Best Western Caliber?

[kidoggy]

to answer OPs question ,,,yes a .270 is big enough for elk . I have killed many and never wounded a single one with mine in the past thirty five years.

A .270 is capable of effectively killing any animal on this planet at 400 yards but as with all calibers ,the shooter must be capable of putting the bullet where it needs to go also.

 

[Timr245]

Some info for consideration :

Rifle Recoil Table

I hate recoil; I guess I'm a . lol

That being said, there's gadgets to trick the rifle out with to help with that, to an extent...

Not to threadjack....But I just wanna know how they’re getting 3395 outta a 6.5-300 pushing 140’s hahaha dang. My most accurate are 3255 and at 3300 they’re not awful. But that’s another 100fps.

 

[Prerylyon]

Not to threadjack....But I just wanna know how they’re getting 3395 outta a 6.5-300 pushing 140’s hahaha dang. My most accurate are 3255 and at 3300 they’re not awful. But that’s another 100fps.

'Tim,

Maybe they use this bad boy for their test barrel?

 

[memtb]

Your Weatherby with the proper bullets is hard to beat. But, if you’re “hankering “ for a new rifle....you simply can’t beat a .338 WM, and ammo is readily available in most places. My wife uses hers for “all” of her hunting, and loves it! memtb

 

[HuskyMusky]

Of late I'm thinking the 6.5 PRC and .300 WSM would be a great combo to hunt most of the west with, I do also kind of like the .340 Wby as a bigger 3rd option, but the first 2 could really cover some ground I'm thinking.

If not those 2, something close to a .270win and .300 win.mag. I think are good options.

 

[AKaviator]

I have a .300 Weatherby also and like it. It's as close to an "all around" caliber as there is, in my opinion. I've used mine on numerous Sitka Blacktail deer and one Arctic Grizzly bear. But you said you want a new project rifle to use on elk. I'd be hard pressed to argue against anything in the 270 or 280 range.
I'm intrigued with the 6.5PRC also, for no really good reason.
As for finding ammo...I've never not had what I needed, when I needed it, and I've lived in some pretty remote places and shot pretty odd calibers!

 

[kidoggy]

In all fairness, I haven't ready anything said before this...

My current arsenal is small. .30-06, .300 Win Mag and drum roll please.... 6.5 Creedmore. I think I can handle all of NA with ths line up.

the 06 alone would handle anything IN NA

 

[memtb]

I certainly understand that those sensitive to recoil shy away from high/heavy recoil rifles....and those folks are better served with a firearm of lesser recoil. As mentioned, there are many methods to substantially reduce “felt” recoil, the most populat methods being....extra firearm weight or a muzzle brake. Neither one of these options is ideal, especially the additional weight, if the hunter covers a lot of country on foot.

Another consideration, is to have a firearm that “nearly” duplicates (size, weight, stock design, scope, ect.) the hunting firearm....and practice with “that” firearm. This will minimize the amount of recoil, that the shooter/hunter is subjected to. Also, practice using the hunting firearm from “field positions”, rather than the bench.

My wife has used a sub 9 pound ,by one “whole” ounce (scoped, loaded, slung) unsuppressed (she hates brakes) .338 WM. since 1995. She’s not “brute” by any measure, and does not enjoy “bench shooting”. However, she adapted to the recoil (it took a year or so), because she was and is convinced of it’s effectiveness on game. This is her “only” hunting rifle.....from antelope/deer, up through moose, elk, and bear. If she can handle it, most any shooter can......unless they have a physical issue which prohibits absorbing the additional felt recoil! memtb

 

[mallardsx2]

Any of the 300's if you can mitigate the recoil and be effective with it.

 

[JimP]

I have been doing some reading on the 6.5 PRC. It has all the benefits of the 6.5 bullet along with 200 fps more than the Creedmore with the same bullet. And while it isn't a 6.5-300 Weatherby it is a interesting round and should be good on just about any North American animal except for the bigger bears and perhaps bison.

 

[dan maule]

Weatherby came out with another 6.5mm the 6.5 RPM, from what I have seen it appears to duplicate the 6.5 PRC. They developed it to fit in a 6 lug bolt. Interesting but I'm not sure the world needs yet another 6.5.

 

[mcseal2]

I have been doing some reading on the 6.5 PRC. It has all the benefits of the 6.5 bullet along with 200 fps more than the Creedmore with the same bullet. And while it isn't a 6.5-300 Weatherby it is a interesting round and should be good on just about any North American animal except for the bigger bears and perhaps bison.

I've been shooting 140's through my 264 win mag at a mild 2900-3000fps depending on which bullet I use (Berger 2914fps, Accubond 3000fps) for a lot of years. It has always done great for me with easy recoil to handle. If I didn't already have my old 264 I'd already have a 6.5 PRC. A long sleek tough 6.5 bullet like the Accubond penetrates like crazy.

 

[mcseal2]

My pick for only one western rifle would be the 7mm Rem Mag. I shoot a 300 win mag or a 264 win mag at almost all big game. If I was to have only one I'd split the difference and go with a 7mm Rem Mag. I'd probably shoot something in the 160gr range at everything unless I went after moose or bison, then I'd step up to the 175 Partition and keep shots closer. If I could ever afford to hunt big bears I could afford a 375 Ruger to tackle them, so I'm not factoring those in.