Bigger Bores & Bigger Bullets

Have owned a Ruger No 1 45-70, Ruger 77 SS/Laminate 375 Ruger, Custom Sako 358 Norma, several 35 Whelen's and a BLR in 358 Win. Down to a custom Rem 700 35 Whelen and the BLR 358 Win now.

In the 375 Ruger the 260 gr AccuBond was my favourite and was turned loose on several black and grizzly bear's. Just a great all around bullet that can handle almost any game from small to big.

Not too much experience on game with the 45-70 but do wish Nosler still made the 300 gr Partition for it, same with the 358 Norma but it's only about 200 fps faster than the Whelen so if I still had it it would be the 225 gr AccuBond and 250 gr Norma Oryx and Woodleigh RN bullets.

Ton's of experience over the years with the 35 Whelen and never used a "bad" bullet. Currently the 200 gr AccuBond and TTSX are my favourites but like the 225 gr AccuBond a lot too. Have a feeling that the Woodleigh bullets are going to join the list of favourites.

No game with the 358 Win BLR yet personally, but my cousin used it for a bear with the 225 gr Woodleigh RN . I hope to get something with the 180 gr Speer and 200 gr Sierra RN soon. I have a feeling that those 180 gr Speer's are going to hammer deer and bear and become a favourite.
 
rodell":ru5lo0qk said:
Cleveland48":ru5lo0qk said:
RL338":ru5lo0qk said:
500gr TSX in an 460 WBY baby :grin:
My retina just detached while looking at that picture [emoji1787]

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I'm SURE that's just loaded with Trail Boss ...


:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
I plan to use this 9.3x62 on deer this year:
 

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RL338":pmxpuxoy said:
500gr TSX in an 460 WBY baby :grin:

I owned and shot one of those monsters for a few years. At 150lbs soaking wet you can only imagine how fast my body moved rearward as the 500gr bullet traveled forward out of the barrel. :shock:
 
rodell":2w9uswyj said:
Cleveland48":2w9uswyj said:
RL338":2w9uswyj said:
500gr TSX in an 460 WBY baby :grin:
My retina just detached while looking at that picture [emoji1787]

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I'm SURE that's just loaded with Trail Boss ...

Not to derail this thread , I have multiple loads for this rifle. The one pictured has 132.5grs of RL-26 in it for my hunting load with velocity in the 2690’s.
 
Cleveland48":2vexigw0 said:
RaySendero":2vexigw0 said:
I plan to use this 9.3x62 on deer this year:
What load are you going to try out?

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My load for that rifle is a 286 NPT right at 2,400 fps using IMR-4320.
 
RaySendero":3fhz0a13 said:
Cleveland48":3fhz0a13 said:
RaySendero":3fhz0a13 said:
I plan to use this 9.3x62 on deer this year:
What load are you going to try out?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


My load for that rifle is a 286 NPT right at 2,400 fps using IMR-4320.
My first load was 286 hornady spire point with varget for 2400 fps. I had great success with it too. Now I use ramshot big game for 2500 fps.

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338 Federal's are doing best with the 210gr Nosler Partition ammo, but the Ruger and Tikka are supposed to shoot the 180gr AccuBonds very well, according to the gentlemen that sold me those rifles.
338-06 also shoots the 210gr Noaler Partition ammo very well, and also shoots the 215gr SGK very well.
338 Win Mag performed very well for years with the 210gr Nosler Partition ammo.
356 Win shoots the Winchester 200gr Power Points well.
358 Win has performed very well with 220gr Speer Hot Cors for the past 15 years.
35 Whelen did well with the 200gr Remington Corelokts.
9.3x62 is shooting the 250gr Nosler AccuBond ammo very well. Will also be trying the 270gr Speer Hot Cors
375 win has shot the Winchester 200gr Power Points very well for years , and the 220gr Hdy FP's. Will also be using the 200gr Sierra FP's.
376 Steyr is performing very well with the 260gr Nosler AccuBonds.
416 Taylor is shooting the Barnes 350gr TSX's very well, but will also be trying the 350gr Speers and 350gr Swift A-Frames.
 
Well I think my two favorites were the .577 and the .470. Shot one elk with the .577. It worked. Currently I own
3 .450 bushmasters;
Marlin guide gun in .45/70
.375 H&H; no 1 & mod. 70
.338 Jarrett.
The Bushmaster and the 45/70 see daily work in Alaska. The .375 used to go north with me, stays home now. Occasionally she or the #1 go elk hunting.
The .338 Jarrett is my favorite rifle. 250 gr. Accubonds or Partitions at 2950fps it just flat kills stuff. Also a true 1/2 MOA rifle, every day.


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Out of them all....over 30 cal....I've killed more game, and enjoyed the rifle, with a Mod 700 Classic 35 Whelen reamed to the Ackley Improved. I felt that its 200X replaced the 300WM (and the 338s) I love too, and its 250X replaced the 375 H&H/9.3x62, also wonderful rounds. I've "played" with many 444s and 45-70s, .458s, 416s, 458 Lott and "shot one time" a Mark V in 416 Wby….brutal. ha I can't remember anything I couldn't have killed with a 30-06...but then, my "life" and one of the many "joys" of my life, would not have been as rich! :) Besides, when I shoot an animal with a Medium and up caliber, I like how they get that "OMG, I've been shot" look on their face...and its there too! ha And yes, I did have my left retina get a gigantic tear (their words!) but the Drs said it had "nothing to do" with shooting heavy recoiling rifles. If that were the case, they said, we would have more blind Trap & skeet shooters! Now...while its healing up....yeah, its like wet tissue paper one fellow said. ha

I also like to reproduce, in any 30 and up round, the old African Hunters loads of heavy for caliber at 2100 to 2500...no need to push them fast, even more so with our modern bullets ( even a pure copper/lead bullet is made more consistent than what they had) but they still work!
 
Another reason why I like the bigger cartridges and bullets.... Handloading! Yup.

If ya get frustrated loading something tiny - the 204 Ruger & 32 grain bullets is my smallest...

It is so nice and easy to load the big 375 cases & bullets! :grin: My fingers can grab 'em easy. I started laughing one day, when after a long session of loading 204 Rugers, I grabbed some 375 cases & bullets and it all seemed so great!

Funny ya, but I like it.

Guy
 
The other reason... I dearly love smacking steel targets with my rifles...

And oh my goodness, those big bullets smack the targets hard! I can shoot smaller groups on the steel with my 6mm Creedmoor or other precision rifles, but smacking that gong with a 300 gr soft point... Yee Haw!

Guy
 
.338 RUM,.340 Wby,.358 NM,.375 H&H,.375 RUM,.404 Jeffery,.450 Howell,.460 Wby.

I use Sierra,Nosler,Swift A-Frame and Woodleigh Weldcore in the above cartridges.
 
I've killed probably 15 elk or more with rifles over .30 cal. When I first started elk hunting I had Bruce Bear chamber up a barrel for a 308 Baer. It's basically a 300 Weatherby Imp. I shot a spike bull 4 times with 165 Nosler Partitions running 3350fps at just over 100yds. It was like a pin ball game. I'd shoot him and he's walk behind a bush, then come out, and I'd shoot him again. The first 3 shots went like that and all were in the lungs. By the 4th shot he wasn't doing well and just as I went to pull the trigger he took a step and I shot him in the gut but that was all it took and he was down finally. After that day I built a .358STA and shot 5 or so elk plus my ID bull moose with it. Then I built a 375-358STA because there were more bullet options. Shot 6 or 7 elk with it plus numerous African animals. Then built a 416 Rem and killed 4 elk and my cow moose with it. I also have a 458 Lott that I've used on quite a few bears over bait. My 416 killed a bear or two as well. I also have a 460 Weatherby barrel for a Defiance action that was used to shoot bears over bait. I loaned a buddy my 338 Baer and he shot a 4x4 bull with it and I shot a 5x5 with it.

I don't shoot the big bores as much lately but I have the parts to build a carbon barreled 338 Edge, a Brux barreled 375 Ruger, a 375 Cheytac Imp, and another .4XX on a Win M-70 CRF action. I was thinking a 404 Jeffrey but I might do a 416 Ruger since ADG is going to make 300PRC brass and I assume 375/416 Ruger brass. Now getting time to actually build them and go shoot them is another story.
 
Cleveland48":3qtewp06 said:
RL338":3qtewp06 said:
500gr TSX in an 460 WBY baby :grin:
My retina just detached while looking at that picture [emoji1787]

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Have the ophthalmologist on speed dial.....lol
 
Looking back on my notes, I have harvested 30 head of big game with medium to large bore cartridges over the past 23 years. Only 8 of these were with magnum cartridges. Half of the rifles in my safes are of this grouping. Been very effective and are a pleasure to shoot and hunt with. Something really satisfying with these "thumpers"!
 
338 RUM
Favorite bullet is the 250 gr AB. I pushed Nosler for 3 years to make this bullet and it has been my go to for crop damage deer. I also really like the 250 gr PT, 2 WT deer and a bull moose. All were DRT. The 210 gr PT is an awesome bullet. Elk and Black Bear were DRT with a single shot and a golf ball size exit.
Now I'm playing with the 265 gr ABLR. Impressive on WT deer.
35 Whelen
Favorite bullet is the 225 gr PT. Several WT deer and a Black Bear have been taken. Always an exit and the 2-3 blood trails I followed were very heavy and short.
44 Rem Mag
Favorite bullet is the discontinued 250 gr PT. Sure wish Nosler would reintroduce this bullet. The 240 gr JHP is my go to bullet for both my revolvers and Marlin 1894. It just plain kills WT deer leaving a nice exit for easy blood trails.
45/70
Favorite bullet is the disçontinued Nosler 300 gr PT. The 300 gr BST is an excellent bullet for WT deer.

JD338
 
Ya, that 338" 250 grain AccuBond has got to be a great bullet!

265 gr bullet on whitetail... :) Love it!

Guy
 
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