Help pick a caliber

[Crunchy]

Well I am looking to piece together another rifle and cannot decide on caliber.  My go to gun is a 7mm, but looking at either going a step bigger in a .30 cal or maybe smaller in a 6.5ish range.  For deer, bear, elk and paper.  Figured if I start buying pieces now I might have it all together for components to come into stock. I do have a good stash of H1000 if that figures into the pick.

Thoughts....

[str8meat]

My 7 rem mag loves h1000with 168 bergers my 300 win mag eats h1000 with 185 bergers both guns are sub Mia with factory barrels. My 6.5 likes us 869 so that’s all I can say.

[Rat44]

Depends on where you will be hunting, timber or open lands.
I have been using a 30/06 for years.
I know,its not exciting but it does everything I need it to.
If you reload all the better.
I"m kinda stuck on 180 Nosler Partitions but have been playing with the Barnes offerings also.

[b23]

300WSM

[Crunchy]

any benefits on 300 win mag over 300 win short mag?

[Duckslayer89]

any benefits on 300 win mag over 300 win short mag?

If your going to step it up and build a 30 cal I would look at the 300PRC. I for sure wouldn’t go smaller than 7mm for bear and elk, not from what I’ve seen at long range. I don’t know how far you want to shoot though. Have you thought about another 7mm? I love mine so I wouldn’t change anything

[Crunchy]

any benefits on 300 win mag over 300 win short mag?

If your going to step it up and build a 30 cal I would look at the 300PRC. I for sure wouldn’t go smaller than 7mm for bear and elk, not from what I’ve seen at long range. I don’t know how far you want to shoot though. Have you thought about another 7mm? I love mine so I wouldn’t change anything

Ive thought about building another 7mm and just buying another set of dies for it and shooting heavier bullets over the 168s I shoot now.  But knowing me I would likely mix bullets or dies up so I thought build something different would keep me from doing that.

[CP]

I'd bump it up to a .35 - .35 Whelen or .35 Norma mag. 

[Duckslayer89]

any benefits on 300 win mag over 300 win short mag?

If your going to step it up and build a 30 cal I would look at the 300PRC. I for sure wouldn’t go smaller than 7mm for bear and elk, not from what I’ve seen at long range. I don’t know how far you want to shoot though. Have you thought about another 7mm? I love mine so I wouldn’t change anything

Ive thought about building another 7mm and just buying another set of dies for it and shooting heavier bullets over the 168s I shoot now.  But knowing me I would likely mix bullets or dies up so I thought build something different would keep me from doing that.

I shoot the 180 VLD hunting bullet in my 7mag. Just can’t imagine ever changing now. Besides maybe to go up to a 300PRC if I burn the barrel out eventually but I don’t see it happening. I like the 7 to much

[Taco280AI]

What's the build? Heavy? Lightweight? Ranges intended? Hunt spot and stalk or shoot into the next county from your camp? Need more info. Bullet intended, target type or bone buster and keep going?

If I were going 7mag I'd use the 168LRX. If 300mag 175LRX.

[Crunchy]

What's the build? Heavy? Lightweight? Ranges intended? Hunt spot and stalk or shoot into the next county from your camp? Need more info. Bullet intended, target type or bone buster and keep going?

If I were going 7mag I'd use the 168LRX. If 300mag 175LRX.

Not light weight or heavy necessarily.  Probable build on a Defiance, carbon fiber stock, and a fluted #5 contour from Benchmark since they did such a good job on my last barrel.  Range for most of my deer is 200-700 yards. I want to keep the weight down but not into the carbon fiber wrapped barrels.  Bergers have served me well on my 7mm, but I am open to trying other options as far as bullets go.

[b23]

Sounds like you're looking to build kind of a medium-ish weight setup.  You parts list looks pretty solid.  Do you have a barrel length in mind?

For me, it would depend on which bullet weight I was wanting to shoot and what barrel length I wanted to end up with.  If I'm going 30 cal over 7mm I'd be shooting 200+ gr bullets.  If you want to shoot lighter than the 200's I'd stick with a 7mm.  In a medium weight 30cal build using a 22-24in tube shooting up to the 215's I think the 300WSM makes for a really nice setup.  If I planned to shoot the 230-250 grainers I'd step up to a 30-338Lap Imp or maybe 300 Norma Imp but I'd run those with at least a 28in pipe but for 2-700yd work the 300WSM would serve you well.

I'm no particular fan of belted cases and the 300 Win just barely runs faster than the WSM so if I wasn't going to make the jump to the 30 Lapua Imp or Norma Imp but wanted more velocity than the WSM I'd probably do a 30 Nosler or 300PRC.  ADG or Lapua makes brass for all the above so at least you'll have top notch brass to use.

[TooTallMike]

I built a fast twist 300wm to shoot monos or the heavies

Went 1/8 twist and shooting cutting edge bullets but could shoot the long bois if I wanted to.

Right now it’s loving h1000 and I went with a 24” barrel. I know I could have gone longer but I’m still hitting steel at 800.

[Jolten]

26 or 28 nosler

[JJB11B]

7mag, I’m all in on 7mag now

[Duckslayer89]

7mag, I’m all in on 7mag now

  But I’ve been planning my own build in my head of what I would do right now if I didn’t have my gun and a different caliber.

-300prc
-#4 bartlein carbon wrapped barrel. This will fit in a manners EH6A according to their customer service.
-Manners EH6A
-Defiance Deviant Hunter action.
-Whatever aftermarket trigger you prefer.... lightweight bad ass rifle and you can shoot the 215-230s. That’s the only reason I would switch from 7mag to shoot those bullets. 

[Igor]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

[Duckslayer89]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

There’s that crowd of man buns then there’s the crowd that actually shoots and knows a little

[Igor]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

There’s that crowd of man buns then there’s the crowd that actually shoots and knows a little

Yeah, those man bun guys that are in love with their 7mms are different.  I'm surprised that nobody has come up with a cartridge called the 7mm ManBun.

[konradcountry]

I think I'd go with 50 BMG. That way you could kill stuff.

You won't get as much meat compared to a wimpy smaller caliber like 300 win mag but a lot of the meat will be pre-cooked.

[Jimmy33]

6.8 Western


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MADMAX]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

There’s that crowd of man buns then there’s the crowd that actually shoots and knows a little

Yeah, those man bun guys that are in love with their 7mms are different.  I'm surprised that nobody has come up with a cartridge called the 7mm ManBun.

Nowadays I’m surprised that the 7mm mannlicher isnt the rage 

[elkaholic123]

Another vote for 28 Nosler

[jason stevens]

6.5 creedmoor all day. It drops everything. Yesterday  it was a 350 pound bear. 1 shot

[Cougartail]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

There’s that crowd of man buns then there’s the crowd that actually shoots and knows a little

Yeah, those man bun guys that are in love with their 7mms are different.  I'm surprised that nobody has come up with a cartridge called the 7mm ManBun.

Nowadays I’m surprised that the 7mm mannlicher isnt the rage 

It is but they are afraid to take them out of the closet. 

[Little Stu]

257 wby. Shoot 120 nosler partitions it will kill anything you want it to.

[The Big Game Hunter]

The 6.8 Western will deliver performance very similar to the 7mm Rem Mag depending on the exact load compared (learn more here https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/6-8-western/ ).
The fact that it's still a pretty new cartridge means that it's tough to see what the future holds with it. On one hand, 6.8 Western rifles and ammo are surprisingly easy to find right now. In fact, it's much easier for me to find 6.8 Western ammo than 7mm Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag ammo at this instant. That's basically been the case since the 6.8 Western was introduced back in January of 2021. That's obviously a significant benefit in the short term.

This ammo shortage will (hopefully) end and it will eventually be easier to find most of the really common stuff again though. At that point, it's anybody's guess what will happen with the 6.8 Western. So, I think it's a pretty solid choice in the short term. As with any new cartridge though, you do run the risk of being an early adopter and being left high and dry if it doesn't really catch on and Browning and Winchester stop producing rifles and factory ammo for it in a few years....

[Duckslayer89]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

What have you killed so far this year btw Igor?

[phildobaggins]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

  

[Igor]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

What have you killed so far this year btw Igor?

Well, modern rifle season opens on the 16th, and my Ruger Ultralight in .270 Winchester is ready to go.  Ask me again in a couple of weeks.

[timberfaller]

IMHO, doesn't matter what caliber you go with, if you can't achieve "bullet placement" what good is it!

If you have a caliber that can't do 700yds, get closer to your target!   After all its called "Hunting"!

[Duckslayer89]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

What have you killed so far this year btw Igor?

Well, modern rifle season opens on the 16th, and my Ruger Ultralight in .270 Winchester is ready to go.  Ask me again in a couple of weeks.

Nice. I’m two bears down so far with my 7mm. One at 688 yards 😂. Killin stuff

[Igor]

I think I'd go with .300 Win mag.   That way you could kill stuff.  But then, you would not be able to dazzle your friends with terms like Lapua and Nosler and Creedmoor.

What have you killed so far this year btw Igor?

Well, modern rifle season opens on the 16th, and my Ruger Ultralight in .270 Winchester is ready to go.  Ask me again in a couple of weeks.

Nice. I’m two bears down so far with my 7mm. One at 688 yards 😂. Killin stuff

Good work.  Hope the rest of the season goes as well for you..............
Those bears would be deader if you were shooting a .300 Win Mag............just kidding.

[Crunchy]

I will stay with a standard caliber so components aren't as hard to come by.  I reload so I am pretty sure whatever caliber I pick I should be able to tune up a good load.

[jasnt]

I built a fast twist 300wm to shoot monos or the heavies

Went 1/8 twist and shooting cutting edge bullets but could shoot the long bois if I wanted to.

Right now it’s loving h1000 and I went with a 24” barrel. I know I could have gone longer but I’m still hitting steel at 800.

I did the same but went 28”

[Crunchy]

I need to pull the trigger and try to find the action or get it ordered as well as the stock.  Those will probably be the longest wait.

[Jason]

I need to pull the trigger and try to find the action or get it ordered as well as the stock.  Those will probably be the longest wait.

Which action you going with?

[Crunchy]

Thinking Defiance but not 100%

[b23]

Thinking Defiance but not 100%

Usually longer waits, unless you can find one in stock somewhere, but BAT and Defiance would be my top two picks.

[C-Money]

I'm not sure about using H1000 with this cartridge, but I have been super impressed with the 7mm-08 cartridge. We have yet to fill an elk tag with it, but it sure does work well on deer. I really appreciate the ease of finding reloading components, its light recoil, and great accuracy. If I ever I need to retire my .270 win, I'd be buying a 7mm-08 for myself.

[MooseZ25]

6.5 PRC or 300 PRC