30-06 that far behind the .264 Win Mag?
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Europe":jtyaec8u said:Guy Miner":jtyaec8u said:preacher":jtyaec8u said:
Much as I love the good ol' 30-06 cartridge, I see it as a wonderful "generalist." Whereas cartridges like the 257 Wby & 264 Win mag are more specialized cartridges. All of them are good. It's really up to each of us to select the rifle & cartridge that makes us happy.
Deer or elk to 350 yards, I have no problem with my 30-06 & handloads. Does just fine.
But I like the smaller bore, high velocity rifles as well, the 25-06 being my choice.
Enjoy the pursuit of your next hunting rifle!
Guy
Guy, this is a very good post. I agree with you on all points.
Fotis. + 1. I know several people who have decided the 270 Weatherby is the cats meow. Many feel it can easily do everything the 257 and 300 can do and with one rifle instead of two, which also means one scope instead of two, and if you reload, products and equipment to load one, not two--it is an EXCELLENT caliber. Also your post showing the 30-06 compared to the 264 was very informative and educational, thank you.
Scotty ( and Preacher )
Scotty, your the last person in the world I would disagree with as you are far more knowledgeable than I. BUT ( lol ) when you mentioned the 264 for bear to Preacher, I am hoping your thinking black bear or even inland grizzly should be o.k., but I would give pause before hunting coastal grizzly's with a 264, especially if there was no one there to back me up. Granted I have heard stories of polar bears being shot with a 22. But I have not done it and would not attempt it.
Agreed about the real large bears as well, but I’d not feel totally handicapped with a 264 Win loaded with a 140 Partition, A-Frame, Northfork either. I’m a big believer in great Bullets making much more difference than the caliber being used.
Id bet a lot of bears have been taken with 270’s, 30-06’s and 303’s early on. But honestly for anything less than those giants I’d have no problem with the 264 loaded with the 140 Accubonds or Partitions. It rivals the 300 RUM with a 200 AccuBond, just a bit less on the frontal area but it does penetrate just the same from the bit of testing and shooting we’ve done.
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- #23
The 300 RUM/200 AB was the rifle I had made for my Marine SILs return from 2nd Tour/Sandbox in 2006. He put that Huskemaw scope on it and dazzled a huge cow elk a tad over a quarter mile with it. I chose that bullet/weight because of my experience with the 300WM/180, which is the perfect match to me. I like the extra powder to push that 200 at meaningful LR speed. But, got to say that 200NP/30-06 has shown me a lot as a great thumper. I just figure for the type of hunting I do the lighter monos could do as well in the lighter/quicker handling rifle. Normally I see the heavier/longer rifle for setting up/glassing long range type of hunt or even out on the prairie ( the heavier rig is not as easily blown around by the wind when hin shooting position, at least for me) I took a Mountain Rifle/280 reamed to the AI on my first antelope hunt. The little rifle was hard for me to hold still in the constant wind of WY! ha I finally killed a nice buck ( 15.5" ) only by wrapping myself up in a snow drift fence! But I found that even a Sporter weight could work as well for me as a bonafide LR rig at my "sensible for me" range limit.
Scotty, if I was 6 ft 5 inches and an ex marine I would also be comfortable shooting the 264 at the big bears LOL I would probably opt for Fotis;s 340 or Guys 375. even Cheyennes 348 would give me a comfort level, I would not have with the 264
However, in all fairness to your side of the conversation
Cheyenne used a 30-06 with 180 gr factory loaded bullets for brown and WHITE bears, as well as caribou, moose, goat, sheep, elk, buffalo, and muskox
Bell used a 7 x 57 with 173 Military bullets and a 6,5 54 with 159 FMJ for elephants.
So maybe the problem with me not wanting to use the 264 for big bears is---me
However, in all fairness to your side of the conversation
Cheyenne used a 30-06 with 180 gr factory loaded bullets for brown and WHITE bears, as well as caribou, moose, goat, sheep, elk, buffalo, and muskox
Bell used a 7 x 57 with 173 Military bullets and a 6,5 54 with 159 FMJ for elephants.
So maybe the problem with me not wanting to use the 264 for big bears is---me
preacher":1bbbhe68 said:
http://www.browning.com/products/firear ... ction.html It appears they are making these in 7mm WSM, and 30-06 of course... just sayin!
Sounds like the only tainting you've had was falling into the general hysteria of feeling the need for artillery rather than a proper rifle. Let your inner rifleman out. Shoot what's comfortable and hunt your game, don't try to snipe it. From what I've read on your two soul searching posts here, seems you would be well served with a generalist rifle that's well balanced, fast handling, accurate and heavy enough for Elk to 300 or so with a stock contoured to YOUR LOP and cheek weld. Something in the Sako, Tikka, MS, Semi-custom Mauser, etc. family in a .280, 7mag, 30-06 or 300 WSM. Shoot the hell out of it in practice, make it a third arm. If you do a lot of long hunting for deer or smaller, perhaps a niche rifle such as .25-06, .257 Bee, .264, etc built a little heavier and longer also in your arsenal.
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- #26
I actually owned an '81 BLR .358Win for about 2 mos, ha! ( I also like the Savage 99C but hate their "spongey triggers") It shot great with the three loads I tried in it too. It was just "too pretty" to take hunting ( I've had several other rifle makes too that were in that category), and at that time, I still had a Mod 700 Classic in a High country synthetic stock in 35 Whelen Improved...I was "spoilt by it too". I had to sell off just about everything last year ( Obammacare taxes) I am slowly "rebuilding" another battery ( I feel indignant about having to sell my treasures so was determined to ASAP replace their equivalent with something a bit different) I went for those mentioned 3 above ( Mod 77, Mod 70 FWT, Sako Forester), which are indeed all "generalist" rifles. I was trying to talk myself into getting a Super Grade, "pretty" 30-06 or a fancier LR rig. ha Admittedly, the closest I ever came to "sniping" a deer was from box blinds in Texas and my one and only "long" shot there was 276yds with a stock Mod 77/280, it took me 20yrs to do that! ( I was also called a "liar" about that too by many!). Furthest shot out West here ( Co, UT, WY) was a 347yd doe antelope with a Mod 700 Classic 300WM/180 NBT. It tore her up real bad of course. I then shot one at 35yds and another at 50yds and a buck pronghorn at 250yds with the Mod 700 MTN Rifle in 280AI/150NBT and two more antelope does with a Mod 700 SA Classic rebarreled in 6.5x284 with 120NBT & 125NPT, one at 310 one at 200. I also popped one at 150yds with a 6mmx284/90NBT, it also tore her up pretty bad! So, LR shooting has never been my cup of tea anyhow, no matter what I dream about, I just don't feel comfortable past 375yds or thereabouts, so I don't "need" a LR rig. I found that I "do very well" with the Sporter weight rifles, even in the prairies so heavier(Sendero style) is not what I think about in considering a new rifle (though I have had several Senderos tweaked out/scoped then gave them away!). I used that Classic in 300WM for two Springbuk and a big bull Gemsbuk right at 375ds in Namibia and the 200X in the Mod 700 Classic 35 WAI/200X at 347yds in South Africa, and a zebra at 250yds too. All my 3 cow elk ( 30-06' .375H&H. 338WM) averaged 195yds ( 135, 200, 250) Mule deer even closer, ha!
I figure I can "make myself" use a "pretty rifle " now since I'm 65 and one has to "start somewhere, right?) ...but though I love the Mod 700 Classic & CDL, I find I "much prefer" the more "open wrist" of the Winchester Mod 70 FWT/Ruger 77 and newer "Sporter" model 70s. I also love darker wood so SG over the blond French Walnut Kimber 8400 Select.
I figure I can "make myself" use a "pretty rifle " now since I'm 65 and one has to "start somewhere, right?
) ...but though I love the Mod 700 Classic & CDL, I find I "much prefer" the more "open wrist" of the Winchester Mod 70 FWT/Ruger 77 and newer "Sporter" model 70s. I also love darker wood so SG over the blond French Walnut Kimber 8400 Select. preacher":1rn6qpq6 said:I actually owned an '81 BLR .358Win for about 2 mos, ha! ( I also like the Savage 99C but hate their "spongey triggers") It shot great with the three loads I tried in it too. It was just "too pretty" to take hunting ( I've had several other rifle makes too that were in that category), and at that time, I still had a Mod 700 Classic in a High country synthetic stock in 35 Whelen Improved...I was "spoilt by it too". I had to sell off just about everything last year ( Obammacare taxes) I am slowly "rebuilding" another battery ( I feel indignant about having to sell my treasures so was determined to ASAP replace their equivalent with something a bit different) I went for those mentioned 3 above ( Mod 77, Mod 70 FWT, Sako Forester), which are indeed all "generalist" rifles. I was trying to talk myself into getting a Super Grade, "pretty" 30-06 or a fancier LR rig. ha Admittedly, the closest I ever came to "sniping" a deer was from box blinds in Texas and my one and only "long" shot there was 276yds with a stock Mod 77/280, it took me 20yrs to do that! ( I was also called a "liar" about that too by many!). Furthest shot out West here ( Co, UT, WY) was a 347yd doe antelope with a Mod 700 Classic 300WM/180 NBT. It tore her up real bad of course. I then shot one at 35yds and another at 50yds and a buck pronghorn at 250yds with the Mod 700 MTN Rifle in 280AI/150NBT and two more antelope does with a Mod 700 SA Classic rebarreled in 6.5x284 with 120NBT & 125NPT, one at 310 one at 200. I also popped one at 150yds with a 6mmx284/90NBT, it also tore her up pretty bad! So, LR shooting has never been my cup of tea anyhow, no matter what I dream about, I just don't feel comfortable past 375yds or thereabouts, so I don't "need" a LR rig. I found that I "do very well" with the Sporter weight rifles, even in the prairies so heavier(Sendero style) is not what I think about in considering a new rifle (though I have had several Senderos tweaked out/scoped then gave them away!). I used that Classic in 300WM for two Springbuk and a big bull Gemsbuk right at 375ds in Namibia and the 200X in the Mod 700 Classic 35 WAI/200X at 347yds in South Africa, and a zebra at 250yds too. All my 3 cow elk ( 30-06' .375H&H. 338WM) averaged 195yds ( 135, 200, 250) Mule deer even closer, ha!
I figure I can "make myself" use a "pretty rifle " now since I'm 65 and one has to "start somewhere, right?
I have come to believe a .280AI & a 35W AI would do all of that & then some.
This Forum has changed my “Longterm Caliber Plan” considerably.
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- #28
I forgot to add that "if" this 7x57 shoots the 120TTSX well and I get the speed that I should, then I'm pretty well "set" for a flat shooter at my range limit. So that's why I am not considering a .270 or .280. I "did" see another 7x57 Super Grade though.....hmmmm
