lookin for a good size caliber - The Firearms Forum

Mr. Nameless · 03-13-2009, 09:26 PM

I'm lookin for a good size caliber hunting rifle. I will be hunting deer with it at about 500yds, would like to mount a scope on it. I was thinking about going for .308. Please give me your advice on the subject.

21bravo · 03-13-2009, 09:45 PM

.308 is what i would go with. its a popular cartridge so there is no problem with ammo availability and you dont have to sell your first born child for a box. my "unbiased"

opinion for what rifle would be a Ruger M77 Hawkeye All Weather topped with a Bushnell Elite 4200 scope. either a 4x16x40mm with target turrits (which is whats on my hawkeye) or a 6x24x50mm with target turrits... but thats just my $0.02

hope ive helped

Mr. Nameless · 03-13-2009, 09:48 PM

Yes you have, thank you very much my friend, but i have chosen a BSA scope for it, but it does not have the dimensions onit,but i have used it with other guns and know its capabilities.

BMP

islenos · 03-13-2009, 09:50 PM

I agree, the .308 is hard to beat

21bravo · 03-13-2009, 09:50 PM

my pleasure

IMHO my hawkeye is the best investment in a long gun i have ever made... save the mossberg 88 mavrick i bought off a buddy for $60

Mr. Nameless · 03-13-2009, 09:51 PM

nice, but what if he wasnt a firend...

21bravo · 03-13-2009, 09:53 PM

i deffinatly would not have bought it... i would have thought it was stolen. but my being with him when he bought it from the gun store helped his case too. i talked him down from $150

Mr. Nameless · 03-13-2009, 09:55 PM

that would have been a good deal too, but you got a better one

ryan_marine · 03-14-2009, 05:54 AM

308 is a good caliber. But I just prefer a 7mm Rem Mag. I have only seen 1 animal get up from it. Not bad for the 1,000s of animal I have shot with mine.

Ryan

ysacres · 03-14-2009, 10:16 AM

Im with Ryan_ on this one. I hunt deer with a Remington 700 SSDM 7mm. Flat, fast, & far.

jacksonco · 03-14-2009, 11:24 AM

For the distances you are hunting at (500yds) I would probably opt for a magnum caliber. Either the 300 WIN MAG or the 7mm REM MAG would be excellent choices.

ckill1 · 03-14-2009, 01:00 PM

You guys must all be ALOT better shots than I am, and have much more faith in your equiptment. It would take a pretty desperate situation for me to fire at a game animal at that distance. Not saying it can't be done, not even saying I couldn't do it, but ballistics (especially for a .308) and wind drift over 500yds would preclude me taking that shot. For ME, thats not ethical hunting. No way could I ensure a clean, quick kill. Not with a .308 mounting a BSA, and if I'm shooting that far, my scope costs AT LEAST as much as the rifle. If you are determined to hunt game at this distance, 300win mag would be a better choice. Just my .02...

Chris

bogus bill · 03-14-2009, 01:18 PM

You did say 500 yards. The 308 is just great in the PRACTICAL world of hunting and I have two of them. 500 yards is NOT that common hunting. Maybe antelope, but if I wanted to hunt 500 yards I personaly would go with my .300 H&H mag or similar. I also have two 30-06s. I once killed a buck at 220 yards with my old 94 30/30, but that was probley a fluke shot.

RunningOnMT · 03-14-2009, 01:29 PM

I'm not a hunter and it has been many years since I have fired ANY large caliber rifle. In boot camp however we qualified with M14's at 200, 300, and 500 yards. My best scores were at 500 yards. I fired a perfect score at that range. I don't remember what size the bullseye was on those targets...seems to me something like 18". I know I could have at least guaranteed a hit on a man size target at that range. Of course we had range flags to help calculate windage...a luxury you wouldnt have when hunting but I would think if this type accuracy could be obtained with military peep sites it would certainly be good enough for hunting with a scope.

tim peterson · 03-14-2009, 01:49 PM

I have to agree with Ckill1 on this topic. Except for caliber my choice 325 Wsm.

Gabob · 03-14-2009, 03:34 PM

I have a 1000 yard range but I would not attempt a shot on a game animal over 200 yards.
as 21 Bravo said a .308 is a good choice as is the 30-06.

delta13soultaker · 03-14-2009, 03:50 PM

Yeah...500 yards is .352 of a mile. So a 1/4th mile plus go another 1/10th of a mile = 500 yards.

That's pretty damn far for deer. You should move your stand.

RunningOnMT · 03-14-2009, 06:02 PM

To speak to the title of this thread; Every caliber is good for something.... with the possible exception of the .25.

muddober · 03-14-2009, 09:27 PM

I have never understood the popularity of the .308 for sporting use. It is nothing more than a little bit glorified 300 Savage and a very anemic 30-06. 500 yards is Rd's farther than a 1/4 of a mile and the farther the distance the harder it is to judge meaning it would be more luck than skill to make a successful shot. That is my two cents which is probably more than it is worth.

Ron

ysacres · 03-15-2009, 12:16 AM

Mr. Nameless
I'm reneging my last post because of the enlightenment of the distance across the bean field as for which your bullet's path wants to travel (500yrds) is a very long shot at Bambi, altho I have seen a WSP shoot his 30-378 Weatherby toped with a leupold VX3 3.5 X 14 @ 500yds + and hit a mule deer in the A$$. He had around $3000 envested in the 30 lbs of venison he salvaged after the bullet was done gutting the poor little critter. so as ROMT states, "every caliber is good for something"

Big ugly · 03-15-2009, 12:20 AM

8mm mouser. That old German battle axe gets the job done, just dont aim where there is lots of meat. I seen a Sortsman bag a deer with a 338 win mag at 250yds. They scraped the dear up with a shovel and poured it into a garbage bag.

1shot1k · 03-15-2009, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RunningOnMT

To speak to the title of this thread; Every caliber is good for something.... with the possible exception of the .25.

Running...you terd.... I hope you were talkin about the pistol.....

Mr Nameless...the .308 will be it if you need that distance...

But I must also take up for my trusted old 25.06.....

since (goin from memory ) it is one of the FIRST MAgnums....from early twenties I believe people started using ..oh...257 kneck I think...in 1969 good ammo was commercial....with the proper grain bullet....I will put him down at 500.....
I havent had the opportunity or made time to deer hunt since 1977...(but used a Rem 35...i know...)

but since my aquisitin of model 70...give to my nephew every year when he doesnt bow hunt..and he always has a good 200 + shot.....

for what you said....308 ///but you wouldnt go hungry
with a heavy grain 25.06 either.......

1shot

RunningOnMT · 03-15-2009, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1shot1k

Running...you terd.... I hope you were talkin about the pistol.....

Mr Nameless...the .308 will be it if you need that distance...

But I must also take up for my trusted old 25.06.....

since (goin from memory ) it is one of the FIRST MAgnums....from early twenties I believe people started using ..oh...257 kneck I think...in 1969 good ammo was commercial....with the proper grain bullet....I will put him down at 500.....
I havent had the opportunity or made time to deer hunt since 1977...(but used a Rem 35...i know...)

but since my aquisitin of model 70...give to my nephew every year when he doesnt bow hunt..and he always has a good 200 + shot.....

for what you said....308 ///but you wouldnt go hungry
with a heavy grain 25.06 either.......

1shot

LOL of course I was talking about the .25 auto pistol.

03-13-2009, 09:26 PM	#1
Mr. Nameless Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Coast of N.C. Posts: 1,264	lookin for a good size caliber I'm lookin for a good size caliber hunting rifle. I will be hunting deer with it at about 500yds, would like to mount a scope on it. I was thinking about going for .308. Please give me your advice on the subject. __________________ Signed ~BMP Two classifications of terrorist dead and not dead enough -->

03-13-2009, 09:45 PM	#2
21bravo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: wilkes county, nc Posts: 790	Re: lookin for a good size caliber .308 is what i would go with. its a popular cartridge so there is no problem with ammo availability and you dont have to sell your first born child for a box. my "unbiased" opinion for what rifle would be a Ruger M77 Hawkeye All Weather topped with a Bushnell Elite 4200 scope. either a 4x16x40mm with target turrits (which is whats on my hawkeye) or a 6x24x50mm with target turrits... but thats just my $0.02 hope ive helped __________________ "BIG MOMMA BRAVO" If everything seems to be going well, you obviously do not know what the hell is going on --"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crime." - Thomas Jefferson

03-13-2009, 09:48 PM	#3
Mr. Nameless Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Coast of N.C. Posts: 1,264	Re: lookin for a good size caliber Yes you have, thank you very much my friend, but i have chosen a BSA scope for it, but it does not have the dimensions onit,but i have used it with other guns and know its capabilities. BMP __________________ Signed ~BMP Two classifications of terrorist dead and not dead enough Last edited by Mr. Nameless; 03-13-2009 at 09:50 PM..

03-13-2009, 09:50 PM	#4
islenos Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: West Texas Posts: 1,244	Re: lookin for a good size caliber I agree, the .308 is hard to beat __________________

03-13-2009, 09:50 PM	#5
21bravo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: wilkes county, nc Posts: 790	Re: lookin for a good size caliber my pleasure IMHO my hawkeye is the best investment in a long gun i have ever made... save the mossberg 88 mavrick i bought off a buddy for $60 __________________ "BIG MOMMA BRAVO" If everything seems to be going well, you obviously do not know what the hell is going on --"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crime." - Thomas Jefferson

03-13-2009, 09:51 PM	#6
Mr. Nameless Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Coast of N.C. Posts: 1,264	Re: lookin for a good size caliber nice, but what if he wasnt a firend... __________________ Signed ~BMP Two classifications of terrorist dead and not dead enough

03-13-2009, 09:53 PM	#7
21bravo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: wilkes county, nc Posts: 790	Re: lookin for a good size caliber i deffinatly would not have bought it... i would have thought it was stolen. but my being with him when he bought it from the gun store helped his case too. i talked him down from $150 __________________ "BIG MOMMA BRAVO" If everything seems to be going well, you obviously do not know what the hell is going on --"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crime." - Thomas Jefferson

03-13-2009, 09:55 PM	#8
Mr. Nameless Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Coast of N.C. Posts: 1,264	Re: lookin for a good size caliber that would have been a good deal too, but you got a better one __________________ Signed ~BMP Two classifications of terrorist dead and not dead enough

03-14-2009, 05:54 AM	#9
ryan_marine Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 919	Re: lookin for a good size caliber 308 is a good caliber. But I just prefer a 7mm Rem Mag. I have only seen 1 animal get up from it. Not bad for the 1,000s of animal I have shot with mine. Ryan

03-14-2009, 10:16 AM	#10
ysacres Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Wazzu WA Posts: 2,413	Re: lookin for a good size caliber Im with Ryan_ on this one. I hunt deer with a Remington 700 SSDM 7mm. Flat, fast, & far. __________________

03-14-2009, 11:24 AM	#11
jacksonco Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Jackson County West Virginia Posts: 2,237	Re: lookin for a good size caliber For the distances you are hunting at (500yds) I would probably opt for a magnum caliber. Either the 300 WIN MAG or the 7mm REM MAG would be excellent choices.

03-14-2009, 01:00 PM	#12
ckill1 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: SW Iowa Posts: 299	Re: lookin for a good size caliber You guys must all be ALOT better shots than I am, and have much more faith in your equiptment. It would take a pretty desperate situation for me to fire at a game animal at that distance. Not saying it can't be done, not even saying I couldn't do it, but ballistics (especially for a .308) and wind drift over 500yds would preclude me taking that shot. For ME, thats not ethical hunting. No way could I ensure a clean, quick kill. Not with a .308 mounting a BSA, and if I'm shooting that far, my scope costs AT LEAST as much as the rifle. If you are determined to hunt game at this distance, 300win mag would be a better choice. Just my .02... Chris __________________ People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

03-14-2009, 01:18 PM	#13
bogus bill V.I.P. Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 124	Re: lookin for a good size caliber You did say 500 yards. The 308 is just great in the PRACTICAL world of hunting and I have two of them. 500 yards is NOT that common hunting. Maybe antelope, but if I wanted to hunt 500 yards I personaly would go with my .300 H&H mag or similar. I also have two 30-06s. I once killed a buck at 220 yards with my old 94 30/30, but that was probley a fluke shot.

03-14-2009, 01:29 PM	#14
RunningOnMT Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Akron, Ohio Contributor Posts: 4,720	Re: lookin for a good size caliber I'm not a hunter and it has been many years since I have fired ANY large caliber rifle. In boot camp however we qualified with M14's at 200, 300, and 500 yards. My best scores were at 500 yards. I fired a perfect score at that range. I don't remember what size the bullseye was on those targets...seems to me something like 18". I know I could have at least guaranteed a hit on a man size target at that range. Of course we had range flags to help calculate windage...a luxury you wouldnt have when hunting but I would think if this type accuracy could be obtained with military peep sites it would certainly be good enough for hunting with a scope.

03-14-2009, 01:49 PM	#15
tim peterson V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: COLORADO Posts: 278	Re: lookin for a good size caliber I have to agree with Ckill1 on this topic. Except for caliber my choice 325 Wsm.

03-14-2009, 03:34 PM	#16
Gabob Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: SW GA CSA Posts: 1,160	Re: lookin for a good size caliber I have a 1000 yard range but I would not attempt a shot on a game animal over 200 yards. as 21 Bravo said a .308 is a good choice as is the 30-06. __________________ NRA Endowment Member Keep Your Powder Dry

03-14-2009, 03:50 PM	#17
delta13soultaker Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Depends on Uncle Sam's whim every 3 yrs. Posts: 2,948	Re: lookin for a good size caliber Yeah...500 yards is .352 of a mile. So a 1/4th mile plus go another 1/10th of a mile = 500 yards. That's pretty damn far for deer. You should move your stand. __________________ Never say die! "A nation who forgets its defenders is soon forgotten itself." "A good shot must necessarily be a good man since the essence of good marksmanship is self-control and self-control is the essential quality of a good man." – Theodore Roosevelt

03-14-2009, 06:02 PM	#18
RunningOnMT Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Akron, Ohio Contributor Posts: 4,720	Re: lookin for a good size caliber To speak to the title of this thread; Every caliber is good for something.... with the possible exception of the .25.

03-14-2009, 09:27 PM	#19
muddober Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,436	Re: lookin for a good size caliber I have never understood the popularity of the .308 for sporting use. It is nothing more than a little bit glorified 300 Savage and a very anemic 30-06. 500 yards is Rd's farther than a 1/4 of a mile and the farther the distance the harder it is to judge meaning it would be more luck than skill to make a successful shot. That is my two cents which is probably more than it is worth. Ron

03-15-2009, 12:16 AM	#20
ysacres Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Wazzu WA Posts: 2,413	Re: lookin for a good size caliber Mr. Nameless I'm reneging my last post because of the enlightenment of the distance across the bean field as for which your bullet's path wants to travel (500yrds) is a very long shot at Bambi, altho I have seen a WSP shoot his 30-378 Weatherby toped with a leupold VX3 3.5 X 14 @ 500yds + and hit a mule deer in the A$$. He had around $3000 envested in the 30 lbs of venison he salvaged after the bullet was done gutting the poor little critter. so as ROMT states, "every caliber is good for something" __________________

03-15-2009, 12:20 AM	#21
Big ugly Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Knoxville Tennessee Contributor Posts: 2,603	Re: lookin for a good size caliber 8mm mouser. That old German battle axe gets the job done, just dont aim where there is lots of meat. I seen a Sortsman bag a deer with a 338 win mag at 250yds. They scraped the dear up with a shovel and poured it into a garbage bag. __________________ "You say the Devil made do it with a smile. Raisin' hell and howlin at the moon. Well I'm gonna put your @$$ back in line. I'm gonna scare the Devil out of you." BlackBerry Smoke Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R513dA4peMg Nothing is "proof" against a truly talented fool. Swanshot