Choosing rifle caliber

[Bmj89]

Hey everyone,
I think I’m going to ditch the 300 win mag and go with a non-magnum caliber in a tikka t3x lite. Now to decide on which cartridge to get. I’m leaning towards the old trusty 30-06, however, I’m undecided. I’m open to suggestions. I want something fairly flat with enough punch out to 400. Primarily whitetail hunting but will also be for used for moose and elk when drawn. I will be using factory ammo so that plays into the decision.

[Dweb]

308 or 6.5 creedmoor

[Skoaltender]

If you want a flat shooter, readily available and decently priced I’d be looking into a .270

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Skoaltender

If you want a flat shooter, readily available and decently priced I’d be looking into a .270

I'm also partial to the .270 myself. Shoots nearly as flat as many magnums, hits hard enough to drop a moose , tolerable recoil... not sure what else one needs out of a cartridge.


That said any of the "big three" will work well, .308, 30-06, or .270 win. They all kill the same animals at about the same ranges, same poop different pile really.

[CanadianEh]

Forget what anyone else says..

Do yourself a favor and find a 7mm-08

Easily handle all game in Alberta. light on the shoulder

[Redneck 7]

I’d go .308 or 7mm-08. I have one of each and they’re both great calibers and pleasant to shoot. The fiancé uses the 7-08 more but I have other rifles to use. Still nothing wrong with the 30-06, I use 150 gr for mine and it just drops deer in there tracks. Longest shot was 256 yards, I just find myself leaving the 06 at home more.

[bsmitty27]

Yep what was said above
308 ish (260, 7mm-08)
30-06 ish (280)
270
Throw in 6.5x55 and the 7x57 for good measure

All good choices the critter wont know the differance.

I only ever had one magnum, didnt do much for me.

Magnums are for girls. 8-)
Brad

[summitizer]

270 or 7mm08. I love my 270. The wife loves her 7mm08.

[Nyksta]

If you are set on tikka, they are all long action, so might as well get a cartridge that uses the length. 280AI if you are into newer stuff, 270 or 3006 of you want common stuff.

The tikka will be light, so maybe the resulting recoil will determine your cartridge choice.

[270person]

Why are you ditching your 300 WM if you dont mind me asking? Cost of ammo or recoil? You can always brake it for 250 -300 and drop recoil by roughly 40%.

It's a great cartridge.

[JD848]

My two go to rifles are my 6.5x55 tikka and my 300win Christensen arms Classic,i got rid of the 32 port muzzle brake and put on a 6 port Holland and there's not much difference in recoil in both rifles.Still a bit more in the 300 win for recoil,but nothing worth worrying about and a very good cartridge.Wanted one in 7mm ,but that was the only one around so I took the 300 win,not much difference with a brake.

So if I where you I would brake the 300 and still buy the 6.5 x55 tikka,fun as hell to shoot.With any brake though I would avoid other shooters at all costs,not fair to them at the range from what I hear.I have my own place with a small cabin built just for shooting with 2 windows all rigged out and I only shoot alone.So ran or shine I can go out.

[Zuludog]

My vote is for the 7-08. I love it. Easy on the shoulder, kills things dead and isn't hard to find ammo for.

[Talking moose]

Go with the creedmoor. Just to pee off some people.

[JD848]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

Go with the creedmoor. Just to pee off some people.

Hey if I didn't own a few different 6.5x55 for the past 40 years I would give the creedmoor a good go,i am always willing to give new things a try.My tikka 6.5 is the most accurate rifle I own besides my 223 ,just a joy to shoot and not very heavy and it can kill as long as I do my part.
Plus if you reload and have piled up components for a certain cartridge over the years you don't want to ditch it all.So this is why I have not bought one,tried one out that a friend owns a it seemed alright with me.No doubt it can kill very well,so it is what it is.

[fed]

What about a 25-06. Lite recoil and fully capable like it’s brother the 270?

[DiabeticKripple]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

Go with the creedmoor. Just to pee off some people.

thats why i built my 6.5

people love to hate it, but it just plain works.

[Bmj89]

Originally Posted by 270person

Why are you ditching your 300 WM if you dont mind me asking? Cost of ammo or recoil? You can always brake it for 250 -300 and drop recoil by roughly 40%.

It's a great cartridge.

Various reasons. The first is, the rifle weighs a ton. It’s s savage 116 fcss with the accustock (aluminum rail inside the entire stock) and metal detachable magazine. Bare rifle weighs 8lbs. I just got back from a weekend mulie hunt, walking sun up to sun down; I really noticed the weight of the rifle. Which is the main reason I would like to sell the rifle and buy something new, lighter, and easy to carry.

The following reasons aren’t reasons I’m selling but reasons not to buy another 300 WM. Premium ammunition is $70+ a box. And although the recoil is manageable I’ve flinched on more than one occasion.

[58thecat]

The 7-08 fits all aspects of a very versatile hunting cartridge.

[Beeman3]

For deer, elk and moose you have the perfect gun. Keep the 300 Win Mag. Unless you are bored and just want to get another gun. Nothing wrong with that. But I would keep the 300 if you hunt moose and elk. Why get rid of it and go out with a 6.5 or 7mm. For deer almost anything will work out to 400 yds. But when you mentioned moose and elk I would stick with a 30 caliber.

[270person]

Originally Posted by Bmj89

Various reasons. The first is, the rifle weighs a ton. It’s s savage 116 fcss with the accustock (aluminum rail inside the entire stock) and metal detachable magazine. Bare rifle weighs 8lbs. I just got back from a weekend mulie hunt, walking sun up to sun down; I really noticed the weight of the rifle. Which is the main reason I would like to sell the rifle and buy something new, lighter, and easy to carry.

The following reasons aren’t reasons I’m selling but reasons not to buy another 300 WM. Premium ammunition is $70+ a box. And although the recoil is manageable I’ve flinched on more than one occasion.

I wondered about weight as well. Light guns are good if you stay with manageable carriages like 7mm-08 and 6.5. Decent bullet weights in the 120 - 140 range that will still knock down good sized game. I'd try to stay with a long action if possible and away from some of the "fad" cartridges our there. 270 and 25-06 are decent options. The 06 you mentioned isnt a big step down in terms of recoil from the 300.

[heretohunt]

In my opinion...I’m certain most hunters with experience will agree. Very rarely is a shot made over 300 yards which means a magnum is not required. Several of the middle sized hunting cartridges are more than capable for anything in Alberta. So that makes me think this way...choose the brand, type and style of rifle first. Then look at a common readily available cartridge that appeals to you. I’m a fan of 30-06 and under. I’ve never owned a .308 but I think that is a tremendous choice. I do have a .243 and a .7-08 that have proven more than capable.
I’ve shot moose, deer etc with a 30-30 but wouldn’t recommend it.
I own and use a 7 rem mag and a 30-06 and they have been great too.
So, you have a fun job of researching ahead of you with no bad choices. If you are not happy you aren’t married to it.

[Wrongside]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

The 7-08 fits all aspects of a very versatile hunting cartridge.

Totally agree. The 7-08 occupies a sweet spot for balanced performance and shoot ability. I'd lump the medium capacity 6.5s in there too- 6.5x55SE, 6.5CM, 260Rem.

[catnthehat]

For every long distance shot on a deer a hunter makes where the extra energy of a magnum style cartridge could be utilized, there will be dozens if not more that will be seen inside 200 yards.
The vast majority of cartridges available to us today for deer and moose will do just fine inside 300 yards.
I have always chose my rifle styles and actions first as opposed to the cartridge they were chambered in.
I have had people scratch their heads and some even laugh when they look at my custom built big game rifle, but it shoots accurately , is easy to carry and kills cleanly!
The biggest consideration when choosing a cartridge is " Can I actually shoot the rifle well when it is chambered in this round?"
Cat

[DirtyBert]

270 or 30:06

[West O'5]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

I'm also partial to the .270 myself. Shoots nearly as flat as many magnums, hits hard enough to drop a moose , tolerable recoil... not sure what else one needs out of a cartridge.


That said any of the "big three" will work well, .308, 30-06, or .270 win. They all kill the same animals at about the same ranges, same poop different pile really.

Originally Posted by CanadianEh

Forget what anyone else says..

Do yourself a favor and find a 7mm-08

Easily handle all game in Alberta. light on the shoulder

I like both of these answers.
Been a 30-06 guy for 30+ years but been intrigued by the 7mm-08 cartridge for awhile now and find myself trying to justify buying one.
I bought my 13yo boy a .243 a few years ago,I kinda wish now we had gone with the 7-08,I’d have a bit more confidence in him stepping up to game larger then deer with it.

[dogslayer403]

30-06 is hard to beat

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by heretohunt

In my opinion...I’m certain most hunters with experience will agree. Very rarely is a shot made over 300 yards which means a magnum is not required. Several of the middle sized hunting cartridges are more than capable for anything in Alberta. So that makes me think this way...choose the brand, type and style of rifle first. Then look at a common readily available cartridge that appeals to you. I’m a fan of 30-06 and under. I’ve never owned a .308 but I think that is a tremendous choice. I do have a .243 and a .7-08 that have proven more than capable.
I’ve shot moose, deer etc with a 30-30 but wouldn’t recommend it.
I own and use a 7 rem mag and a 30-06 and they have been great too.
So, you have a fun job of researching ahead of you with no bad choices. If you are not happy you aren’t married to it.

Whew,,, now we got all the info righ there, he is certain so there it is, flood the market with all the 7mm mags and 300Win mags because most hunters with experience agree, praise the lord the word is out, now on a serious more common sense approach, reload and lighten the recoil if thats the issue, put a new stock on it if its heavy, or get a 243 or a 7mm 08 for you, your wife and your kids to share ( had to do it sorry)

[mattthegorby]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

Whew,,, now we got all the info righ there, he is certain so there it is, flood the market with all the 7mm mags and 300Win mags because most hunters with experience agree, praise the lord the word is out, now on a serious more common sense approach, reload and lighten the recoil if thats the issue, put a new stock on it if its heavy, or get a 243 or a 7mm 08 for you, your wife and your kids to share ( had to do it sorry)

The Tikka he wants is about $1000, so he could likely sell his existing rifle and buy it in the caliber he wants for less than the cost of a quality light weight stock. As well, sounds like he is not interested in reloading, so why take on all that expense and commitment to keep something he is not interested in?

[weedcatcher]

If you're looking at a lighter rifle, and want to reduce recoil, then I'd recommend against a 30-06. In a light rifle you'll likely find a 30-06 to kick worse than your heavy 300 magnum. I'd say you should get a Tikka in 6.5x55 but you don't handload so you'll be shooting anemic factory ammo with that cartridge. 140 gr bullets at 2500 fps. It'll kill whatever you want but best to keep shots under 200 yards unless you practice because the drop will be a lot more than what you're used to with the 300 magnum.

If you like the idea of a flat shooting cartridge more than recoil reduction then get a .270. If you want more recoil reduction than the .270 but flatter shooting than the 6.5 then get a 7-08. It'll kill anything you want. Mine does 139 gr SST at 2850fps with factory superformance ammo. That'll take any deer I point it at within 400 yards and good shot placement. But the trajectory won't be as flat as a .270 shooting 130gr at 3000 fps. Difference of a couple inches at 400 yards is all.

[CNP]

T3 lite is a light rifle...………….as someone else said, a 30.06 isn't much of a stepdown in recoil from your .300 win mag. Light rifle and 30.06 hurts me every time. I shoot kids and women's rifles...

25.06

7mm08