What caliber of new rifle do I buy?

[HNTNGUY]

Ok guys I am looking at purchasing a new gun and with that being said I am looking to shoot 600-1000 yards and need a rifle to do the job. With all the new calibers out (26 and 28 Nosler, 6.5 Creedmore) and all of the other calibers out (7 mag, 300 mag, 300 ultra mag wsm's) I am wondering what to pick. I don't reload and am looking at getting something that will do both deer and elk. Any opinions and comments are greatly appreciated!

Mark

[5guyshunting]

.270 wsm or 7mm mag. Your gonna get alot of opinions. Good luck with the new purchase.

[roninflag]

HNTN- for me the "choice" made rifle is more important than the caliber choice. ron

[lancetkenyon]

Deer and elk out to 1000, you should be looking at a 7mm or .308" caliber cartridge in my opinion. If I had to have ONE rifle to do it all and I did not reload, it would either be a .300WM or 7RM. Factory loads available EVERYWHERE, and lots of choices. You can get a lighter rifle for carrying in the mountains without punishing recoil.

 

My other options would be .300RUM or 7RUM/7STW. More power, but at additional costs/recoil/less choices of factory loads.

[ctafoya]

300 wsm

[218buck]

Something to think about is how much energy your bullet will have at those longer distances some of the smaller calibers will easily shoot that far but may not have the energy to kill an elk. That being said I like the 7 RUM good luck

[AZ_Native]

HNTNGuy. I'm new to this site (can't believe I have never registered for it!) but certainly not new to hunting and shooting. Like the other post said, you will get lots of opinions. I own a Remington 700 Sendero II in 7mm RM and a Remington 700 long range hunter in 308. Personally, I think the 308 shouldn't be used on large elk past about 500 yards, but that is simply my opinion. But the 308 is a great round. I reload for all my rifles and get great results. I have a load for the 308 that shoots .2" with 168 grain Bergers. But, you won't be loading... No worries! HSM Trophy Gold ammo use the 168 grain Bergers and I regularly shoot .25" to .5" groups at 100 yards. That's not too shabby! I like the heavier barrel and the aluminum bedded stalk. It's about as close as you will get to a professional bedding job without actually having one. I finally found some HSM Trophy Gold that use the 168 grain Bergers for the 7mm at Sportsmans and snagged two boxes. I have not shot them yet, but hoping they perform like the HSM does in the 308. I have not found my "perfect load" yet, but I have got some handloads with the 168 Bergers to shoot .5". I would imagine I will get that gun down to .2 or less once I bed the action and put a better trigger in and find the right load and bullet seat. Now, to answer your question... 7mm is one of the best "all around" hunting rifles you can own. A legitimate 1,000 rifle for deer and elk. I have no problem ringing steel at 850 yards and I am just starting with that rifle. One of the most efficient bullets there is. Also, you can find factory ammo EVERYWHERE, which is extremely important since you won't be reloading. Same goes for the 308. The recoil is pretty tame IMHO, particularly for a rifle that can lob rounds accurately and consistently out to 1,000 yards. I spent $1,200 for my Sendero, but to be honest, the $600 long range hunter (blued) with the heavy barrel and aluminum bed will shoot just as well. Something just made me go with the stainless. Put good glass on it and the 7mm will let you plink at 1,000 yards or hunt at pretty dang long distances as well. Any of the other large magnums can be a little punishing on recoil, which is why I love the 7 for hunting. If budget is not a consideration go with the Sendero. It's a dang fine looking gun. I put a Vortext Viper PST 6-24x50 on it and haven't looked back. Good luck with the search!

[AverageJoe]

Get the biggest caliber you will be comfortable shooting. One rifle to do it all would be 300 win mag or 7mm mag as mentioned above.

[HNTNGUY]

Thank you for all the input. So looks like quite possibly I will do the 7mm. Now the question is should I spend the extra money and do a Christensen Arms, Fierce, or Legacy Arms? Or should I stick with say a Remington Sendero or similar?

Thanks again for the input!!

[AZ_Native]

AverageJoe made a great comment. If it sucks to shoot (big recoil) you will hate shooting it and likely never shoot it very well. I have a stock Remington 700 in 300 WM and I absolutely HATE to shoot that gun. It's punishing. I am going to use that action and send it to the gunsmith to have a custom 300 WM built off it with heavy barrel, muzzle brake, etc... The 7mm has always been touted as about the biggest magnum "most" people can comfortably shoot and I would have to agree with that. Granted my Sendero 7mm have a heavy barrel and a bit heavier stock I can shoot that thing all day long and never get tired or flinch. Look up ballistics charts as 218buck is spot on. If you are going to shoot 600-1,000 you'll want enough energy at those ranges to drop the particular animal you are going for. Since I am fond of HSM's Trophy Gold ammo and it shoots so well out of my guns, here is a link to some of their ballistics data: http://thehuntingshack.com/?page_id=13 You will see various rounds, their velocities and energy at different distances.

[AZ_Native]

Thank you for all the input. So looks like quite possibly I will do the 7mm. Now the question is should I spend the extra money and do a Christensen Arms, Fierce, or Legacy Arms? Or should I stick with say a Remington Sendero or similar?

Thanks again for the input!!

 

Some of those smaller makers make some very fine and very accurate firearms. Like I mentioned, I have Remington 700's in both the 308 and 7mm. Both have the aluminum bedded stocks and heavier barrels. The 308 is a long range hunter with blued barrel. It shoots lights out. I believe they are usually $600. My Sendero 7mm is one heck of a sexy gun. But I paid $1,200 for it. Will it shoot more accurate than the LRH version? Nope. But it sure looks pretty! There are some advantages to stainless, but none that affect it shooting any more accurate than a blued barrel. I am getting pretty heavy in to long range shooting now and did a lot of research before I started buying the guns and at the end of the day sometimes you are just ok with spending more money on something you enjoy looking at.

[AZ_Native]

Here is the Sendero:

 

This is the Sendero and 308 together for reference. I had not put the Viper PST on yet.

 

Like I said, the LRH will shoot just as well, but I sure do like how the Sendero looks.

[firstcoueswas80]

I have a rem 700 in 7 rum for sale.

[5guyshunting]

I have about $2400 into my sendero including gun, leupold vxiii 6.5x20x50, leupold magnetic lense covers, timney trigger, hard case, sling, and bi-pod. Im getting 2.25" groups at 750 yards. Its pretty nice for the cost. Although I am loading myself.

[AverageJoe]

Thank you for all the input. So looks like quite possibly I will do the 7mm. Now the question is should I spend the extra money and do a Christensen Arms, Fierce, or Legacy Arms? Or should I stick with say a Remington Sendero or similar?

Thanks again for the input!!

Dont spend the money on Christiansen or legendary etc as they wont shoot any better than a $500 tikka. If you are determined to spend the money I would rather buy a $450 remington and have a custom barrel and stock of your choice put on and still be in for same price as one of the afformentioned guns.