Need help choosing new caliber
 

Hello, im new here i shoot down in south texas. I shoot deer,javalina,hogs mainly and also nilgai antelope. Iv been think of buying a browning x bolt hunter but cant decide on what caliber. Iv been thinking a 300 wsm or the 7mm rem mag. Im planning to use the barnes triple shock bullet. Can you help me decide.

Welcome to the forum...

How much experience do you have shooting 7mm Mags or 300 Mags??? If you can sit down and handle the recoil of 10-12 shots, then have at it, most can't...

Any caliber including .243, .260, 7mm-08, .308, 25-06, 270 or 30-06 in a modern bolt action rifle with a good scope in 3x9x40 will do all you need to do...

Also, while the Triple Shocks are great bullets, I'd stick with standard cup and core or Nosler Partitons and shoot more for less...They will do just as well on the smaller animals you mentioned...

Thanks for the info man. Well i have a 270 wsm and a 243 and they have always got the job done even with nilgai. But since i want a new x bolt i cant decide what caliber i should get. I wanted to try something different. I can handle the recoil, unfortunatly i also had a 257 and 300 weatherby mag but they got stolen.

Sounds like two really good choices to me. Personally I would go with the 300 WSM. But then that is the one I bought. And I like your rifle choice. I personally believe you are wasting your money on the bullets. Any good bullet from a 300 WSM will easily do the job on the game you described. No need to pay $1 a bullet, unless you just have alot of money to burn. The Barnes bullet will not be a dimes bit more effective than a good Sierra or other good bullet. Tom.

The 300 and 7mm magnums aren't going to do anything any better than what the .270WSM already does on animals 500 pounds and smaller.

IMHO you may as well skip over the duplicating cartridges and get into a .338.


BTW, I also agree that the BTSX bullets are way over rated in cartridges that aren't considered to be minimal for the game being hunted. It is my opinion that if you are using something like a .243 to take something as large as an elk then the Barnes bullets are warranted but certainly not with any of the cartridges you mentioned. Dead is dead and just because you spent 3 - 4 times as much for them doesn't make the animal any more dead.

Thanks for the comments and advise the only reason i said the barnes cause a local gun dealer told me to try them out, but i have always used just basic remington corelokt and also nosler partition. Being that i live in south texas i really dont think i need such a big caliber, they just medium sized game. Im thinking about trying out the 25-06 or 308, when i shot my first nilgai i shot it with my 243 in the head.

If you're going to buy a new rifle and just want a different caliber, I'd go with .30-06 personally. There's an abundance and wide variety of that bullet and they're inexpensive. That's more than enough for anything you might come across in Texas..... Except maybe El Chupacabra....

I'd not worry too much...the bullet does more work than the headstamp. Maybe you have a sweet spot for a cartridge already?

I'd agree, I have a hankering for either a 25-06 or a 7mm-08...

I just don't have the need, my .243 convinces me each season that it's up to the task...

Between brothers, cousins, nephews and buddies we have just about every cartridge you could imagine...They all work well when the hunter does his part...

I'd go with the 308 out of your choices and current guns. I personally like the short action guns. None of your choices will really out do the 270WSM by much so Id go with a smaller lighter gun compared to a long action.

I also think 308. Whatever you decide you wont be sorry with the x bolt, I love mine and i havent even shot it yet. Im going to be shooting it in a couple days i'll let you know how it shoots. Its a 7mm mag ss stalker.

Sometimes you just get something because you want it and there is nothing wrong with that. Iv'e had a Remington LSS and a Weatherby Vanguard, both in .300 WSM and they were both very accurate and would reach way out there. Can't beat those short action magnums--Also, to me, the recoil was nothing compared to the 7MM mag which in my opinion, kicks like a mule. Your choice in rifles is comendable also, I have an A-bolt Medallion in .204 and it's by far one of the best rifles Iv'e ever owned, so I say go for it, get the X-bolt in .300 short mag, it'll do anything you ask of it with standard factory ammo without a problem and if you ever get the chance to go after something really heavy you'll already have the gun for it---John

Thanks for the advise i greatly appreciate it. Im headed tommorow to go pick it up. Iv decided on the 300 wsm, but i spoke to the guy at the gun store and he told me for like $90 more on the hunter i can take the medallion. So tommorow il check them out s which one i like more.

The older Medallion's were nice. However the one I had was the one with the real shiny(polished) bolt cover. It was too shiny for my liking. When the sun was out it stood out like a sore thumb. I do not know if the new ones have that shiny cover, but that was the only thing I did not like about it. But either will make you one fine rifle. Good luck with that. Tom.

I own a Stainless Stalker in .338 Win and wish all my rifles were this well made.


You'll never need a flatter shooting magnum than a 7MM rem mag.(mine is a Sako A7).


I find no need for short mags IMO. (sorry)


Most importantly - All the best if you picked yours up already !!!