browning a-bolt caliber???
 

i mostly hunt in north carolina, but plan on going out west more in the future and i' m about to get a new a-bolt. im undecided about what caliber i should choose. are the WSM' s all they are cracked up to be? if so 7mm WSM or 300 WSM. i' d like to use this gun around here also and have considered the 300 win mag and 7mm rem mag. i know you older guys know much more and have lots more experience. just wondering if you guys could share some of that wisdom. i appreciate it. thanks.

God bless you.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

Hey Nc_Archer,
I have a 300wsm in the Modle 70,and I have not shot at any game yet,but I bought it for elk and I' m pleased with the accuracey of it.Ihave only had mine for a few months.I think you would be impressed with it IMO.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

You' ll like the A-Bolt and any of the cartridges will do for you. However the 7mm might be a better all around choice starting on the East coast. It' ll certainly do the job on elk as well. I' d pick the WSM but the Rem Mag is fine too.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

nc
The 300wsm might be one to look at. It is getting the most play of all the new short magnums (I believe) so will be around for a while.

From reports it has less kick that the 300 win mag and almost as much power.

Lots of people will tell you from their experience that the 7mag is as good as the 300 on elk. I prefer the extra bullet weight and power of the 300. You will have to decide for yourself on that one.

I live in Idaho have shot and seen lots of elk shot and I would buy the 300 wsm if I was deciding today from those choices.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

i have a browning a-bolt medallion chambered in the 30-06sprg. fine round and does what i need it to do.

i would go with either a 30-06sprg or a 280rem. both will work fine for what you want it to do. you really don' t need a magnum .

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

NC_archer, not to get you confused or anything, but personally if I were looking for a new A-Bolt for myself, I would give serious consideration to the .270 WSM. The 7mm or .300 WSM' s wouldn' t be bad choices either though.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

The only thing that would concern me is availability of ammo and it' s cost. The Remington Ultra Mag ammo is expensive in my opinion. And I assume the WSM' s are too.

Is it legal to transport ammo on airlines now??? I' ve lost track of the regulations with the way things have been lately. If it' s not, I' d be concerned that I couldn' t find the ammo I need when going out west if you fly. I' d stick to more conventional calibers like the .06, 7mm Rem Mag, and 300 Win Mag.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

if it' s a short mag you want and to be used for elk and at distance i think the 7mm wsm would be the best choice , it' s got the punch and the reach. of course the 7mm rem. mag will also get the job done :D:D

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

I would stick to the standards 7 rem mag or 300 win, as it is very spectulatory about the data published with realtime results with regards to the WSM vs standard counterparts & ammo choice and availabilty is readily available(not to mention less expensive). The one thing it does give you is a short action with magnum boost but it does not exceed it standard brothers. However if you want a short action and mag to boot I would opt for the 300WSM. Main reason is been around the longest so it has more gun/ammo/bullet offerings (especially if you buy over the counter-factory ammo) and I think it will be one that will stand the test of time.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

300 Win. Mag. Good luck.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

What gun do you normally use in North Carolina. I recently bought a 270WSM and love it. Also what kind of game do you plan on hunting? I think the 270WSM is fine for deer,elk and black bear. It does not kick much and is very flat shooting out to 300 yards.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

If all the cals in the Browning shoots as good as my 270wsm stalker out of the box ,any one of the cals mentioned would be great.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

Like I said I own and shoot the 300wsm(I have 2 of them)I only pay 20.99/box for the Winchester PPP ammo.That is about 1/2 the price of my Ultra mag!![:o]Now I go in to the Sporting goods and I see 7mm rem and 300 win Prem ammo at $25-$30.00/a box.Whats the better choice

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

I have really been eyeing the WSM lately. With my 270Win, 300WinMag, and 300RUM, I have trouble finding a powder bullet combination with very low spreads in velocity. Then I picked up this 308Win last year, and have had a real hard time getting this round to shoot bad. Every 308Win gun I have seen and shot thru my chrony gets much lower Std Dev. when it comes to velocity. I have really noticed the difference when target shooting out past 500 yards.

I love my 300RUM, but the velocity variations are rough to deal with when I get a spread of 70fps depending on the temp that day. At 600 yards, it makes a difference even if you getting .5" groups at 100 yards.

So after working up loads for my 308Win and two others that friends own, I really buying into this theory of " Shorter fatter rounds burn more consistently" thing. So when I get bored this winter, I think I will start loading for a new 270WSM.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

Look at the Tikka T3. It comes in 7 rem mag which would be one of my cartrdges of choice also come in the 300. However, being a 7mm fan that is the way to go. Also more versitile for hunting smaller stuff, hogs, deer etc... You don' t neccesarily need a .300 unless that is your cup of tea.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

i appreciate all the feedback. great stuff! i think i' ll go with the 7 or 300 in the short mag. 6 days til bowseason...watch out!!!!:D

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

If you are going to shoot it alot, get a 30-06 so you won' t have to replace the barrel after 1000 rounds. If not, get a .300 Mag, any of them will do.

RE: browning a-bolt caliber???
 

I would get a 30-06. For using in NC, you can get decent ammo for $15 a box, sometimes $10 a box on sale. You can handload the 30-06 pretty hot and Hornady light mags are really hot, they claim 3000 fps or such with 180 grain bullet. If that doesn' t kill an elk, you got problems. If you handload, you might try .300 win mag. You can load it down to 30-06 levels for around home. But it is still a waste when you don' t need it where you hunt (and you don' t need more than a 30-06 in NC) and the 30-06 is fine for out West unless you plan on shooting 500 yards or going after grizzly bears. And then the .300 win mag is a little iffy in those cases too.