Only Three Bolt-gun Hunting Calibers - Which Ones?

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by Red Devil

Ruger had a run of their 24" M77 Hawkeye Africans chambered in them.

Very nice rifles.

6.5x55mm


9.3x62mm

Red

Beautiful rifles, Red. I know that a lot of companies stop running lines of calibers due to popularity. Makes good business sense, but it is a shame. 257 Roberts is another good round you can hardly find anymore. 25-06. I have also noticed that quite a few of the newer rifles are dropping the 270 Win. Can't even get an M77 in 270 anymore.

[Red Devil]

Originally Posted by USAF Ret

Beautiful rifles, Red. I know that a lot of companies stop running lines of calibers due to popularity. Makes good business sense, but it is a shame. 257 Roberts is another good round you can hardly find anymore. 25-06. I have also noticed that quite a few of the newer rifles are dropping the 270 Win. Can't even get an M77 in 270 anymore.

Winchester still has their non-MB M70 EW/SS/.270 Win in production.


Was in the market for another .270 Winchester?

... would be looking very hard at the current Remington M700 CDL/SF.

24" Bbl'ed 416 stainless/fluted barreled action w/ 5R rifling.

Very nice.




Red

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by Red Devil

Winchester still has their non-MB M70 EW/SS/.270 Win in production.


Was in the market for another .270 Winchester?

... would be looking very hard at the current Remington M700 CDL/SF.

24" Bbl'ed 416 stainless/fluted barreled action w/ 5R rifling.

Very nice.




Red

This is mine

[Red Devil]

Originally Posted by USAF Ret

This is mine

Those are really nice.

Looked at'em for the longest, in both .260 Rem and .270 Win.

... and then they were gone.




Red

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by Red Devil

Those are really nice.

Looked at'em for the longest, in both .260 Rem and .270 Win.

... and then they were gone.




Red

I got this one from an estate sale. Looked like it had never been shot. I tell you, it is one of the most accurate rifles I have. It is a 2004 model, so does not have the fluted barrel. That would be very nice to have, just for the heat dissipation. After 5 shots, my barrel gets smoking hot. But, it's a hunting rifle. If I have to take that many shots on a critter, I might as well hand it up.

[jackstrawIII]

How hard is it to find 257 Roberts ammo?

Very, very hard.

[The Happy kaboomer]

NEVER GONNA HAPPEN............Why not 1 or 6 or thirteen.

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by The Happy kaboomer

NEVER GONNA HAPPEN............Why not 1 or 6 or thirteen.

$$$ and space in the safe. Haha.

[HiBC]

IMO,it just does not matter much.
If you are determined to be "A long range shooter" .....OK. By today's standards,no cartridge does that for you. A rangefinder and precise,repeatable sight adjustments does that.

Bullets have a minimum velocity to perform. In many cases,its around 2000 fps.
So,IMO, your "Long Range" is limited (generally speaking) to the range the chrono and the bullet maker tell you the bullet will perform.
Then consider many of us focus our attention/equiptment on the 1% or 5% fantasy shot...the "monster bull or ram or buck posing at something over 600 yards"
And we may choose a heavier,harder kicking, more expensive rifle,at the expense of the 95% or 99% of the shots a more modest rifle would excel at.

I have more than three. I don't much worry about what is on the shelf.
I have an old South Bend lathe. I can buy a receiver and a barrel. I've built most of my rifles. I handload. I don't buy factory loads.
My bolt hunting rifles include a 257 R AI . That covers most of it, I have more than one 30-06. I don't really need it,but I have a nice 375 Chatfield Taylor. Or (in other words) I neck 458 down to .375. Thats a nice cartridge.
Around 2600 with a 260 gr Accubond. Still fun to shoot.

Yes,I have 7mm Rem Mag and 30-338. I just got over the 400 yd plus idea.

My 5.56/223 varmint guns are AR's not bolt guns.

Any cartridge equivalent to WW1 and WW2 battle rifle cartridges and most of the neck up and neck downs will make a good hunting rifle.

It does not matter if you use a 7x57 or a 7-08 or a 308 or a 30-06 or and 8x57 or a 303. Get your range down to not much over 300 yds,place your shot and get your knife out. Or,get closer!

What do you want to carry,and what can/will you shoot well?

An interesting combination that I do not own is a 308 and a 338 Win. You can have two nearly identical rifles with nearly identical trajectories,
BC's and velocities line up (if you choose/load well) That means every round if 308 you shoot is good practice for the 338.

I suppose starting from scratch a 260 or a 6.5 Manbun ,(or 257 AI or 243) and a 308 (or 30-06) and a 338 Win (or 375 ) would get just about anything done. and a 9.3, or 338-06, or 35 Whelen all would serve well as medium bores. An arguement can be made that with modern bullets in North America.....they are more preference than necessity.

But your 270 ,and a host of other cartridges are just fine. So is your 30-30.

Where do you hunt? What do you hunt? What do you shoot well?

And things like "Its the Rifle Grandpa hunted with and gave me" matter. You can't buy one of those.

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by HiBC

IMO,it just does not matter much.
If you are determined to be "A long range shooter" .....OK. By today's standards,no cartridge does that for you. A rangefinder and precise,repeatable sight adjustments does that.

Bullets have a minimum velocity to perform. In many cases,its around 2000 fps.
So,IMO, your "Long Range" is limited (generally speaking) to the range the chrono and the bullet maker tell you the bullet will perform.
Then consider many of us focus our attention/equiptment on the 1% or 5% fantasy shot...the "monster bull or ram or buck posing at something over 600 yards"
And we may choose a heavier,harder kicking, more expensive rifle,at the expense of the 95% or 99% of the shots a more modest rifle would excel at.

I have more than three. I don't much worry about what is on the shelf.
I have an old South Bend lathe. I can buy a receiver and a barrel. I've built most of my rifles. I handload. I don't buy factory loads.
My bolt hunting rifles include a 257 R AI . That covers most of it, I have more than one 30-06. I don't really need it,but I have a nice 375 Chatfield Taylor. Or (in other words) I neck 458 down to .375. Thats a nice cartridge.
Around 2600 with a 260 gr Accubond. Still fun to shoot.

Yes,I have 7mm Rem Mag and 30-338. I just got over the 400 yd plus idea.

My 5.56/223 varmint guns are AR's not bolt guns.

Any cartridge equivalent to WW1 and WW2 battle rifle cartridges and most of the neck up and neck downs will make a good hunting rifle.

It does not matter if you use a 7x57 or a 7-08 or a 308 or a 30-06 or and 8x57 or a 303. Get your range down to not much over 300 yds,place your shot and get your knife out. Or,get closer!

What do you want to carry,and what can/will you shoot well?

An interesting combination that I do not own is a 308 and a 338 Win. You can have two nearly identical rifles with nearly identical trajectories,
BC's and velocities line up (if you choose/load well) That means every round if 308 you shoot is good practice for the 338.

I suppose starting from scratch a 260 or a 6.5 Manbun ,(or 257 AI or 243) and a 308 (or 30-06) and a 338 Win (or 375 ) would get just about anything done. and a 9.3, or 338-06, or 35 Whelen all would serve well as medium bores. An arguement can be made that with modern bullets in North America.....they are more preference than necessity.

But your 270 ,and a host of other cartridges are just fine. So is your 30-30.

Where do you hunt? What do you hunt? What do you shoot well?

And things like "Its the Rifle Grandpa hunted with and gave me" matter. You can't buy one of those.

Where do you hunt? I hunt in NC right now, but ready to start my bucket list before I get to the point I can't hunt. Planning a hunt in TX for deer and hog, Maine for black bear and CO for elk.

What do you hunt? Above. Mostly whitetail.

What do you shoot well? I have to say, I probably shoot my Remington 270 Mountain Rifle and my CVA 6.5 Creedmoor the best. Still trying to get better with the 30-30, but I am good enough at 100 yards to kill a deer and if I take it out, it will be because shots are shore distance in the woods.

[HiBC]

Cool. Rifles are like golf clubs. You migt need a driver,a 5 iron,a 9 iron,and a putter but it depends on where you hunt and what you hunt.
I've lived in Northern Colorado since 1966 .
FWIW, bow hunters and muzzle loader hunters get their game.

We are having fun with shades of grey and splitting hairs. Thats OK.

Your Grandpa could do anything that needed doing with his one hunting rifle.

It might have been a $20 NRA/DCM 1903A3 that Old Louis the local crotchety gunsmith slicked up, put a Bishop stock on it,and maybe a Lyman All American 3X or 4X scope on it. (Or a Weaver or a Redfield) .Original barrel in 30-06.

That,or an equivalent Mauser or Remchester would take any pronghorn,deer,or elk Grandpa decided to shoot at. It would do it then,it would do it now.

And it would not matter if it was a 7x57 or 6.5x55.

I know,hunting public land within 50 miles of my house,some years things went wrong and I never saw an elk. Obviously,I needed a bigger gun!

Except it ain't the arrow. Its the native indigenous hunter person.

But wanting and buying new guns is part of what we do.

[taylorce1]

Originally Posted by USAF Ret

I hunt in NC right now

Isn't there some great black bear hunting in NC? IIRC they were killing some big bears there a few years ago. You might look for a hunt in your back yard before going to Maine for a bear. Moose is a different story, I'd go to maine in a heartbeat!

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by taylorce1

Isn't there some great black bear hunting in NC? IIRC they were killing some big bears there a few years ago. You might look for a hunt in your back yard before going to Maine for a bear. Moose is a different story, I'd go to maine in a heartbeat!

Most of what I have seen is private land for bear. Not near where I am. Need to make some connections for that or try and find one of those places that caters to disabled veterans.

[stagpanther]

About 95% of all the land in Maine is privately owned. But we do have big bears--big deer and big moose.

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by stagpanther

About 95% of all the land in Maine is privately owned. But we do have big bears--big deer and big moose.

My buddy does an annual trip up there and I have an open invite every year. One of these days when things get better I am hoping to go.

[stagpanther]

My buddy does an annual trip up there and I have an open invite every year. One of these days when things get better I am hoping to go.

Moose hunt is gearing up right now.Tags are awarded through a lottery, it can take years before drawing a tag. For some totally bizarre unknown reason it seems to me that women/girls and novice hunters draw most of the tags.

[taylorce1]

Well good luck on the bear! It's nice to have connections.

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by stagpanther

Moose hunt is gearing up right now.Tags are awarded through a lottery, it can take years before drawing a tag. For some totally bizarre unknown reason it seems to me that women/girls and novice hunters draw most of the tags.

Yeah, the lottery systems are always rigged, in my opinion.

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by USAF Ret

Yeah, the lottery systems are always rigged, in my opinion.

It is. When I was in CO, I had all kinds of private land to hunt on for antelope, whitetail and mule deer. I hated to leave, but the USAF had other plans. Always look back and wished I would have punched my ticket and stayed, but I had 15 years in.

[stagpanther]

It is. When I was in CO, I had all kinds of private land to hunt on for antelope, whitetail and mule deer. I hated to leave, but the USAF had other plans. Always look back and wished I would have punched my ticket and stayed, but I had 15 years in.

There's a way back if you want it bad enough.

[taylorce1]

Originally Posted by Stagpanther

There's a way back if you want it bad enough

CO has a lot of issues right now the biggest is crime, housing, energy, water, and politics. I'd move to Wyoming if a person was wanting to come West. Ten more years and I'm probably moving Southeast.

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by taylorce1

CO has a lot of issues right now the biggest is crime, housing, energy, water, and politics. I'd move to Wyoming if a person was wanting to come West. Ten more years and I'm probably moving Southeast.

Wyoming was where I wanted to settle. My son wanted us to move out west and be near him. When he passed away a year ago, that dream passed with him. My wife is completely disabled and I am in pretty bad shape myself. The Lord provided us with a home in NC and we have the stuff near us we need. Also have some friends nearby and a place I can hunt. I might make it out to do something guided before I can't.

[MarkCO]

Originally Posted by USAF Ret

It is. When I was in CO, I had all kinds of private land to hunt on for antelope, whitetail and mule deer. I hated to leave, but the USAF had other plans. Always look back and wished I would have punched my ticket and stayed, but I had 15 years in.

I hunted a lot of private land, mostly for the asking, in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, it is almost all sold to big corps, leased for out of staters, or just locked up due to slob hunters. I hunt anything but the main rifle seasons now. Still filling public land tags, but getting a little disillusioned. 38 Elk is a good run, and more deer, a few less Pronghorn. But yes, CO is headed down a path I don't want to stay on much longer. As much as I love the mountains, the hunting and fishing, seeing it ruined breaks my heart.

[USAF Ret]

Originally Posted by MarkCO

I hunted a lot of private land, mostly for the asking, in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, it is almost all sold to big corps, leased for out of staters, or just locked up due to slob hunters. I hunt anything but the main rifle seasons now. Still filling public land tags, but getting a little disillusioned. 38 Elk is a good run, and more deer, a few less Pronghorn. But yes, CO is headed down a path I don't want to stay on much longer. As much as I love the mountains, the hunting and fishing, seeing it ruined breaks my heart.

That is exactly what my son said. He was in the mountains every weekend. He said when they legalized Mary Jane, it was the downfall of CO. Dopers from CA and other states moved in and ruined things. Like you said, then small landowners have been basically bought out and rifle season looks like a bunch of orange ants on the landscape.

[MarkCO]

Originally Posted by USAF Ret

He said when they legalized Mary Jane, it was the downfall of CO.

That is part of it, but not all. But that would be off-topic for the thread.

I am reading some predictions that the end of the 15 year drought, record numbers of animals and not yet full on wokeness enacted will yield a few years of very good hunting in CO. So I might ride out another few years and get some more tags filled. I have Elk and Deer this year. Getting close for Moose and another Pronghorn tag.