Big Uncle

I suppose if forced to choose five to hunt everything I would pick the following:

.22 LR bolt
.45 single action revolver
30-06 bolt rifle
375 bolt rifle (either H&H or Ruger cartridge)
12 gauge pump

REM_7600

BU, Simple and to the point. I would take a DA .357 over the .45 Colt SA... but you are on point. I can't disagree with your choices.

REM7600

Alsatian

1. Marlin 39A .22 long rifle lever action
2. Winchester Model 12 12 gauge pump shotgun
3. .25-06 sporterized Springfield
4. .30-06 sporterized Springfield
5. .338 Winchester Magnum in Winchester Model 70 Supergrade


The Model 12 is old school and is not steel shot compatible, but it is a nice classic shotgun. I suppose a modern Remington 870 would be a more practical substitute, but I don't feel the posed question restricted me to being practical.


The Marlin 39A is a nice handy rifle that is a joy to carry out squirrel hunting.


The .25-06 is pretty sweet for hunting pronghorn and deer, and my dad sporterized this one himself so it has sentimental value to me. I shot my first big game animal -- a white tail doe -- with this rifle. My son shot his first big game animal -- a pronghorn antelope -- with this rifle.


The .30-06 was also sporterized by my dad and hence has sentimental value. I use this for elk hunting and have killed 3 elk with it. My dad never got to use these rifles for big game hunting because he lived in Illinois and did not go out-of-state to hunt. Illinois didn't have a deer season until I was in high school, and then they made it a shotgun only state.


I don't have a .338 Winchester Magnum, but I have always thought I would like to have one . . . just because. I'm not going to hunt bear which would be a good use for this rifle, but some people think it is ideal for elk hunting, which I do hunt.

REM_7600

I think you'd be thrilled with the performance of the .338WinMag.

I get the sentimental value but the .25 and .30 '06's are too close a pair for me; you're opinion obviously varies, and you're entitled to it!

Good choices nontheless!

REM7600

younggun308

I've spent way too much time agonizing over this. My only solace was I didn't have to specify a home defense/concealed carry handgun.

Browning BPS 12ga w/3.5" chamber - There is no smoother pump, and there never will be.

Winchester Wildcat .22LR - Because sometimes you want to be different, but classic.

Noveske GenIII with 18" 5.56x45NATO and 6.8SPC barrels - Light and lovely

Remington 673 .308Win. - Again, I'm different, but this is one I own and love.

Sako 85 Hunter .338Win. - Would love to learn how to shoot and reload this.

REM_7600

YG,

The .338 is IMO one of the easiest cartridges to reload for!

Be prepared for some recoil in the SAKO.

225gr are one of the most popular loads but consider the Hornady Superformance line if you're not geared up for reloading.

I like the 200gr but will move t a 250gr for truly big game. Is it necessary? Nope but they typically a better designed bullets for the large game.

REM7600

younggun308

Are you saying Sako tends to recoil more than most other bolt-actions, or because it's not the BAR?
If the former, what bolt-actions have you found have better-constructed stocks for the recoil? I almost put the Savage 116 on here, and read reviews saying that the .338 recoil was considerably less than on the Howa 1500.

REM_7600

No firsthand experience outside of short and long .300's Savage, and the BAR in .338. My BAR has the BOSS on it and in automatic it kicks less than the stock REM7600 I have. Unfortunately I lost a huge part of my hearing to the BOSS on one hunt years ago. I don't recommend muzzle brakes for 2 reasons... 1. They are flippin' loud and 2. When shooting prone it can be like shooting a front stuffer. When the dust clears, then you can see again.

Choose a rifle that fits you and is in the right weight and you'll be fine. HeII there are 200gr, even 180gr premiums that you can shoot through the .338. This reply WAS NOT implying the SAKO has higher recoil. The likely reason you see more Savage is OK is because I can almost positively say Savage is much more accessible to the average american shooter $wise.

REM7600

younggun308

Thanks for clarifying.

Yeah, you're probably dead-on about Savage's reputation being fueled by accessibility as much as their quality (which is fantastic from the standpoint of functionality and reliability, except that I don't like those plastic magazine releases on the newer models).

The BAR looks amazing, but for me it'd be a matter of finding a deal in a used rifle somewhere.
My dad picked up a fantastic A-bolt with a laminated thumbhole stock in 7mm Rem Mag that way over 10 years ago. It too has the BOSS system, and after a single time shooting it in the field, he promptly switched from the ported BOSS to the non-ported BOSS attachment and has never looked back. Even in wide-open spaces out West, the noise was just too brutal.
In a .338, I imagine one could swap the two BOSS attachments out, depending on whether one's going to the range or to the field.

hardcastonly

REM_7600 is 100% correct about the 338 BAR having significantly less felt recoil that a similar weight bolt action 338 win, Ive found the 338 win BAR to be both very accurate and having surprising light recoil even without the boss muzzle brake