What Calibre ?

[good shot, buddy!]

Gentlemen(& Ladies) help please!..............................FNG here.
I've finally been talked into Deer/Elk hunting by my fishing & bird hunting buddies and I need some help re: calibre of rifle to buy.
At this point I need one weapon (probably a Remington 700 as it feels very comfortable & I shoot fairly well with it) but cannot decide on a calibre. I am leaning towards a .308 to fill the bill, but in reading posts the last day or two, find lots of info on the 30-06 but hardly anything on the .308.
I will be hunting relatively wide open areas (colorado-nevada)and would appreciate any/all input from you. In fact, should you have a better calibre in mind, please advise.
Thanks very much !

[progers]

I have shot both and I prefer a 308 bolt action out of the two. It will drop one in its tracks with a body shot up to 200 yards! I also like the way a 308 sounds when it is shot! It has a deeper boom to it than the pow of a 30-06!

Go with the 308 and be one of tha Big Dogs! Unless you want to get a 7mag! That would be your best bet for those long shots!

[DocHolladay]

first, welcome to the forum. second you are going to get several different answers to this question. My suggestion would be to go with a .30-06. it has enough power for both species depending on the grain of the bullet used and you can take long range shots with it. no matter what game species you are hunting i wouldnt shoot any farther than 300yds., maybe even stay as close to 200yds. as you can. my second choice i would go with progers and say a 7mm. whether it is the 7mm-08 or the 7mm mag. the choice is yours. i went and did a little research and the 7mm rem. mag. is your best bet. it has the most velocity/ft.lbs of any of the rounds listed out to 500yds. it smokes them by at least 200 fps. on velocity and 300 ft. lbs. of energy. they all have similar amounts of drop at the listed distances(0-500yds.). some consider it over kill for deer others dont. hope this helps you out.

[quigleysharps4570]

At this point I need one weapon (probably a Remington 700 as it feels very comfortable & I shoot fairly well with it) but cannot decide on a calibre.

Go with that one. Long as it's a legal caliber for deer /elk that is. I'd much rather see ya shoot something you're already comfortable with and are fairly accurate with than some new caliber that you might not like and can't hit a barrel at 100 yards with. I'd also keep my shots under 100yds. if you're new at this.

[progers]

And don't skimp on the scope, either! Put a good scope on that rifle or you sill swear the gun has something wrong with it! Get one with a 50mm lens and make sure it is a good shockproof scope or the gun will tear it up!

[DocHolladay]

a 50mm may will be good, but i wouldnt go less than a 40mm. if you get a leupold, nikon, or any other quality scope you could go with that. they have quality lenses that let in ample light.

[KwackWacker]

The boys already said it all. If you're looking for something a little flatter shooting than the .30-06 and something with a little less kick than the 7 mm Mag. I would recommend a .280. Basically it is a .30-06 necked down to a 28 caliber bullet. Shoots flat, hits hard and doesn't punish you for shooting it.

[progers]

Yea, the 280 is a nice ride! My dad has a Remington 280 with a Nikon scope and it's a sweet set up! Kinda jealous of it, myself!

[good shot, buddy!]

Well, thanks very much to all who responded, it was appreciated !
Soooooo, guess its a choice between the .280 and the .308, tho' I'm not sure about the .280 @ 300+ yds. putting down a bull elk. But I'll try doing a web search for ballistics comparison between the two. Thanks again to all.

PS: Doc, it's been my experience that you're absolutely right, re:"good friends" and "really good friends"........just never seen it in writing before!

[padeerhunter72]

i say the .308, i got 1. a remington .308 mohawk with the 22' barrel and the dogleg bolt...... but they dont make them there guns no more. so just stick with the .308

[progers]

Well, thanks very much to all who responded, it was appreciated !
Soooooo, guess its a choice between the .280 and the .308, tho' I'm not sure about the .280 @ 300+ yds. putting down a bull elk. But I'll try doing a web search for ballistics comparison between the two. Thanks again to all.

PS: Doc, it's been my experience that you're absolutely right, re:"good friends" and "really good friends"........just never seen it in writing before!

308___________________________________________________
Bullet.........100......150.......200......250......300........400........500
150grn......+1.8.....+1.6.....zero......-3.1.....-7.8......-22.7......-46.0
165grn......+2.0....+ 1.7.....zero......-3.3.....-8.4......-24.3......-48.9

VELOCITY (ft/sec)
Bullet.......Muzzle....100......200.......300.......400.......500
150grn......2820.....2546....2288.....2046.....1819.....1611
165grn......2700.....2501....2311.....2129.....1956.....1792
ENERGY (ft-lbs)
150grn......2648.....2159....1744.....1394.....1102......864
165grn......2670.....2292....1957.....1661.....1401....1176

280___________________________________________________
Bullet.........100......150.......200......250......300........400........500
140grn......+1.5.....+1.4.....zero......-2.8.....-7.0......-20.5......-42.0
150grn......+1.8.....+1.6.....zero......-3.1.....-8.0......-23.6......-48.8

VELOCITY (ft/sec)
Bullet.......Muzzle....100......200.......300.......400.......500
140grn......3000.....2758....2528.....2309.....2102.....1905
150grn......2890.....2624....2373.....2135.....1912.....1705
ENERGY (ft-lbs)
140grn......2797.....2363....1986.....1657.....1373.....1128
150grn......2781.....2293....1875.....1518.....1217......968

But, if you are gonna be shooting Bull Elk at 300+ yards then you may need a 7ultra mag or a 300ultra mag. These are excellent for drilling a hole 300-500 yards!

7mm ultra mag ____________________________________________
Bullet.........100......150.......200.......250......300.........400.........500
140grn.....+1.8.....+2.2.....+1.6......zero......-2.7.......-11.9.......-27.0

VELOCITY (ft/sec)
Bullet......Muzzle......100......200......300.......400.......500
140grn.....3425.......3158....2907....2669.....2444.....2229
ENERGY (ft-lbs)
140grn.....3646.......3099....2626....2214.....1856.....1545

300 ultra mag _____________________________________________
Bullet........100.......150.......200.......250......300.........400.........500
150grn....+1.7......+2.1.....+1.5.......zero.....-2.6.......-11.2.......-25.3
180grn....+2.0......+2.3.....+1.7.......zero.....-2.8.......-12.3.......-27.3

VELOCITY (ft/sec)
Bullet......Muzzle......100......200......300.......400.......500
150grn.....3450.......3208....2980....2762.....2556.....2358
180grn.....3250.......3048....2856....2672.....2495.....2325
ENERGY (ft-lbs)
150grn.....3964.......3427....2956....2541.....2175.....1852
180grn.....4221.......3714....3260....2853.....2487.....2160


And it just so happens that Walmart is running a special! You can get a 7mag or a 300, with a 3X9X40mm scope and a sling for $329!!!

[6.5 Irish]

Have you thought about a 6.5 x 55 deadly accurate at long distances if the gun is set up right but it is probably a bit on the lite side for dealing with elk .I know that you guys over in the states have a preferance for larger calibre's than us Irish hunter's probably because you have a large selection of game that can be hunted .

[carnivore]

I always have a lot of big If's, but if i had the money and the opportunity to pursue big game I'd go with the 300 win. mag. and get in touch with some doing some good hand loads

[cynic]

If the Remington 700 is what your looking at the 300 mag is my choice but I probably will never need it. The 300 recoil in the model 700 isn't bad at all. To me it is a tad less than the 30-06 inherently due to the fact that the cartridge pressure allows it to start the bullet moving in the barrell much easier. If recoild is a factor stay away from the short mags. Some people say that the 300 is over kill for deer hunting but in my opinion any cartridge that puts an animal down in the most human way is great. The 6.5 irish(swedish) is a great cartridge but in little demand and cartridges are hard to find. most of the hunters prefer cartridges that are readily available at local hardware and sporting goods stores (Walmart).