Ruger American Rifle
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Josh Pearson
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lol. I got that from some of my buddies when I went for a 7mag despite owning a 30-06 already. "It's the same bullet," said one guy. Well, close enough I guess. Not the same barrel, though...MJB said:
I love my a-bolt for pigs and elk (150gr copper and 180 A frame or partition, respectively). And it's a great deer gun but I am really looking forward to using my 7mag in Wyoming which is really open country.
Thank-you I did try to summarize for the ne shooter a good direction. Remember no rifle will be your last riflr, you are always just between buy the last one and the next one.
I found that the 300 mags is a step up from the 7mags. The7 is fine for elk and moose and all of north america. The 300 is a little more rifle. I have 5 of them 2 I shoot 600 yard competition so I know the 300s well. For the beginner , not reloading the 300's are usually higher in price.
For the reloader there is the beauty of having the 300, 30 caliber bullets and you can load a bolt action 300 to shoot like a 30.06. I shoot both the 300 and 7(.284)mag many times per year and find that I shoot the 150 in the 7 and 165 in the 300. So recoil doesn't become a factor both are up at the 30+ foot pounds of energy recoil. I am very tuned to recoil because it can soon make a good shooter a poor shooter.
This is a large concern for me since the man macho kicks in and the first thing they say is, " That don't kick."
I can honestly say that I haven't done a shot with my 300 and my 7mm mag that they other would not have worked any better than the other.
A new shooter will much quicker become a good shooter if the bad habits of excessive recoil doesn't rear their ugly hear.
Greg Merraim
I found that the 300 mags is a step up from the 7mags. The7 is fine for elk and moose and all of north america. The 300 is a little more rifle. I have 5 of them 2 I shoot 600 yard competition so I know the 300s well. For the beginner , not reloading the 300's are usually higher in price.
For the reloader there is the beauty of having the 300, 30 caliber bullets and you can load a bolt action 300 to shoot like a 30.06. I shoot both the 300 and 7(.284)mag many times per year and find that I shoot the 150 in the 7 and 165 in the 300. So recoil doesn't become a factor both are up at the 30+ foot pounds of energy recoil. I am very tuned to recoil because it can soon make a good shooter a poor shooter.
This is a large concern for me since the man macho kicks in and the first thing they say is, " That don't kick."
I can honestly say that I haven't done a shot with my 300 and my 7mm mag that they other would not have worked any better than the other.
A new shooter will much quicker become a good shooter if the bad habits of excessive recoil doesn't rear their ugly hear.
Greg Merraim
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Any of the calibers WILL work, but some are better choices. The 243 is great for the predators, but has to be considered "light" for deer. The 270 and 30-06 will surely do the job, but have a lot of noise and recoil. I have a RA in 308 and absolutely love it. I shoot Barnes 150 grain TSX BT bullets in it and they group in at less than 1/4" at 200 yards, and no, that's NOT a typo. You can get TSX bullets from 110 grains up to 200 grains.
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Groups of bullets touching each aoth at 200 yards and not shot at a indoor range are difficult tom believe. My self being a 600 yard shoot competitor have seen shots that were fantastic and hard to believe unless you are there to see them. This is a good but semi-common 100 yard group but all of the new variables that popup between 100 & 200 are difficult to believe even in a gun vice. Barrel heat between rounds, inconsistency in powder flakes, I was a rep/tester for the Barnes TSX bullets and shot many hundreds of rounds in a test environment, and many more make it difficult to consume. I guess I wasn't there to see it so I will have to take your word, good shot.
Greg Merriam
Greg Merriam
My go to caliber has been the .243 for deer, pigs, antelope, varmints since I was a kid. and my 9 year old daughter has it now. I just picked up a new one for my son recently
If I knew I was hunting Bear I would carry my 7 Mag. The only time my .270 or 7 mag come out of the safe is when I am taking someone on a pig hunt that has never killed a big game animal. I like the added energy from the larger bullets in case the shot is not placed perfectly.
for me the .243 youth rifle with a detachable mag is a perfect truck gun.
That being said, when I first looked at a bigger caliber than the .243 I did a ton of research on ballistics, energy, trajectory, etc...I refused to buy a 30-06 and went with the 7mag. I love it and have never regretted the decision.
now, since then I have come to this realization, the 30-06 has put more meat on the table than any cartridge out there. you can not go wrong with a 270, 7mm, or 30-06. ammo is readily available at every place that sells it. Look online at all of the possibilities for different grain bullets.
If I knew I was hunting Bear I would carry my 7 Mag. The only time my .270 or 7 mag come out of the safe is when I am taking someone on a pig hunt that has never killed a big game animal. I like the added energy from the larger bullets in case the shot is not placed perfectly.
for me the .243 youth rifle with a detachable mag is a perfect truck gun.
That being said, when I first looked at a bigger caliber than the .243 I did a ton of research on ballistics, energy, trajectory, etc...I refused to buy a 30-06 and went with the 7mag. I love it and have never regretted the decision.
now, since then I have come to this realization, the 30-06 has put more meat on the table than any cartridge out there. you can not go wrong with a 270, 7mm, or 30-06. ammo is readily available at every place that sells it. Look online at all of the possibilities for different grain bullets.
Rifle decisions are individual, it depend on what you are hunting, the habitat, recoil. bullet size neede.
That target was shot at the South Bay Rod & Gun Club at a club meet with about 50 witnesses. I used a Caldwell Lead sled and there was (surprisingly) a VERY light wind. I have shot many three and five-shot one-hole groups with it at 100 yards, but this was the first time I had shot the rifle at 200 yards. John has seen several of my targets as I was developing the loads for the rifle. He was a big help in finding the final load.
I have all of those caliber in rifles with Scopes. I live in Colorado and was trying all different combinations for hunt elk, deer, bear, antelope and when I picked up a low cost moose hunt I hunted them also.
The .243 my wife use in semi-auto for antelope and deer with the 100 grain bullet and it worked fine but new shooters need the edge of more foot pounds of energy to help them with their lack of shooting skill.(We could go on a on about that part.) In Most states it is the minimal for deer. The rifle had a shortened stock to make it work for a youth or women and was recoil reduced because of the weight and the auto working mechanisms. In many cases I recommend going with factory designated "Youth model rifles because if you shorten the stocl the rifle become barrel heavy. If you shorten the barrel it has to much muzzle blast. I have gone to Suppressors on a short barrel which reduce the muzzle blast by 80% but still makes the rifle a little barrel heavy.
Now she has moved up to a bolt action Stevens Youth model in 308. I handload in 100 grain and 125 grain bullets for deer and antelope. She has take about 6 elk with the 165 grain bullet in the little gut which is plenty for elk. Remember for all practical purposes the .308 is exactly the same as on 30.06 with the case shortened so it can go in a short action rifle.
The .243 my wife use in semi-auto for antelope and deer with the 100 grain bullet and it worked fine but new shooters need the edge of more foot pounds of energy to help them with their lack of shooting skill.(We could go on a on about that part.) In Most states it is the minimal for deer. The rifle had a shortened stock to make it work for a youth or women and was recoil reduced because of the weight and the auto working mechanisms. In many cases I recommend going with factory designated "Youth model rifles because if you shorten the stocl the rifle become barrel heavy. If you shorten the barrel it has to much muzzle blast. I have gone to Suppressors on a short barrel which reduce the muzzle blast by 80% but still makes the rifle a little barrel heavy.
Now she has moved up to a bolt action Stevens Youth model in 308. I handload in 100 grain and 125 grain bullets for deer and antelope. She has take about 6 elk with the 165 grain bullet in the little gut which is plenty for elk. Remember for all practical purposes the .308 is exactly the same as on 30.06 with the case shortened so it can go in a short action rifle.
