308, it will kill everything on your list with almost no felt recoil. Depending on the size of the bear and distance the 308 may or may to be your best choice. Myself, if I was specifically targeting a bear I would take my 375, but I subscribe to the use a bigger hammer theory.
.308 is in my "top two" for my consideration, currently. I would agree on taking a larger rifle if specifically targeting larger bears, like a grizzly/brown/polar - but for black bear, it seems that deer calibers are often recommended, with good shot placement.
Do you see any advantages of the .308 over the .30-06?
I'd take the 30-06 or the 300WM
Thanks for your reply - those two are definitely high on consideration.
30-06 is hard to beat for all around. If you were going to spend more time in the west I would go with the 300 win mag.
I will not be spending much time in the west - once for elk, once for mule deer, and once in the Midwest for pronghorn (maybe a midwest whitetail hunt too). I do not know where my black bear will come from.
I like the .30-06 idea - thanks for your reply.
I really like the 7x57 and have used it successfully for game through elk but, I'm a handloader who can get the most out of it. You stated bear hunts in the future and, although the little 7 will kill a bear with certainty, I have found the 7mm doesn't leave as good of blood trail as a larger bullet. This may come in handy some day to retrieve your animal.
I would recommend you to get a .30'06 and a good 3-9 scope. You will have a variety of loads to choose from the 125 grain low recoil loads to the full snort 220 grain loads. The recoil is not bad and everything in North America can/has been killed with it for over a century.
I agree that the .30-06 seems to be the caliber that has taken down more animals in North America than any other (maybe less than a 12 gauge if we're counting shotguns).
In regards to a scope - do you think a 3-9x would be okay for hunting in dense woods, or would you scale down to a 2-7x? I think the 9x would be appreciated for long-range pronghorn/mule shots.
It seems the 30-06 is winning and I concur. It's not overkill on a 150 pound animal the way a 7mag or 300 is when you shoot them in the shoulder. I don't want to say it will work in a pinch on elk because it's a very good elk cartridge and the first choice of many who live in the west.
I have a 308win lever rifle and like the cartridge as a nice average standard cartridge that outshines a 30-30 lever gun at 200-250 yards. If you are a user of a duplex reticle scope and believe in holding no higher than the back of an animal, the 308 is really a 350 yard rifle imo. The 30-06 gives you another 50 yards. A 400-425 yard shot is not the norm out west but it's not highly unusual either.
I would either buy a lightweight 30-06 or 7mag with a blind magazine or floorplate (only because the new plastic ones sucks and fall out of the gun if you look at it wrong) and call it day or buy something like a 30-30, 25-06, 7-08, 270, 308 for your general deer / hog hunting and step up to something like a 30-06, 7mag, or 300 if you ever do go elk hunting or need longer range.
It definitely seems to be winning - trailed closely by the .300 WM and the .308.
I plan on one rifle - so that I can invest all my time in becoming a great shot with it. I'd much rather know one inside and out with my eyes closed, than know two, three, or more decently.
As far as the lever action - how do you feel about it versus a bolt-action? Are there any advantages/disadvantages?
Winchester M70 Stainless and Synthetic Stock in .30-'06.
Shoot something like a 180 gr Accubond or Sierra Game King (~180gr Boat Tail Soft Point) and knock over pretty much whatever you might feel like
Scrummy
Thanks for your reply - sounds like a nice rig!
First off biggie if UR 118 years old, how high up the mountain can u climb? I’m breaking out in a rash thinking I can only have one gun because there are so many variables in North American game. But here goes 7mm rem mag, bolt action, best optics I could afford in variable. Thinking low end 3.5 to 10 leapold higher end savo. Cheers. Jeez who wants only one gun. BUT beware the man with only one
Haha, 118 and oging strong
Didn't want to share my real age online.
I am not a big guy, but I'm pretty fit. I am at the gym everyday, and working outside/moving furniture every weekday - plus I walk for at least 30-45 mins per day.
What would make you choose a bolt action over, say, a lever action? Not discrediting the choice whatsoever, just wondering the rationale for choosing either action because I haven't found too much to say either way.
Do you think a 3.5x would perform well in closer woodland environments, or would a 2x be a better choice? I would definitely go variable.
That is exactly my school of thought - beware the man with only one gun. I'd rather do a great job knowing one than an okay job knowing 2-3+.
Great question - which caliber for across the continent hunting in North America.
After having hunted virtually ever type of game available throughout the United States and Canada for 45+ years now, I think I can offer a somewhat knowledgeable opinion.
I have owned rifles from .223 Remington to the .338 WinMag. For many years I opted for the “unique calibers”. Guess I just wanted to be different.
But after all this, I always found some issue with the unique, not-so-common chamberings.
The .338 WinMag is a great caliber, but it beats the hell out of your shoulder. If you’re exclusively going after the big bears then it’s probably the cartridge to use. But it is overkill on everything else and your shoulder will tell you that. Another thing to consider is the grotesque waste of meat if you get one of the super flat shooting “hot” calibers - 7mm RemMag, the Weatherby’s, the UltraMags. I can’t remember all the hams and shoulders that I’ve wasted by using such speed demons. Very sad.
For me now, it’s the 30-06.
Why? Because I can get all that energy I need for any game in North or South America from that cartridge without the brain scrambling and flinch inducing recoil of the super fast magnums.
Let no one tell you they need more than that to take elk. If they say that, then they are needing more time practicing. Shot placement is really all that matters. Even the big bears will be one shot quick kills from a 30-06 if the shot placement is good.
The biggest issue I see in many hunters, especially the young guys & gals is that they are too excited about stalking in close. They’re comfortable trying to take the 450 yard shot on a elk through tall grass or scrub oak - and then they complain that they should have used a bigger magnum.
So it really does matter why kind of hunter you are. For me, the stalk and getting in close is all part of the fun. But, to each his own.
Another benefit of the .30 calibers is that you have bullet weights available in commercially loaded ammo from 125 grains up to 220 grains. No other caliber has that wide a range of weights. And 30-06 ammo is available, literally everywhere.
So, for the past 8 hunting seasons I have only taken my 30-06. From 130 grain bullets on Nevada antelope to 220 grainers on 2 big bears, one in Alaska and one in British Columbia. My shoulder thanks me, the flinch I developed using my .338 is gone and the great pelt and meat damage from my .300 WinMag and 7mm RemMag are greatly lessened.
My suggestion is for a 30-06. And my choice of rifle is the Ruger Guide Gun. I love the iron sights and barrel band - and the laminated stock and stainless steel means I can go hunt in the Pacific Northwest and not worry about the rain, stock warpage or rust.
Good luck with your hunting!!!
Thank you for this greatly detailed reply!
SnowLeopard, I am exactly like you, in that I love the stalk and getting in close part of the hunt (well I'm looking forward to it, at least). I understand that there are some species this may not work so well for, but I would much rather be moving in close and taking a bit of a challenge than I would shooting from 300+ yards if I don't have to.
The .30-06 seees to be the caliber of choice.
I agree that the .338 WM seems to be overkill except for the great bears - and I absolutely hate wasting meat. I am a big fisherman, and any time I do kill a fish (which isn't often, I prefer C&R) I make sure to get every last bit of meat out of it. Then, the head gets used for bait when we're shark fishing, and the rest will usually be bait in a crab pot. Nothing goes to waste.
You didn't say if you reload? I also subscribe the "Elmer Keith" school of though. You didn't mention the possibility of going far north for moose and bears but I will give the possibility some consideration.
If you reload CZ 550FS 9.3x62. with 2.5x10 optics from pick a quality brand. With the full stock and short barrel it will be quick handling in the florida swamps, equally at ease in a bear stand, bullets from 232gr-320gr. You can load a combo for a 25yard Brown bear shot in the alders to 350 yard pronghorn shot.
If you don't reload Ruger 375 guide gun.
If you are recoil sensitive 30/06, 7MM REM MAG, 300WM.
What ever you shot go out and shoot allot and have fun.
I do not plan to reload - I also don't plan on hunting big game like brown/grizzlies or moose far up north. I like that it was considered though - as it opens up more possibilities under the circumstances that I change my mind someday.
My concern with the .375 - is is it too heavy for whitetails and such? I don't want to waste meat.
I have a 9.3x62 and it is a lot of fun, very useful. With the 232gr you do get a higher MV but the BC really isn't great and not wonderful for longer shots. (Great for pigs and deer you want to put down promptly though, hard to beat).
Given my 9.3x62 ownership, I'd take my 7x64 (~280 Rem) over that as a N America 1 gun safari
My only concern is whether I can easily get ammo for this caliber, though. I'm sure it's a great caliber for hunting those species, but can I find ammo if I leave it at home by mistake? Same with the 7x64.
I love that idea. I don't think I'll ever do the North American Super Slam (29 big game species across NA) simply due to lack of interest in some species and the expense (some of the sheep would cost $50K+), but the fact that he could hunt them all with a .30-06 is a testament to its versatility.
Drew
