Looking for advice on a good rifle and caliber for big game. Such as big-bear, moose, bison, would a 308 be enough?

I think it would a little small for these animals. The 308 would kill all 3 but shot placement would be HUGE. 30:06 would be better, but the big bear might call for a bigger cal. 338....

IMHO a .300 Win Mag or .338 would be much better than a .308.

308 would do all. But if big bear means griz I would get a lil more muscle. I would hate to be a snack if you know what i mean. 308 has no problem on black bear, with the right bullets and shot placement

.340 Wby. Mag,, or .338 RUM would be a good choice. Good luck.

Thanks for the help, the bison and big bear are more of a pipe dream. Realistically would be mostly moose, elk, and hogs, think I might get the 300 mag.

If that is all you are going to use it for then, .338 WM or .375 H&H. IMO

try going old school ,think 45-70, .444 or 450 Marlin unless you're looking loong distance.

A 35 caliber cartridge is a good all around round for large NA game. The 35 Whelan or 35 Whelan AO improved , my current favorite is the 358 Winchester, or for a bit more umph the 350 Rem Mag. Some of the other rounds suggested seem to kill on both ends of the firearm, so the rounds I suggest  produce 3000 + foot pounds of energy with spitzer bullets made for big game and well placed, well constructed bullets with 35 caliber sectional density specs are good stoppers for most any NA game and  hold some energy down range as well without kicking your buttocks.

Depending on the range you shoot, I would take a 45-70for any game on the planet. Garrett makes some really hot rounds and they will knock anything down including elephant. Marlins' new 1890 is a really nice gun and will handle hot loads and it is a compact rifle, check it out.

Close your eyes and pick one.  30.06, 35Whelen, 300Win Mag, 338Wing Mag,375H&H, 45/70.

.300 Win Mag or .35 Whelen gets my vote with the preference to the Whelen.

I realize that deer are not nearly as tough as the animals you mentioned, but the 3 whitetails I shot this year with my 35 Whelen, were DRT!

Yes 300win, 338,and 375H&H will certainly knock down big game, but the recoil and weight would exclude them from my picks.

Your questions was, would the 308 be big enough. Yes, but one might want to use the largest cartridge you can shoot accurately. Bullet placement is more important than size. Rifle type will be the one that you like best.

anything from 270 and up, with a good bullet, is good enough for moose, elk and hogs.

no offence to the big bore magnum shooters . those wallet busting-- shoulder pounding cannons. but to hunt what game in all of north america, would you need a .375 h&h or a .338 mag.. o.k. maybe a .300 win. mag or a 7mm mag.. but really ...even those are ego boosters and really not necessary..one of the biggest polar bears ever taken was with a .308 (7.62 nato)

although i don't recommend that calibre for polar bears..

( i believe the .270 or venerable "06 is more than enogh round needed) it was successful.

the largest grizz on record for many many years was shot by bella twin with .22 long rifle rounds. ( again i don't recommend that calibre) but it was done...ssssooooo what beast are we hunting that needs slaying with anything bigger than a .270 or 30:06..

take your time..place your shots and kill your game...good hunting to all....

The OP asked for the most appropriate caliber for the 3 largest, probably the most dangerous, animals in all of North America; and you say what ??!!??


Why do they even make anything bigger than a .22LR I wonder ?

308 with hornady light magnum loads would be plenty big enough.

I'm with LBshooter on this one as the 45/70 has been a proven big game caliber since it was first introduced. In mine I use Hornady 300gr XTP ammo unless the game is gonna be bigger than black bear then I go to the mentioned Garret ammo ( www.garrettcartridges.com ) and use his +P+ ammo. Be sure and visit the Garrett website and take a look at his ammo and then look at the feller who took the Afreecan big 5 with a Marling levergun using the Garrett Hammerhead ammo. I also use his .44 mag loads in my Ruger Super Blackhawk that was built by Gary Reeder ( www.reedercustonguns.com ) who I consider to be the best in building revolvers in the business today. He offers many different services and firearms to include both long guns as well as his revolvers. If you want a different caliber then I would suggest either the Federal .338 or the .338 magnum. Irregardless of the caliber you choose as always the biggest concern is precise bullet placement.

I guess I will take my 10-22 to Africa for my Ele hunt....just place the shot well....it would appear to me that "smaller" cals are the standard answers for folks who are afraid of big bores....I use a 7mmMag on Elk and Bear and many African PG but I use a .375RUM on bigger African game like Eland and Zebra and have used it on Kudu. I use a .416Rigby on Cape Buffalo and Hippo and will use it on Ele in May.
If I were White or Brown Bear hunting, I would probably use my .375RUM as it is stainless and syn stock. But my 5' 10" 140 lb buddy borrowed my .416Rigby for his B&C Brownie.
My question is why not use the biggest cal you can comfortably shoot on large animals?
Oh yeah, the answer is always shot placement-----I watched a Black Wildebeeste run 3/8 mile with a perfect 300 metre heart shot with blood squirting out with every heart beat----he ran til he bled himself dry! That was with a 175gr 7mmMag. When we opened up my first Cape Buffalo, he had no heart left and little lung-----took three 400 gr .416Rigbys and two .470 500gr bullets to put him down then I still had to walk around and finish the deal. Perfect shots do not always end in an animal dropping with chin and chest on ground and the four legs pointing outward.

i was talking about north american animals..you shoot a .375 mag in africa for bigger game there and thats a wise thing. but we don't got no elly-phants here so we don't need no .375 mag. i never suggested or condoned using any .22 rifle on big game. i clearly stated that imho all you need is a .270 or 30:06 for north american game.

it is a fact that the one of the biggest grizz ever killed was with a .22 long rifle and i clearly stated that i did not recommend that as being a good round. but it was done . i have no fear and am not afraid of the BIG BORES and have fired ,on the range, a whole whack of different magnums..i just don't like paying out big money to shoot them at north american game that can be taken with the 06' or .270. if you feel you just have to fire a magnum cannon at NORTH AMERICAN game , then please do.

I would not hunt Griz, White or Brown bears with anything smaller than my .375RUM. I might even use it Moose hunting. Everything else, in NA, I am quite happy with my 7Mag. BTW, the only Griz and Moose hunt I have gotten around to doing was with my trusty 7Mag.

In Alaska the law requires at least a 200 grain bullet with 3000 ft/lbs for bison. A 30/06 with Norma ammo is thus legal minimum. However, bison are significantly larger than Asian or African buffalo which most nations require a 375 or larger for. As you select, keep those numbers in mind

Actually the largest griz in Alberta was taken with a 22, the largest grizz, and brown bear, were taken in Alaska... I believe both with a -06

well one more reply and i'll quit this thread..as dirty harry (clint eastwood) stated in one of his earlier movies " a man has to know his limitations".i have never hunted the big ARRFFIRRICAA safariis and don't expect i'll ever be able to afford to do so. good hunting to you that can afford to.

but i hunt the big moose and grizz(when they was legal) and some damn tough big bull elk and decent size black bears....i never shot no "black wilderbeasties or cape "killer buffaloes"....we don't got none around here .....

but as too NORTH AMERICAN game animals i've killed them all ...big and small...with my .270...all i had and could afford...all i needed... as for for nerve...facing down a grizz over my elk kill...my daughters watching ...i gave him one fair round of warning out in front.. that hardly gave him a hiccup of consideration....ssssoooo as he continued his charge i aimed low in the front and let one go...he flinched and turned slightly ...so i gave him one in the neck...and the dispute over my elk ended...

my elk ..my kill...get over it mr. bear...so as clint says.."know your limitations " if your limited to being your best with magnum cannons ..have atter..i'll buy my first magnum cannon when i win the lottery and get to go to af-freak-a....good hunting to all

270 is a great caliber but I myself would be alittle hesitant to use it on Mr. griz. But in your situation better then a slingshot and glad you and your kids weren't lunch. Thats why a 45/70 is a great all around cal. as long as you keep your shots under 200yrds.

Atchesons had some "HOT DEALS" on Moose or Griz hunts-----they were around $17K......you can make at least two trips to RSA or Namibia for that and kill at least five animals on each trip----with your .270 !!
I made one trip to RSA when my two gun battery was a Ruger O/U 12 ga and a .22-250.

Think you all are missing the point. Poster, MAAD changed what he is planning to hunt:

"Thanks for the help, the bison and big bear are more of a pipe dream. Realistically would be mostly moose, elk, and hogs, think I might get the 300 mag."

So bison and bear are no longer a consideration. Thus, don't need no damn African safari guns. 30-06 is largest he could need and ammo is available everywhere and usually cheaper than any of the big gun bullets.

Yep!

Glad to see so many comments I don't have much experience with rifles other than .22s had a .222 for about two years. Sold it because was starting a family, now the kids are out of the house and have a little more time and money so I was hopping do more hunting. I was looking to buy one rifle that would work almost everything, but from the comments I think I will need to buy at least two. One for prairie-dogs to mule-deer probably mostly coyotes, and the other for large elk and moose and possibly larger game if I get the opportunity. Would like both rifles to be deadly out past 300 yards thanks for your help.

I would have no problem with having a 7mmMag for all you mentioned.
Probably started nudder "discussion"...

yep

Each person has his or her favorite cal. My rule of thumb is to be able to brake the shoulder down if needed. The problem is that most of the weapons mention 30-06, 270 308, 7mm mag are very close in their speed and distance. Bullet construction is the key as also placement. Lets not start a war over this but all weapons stated will take most north american game. Would I personally go hunt grizz with these hmmm well no. I would go to a larger cal. But that is just me. By the way if you handload the 308 will shoot the same bullets that a 30-06 will, just a lil slower not having the room for powder. Of the 4 weapons mention above I have 3 of the 4, missing the 7mm. I have the 300 win mag and the 308 norma mag the are my go to weapons if extended range is needed. Now that is a lil open but my intent is plus 500yds on game. ( which I try very hard not to shoot.) Before it starts, shooting 1000 yd targets has been done by all cals. with all these weapons BUT shocking power was low. This being said I have seen the lil whitetail deer take behind the shoulder hits and run, each animal has it's own will to live, from the 22-250 to the 375.some found some not, and one not found was with the 375 but that doesn't  mean it is not a good weapon. STUFF happens. If I had only one weapon it would be the 30-06 just because I could buy bullets from the lil accelerator to 220 grain bullets. The 270 is a necked down 30-06 and shooting 125 gr hi shock bullets it will do 3100 fps equal to the 270. So as you can see there isn't much diff in these cals. I have a lot of rifles so I choose one for the type of hunting I plan on doing and limit my range to the rifle i chose. Just my 2 cents tks

I say don't neck down the 30'06, but neck it up to 338 or better yet 358, then improve the shoulder angle to get the AO Improved 35 Whelen and 250 grain bonded or partition projectiles with decent BC and stopping/shock delivery.

I would say find what you can handle. Personally I would probably stay away from the magnums until you have been shooting more. just my opinion. If you havent shoot much lately with a 308 or similar kicking rifle then i would suggest to go out and start shooting with some friends that have the different calibers that you are looking at. Is the 308 enough. Yes it is with the correct shot placement. I would rather have a 308 than a 22 when it came to griz but there are better choices. It will all depend on what yoiu can handle for recoil along with what you are most comfortable with. If yoiu buy a gun and it is not comfortable in your hands then you wont shot it much. If all you will ever go and shot is elk and moose and you want a gun that doesnt kick much then i would probably go with a 308. That is my opinion and I know others will not agree. I also know that it will depend on where you go if the 308 is legal to shoot moose with let alone the other animals. That will be another issue that you will have to do your research on. Again everyone has their own little pet gun that they prefer and you will just need to find your pet and enjoy. Good luck to finding the gun that fits you and your situation.

ZGull

I don't have a pet gun, I just follow Ruark's advice....

I have never owned a 30-06 as my choice for the 30 calbiers has been the .308 and I finally broke down and built a .300 Win Mag outta of Yugo model 48 in 8 MM. I also have a Swedish Mauser in 6.5X55 that is the most accurate rifle I have ever shot or owned. My big caliber rifle is a NEF Handi Rifle in 45/70 and then I sent it back to them and had a .44 mag barrel fitted to match my .44 mag revolver. This battery of rifles will kill any North American game animal which is where I will most likely do all my hunting. Now where I going to Afreeca I would opt for the .375 Ruger or H&H as these have proven time and again that they will do the job. For hunting something that is both tough and can kill me I would opt like TIT and go with at the least the .416 as I would wish to return home ! For you revised list of animals the .308 will do the job and do it with a lot less punishment than the larger rounds.

First and  most important is shoot a rifle/caliber that you can handle and not flinch with. I have hunted moose with my 308 win and have taken a few with it but have since switched to a Model 70 300 win mag.. It gives you great confidence when you want to reach out at a bit of a distance. I've punched holes right through moose at 300 yards(using 180gr Nosler partition) and that would not have happened with the 308.

If I could have only one rifle to hunt North America with I would have to go with a 30-06.  Ammo is everywhere and it can be loaded up or down for all big game animals on this continent.  Not saying it would be the very best choice by any means for each species but with the proper load you shouldnt have any issues making a humane kill. 

Now, If i was going to go with a two rifles to handle everything from Praire Dogs up to Grizzlies then I would go with the 30-06 and either a .204 ruger or 22-250.  The .204 would be great on praire Dogs but I have heard mixed reviews on it for coyotes.  The 22-250 you could use for P-Dogs and Coyotes and down in texas I know alot guys killin whitetails with centerfire .22's. 

Personally, I own a .300 Win Mag and a 30-30.  I baught the .300 Win Mag for the moose hunt I want to take here in a few years.  Livin in texas for the last few years I have found that the deer are alot smaller then back home in the midwest.  I can still use my .300 with remington managed recoil rounds to Take deer with though.  The Managed recoil rounds bring the .300 winmag performance down to 30-06 performance levels.  Im goin on a hog hunt in south texas in june and I will be using the .300Winmag with 180gr bullets for that. 

If I could only have three rifles for all of my medium and big game hunting, I would have a .223, a .30-06 and a .375 H&H. All scoped bolt actions. There is nothing on the planet I could not hunt for with one of those rifles.

Another advantage of these three rounds, the trajectory of the bullets is virtually the same, so accuracy becomes instinctive, no matter what rifle is used.

I would also buy all three from Kimber sporting stainless steel metal and kevlar stocks.

Not a bad recommendation , buddy!

Mr VJP,

Have you seen this yet ?


http://hillcountryrifles.com/pages/accurizing

HCR accurized my 30+ year old Elk rifle, a controlled round Sako AV 338 Winchester Mag, and installed a muzzle brake for me. Their work was reasonable for the quality and product obtained. The result exceeded my expectations.

Posted By maad on 11 Feb 2012 11:44 AM
Glad to see so many comments I don't have much experience with rifles other than .22s had a .222 for about two years. Sold it because was starting a family, now the kids are out of the house and have a little more time and money so I was hopping do more hunting. I was looking to buy one rifle that would work almost everything, but from the comments I think I will need to buy at least two. One for prairie-dogs to mule-deer probably mostly coyotes, and the other for large elk and moose and possibly larger game if I get the opportunity. Would like both rifles to be deadly out past 300 yards thanks for your help.

A two rifle combo makes more sense, and is better suited to taking a variety of game I think.

I've hunted with various calibers and have selected the 25/06 as my "go to" rifle for deer/antelope, coyotes, and varmints. Larger game, elk, black bear, moose, bison, and other large game get the .300 Win Mag with a 200 grain Accubond. Both calibers are more than enough out to 300+ yards if you can shoot that far.

The 30/06 would be able to do it all but is a little too much on the smaller animal end and not quite enough, IMHO, on the larger animal end. The same can be said about the .270 I think. Yes, a .270 will work, quite well, with a premium bullet but if you're going to a 2 Rifle Battery then the .270 doesn't make sense to me.

If I could have only one rifle it would be a .300 but I like the 2 Rifle Battery idea better. Truth be told the 25/06 is a pleasure to shoot. The .300 Win Mag, not so much.

A .308 would probably do the trick, but I would definitely step it up to a .338

I normally do a two gun barrage on my trips to Africa....depends on what I am hunting....taken a Ruger 12 ga O/U and a .22-250, a 7Mag and a .416Rigby, a 7Mag and a .375RUM, a 7Mag only and a .416 Rigby only...taylored to the hunt....I have never carried more than one gun out West in US----7Mag including AK with sheep and Griz on quota......oh, that was wrong....carried a O/U for upland birds and a BPS for geese a cuppla times in SK.

The .308 MIGHT do the job, but it isn't legal for bison in the state of Alaska. I do feel that the .300 win.mag is plenty adequate for what you want.

I shoot a Savage 300 mag. Bought it new in 2011. Tried 5 Different kinds of amo and the one I settled on for accuracy and hitting power is, Winchester Accubond, 180 grain. S300WMCT is the number on the box. This gun will do the job on any of the animals your looking to harvest.