magnum or the .338 Winchester Magnum. I would personally go with the .338 Winchester Magnum. If your primary rifle is .30-06 for deer and elk, then the .338 Winchester Magnum seems a good choice. You can use the .30-06 for deer and sheep to whatever range you can shoot to and score kills. On a bigger animal like the elk you may want more energy at ranges over 300 yards than the .30-06 will deliver, and the .338 Winchester Magnum fills that role admirably.

salukipv1

From what you explained.....and already having a .30-06, I'd say why get a .300 mag.....they'd be pretty close, and not give you more of a variety, so I'd suggest a .338 cartridge, long range, and power, so perfect for a sheep or elk, and you say you may not hunt grizzlies or africa, so no need for a .375 really, but you may hunt elk or sheep in griz country....or moose etc....therefore a .338 is pretty huge over a .300 IMO.

I'm a big fan of the faster .338's, there are really only 2 IMO, the .338 RUM and .340 WBY. I think the only RUM's that are doing well are clearly the .300RUM, with the .338RUM I think doing well as well, though not certain. The .375 RUM is dead as far as I know and so is the 7mm RUM, I wouldn't worry about buying a .300 RUM, but a .338 RUM might cause me a little concern.....

The .340wby does shoot a little faster, and will always be available...its also loaded from 200-250gr, the RUM only is loaded for 250 as far as I know, though you should probably stick to 225 or 250gr with either.

So may say ammo costs.....are a concern, but a .338RUM loaded with a premium bullet from say federal premium should be quite close to the .340 loaded. also I doubt you'll be shooting any magnum 300 or 338 alot.....so that extra 10-20bucks/box should be fairly insignifcant.

You can probably get a .338 RUM rifle cheaper than a .340 WBY, though you can get a WBY at a decent price, their MK V synthetic would probably be the cheapest, though I like the fibermark over the synthetic.

You could get a .375H&H, they now load that down with 250gr or 235gr bullets...etc.....and then if you did goto africa you could legally hunt anything.....and yo ucan find a cheaper .375 probably, ie a CZ though those prices are going up I think, due to the strength of the EURO, and ammo may be cheaper than say a .340 or .338 rum.

I'd strongly consider the .338 RUM or .340 Wby., not a .338 win mag, if that's what you're leaning towards I'd then say just get a .300 RUM.

I'd stay away from a fixed 12x scope, this won't be a target rifle, and something may pop up at 25yds.....with a 12x you may never see the animal! get a 4-12x, they're not hard to adjust......leave it on 4x when stalking, crank it to 12x when shooting 500yds....

the .300 win mag to me is close to the .30-06 IMO. I'd consider a .300 RUM or .300 WBY, if you decide against the .338 RUM or .340 wby. I'd avoid the .300 win mag, and .338 win mag.

Though the only choices IMO would be which .338, the RUM, or the WBY? or maybe a .375H&H.

J for the USA

Thank you Alsatian and salukipv1! It seems there is a consensus that a .300 is pointless when I already have a .30-06. So I should considersomething in the .338 neighborhood. It seems with today's prices it makes more sense to consider the cost of the ammo than the initial cost of the rifle. Sort of like gas prices and vehicle. Yes, I am definitely in grizzly bear country here in Washington, and someday I may hunt one with this rifle (Alaska, etc), but it will be predominately be a long range deer/elk/moose gun. Of course it wont be used tohunt blacktails, but I'm wondering if a .338 would be too much for a mulley at 400 yards. Its clear to me that 99% of everyone knows more about terminal balistics than I do so I'll just have to gather enough opinions.

HEAD0001

Is a 30-06 capable of long range shooting?? **** YES.

It is a fine long range cartridge.Perfectly capable of 500 yard plus shoots.

Ask the Germans, and the Japanese, and the Koreans, and the Chinese, and on and on and on.

It is probably a perfect cartridge for long distance shooting and hunting if you do not reload. Shooting past 300 yards takes lots of practice-so you will have to buy a lot of ammo. What better than a 30-06 for inexpensive big game ammo??

You did not discuss which rifle you have. You may be better off(if the rifle does not have any sentimental value) upgrading the 30-06 you have. Tom.

J for the USA

Tom,
Good observations on the ammo. I cringe when I hear the prices some people pay for their .300+ mag loads. Its a Ruger M77: wood, bolt action, with Leupold VX-I 3-9x by 40. I practice ata 100 yard range. Any distances beyond that have been out in the field (ie, not exact). I guess I could also invest the time, effort (and gas money) to get to another range where I can take some 300 yard shots and see if I really need to upgrade. Right now its zeroed at 3" high at 100 yards and so the math says that at 300 yards it is only 9" low. I think at 400 yards that drops to like 4 feet though.

The rifle isn't my first gun, and it wasn't a hand-me-down either. Not too much sentiment. I bought it used for a pretty good deal, but it does have some rust. Also, though I had it boresighted at the shop, I'm not sure whether it performs as well as a brand new rifle that I would know the history of. Thanks again.

salukipv1

J,

I think you said it best....you'll be in griz country in washington...and alaska.....a .300 RUM or WBY with 200gr would be ok, but a .338RUM .340 WBY would be much better I think.

A muley at 400yds from a .338? might be big, maybe cause a tad more damage, but then again dead is dead, and overgunned n griz country vs undergunned?

Every sight states ballistics etc.....for comparisons, I think its helpful, but not the only thing to consider, but it will give you an idea....about some differences etc...

A .338 win mag will be your cheapest .338.....for ammo, and a rifle I suspect.....but a .338 RUM vs .340 wby ammo I would think would be close, and how many boxes do you really plan to buy? the .338 win mag might be nicer on the muleys......I just love the faster .338's, the RUM and WBY. I think if you compare the .300 win mag with 180 or 200gr, to a .338 with 200gr there isn't much difference. Something to think about.

I'm pulling for you to get a .340 wby or .338 RUM.

popeye

If you really want to shoot that distance I think to only two options are 340 WBY and 338RUM, both shoot flatter than either a 338 Win Mag or 375H&H.As much as I like a 338Win Mag, the range is very similar to a 30-06. IN the end, I don't think either is the best choice for what you describe. I would get a 300 RUM as a second rifle, and learn to reload ammo. Go with a high quality 4x12 scope and practice, practice, practice.

IMO 375H&H is not a long range weapon.

Good Luck

whitetaildreamer

I own numerous big game hunting rifles which include both the 30-06 and 7mm mag. I've used both for deer and elk but when I had the opportunity to start hunting moose I picked up a .338 mag. Using a 250 gr. bullet knocks them down real fast.My .338 mag is quite a bit heavier than both my 30-06 and 7 mm mag (with scope I think it is just over 10 lbs). Then again with the amount of recoil it has, I wouldn't want it to be lighter. Beside moose and paper, I haven't had the need to use it. Perhaps someday I'll go after some big bears and it will come in useful. Even though it has seen limitted use when I needed that extra punch itwas the right rifle.

Rammer

What size of groups are you getting at 100 yards right now? Take that number and times it by 2 for 200 yards, 3 for 300, etc etc.

So if your rifle is shooting 1.25" groups at 100 it "should" be capable of 3.75" groups at 300 yards, 5" groups at 400, and 6.25" groups at 500.

Also, if you plan on using your current 30-06 and extending its lets, I would upgrade that scope to a VX-3 4.5-14 or something similiar.