Large Bore Rifle Recommendations

[OldmanFCSA]

Obviously the general concenus is 30 caliber with a 338 top, IF said rifle is to be used locally also.

Excellent bullets are available in both of these calibers to cover the extremes required.

Main thing is to PRACTICE and HIT WHERE YOU AIM.

[farmerj]

I would focus on a caliber you WANT to shoot. I would choose the .280 Remington.

Then find a bullet to do the task you want it to do. No reason to buy a V-max bullet when you are really looking for a Trophy Bonded Bear Claw.

[bensdad]

.30.06 is a no-brainer. It can kill anything on the planet. You know that bull elephant have been taken by archery, right? Anybody who can't kill a moose with a 30-06 should have stayed home and practiced more. When the airline loses your 375 H&H ammo, or the guide's assistant drops it in 90ft. of ice-cold water getting off the float plane, good luck finding more on your dream hunt. Think about it. Every mom and pop store in North America outside of metro areas has a few boxes of 30-06 on a shelf somewhere. besides, somebody else mentioned Jack O'Connor. I always trust old people who have walked the walk. He was one of them.

[Holland&Holland]

.375 H&H is the world wide hunter's cartridge for a reason. Can handle anything you want to go after and can be loaded down to a great deer round.

[rugersol]

Every mom and pop store in North America outside of metro areas has a few boxes of 30-06 on a shelf somewhere.

Battle cry of the .30-06!

No one should ever use another caliber cause 7-11 don't stock it?!

[crbutler]

For the moose, they are big and pretty phlegmatic. If you want to drop it on the spot, you need to do CNS hits, but they will die pretty easily, its just they usually find a nice wet place to do so. The Scandinavians use 6.5x55 all the time. Pretty much .270-.45-70 will work with them.

Caribou are not that big, but sometimes the shot is long on them. They are also pretty soft targets.

So, it depends on you. A .270 or .30-06 will do the job, but you cannot accept poor shot angles on the moose. I would personally not object to hunting either with a 7x57 or a .308 personally, but since I have gotten past the have to kill everything stage, I know I might lose out on a hard quartering away opportunity with them.

The caribou a .270 or a .300 mag of some stripe would be good.

So, if it is your one chance, get a good .300 magnum. A .338 mag will do as good a job, maybe even a bit more response from a moose, but with a bit more recoil and the ammo will be a bit more expensive. A 7mm mag will likely also work well, but I haven't used one on game.

A .375 is an african all arounder. It will kill both, but its a heavier gun and has a bit more drop at range than the smaller mags. Too heavy for carrying around a swamp, IMO, but if you have one, (or just want one), use it. Just be careful with what is behind it- it will shoot through a moose easily, and caribou run in herds often.

[Chevydude]

30:06 or 7 M M

[bensdad]

Every mom and pop store in North America outside of metro areas has a few boxes of 30-06 on a shelf somewhere.

Battle cry of the .30-06!

No one should ever use another caliber cause 7-11 don't stock it?!

Whatever. OP would do well to go on a bigger board and ask if anyone has ever had a problem with finding ammo on a hunting trip. Experience is worth more than clever smiley's, but what do I know.

[rugersol]

Every mom and pop store in North America outside of metro areas has a few boxes of 30-06 on a shelf somewhere.

Battle cry of the .30-06!

No one should ever use another caliber cause 7-11 don't stock it?!

Whatever. OP would do well to go on a bigger board and ask if anyone has ever had a problem with finding ammo on a hunting trip. Experience is worth more than clever smiley's, but what do I know.

the rest of us are talking about performance!... yer talking about shopping!

[yuppiejr]

the rest of us are talking about performance!... yer talking about shopping!

All the performance in the world with a specialty handload goes out the window when UPS or the airline loses your ammunition on the way to a hunt and you can't replace it on the other side. As bensdad stated, it does happen - had a coworker end up borrowing a guide's rifle (30-06 by the way) on a Montana Elk hunt after his handloads failed to arrive with him for the trip. I happen to subscribe to the "plan for the worst, hope for the best" school of thought when hunting trips including airline travel are involved...

[rugersol]

the rest of us are talking about performance!... yer talking about shopping!

All the performance in the world with a specialty handload goes out the window when UPS or the airline loses your ammunition on the way to a hunt and you can't replace it on the other side. As bensdad stated, it does happen - had a coworker end up borrowing a guide's rifle (30-06 by the way) on a Montana Elk hunt after his handloads failed to arrive with him for the trip. I happen to subscribe to the "plan for the worst, hope for the best" school of thought when hunting trips including airline travel are involved...

by your logic, no one should ever travel more than 50mi from home with anything other than a .30-06 ... correct?!

... presuming, of course, every "mom n pop" in the world don't otherwise... at the same time... start stocking anything else!

Incidentally, did you just suggest that the airline, and ups, would both lose your ammo, on the same trip?!... or that you wouldn't otherwise utilize both methods, at once?!... and certainly not, if it were .30-06?! ... which bullet weight will be on the shelf?! ... which bullet construction?!... or does all .30-06 magically share identical trajectories, and suitable performance on all game?! ... or is that not nearly as important as your own rifle making a loud sound, no matter what?!

I don't think I'll ever understand this ridiculous love affair with .30-06!

[Sammichman]

I asked he same question of the PH I,ll be using on my Africa trip Next year,,,He said Africa game may be a little bigger but not Bullet Proof ,,a 308 or 30-06 with the proper bullet will take down any hoofed Plains game so I would think the same answer would apply to North America

[JJ]

Just a little spin on the same theme, I would have to point you towards the 35 Whelen. The turty aught sux, just necked up to .358 diameter. This way you cal load them down and use pistol bullets for cheap practice or plinking. And you can go up to a heavy 300g that is heavy enough for big bears.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/.35_Whelen#section_2

Suitable .358 in (9.1 mm) bullets range in weight from 150 to 300 grains (9.7 to 19 g). This round can use .38/.357 pistol bullets for cheap practice, low recoil target shooting, and varmint hunting. Using a 250-grain (16 g) bullet, the .35 Whelen will generate 3,500 ft·lbf (4,700 J) at the muzzle from a 24 in (61 cm) barrel.

The .35 Whelen is the ballistic twin of the .350 Remington Magnum. With the correct bullet choice this cartridge is suitable for virtually all thin-skinned large and dangerous game. The European designation for this cartridge would be 9 x 63 mm; with its wide bullet selection and high muzzle energy it is in the same echelon as the venerable 9.3x62mm.

[bensdad]

I don't think I'll ever understand this ridiculous love affair with .30-06!

That right there is the problem. You think it's about "love". We just use common sense.

[ex-LT]

.30.06 is a no-brainer. It can kill anything on the planet. You know that bull elephant have been taken by archery, right? Anybody who can't kill a moose with a 30-06 should have stayed home and practiced more. When the airline loses your 375 H&H ammo, or the guide's assistant drops it in 90ft. of ice-cold water getting off the float plane, good luck finding more on your dream hunt. Think about it. Every mom and pop store in North America outside of metro areas has a few boxes of 30-06 on a shelf somewhere. besides, somebody else mentioned Jack O'Connor. I always trust old people who have walked the walk. He was one of them.

iirc, Jack O'Conner was a devotee of the .270, not the .30-06.