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What other cartridges would you suggest TaxPhd?Maybe I should get a Remington Model 700 Tactical in 7.62 NATO if I want a gun that can shoot lots of 7.62 NATO just fine.
You are just not going to find lots of 7.62 NATO available. The days of cheap surplus 7.62 are long gone. I would absolutely not make that one of my decision criteria.
For deer/hogs, there are lots of very serviceable caliber choices. Virtually anything from .243 up to .308 would be just fine. However, I’m not a big fan of smaller calibers, unless one is a child or small statured woman that may find recoil of larger calibers objectionable.
In that range of calibers, it’s hard to go wrong with something in 6.5mm. The 6.5x55 Swede, .260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmore are all very good. Or step up to 7mm with a 7-08 or .280 (Ackley, it you want to be one of the cool kids).
What bullets and grain weights would you recommend in .308 for elk and eland?
I don’t recommend .308 for Elk and Eland. Can it work? Sure. But those are both large animals, and sometimes can take a lot of killing. Step up the horsepower with a .300 Win mag, or go to a larger caliber.
If I was going to only have one gun (I can’t even imagine such a tragedy) for hunting North American game from hogs to elk and eland, I would absolutely step up in caliber. My choice, hands down, would be the .338-06, for the following reasons:
1) The .338-06 is the modern incarnation of the .318 Westley Richards - one of the finest mid-sized cartridges ever for hunting African game. Not the best for Buff and Elephant, but entirely serviceable. But for medium sized game, like Eland and other large plains game species, it was one of the best.
2) I handload all of my centerfire ammo, so availability of factory ammo is not a concern. And I always bring a second rifle in a standard caliber (my choice is 7mm mag) just in case. “Losing” my ammo and having to rely on a local supply has never been an issue for me.
3) I’m not into “long range” hunting. I find lobbing bullets at elk from 1,200 yards away to be a highly unethical practice that I won’t engage in. For my personal range limit (400 yards), .338-06 works perfectly.
4) Robert Ruark coined the phrase, “Use Enough Gun.” And he was right. We owe a duty to the animals we hunt to “use enough gun” so as to put them down as quickly and humanely as possible. Larger calibers simply do this better than smaller calibers. When I hunted Africa, I took seven animals with my .375 H&H, ranging in size from Impala (whitetail deer size) to Gemsbok and Waterbuck (antelope just a bit smaller than elk). Eland are larger still. Never once did I wish for a smaller cartridge. And I never noticed the recoil - it was a non-issue.
5) The recoil of the .338-06 is very manageable, where the recoil of the more common .338 Win mag can be more than many will want to tolerate. However, if you can handle the recoil and want something where factory ammo is readily available, the .338 Win mag may be your best option, IF you’re going to actually be chasing elk and eland.
Consider more than one gun. You have a .243 that is perfectly serviceable. Consider an additional rifle in a larger caliber to handle those larger animals you want to hunt. And remember, there are no bonus points available for going smaller. “Use Enough Gun.”
You are just not going to find lots of 7.62 NATO available. The days of cheap surplus 7.62 are long gone. I would absolutely not make that one of my decision criteria.
For deer/hogs, there are lots of very serviceable caliber choices. Virtually anything from .243 up to .308 would be just fine. However, I’m not a big fan of smaller calibers, unless one is a child or small statured woman that may find recoil of larger calibers objectionable.
In that range of calibers, it’s hard to go wrong with something in 6.5mm. The 6.5x55 Swede, .260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmore are all very good. Or step up to 7mm with a 7-08 or .280 (Ackley, it you want to be one of the cool kids).
I would not use surplus 7.62 NATO.I would use new production.I guess a .308 FMJ would meet my needs just as well as a 7.62 NATO FMJ.
Last edited by NewMexicoCowboy; 05-17-2024 at 01:46 PM..
You are just not going to find lots of 7.62 NATO available. The days of cheap surplus 7.62 are long gone. I would absolutely not make that one of my decision criteria.
For deer/hogs, there are lots of very serviceable caliber choices. Virtually anything from .243 up to .308 would be just fine. However, I’m not a big fan of smaller calibers, unless one is a child or small statured woman that may find recoil of larger calibers objectionable.
In that range of calibers, it’s hard to go wrong with something in 6.5mm. The 6.5x55 Swede, .260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmore are all very good. Or step up to 7mm with a 7-08 or .280 (Ackley, it you want to be one of the cool kids).
Wow I have TWO .280 AI’s- I must be a double cool kid!!
I can say this cool kid has officially left this and future discussions in the ground.
You are just not going to find lots of 7.62 NATO available. The days of cheap surplus 7.62 are long gone. I would absolutely not make that one of my decision criteria.
For deer/hogs, there are lots of very serviceable caliber choices. Virtually anything from .243 up to .308 would be just fine. However, I’m not a big fan of smaller calibers, unless one is a child or small statured woman that may find recoil of larger calibers objectionable.
In that range of calibers, it’s hard to go wrong with something in 6.5mm. The 6.5x55 Swede, .260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmore are all very good. Or step up to 7mm with a 7-08 or .280 (Ackley, it you want to be one of the cool kids).
I dont handload so the Ackley line of cartridges is out of the question.I figure I would get a 7mm Remington Magnum if could only get one gun that was a 7mm.I like the idea of the 6.5 PRC but I dont know what benefit it would get me over the .264 Winchester Magnum besides ammo availability.I am going to get my dad's .264 at some point so I dont know if I should get one of the new 6.5mms.I also am thinking of the 6.5x300 Weatherby Magnum in 6.5mm.
I don’t recommend .308 for Elk and Eland. Can it work? Sure. But those are both large animals, and sometimes can take a lot of killing. Step up the horsepower with a .300 Win mag, or go to a larger caliber.
If I was going to only have one gun (I can’t even imagine such a tragedy) for hunting North American game from hogs to elk and eland, I would absolutely step up in caliber. My choice, hands down, would be the .338-06, for the following reasons:
1) The .338-06 is the modern incarnation of the .318 Westley Richards - one of the finest mid-sized cartridges ever for hunting African game. Not the best for Buff and Elephant, but entirely serviceable. But for medium sized game, like Eland and other large plains game species, it was one of the best.
2) I handload all of my centerfire ammo, so availability of factory ammo is not a concern. And I always bring a second rifle in a standard caliber (my choice is 7mm mag) just in case. “Losing” my ammo and having to rely on a local supply has never been an issue for me.
3) I’m not into “long range” hunting. I find lobbing bullets at elk from 1,200 yards away to be a highly unethical practice that I won’t engage in. For my personal range limit (400 yards), .338-06 works perfectly.
4) Robert Ruark coined the phrase, “Use Enough Gun.” And he was right. We owe a duty to the animals we hunt to “use enough gun” so as to put them down as quickly and humanely as possible. Larger calibers simply do this better than smaller calibers. When I hunted Africa, I took seven animals with my .375 H&H, ranging in size from Impala (whitetail deer size) to Gemsbok and Waterbuck (antelope just a bit smaller than elk). Eland are larger still. Never once did I wish for a smaller cartridge. And I never noticed the recoil - it was a non-issue.
5) The recoil of the .338-06 is very manageable, where the recoil of the more common .338 Win mag can be more than many will want to tolerate. However, if you can handle the recoil and want something where factory ammo is readily available, the .338 Win mag may be your best option, IF you’re going to actually be chasing elk and eland.
Consider more than one gun. You have a .243 that is perfectly serviceable. Consider an additional rifle in a larger caliber to handle those larger animals you want to hunt. And remember, there are no bonus points available for going smaller. “Use Enough Gun.”
My dad would never let me get a .338 Winchester Magnum or a .375 or any of the bigger calibers.Besides I would think a .375 would kick like a mule.I may get a .338 and/or.375 after I move out just to add to my gun collection.I figure I would most likely use something like a .308 or .30-06 to hunt elk and eland.I may get a .300 Win Mag and/or .300 Remington Ultra Magnum or a .30-378 Weatherby Magnum for my standard one gun for doing all hunting in Texas.I would never shoot at game from 1200 yards with a regular rifle.
I figure my max range limit in the future will be 300 to 500 yards tops.I want to practice shooting at long range after I move out because my dad has no desire to go to the caliche pit to shoot the guns more than once a year.He only goes shooting once or twice before deer season but I want to practice a lot more than that.I dont really think my .243 is the best gun for Texas deer hunting because it never leaves a blood trail and I need a blood trail for sure.I dont think I would be able to use a 338 or .375 effectively without a muzzle brake.I have no interest in the .338-06.My dad would never let me get a .338-06..338s and .375s are too big for Texas whitetail in my opinion.My dad has no interest in hand loading right now.My mom and dad would never let me buy a back-up rifle to my main hunting rifle.My guide thinks the .308 is great for elk and eland so I trust him with his knowledge about that.I feel just fine with a .308 hunting elk and eland in Texas but ideally I would want at least a .30-06 but my dad and my guide think the grand old .30-06 is too big of a gun and kicks too hard for me.My dad and my guide hate the 6.5 Creedmoor for deer hunting so I figure I wont get one possibly but I dont know because they say a lot of people lose deer with them because of lack of blood trail.I trust my guide that a 6.5mm Creedmoor would not be a good deer rifle for me.I think I may get antique 6.5mm Carcano and/or 7mm Mauser or 8mm Mauser or Mosin Nagant to hunt deer with before I get the .308.
Last edited by NewMexicoCowboy; Today at 02:12 AM..
My dad would never let me get a .338 Winchester Magnum or a .375 or any of the bigger calibers.Besides I would think a .375 would kick like a mule.I may get a .338 and/or.375 after I move out just to add to my gun collection.I figure I would most likely use something like a .308 or .30-06 to hunt elk and eland.I may get a .300 Win Mag and/or .300 Remington Ultra Magnum or a .30-378 Weatherby Magnum for my standard one gun for doing all hunting in Texas.I would never shoot at game from 1200 yards with a regular rifle.
I figure my max range limit in the future will be 300 to 500 yards tops.I want to practice shooting at long range after I move out because my dad has no desire to go to the caliche pit to shoot the guns more than once a year.He only goes shooting once or twice before deer season but I want to practice a lot more than that.I dont really think my .243 is the best gun for Texas deer hunting because it never leaves a blood trail and I need a blood trail for sure.I dont think I would be able to use a 338 or .375 effectively without a muzzle brake.I have no interest in the .338-06.My dad would never let me get a .338-06..338s and .375s are too big for Texas whitetail in my opinion.My dad has no interest in hand loading right now.My mom and dad would never let me buy a back-up rifle to my main hunting rifle.My guide thinks the .308 is great for elk and eland so I trust him with his knowledge about that.I feel just fine with a .308 hunting elk and eland in Texas but ideally I would want at least a .30-06 but my dad and my guide think the grand old .30-06 is too big of a gun and kicks too hard for me.My dad and my guide hate the 6.5 Creedmoor for deer hunting so I figure I wont get one possibly but I dont know because they say a lot of people lose deer with them because of lack of blood trail.I trust my guide that a 6.5mm Creedmoor would not be a good deer rifle for me.I think I may get antique 6.5mm Carcano and/or 7mm Mauser or 8mm Mauser or Mosin Nagant to hunt deer with before I get the .308.
I may get a 7.82 WarBird for my all around one-gun for all my hunting needs because my mom and dad are only going to let me get one bolt action hunting rifle.
I dont handload so the Ackley line of cartridges is out of the question.I figure I would get a 7mm Remington Magnum if could only get one gun that was a 7mm.I like the idea of the 6.5 PRC but I dont know what benefit it would get me over the .264 Winchester Magnum besides ammo availability.I am going to get my dad's .264 at some point so I dont know if I should get one of the new 6.5mms.I also am thinking of the 6.5x300 Weatherby Magnum in 6.5mm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewMexicoCowboy
My dad would never let me get a .338 Winchester Magnum or a .375 or any of the bigger calibers.Besides I would think a .375 would kick like a mule.I may get a .338 and/or.375 after I move out just to add to my gun collection.I figure I would most likely use something like a .308 or .30-06 to hunt elk and eland.I may get a .300 Win Mag and/or .300 Remington Ultra Magnum or a .30-378 Weatherby Magnum for my standard one gun for doing all hunting in Texas.I would never shoot at game from 1200 yards with a regular rifle.
I figure my max range limit in the future will be 300 to 500 yards tops.I want to practice shooting at long range after I move out because my dad has no desire to go to the caliche pit to shoot the guns more than once a year.He only goes shooting once or twice before deer season but I want to practice a lot more than that.I dont really think my .243 is the best gun for Texas deer hunting because it never leaves a blood trail and I need a blood trail for sure.I dont think I would be able to use a 338 or .375 effectively without a muzzle brake.I have no interest in the .338-06.My dad would never let me get a .338-06..338s and .375s are too big for Texas whitetail in my opinion.My dad has no interest in hand loading right now.My mom and dad would never let me buy a back-up rifle to my main hunting rifle.My guide thinks the .308 is great for elk and eland so I trust him with his knowledge about that.I feel just fine with a .308 hunting elk and eland in Texas but ideally I would want at least a .30-06 but my dad and my guide think the grand old .30-06 is too big of a gun and kicks too hard for me.My dad and my guide hate the 6.5 Creedmoor for deer hunting so I figure I wont get one possibly but I dont know because they say a lot of people lose deer with them because of lack of blood trail.I trust my guide that a 6.5mm Creedmoor would not be a good deer rifle for me.I think I may get antique 6.5mm Carcano and/or 7mm Mauser or 8mm Mauser or Mosin Nagant to hunt deer with before I get the .308.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewMexicoCowboy
I may get a 7.82 WarBird for my all around one-gun for all my hunting needs because my mom and dad are only going to let me get one bolt action hunting rifle.
I’m out. Best of luck with whatever you (and your Mommy and Daddy and Fishing Guide) decide on.
I’m out. Best of luck with whatever you (and your Mommy and Daddy and Fishing Guide) decide on.
Took you long enough.
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