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Versatile High Powered Rifle?

R

roadking

New Member
I am looking to purchase a high powered rifle to use for all North American big game as well as possibly mule deer and whitetail. I've been looking at a .300 Win. Mag. Suggestions or comments please.
 
no help from me. i live in iowa, and only hunt in iowa. no need for anything bigger than a 25-06
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I've been looking for the same thing and I have been told the 30-06 is the way to go for two reason's,ammo avialability and you can load up or down depending on what your after.
If I buy a rifle barrel for my encore the 30-06 will be what I purchase.
 
I opted for and love my 7mm Rem Mag. I bought my wife a .270. Today, I would also consider a .280. All of these have enough ummph for the distances I would feel comfortable taking a shot. Shot placement is key no matter how big the gun. Being in Iowa, they just sit in the safe
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I bought a .300 win mag this year. I shot an elk and two deer with it. None of them traveled more than 5 yards after impact. I am really glad I bought this rifle. I would recommend this cartidge. Flat and fast, hits like a truck!
 
Buy one you can shoot well. Practice enough that you hit where you aim and there are many non-magnum calibers that are fine for North American game.
 
I agree with you Pharmer, I have shot deer with a .06 and thought it was a little overkill on deer myself. I bought a .270 last time and have shot a few deer with it and it seemed to do less damage to the meat. Just my opinion of course, bullet placement is what matters.
 
These are all really good suggestions. It's hard to argue with the statistics, and I think it's a safe statment to say that the .30-06 has killed more deer than any other round. That's mainly due to it's longevity and ready availability.

I'm a .270 guy myself and love the flat-shooting trajectories of that cartridge. But elk are about as heavy of game as I'd feel comfortable going after with it. If you are after things bigger than that, the .300 Win Mag would also be excellent. I also like the 7mm that Ghost and Pharmer suggested. Great cartridge.

Unless you're going to buy something that is totally obscure, I wouldn't worry about caliber availability. Everything posted on this thread so far can be had at any good sporting good store, and with the internet these days, you can get a supply of any cartridge with ease.

Whatever you end up with, take JNRBronc's advice to heart: As with anything, shot placement is the key with a high-power. Shoot it with the same care and precision that you do a bow, and it will be an effective tool in your hands.

"Beware of the man with only one rifle; he probably knows how to use it."
 
I agree totally with the idea about shot placement. But when considering a rifle versatile to handle all of North America's game one has to look past a deer. I have shot 20+ deer with a .243 and never lost one. Elk on the other hand will require a lot more knock down power. Sure you can kill them just fine with a .270. But I know people that have shot them in the boiler room and they still travel a hell of a long ways before expiring. They are large and take a bit longer to bleed out. They travel long distances before the blood starts to show up due to such a large chest cavity. On the larger big game animals of North America, I vote for a well placed shot with a rifle that carries a hell of a punch. As for the .300 win mag on deer. Yes, it might be overkill, but I myself like short tracking jobs. So far, that's what I've had with my .300 win mag. And if I should ever be fortunate enough to hunt moose, I won't need another rifle. From deer to Moose; That in my mind is versatility.
 
I've shot antelope, bear, moose, deer and caribou with my .300 WSM. It has been an awesome weapon. I never have really understood what guys mean when they say you have to much gun. Dead is dead. Dead quicker is even better.
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I might add, I shot the moose at about 12 yards and the antelope at 388 yards. So, if you shoot a lot, ballistics are not much of a hindrance in 99% of hunting situations.
 
.270WSM is what I have and like it a lot. Take a peek at the ballistics on it when you have a chance and I think you'll be a bit surprised at them. Nice shooting gun with minimal recoil and packs one heck of a punch. For moose..probably not. But I'd say for anything from yotes to elk and your covered with this gun. Just my opinion.
 
Really nice thing about the new short magnums vs the 30-06 is the length of action and smaller rifle that can be built around them. Still need to be ready to load your own and be ready to practice.
 
I just bought a Remington 300 SAUM in S.S with syn. stock. Cabela's had them on clearence and I saved over $200.00. After I bought mine I came to find that a gun dealer down south was selling the 300 & 7MM SAUM's for under $400.00 with S.S barrel and syn stock. The only trouble is the lack of factory ammo of which there are only about 3-4 choices. I shot 150 Rem. Premiers out of it the first time out and the gun shot great.
 
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I love income tax time. Guess I will be seatching for a rifle myself! I'm probably going with rem model 700 or maybe a 673(660 if I could find one), most likely .300 wsm, 7MM mag, or .308. Pretty happy with my archery set up, do need to get some arrows and broadheads though.
 
.308 is a good choice but not much ammo out there but will do the trick on about anything and not as expensive as a .300 mag. Also check out the price difference when buying .300 mag shells compared to a .06 or .308 big difference. I went with the .308 just for something different.
 
375 just in case you have to wrestle a bear. In fact 375 is the all around rifle in Africa. Its taken down alot more elaphents than any other round. Its probably a little over kill for a deer though. But you said North American Big Game Species
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