What Rifle/Caliber Combinations Have you liked the most and disliked the most and why?

[Wyoming270]

Well a coyote facing you is a pretty small target so any advantage helps

It really helps ro have a cartridge with limited wind drift when your in wyoming and 25 mph wind can be come still or revers 180 degrees multiple times per minute.

 

[brockel]

It really helps ro have a cartridge with limited wind drift when your in wyoming and 25 mph wind can be come still or revers 180 degrees multiple times per minute.

Eastern Montana. I feel your pain

 

[Wyoming270]

Eastern Montana. I feel your pain

Its the top reason i wont shoot copper bullets.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I was a 5th generation Coloradoan and my Dad and Grandfathers liked the mountains where we camped and fished, but my Dad didn't hunt, so I didn't start hunting until I was in College in Ft Collins. My second year, two of my roommates were from Craig in NW Colorado, and one of them took me on my first deer hunt. He loaned me a Winchester Model 94 in .32 Spl, and I shot my first deer, a spike muley buck. I went with him again the next year and I shot my first elk, a 5x5 bull with a borrowed .30-40 Krag. That got me hooked on hunting.

Through out college I worked summers for the US Forest Service in Steamboat Spgs, CO. So the summer after my first elk hunt I bought my first centerfire rifle. Two of my bosses there had grown up hunting there, so I asked them what kind of rifle I should buy. They both said to get a bolt action .270 or .30-06. They said that only the "once a year in the woods" dudes from Denver shot canons like the .300 Win Mag. So I decided on a .30-06.

I ordered a .30-06 Model U-9 barreled action and a semi-inleted walnut stock from Herter's, and put them together that summer.

As my only centerfire rifle, I used that .30-06 for deer, elk, and antelope for the rest of the time that I lived in Colorado, and for my first few of years living in Montana.

Then, sometime in 1977 my new hunting partner here gave me a fired .30 Gibbs case. I thought that case looked so cool that I had Les Bauska, a gunsmith in Kalispell rechamber my .30-06 to .30 Gibbs. For the next 20 some years that rifle shooting 180 gr Nosler Partition bullets put an elk into my freezer almost every year along with 2 Shiras bull moose, a mountain goat, and an Alaskan caribou.

When Les rechambered my .30-06 to .30 Gibbs I also had him rechamber a .25-06 barreled action to .257 Ackley, and to make and fit a tapered octogon barrel chambered in 22-250 to a Mauser Mark X action. I then fitted those two barreled actions into Fajen Fancy walnut semi inleted stocks.

So my rifle for medium size game animals (deer and antelope) along with 3 Bighorn rams, a Dall ram, a Mountain caribou, and my 2nd best 6x6 bull elk was, and is, my .257 Ackley.

My .22-250 became my varmint rifle, along with several deer and antelope.

The only rifle that I've ever sold was a Rem 700 ADL in 7mm RM that I borrowed for my first African hunt in 2000, I later bought it and used it on a Canadian caribou and Muskox hunt. I traded/sold it for a stainless BDL, also in 7mm RM.

A case fireforming mishap in the early 2000s retired my .30 Gibbs, and in 2009, after wanting a Weatherby rifle for more that 40 years, I bought a Vanguard in .300 Wby. I stocked it in AA Fancy walnut, had a KDF muzzle brake installed on it, and it has been my favorite big game rifle ever since. Along with elk hunts with it here in Montana, I've used it on hunts in Texas, New Zealand, 3 hunts in Africa, a hunt in Azerbaijan, and for a moose in Alberta.

In 2004 I bought and re-stocked a stainless Rem Model 700 chambered in .375 RUM. With it's KDF brake it doesn't kick any harder than my 7mm RM and I've used it on 2 hunts in Africa and for a Brown bear in Alaska.

For my weekly practice shooting I have two more stainless Wby Vanguards chambered in .308 Win and .223.

All of these rifles carry similar Leupold variable scopes, they all weigh (within a few ounces) the same, and have the same length of pull.

I figure that I'm set for anything that I ever want to hunt.

How did you get three bighorn ram tags. Long Ago?

 

[Huntkook]

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I was a 5th generation Coloradoan and my Dad and Grandfathers liked the mountains where we camped and fished, but my Dad didn't hunt, so I didn't start hunting until I was in College in Ft Collins. My second year, two of my roommates were from Craig in NW Colorado, and one of them took me on my first deer hunt. He loaned me a Winchester Model 94 in .32 Spl, and I shot my first deer, a spike muley buck. I went with him again the next year and I shot my first elk, a 5x5 bull with a borrowed .30-40 Krag. That got me hooked on hunting.

Through out college I worked summers for the US Forest Service in Steamboat Spgs, CO. So the summer after my first elk hunt I bought my first centerfire rifle. Two of my bosses there had grown up hunting there, so I asked them what kind of rifle I should buy. They both said to get a bolt action .270 or .30-06. They said that only the "once a year in the woods" dudes from Denver shot canons like the .300 Win Mag. So I decided on a .30-06.

I ordered a .30-06 Model U-9 barreled action and a semi-inleted walnut stock from Herter's, and put them together that summer.

As my only centerfire rifle, I used that .30-06 for deer, elk, and antelope for the rest of the time that I lived in Colorado, and for my first few of years living in Montana.

Then, sometime in 1977 my new hunting partner here gave me a fired .30 Gibbs case. I thought that case looked so cool that I had Les Bauska, a gunsmith in Kalispell rechamber my .30-06 to .30 Gibbs. For the next 20 some years that rifle shooting 180 gr Nosler Partition bullets put an elk into my freezer almost every year along with 2 Shiras bull moose, a mountain goat, and an Alaskan caribou.

When Les rechambered my .30-06 to .30 Gibbs I also had him rechamber a .25-06 barreled action to .257 Ackley, and to make and fit a tapered octogon barrel chambered in 22-250 to a Mauser Mark X action. I then fitted those two barreled actions into Fajen Fancy walnut semi inleted stocks.

So my rifle for medium size game animals (deer and antelope) along with 3 Bighorn rams, a Dall ram, a Mountain caribou, and my 2nd best 6x6 bull elk was, and is, my .257 Ackley.

My .22-250 became my varmint rifle, along with several deer and antelope.

The only rifle that I've ever sold was a Rem 700 ADL in 7mm RM that I borrowed for my first African hunt in 2000, I later bought it and used it on a Canadian caribou and Muskox hunt. I traded/sold it for a stainless BDL, also in 7mm RM.

A case fireforming mishap in the early 2000s retired my .30 Gibbs, and in 2009, after wanting a Weatherby rifle for more that 40 years, I bought a Vanguard in .300 Wby. I stocked it in AA Fancy walnut, had a KDF muzzle brake installed on it, and it has been my favorite big game rifle ever since. Along with elk hunts with it here in Montana, I've used it on hunts in Texas, New Zealand, 3 hunts in Africa, a hunt in Azerbaijan, and for a moose in Alberta.

In 2004 I bought and re-stocked a stainless Rem Model 700 chambered in .375 RUM. With it's KDF brake it doesn't kick any harder than my 7mm RM and I've used it on 2 hunts in Africa and for a Brown bear in Alaska.

For my weekly practice shooting I have two more stainless Wby Vanguards chambered in .308 Win and .223.

All of these rifles carry similar Leupold variable scopes, they all weigh (within a few ounces) the same, and have the same length of pull.

I figure that I'm set for anything that I ever want to hunt.

Over 60 years

During my big gun era I had two 35 Whelen's, a Model 700 and a Custom Mauser. Both Sold.

During my long range big gun era I had two 338 Win mags. a Sako and a Belgium Safari, Sold Both.

During my 300 Mag era I Had two, A stainless model 70 in 300 WM and a pre WW2 300 H and H Model 70. Sold both.

During my 7mm era I had four. Two 7x57's, a 280 and tack driving 280AI, All gone.

During my brush gun era I six, two .35 caliber lever actions, two 30-30's and a 32 Winchester special, and a .44 all sold.,

Bought so many .30 cal, more for the cool vintage rifles than calibers.
30-40, several 30-06's, 300 Savage and plenty of 308's

Let's not forget two .25's, a 250-3000 and a 257 Roberts and two 6.5's Three out of four gone.

Ohh three 270's, only one left, pre-64 model 70

Except for several vintage safe queens, only two left I hunt with, Model 70 6.5x55 and Sako Finnlight Carbine in 308. I have 5 custom loads for each Later

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Its the top reason i wont shoot copper bullets.

you won't use copper bullets because of "wind drift" Is that right?

 

[buffybr]

How did you get three bighorn ram tags. Long Ago?

Yes, long time ago...the early '80 in the Montana Unlimited Tag Units. It was also before Montana had the 7 year wait rule where if you draw or buy a bighorn ram license you have to wait 7 years before you can apply or buy another ram tag.

All of my Montana sheep, moose, and goat hunts were DIY and 2 of my rams, 1 moose, and my goat were on DIY solo hunts.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Yes, long time ago...the early '80 in the Montana Unlimited Tag Units. It was also before Montana had the 7 year wait rule where if you draw or buy a bighorn ram license you have to wait 7 years before you can apply or buy another ram tag.

All of my Montana sheep, moose, and goat hunts were DIY and 2 of my rams, 1 moose, and my goat were on DIY solo hunts.

very very impressive. how old where you in the early 80's

 

[mtmuley]

Well a coyote facing you is a pretty small target so any advantage helps

Yeah. I get it. mtmuley

 

[belshawelk]

Never had trouble with big bear. Also never had issues with hornady interlocks fragmenting. Stay within manufacturer recomended velocities and the bullet will work fine. couple years ago i put one lengthwise through an antelope at 200 yards. expanded to almost an inch and only lost 5 grains out of 180. its good knowing my bullet will stay together and that at long ranges it will fully open as well.

You did not answer my suv question.



Additionally, whats the point in elk hunting if your going to ruin half the meat taking out the front shoulders? Whether your bullet fragments or not, the bone fragments still trash the meat.

I am talking about smaller SUV not Expedition and Tahoes. Could have said to make it easier.

Lets disagree on shoulder. I have yet to ruin any meat with a solid copper. Its what made me change to copper when I had an Accubond LR ( not Accubond)fragment all over inside an elk when it hit a rib. Never made made it to a clean vital or shoulder.

Everyone has opinions, I dont track or loose animals since I switched. Works for me.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I am talking about smaller SUV not Expedition and Tahoes. Could have said to make it easier.

Lets disagree on shoulder. I have yet to ruin any meat with a solid copper. Its what made me change to copper when I had an Accubond LR ( not Accubond)fragment all over inside an elk when it hit a rib. Never made made it to a clean vital or shoulder.

Everyone has opinions, I dont track or loose animals since I switched. Works for me.

Funny how we can have such different experiences with same bullets. Two guys just said how Hornady Interlocks did not fragment much. My experience was 180 degrees different.

There were years when I was depredation hunting endless wild boar on barley ranches. Between me and other hunters we shot hundreds.

Typically the with lung shots I found the bullet just under the hide on the other side. Got a chance to weigh plenty and the lead loss ran from 9-10 up to 16 %.

Hornady interlocks having so much fragmentation are why I went to Barnes all copper.

 

[Hams42]

I am talking about smaller SUV not Expedition and Tahoes. Could have said to make it easier.

Lets disagree on shoulder. I have yet to ruin any meat with a solid copper. Its what made me change to copper when I had an Accubond LR ( not Accubond)fragment all over inside an elk when it hit a rib. Never made made it to a clean vital or shoulder.

Everyone has opinions, I dont track or loose animals since I switched. Works for me.

Same reason I stopped using Accubonds.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Its the top reason i wont shoot copper bullets.

I am still waiting for a specific answer as to why you won't use copper bullets due to wind drift. This makes no sense to me at all.

I have shot two .30 cal 165 grain Barnes bullets going a hair under 2,900'/sec. BC for one is .442 for the other .470. Both were Tack drivers and did VERY well on the open windy prairie.

Same goes for Barnes bullets in my 270 and 6.5x55.

Please offer me this "Top reason" for not using them.

 

[mtmuley]

Funny how we can have such different experiences with same bullets. Two guys just said how Hornady Interlocks did not fragment much. My experience was 180 degrees different.

There were years when I was depredation hunting endless wild boar on barley ranches. Between me and other hunters we shot hundreds.

Typically the with lung shots I found the bullet just under the hide on the other side. Got a chance to weigh plenty and the lead loss ran from 9-10 up to 16 %.

Hornady interlocks having so much fragmentation are why I went to Barnes all copper.

Interlocks do not "fragment". 10 to 16 percent loss of a lead core bullet isn't much. Bet it was more. Like twice probably. If you killed hundreds, you must have great documented info. mtmuley

 

[Wyoming270]

I am talking about smaller SUV not Expedition and Tahoes. Could have said to make it easier.

Lets disagree on shoulder. I have yet to ruin any meat with a solid copper. Its what made me change to copper when I had an Accubond LR ( not Accubond)fragment all over inside an elk when it hit a rib. Never made made it to a clean vital or shoulder.

Everyone has opinions, I dont track or loose animals since I switched. Works for me.

Losing elk unless you shoot through shoulders, and getting no bone fragmentation when shooting through shoulders are two key indicators of bullets failing to expand.