The caliber conundrum

[DrMike]

Oh, the lad is eminently capable of working over an individual. Man, once he gets you in his sights, it is "Katy bar the door!"

 

[Woodycreek]

I will admit to calling JES about reboring a 270 Win into a 280 AI or 35 Whelen :grin:

 

[DrMike]

You're close, Brian, really close. Give in to the dark side; come on over. :grin:

 

[nvbroncrider]

"Brian, buy a 35 Whelen so an angel gets its wings". "Come on man, don't you want an angel to get its wings?". "The good Col Whelen got it right years ago!"

Brian,

You don't want to be a troglodyte; neither do you want to be the last person posting here without a Whelen. :grin: Just trying to help, buddy. :mrgreen:

Dang! The Doc is calling me names that I had to look up :lol: Think you guys belong to a Whelen cult :twisted:

Don't worry about it Brian... I have yet to take a swig of the Colonel's Kool Aid... you might be the 2nd to last one here w/o a 35! :lol:

Nope I won't be drinking any of that Colonel Kool Aid. I kinda think I'm like Hank Williams and the Black Sheep of the Family. Don't weaken Brian.

 

[Oldtrader3]

"Brian, buy a 35 Whelen so an angel gets its wings". "Come on man, don't you want an angel to get its wings?". "The good Col Whelen got it right years ago!"

Brian,

You don't want to be a troglodyte; neither do you want to be the last person posting here without a Whelen. :grin: Just trying to help, buddy. :mrgreen:

I will never own a Whelen, just because! Nothing against the Whelen, it just does not fit my rifle planning profile. :|

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Thanks for all the help and advice. I have plenty of time to think this one out and make a final decision.

I am narrowing down my options (From 1st to last):
35 Whelen: 225 AB, lights out on anything.
30-06: Nothing really has to be said, it will do everything with a 180 AB or PT
300WSM/WM: I would consider it if the rifle was heavy enough to absorb some of the recoil
7mm Rem Mag: I have a strange attraction to the 7mm's...even though I have a 7mm already :?

Whatever I decide on, it will be my "heavy" hunting rifle. If the 7mm08 wont do it, this will be it.
Ammo availability, cost, and ease of reload will ultimately help sway my final decision.

If you want easy ammo, the Whelen is out.

You are on the right path. If you want one rifle for everything I would go with a 300 WSM loaded with 180gr NBT/AB. You will have good velocity, a bullet that opens well, and sufficent mass to accomplish all NA tasks.

But a good barrel on it, 26" #4 countour will give you stiffness for accuracy, weight to absorb the recoil and length for velocity.

Put a good recoil pad on it. This will make more difference in perceived recoil then the difference between choosing an '06 and a WSM.

Put some good optics on it, llike a 4.5-14 with anAS and taret nobs, and a TMR reticle, and you are ready to take a wide variety of game in a wide variety of conditions.

 

[Oldtrader3]

:mrgreen: If I wanted one rifle for everything, I would get a .375 H&H.

 

[ajvigs]

What is it about the 300WSM that everyone loves and keeps recommending to me? What will it give me over a 30-06, or a 300WM. I do tend to favor the short-actions.

 

[DrMike]

The 300WSM and the 300WM are ballistic twins. One will do what the other will do. One is in a short action; the other is a long action. If the rifle is well-built, there is no particular advantage and the bullets feed well and go "Bang!" For the average hunter, the only advantage these two cartridges hold over the 30-06 is a slight increase in velocity. If you are able to control yourself and confine your shots within the effective range of your cartridge, the 30-06 will do pretty much everything that either of the magnums will do. One advantage that the 30-06 possesses in your case, is the ready availability of loaded cartridges about anywhere you will buy ammunition. Today, the 300WSM may have a slight edge in ammunition availability over the 300WM. The claim is often made that the 300WSM has less "felt recoil" than the 300WM. You need to understand that the claim is subjective. In reality, recoil is recoil. Recoil can be tamed by putting on a decent butt pad, selecting a well-designed stock and wearing adequate hearing protection.

 

[wildgene]

What is it about the 300WSM that everyone loves and keeps recommending to me? What will it give me over a 30-06, or a 300WM. I do tend to favor the short-actions.

(I hate to disagree w/ Dr. Mike, but)...let me count the ways...

...a 300fps (180gr.)/ 400fps (165gr.) increase in MV isn't that insignificant, being able to do it w/ a short action, 23-24" barrel, 10% more powder, & not much increase in "felt recoil" is even better. Better cartridge design, a significant improvement & increase of available powders makes Newton's dream a reality. Way back in the "Stone Ages" the only way to get any significant increase in MV was to burn a lot more "slower" powder, hence, "magnum" length cases & longer barrels. A 10% increase in powder in a .300 WM gets you , maybe, just maybe, 100fps over the .300 WM, w/ considerably more recoil...

...then there's always the "truth" that a short action is stiffer. therefore, more accurate, & a short, fat case allows better, more consistent ignition, hence, better accuracy (all to be taken w/ a grain of salt)...

...bottom line, the .300 WSM is popular cause it works good in a relatively short, lite, manageable package...

 

[ajvigs]

So...in reality having a rifle in 7mm wsm:
Couldn't I have the barrel bored out to 30 caliber (300 wsm)? And if so who does that kind of work?

And I already have an idea of putting the barreled action into a mcmillan edge if the latter is a feasable idea.

 

[SJB358]

I don't think you gain enough difference to spit at changing from a 7mm WSM to a 300. I like them both, but the 7 is VERY capable and is just as capable on anything I'd hunt with a 300 WSM. Ammo might be a little more available for the 300 WSM, but it really isn't any less expensive.

You'd really be hard pressed to beat the rifle you have right now AV. Put it in a lighter Manners or McMillan stock and I'd bet, after hunting it, you would feel the same way. I just couldn't see ditching your 7 for any 300. Just so close to the same thing you nor any animal you hunted would be able to tell the difference.

I understand the need for ammo, but unless you've got a huge retailer close by, chances are your still going to have to order ammo. Once you find the load that shoots, buy up what you need for a couple of hunting seasons.

I'd bet if you tried the 160 AB Supreme ammo from Winchester or the Federal offerings, you wouldn't have to look much further. The 7mm WSM is a serious performer. I do like the 300 WSM but you spend more money on reboring than you would just stocking up on a bunch of good ammo till you could load your own.

 

[Rigbymauser]

If it were me?

TGR in 300 WSM or 300 Win mag. 180 AB PT or 190 LRAB and you're done.
That was easy!

I'll throw in the roy(al) flush...270wea!.
:grin:
130grain @ 3450 ft/sec
150grain @ 3300 ft/sec
180grain @ 3000 ft/sec

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

What is it about the 300WSM that everyone loves and keeps recommending to me? What will it give me over a 30-06, or a 300WM. I do tend to favor the short-actions.

Gunsmiths like it because it has no belt.
Accuracy guys like it because the short fat stature is an inherently more accurate design, just take a look at the winning benchrest cartridges.
They give you the extra umph in a midsized action, but they are not powder hogs like the RUMS.
The 300 WSM is quickly becoming the new American Classic.

 

[ajvigs]

I don't think you gain enough difference to spit at changing from a 7mm WSM to a 300. I like them both, but the 7 is VERY capable and is just as capable on anything I'd hunt with a 300 WSM. Ammo might be a little more available for the 300 WSM, but it really isn't any less expensive.

You'd really be hard pressed to beat the rifle you have right now AV. Put it in a lighter Manners or McMillan stock and I'd bet, after hunting it, you would feel the same way. I just couldn't see ditching your 7 for any 300. Just so close to the same thing you nor any animal you hunted would be able to tell the difference.

I understand the need for ammo, but unless you've got a huge retailer close by, chances are your still going to have to order ammo. Once you find the load that shoots, buy up what you need for a couple of hunting seasons.

I'd bet if you tried the 160 AB Supreme ammo from Winchester or the Federal offerings, you wouldn't have to look much further. The 7mm WSM is a serious performer. I do like the 300 WSM but you spend more money on reboring than you would just stocking up on a bunch of good ammo till you could load your own.

This kinda put everything in a new light. I think this is the route I will take. Sure buying a new rifle is fun, but I am going to try out my 7mm WSM and see what she is capable of.

I picked up some of the AB supreme ammo today, as well as a box of 160grn PT's for the future.

 

[DrMike]

I think this is the route I will take. Sure buying a new rifle is fun, but I am going to try out my 7mm WSM and see what she is capable of.

I picked up some of the AB supreme ammo today, as well as a box of 160grn PT's for the future.

Good move. You won't regret it.

 

[ajvigs]

Good Dr, have you tried the PT's in a 7mm WSM? I think they would be bad medicine for big, tough critters.

 

[DrMike]

Good Dr, have you tried the PT's in a 7mm WSM? I think they would be bad medicine for big, tough critters.

Yes, I have. They work quite well. I've also used them in the 7RM. They work pretty well there, also.

 

[meatmachineman]

I think you're probably making the right move. Given what you stated in the first post, viable options seemed to be tough to come up with. If options are tough, maybe you had the right thing in the first place :grin:

 

[Oldtrader3]

I have owned a 7mm Rem Mag (2 different ones) since 1963. With 160 gr Partition bullets at 3000 fps, they are capable killers of most any north American game, except maybe coastal brown bears. I have killed many deer with the 7mm Rem Mag out to over 400 yards and have never had to shoot a deer twice. I have also killed one elk with the 7mm Mag. There is little difference between a 7mm WSM and the 7mm Rem Mag in practical game shooting applications.

I would stick with what you have. As a handloader, I also like the WSM's because they do not have the belt which makes handloading for them much easier in die setup. You can always make cases for the 7mm WSM from 300 WSM cases for handloading.