What caliber and gun to buy??

astepanuk · #1 06-11-2016, 10:03 PM

Hey guys.

As some of you are aware I was one of the unfortunate people that lost their home in McMurray as well as all my rifles. I will be replacing my Christensen Arms rifle in 300Rum. What I'm looking at doing is replacing my other couple rifles with more favourable calibers. I'm think either .243 or 25-06 for my girls when they get old enough to shoot and hunt. But I'm also thinking about something flat and fast was thinking maybe a .270 WSM or 7MM WSM. Any thoughts would be great I'm not sure what gun to buy aswell.

Thanks for the help guys.

Flight01 · #2 06-11-2016, 10:06 PM

6.5x55 or 25-06... Maybe tikka?

By the way, if you want to borrow a rifle I've got a 25-06 and a 338rcm.

Also, got a nice cz mallard o/u and a ton of shells. You can have it for the season. I've got a pump 12 that serves me well

How old are the girls? My girl is only 2. She may be a lefty. But I got a model 92 in 357 to cover that.

Rio56 · #3 06-11-2016, 10:11 PM

I have had good success with the 243 on deer and also have a 270 wsm .. The 270wsm round is knocking on the 7mm remy's door .....The only thing I would add is the rifle in the 270wsm has a 23 in barrel and to me its a bit loud ...

260 Rem · #4 06-11-2016, 11:32 PM

If I were faced with some of the choices mentioned, I would look at a 260 Rem and a 284 Winchester. The 260 is pretty flat with lighter bullets and has moderated recoil towards the light end. The 284 packs magnum punch.

58thecat · #5 06-12-2016, 01:36 AM

243,270 wsm all in tikka t3 stainless if I could scoped out with a nice valued 3-9 x 40 scope and generations of great hunting and shooting awaits.
Good luck.

hunter0968 · #6 06-12-2016, 08:02 AM

257 weatherby. Flat and fast.

densa44 · #7 06-12-2016, 08:21 AM

I reload and with a 55 gr. bullet we are sub moa at 500 yards. No recoil.
You can also load bullets for deer sized animals.

I have a savage and the rifle is fine but the trigger needed to be replaced with a Basix and the scope that came with the package.

My advice just get the gun and buy the scope separate.

Talking moose · #8 06-12-2016, 09:01 AM

Not sure if you want fast and flat for the girls? If that's what you mean I would skip the 7mm wsm. If you ment for yourself it's a good choice.(even though I'm not a fan of the wsm's)

brendan's dad · #9 06-12-2016, 09:23 AM

I would look at the 6.5x55 or the 260 Remington. Lite recoil and it is a proven performer in Europe on larger game such as moose. I have a T3 in 260 and I modified a stock for my wife and eventually my daughter and son to use. It is pleasant to shoot and deadly accurate.

astepanuk · #10 06-12-2016, 09:24 AM

Your correct Talking Moose. .243 will be my coyote/kids gun then I'm looking for a flat and fast rifle already have the 300RUM on order just looking for an in between caliber.

elkhunter1234 · #11 06-12-2016, 09:26 AM

My go to gun is a 270wsm... I love that cartridge...

Positrac · #12 06-12-2016, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astepanuk

Hey guys.

As some of you are aware I was one of the unfortunate people that lost their home in McMurray as well as all my rifles. I will be replacing my Christensen Arms rifle in 300Rum. What I'm looking at doing is replacing my other couple rifles with more favourable calibers. I'm think either .243 or 25-06 for my girls when they get old enough to shoot and hunt. But I'm also thinking about something flat and fast was thinking maybe a .270 WSM or 7MM WSM. Any thoughts would be great I'm not sure what gun to buy aswell.

Thanks for the help guys.

Sorry to hear about your home Astepanuk. Crappy deal.

Our place made out good considering the fire went by just a couple hundred feet from it. Actually lost the tree on the end of my driveway to it. Just like you though, I still lost all my firearms when some low-life's decided to pilfer the place while we were evacuated.

I find it hard to believe that the RCMP knew of people in town and would occasionally run into them out and about but legally there was nothing that they could do to remove them, even when under a mandatory evacuation. They couldn't even search their vehicles. How frustrating would that be?

I bought a new Browning X-bolt SS in 270 WSM and topped it off with a Leaupold VX3 4.5x14cds this spring. I had it clover leafing at 100 yards with factory ammo the first time out just a few days before being evacuated. It was a big improvement over the A-bolts I used to shoot and it actually shouldered and shot better for me than my 7mm08 Finnlight. I'll buy another and it will be in 270WSM again as I've had one for the last 13 years and I love the cartridge.

Here's hoping that insurance pulls through or it will be a dismal hunting season this fall.

hal53 · #13 06-12-2016, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astepanuk

Hey guys.

As some of you are aware I was one of the unfortunate people that lost their home in McMurray as well as all my rifles. I will be replacing my Christensen Arms rifle in 300Rum. What I'm looking at doing is replacing my other couple rifles with more favourable calibers. I'm think either .243 or 25-06 for my girls when they get old enough to shoot and hunt. But I'm also thinking about something flat and fast was thinking maybe a .270 WSM or 7MM WSM. Any thoughts would be great I'm not sure what gun to buy aswell.

Thanks for the help guys.

If your insurance doesn't pull thru' and you end up in this neck of the woods ( I believe you said you were applying for a draw down here?) I have a few guns in the safe that you are more than welcome to use....

Kurt505 · #14 06-12-2016, 10:20 AM

I have a 280ai being built right now, I'm thinking a .284win would be nice to have as well. Both are fairly flat and both are low recoil cartridges.

Oh ya, and both are the best hunting caliber for North America

bigbaddad · #15 06-12-2016, 10:45 AM

7-08 Rem. 'nuff said.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

astepanuk · #16 06-12-2016, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hal53

If your insurance doesn't pull thru' and you end up in this neck of the woods ( I believe you said you were applying for a draw down here?) I have a few guns in the safe that you are more than welcome to use....

Thanks my friend the support for all of us has been overwhelming I do really appreciate it all its been difficult going from the constant giver to receiving gifts and what not. I will be good for a rifle if my new one doesn't arrive in time.

sns2 · #17 06-12-2016, 12:38 PM

First off, all the best as you piece your life back together.

As for your gun choices, I think they are just fine. 243 is deer poison. I would go for that for the girls over the 25-06 as it is a short action which is easier to cycle for the younguns. I think the 270 WSM is a fine choice. I've hunted with one, and will do so again, as I just picked up my third, a Model 70 Featherweight. All the short mags I have had have been just fine.

Smokinyotes · #18 06-12-2016, 05:58 PM

My most accurate factory rifle out of the box is a tikka t3 light stainless in 6.5x55. Followed elkhunter11's loading advice for a 130 accubonds and this thing shoots phenomenal. Best group so far is a .192". Recoil isn't much different than my 243.

Boogerfart · #19 06-12-2016, 07:04 PM

When my boys were younger I tried a few different cartridges to try and find something appropriate for smaller shooters, 308 and 7mm08 still have a lot more recoil than the 243, I finally ended up with a Savage Axis in 243 that I bought off the forum and it's a perfect rifle for recoil sensitive shooters. My sister likes it, the boys liked it, my daughter will be shooting it soon enough and I've found myself enjoying it as well. They may not be fancy but they're perfect for getting banged around. Upgrading the scope is a good idea, then the trigger if you want to use it for longer ranges.
A 243 in the platform of your choice will do the job, components and ammo are readily available at a reasonable price, it's forgiving and light. There's a reason so many people have one.

Jordan Smith · #20 06-12-2016, 10:26 PM

For the smaller rifle- .243, .260, or 7-08, depending on their recoil tolerance. Twisted right, any of these would be awesome.

For the larger- I'm particular to .284" bores, so 7WSM, 7RM, etc, makes a pretty great hunting rifle, on the proper platform.

astepanuk · #21 06-15-2016, 07:52 AM

Thanks for all the great messages and reply's we have all be treated so well through this entire ordeal.

Here are a few pics of my Safe and Rifles that I managed to pull out last night.

BackPackHunter · #22 06-15-2016, 08:31 AM

That would hurt and bit
I feel for ya

astepanuk · #23 06-15-2016, 11:02 AM

Thanks bud Just talked with Nightforce they asked me to ship my scope to them for an assessment and some testing. Christensen said they will fast track my rifle so that's good to hear.

JD848 · #24 06-15-2016, 07:30 PM

Sorry to see your guns in that condition,hope every thing works out x ten,BEST OF LUCK,plus the 7mmwsm or the 270wsm are both nice to shoot.

Positrac · #25 06-15-2016, 07:58 PM

Wow, what a shame. Nice rigs.

I keep looking on CGN for mine...

catnthehat · #26 06-15-2016, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Positrac

Wow, what a shame. Nice rigs.

I keep looking on CGN for mine...

You got mail!

Cat

Mr_Anderson · #27 07-04-2016, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astepanuk

Hey guys.

As some of you are aware I was one of the unfortunate people that lost their home in McMurray as well as all my rifles. I will be replacing my Christensen Arms rifle in 300Rum. What I'm looking at doing is replacing my other couple rifles with more favourable calibers. I'm think either .243 or 25-06 for my girls when they get old enough to shoot and hunt. But I'm also thinking about something flat and fast was thinking maybe a .270 WSM or 7MM WSM. Any thoughts would be great I'm not sure what gun to buy aswell.

Thanks for the help guys.

There's a lot of pro's and cons to each caliber, but Tikka T3 is a great platform for an excellent price.

WreckTangle · #28 07-04-2016, 08:09 PM

WOW

Im sorry for your loss. What a shame
Id really consider 7-08

Ivo · #29 07-04-2016, 08:40 PM

As long as everyone is safe, the material things can all be replaced.

As far as guns goes, I think everyone should own a .243, they are a great calibre for coyotes and deer. Moving up from there, if you will only shoot out to 500 meters or so, the 270 WSM is a great choice. If you plan on going out past 500 on a regular basis, I would go with a 7 WSM. The only reason being that you can get heavier bullets in 7 mm which have better BCs which will help at longer ranges. If it's strictly for hunting, you may also want to check out the .280 Ackley Improved.

YoungGun96 · #30 07-09-2016, 03:25 PM

I think a 270 or a 7mm-08 are perfect hunting caliber's with manageable recoil. Personally I'm a huge fan of CZ rifles. Can never go wrong with a CZ. If you aren't a fan of that style of rifle, go tikka. Great rifles for what you pay. 7mm on my eyes is the perfect all around rifle caliber for hunting in Canada!