Wow, a five pound rifle????

 

One problem with an overkill round is that it damages more meat than something smaller.

 

I am a huge fan of using the lightest I can. I hunt calif with a 165 or lighter bullet. I totally agree using a gun appropriate for the game, and I would use a 7mm or similar just for Elk and maybe mullies.

Last mule deer trip I went on, ranges were 200-400 yards, which is VERY hard to estimate ballistics on a 06. The 7mm guys would easily make that shot.

 

Recoil from the magnums with lightweight rifles can be a real bitch. Look into these: LimbSaver : Products : Precision-Fit Recoil Pad
You want a rifle you enjoy shooting.

 

Kind of sounds like you want a single caliber to do two things that are quite different. A competent elk rifle will turn your average deer into pudding, and likewise many of the lower energy rounds, regardless of velocity, have a hard time with bigger game at reach out and touch things range.

I like .270 win for all around small game at decent ranges. Very flat and accurate, and you can load quite a bit of energy into it for a "non-magnum" cartridge.

I'd say just get something like a .243 for deer and smallish game, and something in the neighborhood of a .340 weatherby / .338 win for when the situation calls for.

After all, why buy one rifle when you can buy two?

 

I'd agree with Simba on this. Just get two rifles. I like .270 for deer- hell I even like .223 for Texas deer. For bigger game, why stop at .300 Winmag? I love my .300 Remington Ultramag.

As far as range goes, everything from .243 through every round mentioned in this thread is only good for a "point blank" range (ie. rise or drop of only a few inches) of roughly 300 yards. IOW you're going to have bullet drop with anything; your bigger rounds just make more trauma if velocity is the same. For this reason, two rifles makes more sense as you're not justifying tearing up small game for the sake of increased range.

There are so many good rifles out there that shopping is lots of fun but in the end if you go with any solid choice you'll have a good gun. I like the Remington 700- solid, proven and reasonably priced.

 

Just watch out for the 700s trigger...some have been having some really scary missfires. Rifle is great if you have someone rework the trigger.

"Remington Rifles Have Defective Triggers, May Misfire, Lawsuits Allege
The Remington Model 700 rifle is the subject of lawsuits that allege a defective trigger mechanism on the rifle, known as the "Walker Fire Control”, can cause it to misfire when it is being loaded. Scores of people have allegedly suffered serious, and in some cases, fatal injuries when a Remington Model 700 rifle misfired. To date, Remington has received thousands of customer complaints of unintended discharge for the Model 700. Many Remington Model 700 Rifle misfire lawsuits have already been quietly settled by the company."

 

Btw, there is one "do it all" cartridge that can cover all the bases if you load your own ammo. The Weatherby .30-378. With a 140-150 gr light load, it's pretty good for large deer, with a hilarious velocity approaching 3,800 fps. With a 220-240 gr pointy end, it'll take down just about anything you care to shoot at, while maintaining 2,500/2,500 velocity/energy out past 300 yards, and in the low 2,000s to 500 yards with only 20-30" of drop.

The catch is the cost, you could probably buy three rifles in whatever calibers you like for the cost of an accumark and loading equipment.

So, I would go with a souped up .2xx like the .243 or even a .22-250 (one of my favorites) for deer, and something with more splat for big game.

 

Great thread everyone and thank you for the input. Im going to do some more reading and for now, have settled on re-scoping my 06 with a new nikon, and ill have some fun with that over this winter and then see where i go from there. The guys at Bass pro pretty much told me id be silly to buy a new rifle if i already had my 06. Just dont understand the need for new toys i guess!

Now, here comes pheasant and ducks!!!!!

Btw, any nor cal duck or goose hunters on here?

 

Just another added option that Remington started making in limited production is the .264 win mag.

This is a sweet cartridge with some really nice ballistics and knockdown power. I have a Browning in .264 and it is very comparable to the .257Wby mag just shoots a heavier grain bullet.

Centerfire Rifles - Model 700 CDL 264 - Remington Centerfire Rifles