Carothers and Guns

TRfromMT said:
^Basically what @ErocSD said.

...

Buy both :D
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I was waiting for this :D :p

You broke the rules though because this is a knife-knutter-jobs forum not gun-toting-nutz :p

I'm still thinking one rifle, preferably in wood furniture and blued as I'm not a big fan of polymers and PVD (the Savage is the latter) which will end up costing me equally to or a tad < $2K all said and done (here in CA we pay a bit more, so you may get the exact same thing for 10% less elsewhere!). Window shopping is fun, ain't it? :D
 
I know this will go against the grain on a forum like this because we are all "nuts" of one sort or another and the chase (i.e. absurd amounts of research and looking for the RIGHT ONE) is often better than the catch but the real answer is...

It doesn't matter.

You pick the quarry first. All the cartridges you mention can be used for anything from varmints to elk (the 6.5×55mm Swedish has been used on reindeer and moose for over 100 years). Recoil is similar enough with the 6.5mm Creedmore having the least. All are at their best, and most common, in bolt action rifles and the vast majority of game is taken within 300 yards so unless you are in a narrow niche of shooters, trajectory is secondary. Availability favors the '06 and 270 but again, for your described use, secondary. You will be able to find any of the three in any but the smallest towns.

Pick the rifle that feels the best and speaks to you. I have a Winchester 70 Extreme Weather in 270 that checks all the boxes (as well as several others) but I carry a Ruger No. 1 (single shot) in 25-06 most of the time...because I like it (it is actually the rifle in my avatar).

Enjoy the quest.
 
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There's a lot of truth to what heat_treat heat_treat says. It just takes a lot of work to get to the point where you are confident going into the woods or field and knowing how to get it done with just one rifle.

If you are so inclined, you should read One Man, One Rifle, One Land.

Incidentally it documents pursuing all of the game in N.A. with a single 30-06. Not pushing this caliber, per se, but rather the versatility of a single caliber in the right hands.
 
Thank you all again and also the ones who sent me private messages with their thoughts and take. We al know that the best, ultimate and such words alike can whip up passion among enthusiasts and experts but finally it all comes down to what fits the individual with the budget and his/her own capabilities and expertise plus willingness to practice and learn.

In our CA limited supplies it’s a bit harder to kick tires as far as guns are concerned but the good news is that neither AZ not NV, two of the best gun toting states out west (well east of me!) are not too far away. I can’t buy and pick up from there but I can handle and then FFL long guns here to my local guy. Not too shabby, just a bit more legwork :)
 
Depends upon your range but my dad had over 20 rifles and I kept three, a nice Browning lever action .22, an extremely flat shooting and accurate .25-06, and the obligatory .45-70 that I will never use to hunt anymore (used to go to Jackson Hole, WY to hunt elk but that place has gone to s...) but is fun to shoot. I really like that .25-06 for hunting up to medium size game and just shooting so I would get one if you can find it.

I had planned on keeping the 7mm but my step brother took that one and I did not create a stir because our TX deer typically dress out under 100 lbs so the .25-06 is fine.

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Decided to take both the .444 Marlin and the .260 Remington deer hunting this year. Thankfully I had some ammo left because the two stores I checked on the 3 hour drive home had none of either. Plenty of creedmoor though.
 
trevitrace said:
Yup. I live on the west side of the state but grew up on the east side. We've got a good mix of fields and hardwoods so a shot can vary from a few yards to a ¼ mile depending where you are on the property.
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My surprise and hence the Q was because I would've thought (incorrectly) that you ought not have had challenging time finding those ammos in Wisconsin.
 
First off there is no such thing as a "sizzling fast Creedmore". The Creedmore shooting a 140gr Berger VLD will be chugging along at about 2800fps out of a 26" barrel most of the time at sea level. A .270 Winchester shooting the same weight bullet will be moving about 3000fps with the same length barrel at sea level. The Creedmore was designed to be a factory competition round for out to about 1000yds. The .270 is a hunting round and is very accurate and hard hitting out to about 500yds on most big game. Both are great for what they're intended.
The Creedmore ammo is becoming more easy to find here in the USA but you can find .270 factory ammo just about anywhere on earth.
 
heat_treat said:
I know this will go against the grain on a forum like this because we are all "nuts" of one sort or another and the chase (i.e. absurd amounts of research and looking for the RIGHT ONE) is often better than the catch but the real answer is...

It doesn't matter.

You pick the quarry first. All the cartridges you mention can be used for anything from varmints to elk (the 6.5×55mm Swedish has been used on reindeer and moose for over 100 years). Recoil is similar enough with the 6.5mm Creedmore having the least. All are at their best, and most common, in bolt action rifles and the vast majority of game is taken within 300 yards so unless you are in a narrow niche of shooters, trajectory is secondary. Availability favors the '06 and 270 but again, for your described use, secondary. You will be able to find any of the three in any but the smallest towns.

Pick the rifle that feels the best and speaks to you. I have a Winchester 70 Extreme Weather in 270 that checks all the boxes (as well as several others) but I carry a Ruger No. 1 (single shot) in 25-06 most of the time...because I like it (it is actually the rifle in my avatar).

Enjoy the quest.
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I have a beautiful Ruger #1 in .270, I love that rifle!
I’ve heard people say that they’re not all that accurate but that is not my experience with my rifle, it shoots nice small groups that are way tighter than needed for deer hunting with plain old Remington Core-Lokt ammo.
I’ve only taken White tail deer in Michigan and West Virginia with the .270 but I whole heartedly agree with the above statements from other forum members on its ability. I wouldn't feel under gunned hunting anything outside of Safari game with the .270.
I’ve since settled on .308 because most of my shots are under 200 yards and I feel like it destroys less meat while still delivering enough of Thor’s hammer to the target than .270 does, but, if I’m going to hunt anything bigger than White Tailed deer I’ll dust off the .270 or even the 7mm Rem Mag and go to work.
The new Creedmoor rounds are neat on paper and good shooters make them do neat things at long distances but I don’t feel that they do anything that my .270, .308, or 7Mag will do with enough difference in terminal ballistics or felt recoil to make me jump ship and drink the cool aid.
All that said, I also completely agree with the sound advice given above that you should pick what speaks to you personally- after all, a rifle is a very personal thing to a great many of us. Feel, weight, balance, fit, and length should all be considered when deciding how you’ll hunt with it. After the rifle has been chosen your selection of available calibers may not be as large as you’d hoped for without custom work, partially making the choice of caliber for you.
After 35 years of hunting and many, many different rifles and calibers used on white tail I settled on 44 mag in the limited zone and .308 in the rifle zone. I wanted something bigger than 44 but they were too powerful for my silencer and I can reload 44 extremely cheap so I can practice more. Turns out 44 mag is more than enough Gun.
I settled on .308 because it’s not overpowered for what I hunt. It turns out that it’s way less expensive to practice with because of all the mil surp ammo and is also more than enough gun.
i didn’t think I’d be using either of these calibers but that’s where the path led me because I let the situation dictate my caliber instead of my desire. Turns out that they’re both way easier on my wallet and my shoulder ;)
 
Hard Knocks said:
Will you hunt elk (or larger) with it Mat?
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I certainly would like the capability but elk hunting is not atop my list. Like I've been chatting with one of our forum friends privately, the consensus seems to be, if I can draw a parallel between our beloved CPKs and guns, I would like to get the HDFK of rifles which I know is setting the bar very very high maybe for the budget and looking for a factory rifle. HDFK = Jack of all and master of SOME :)
 
If you had said that elk and larger were out, I'd have said to go for the 6.5 CM and don't look back----->inherently accurate, low recoil, plenty of gun for a deer rifle, easy resale, etc. But if you really want to stick with one rifle, with large game a possibility, and it's between the 6.5CM and the .270 Win (I'm trying to stay within your parameters here), get a .270. I've never felt under-gunned on elk with a .270, especially if we're talking short distance. The Jack (O'Connor) of all rifle cartridges? Maybe ;)
 
Alright, so here's where I am currently at:

I took a nice and gingerly road trip with my GSD this morning up to the Bass Pro Shops store (Cabela's sister here in Cali) about 110 miles northeast of me on the I-15 (on the way to Las Vegas for those who know). The San Bernardino mountains look beautiful this time off year with the higher elevation covered in snow due to the major recent rainfall here in CA. The weather was nice and crips and the visibility was great, none of that smoggy stuff blowing east from LA toward the mountains.

I went to look at a couple of rifles and ended up with one. Welp, in Cali there's a 10 day wait period so technically I paid for it after doing a ton of paperwork which is honestly as voluminous as buying/selling a house! Thank goodness it was a rifle because handguns are even more of a PITA here :P

My old Mossberg 500A is soon going to be replaced with a Benelli Supernova for which I'm really excited about :) I went for the only pistol grip version left in the store with 18.5" and upon taking delivery, I will immediately upgrade it to the 6+1 form the standard 4+1. This shotgun is going to be the cat's meow as far was I'm concerned and in very capable hands (not mine) I'd wager that not many dangerous and wild critters would wanna be at the wrong end of this shotty!

I had also asked them to set aside a Tikka T3X Lite in SS for me ($799). Man o' man, what a light and sexy rifle! Hot damn! I read a shyte load on this rifle after getting a great tip from one of our own wonderful forumites and them Aussies and Kiwis in particular just rave about these Tikkas (SAKO makes them and Beretta imports them to the U.S). The one which they had was chambered in .308 W which is the caliber which I would have taken if I wanted to pull the trigger (pun). Mating that with a Leupold 4x14-50 on-sale for $499 from $599 (back ordered) would make a GREAT set up for about $1500 outta the door sans any other accessories and ammo. I'm going to sleep on this one just because I know that it will not see any immediate hunting action, maybe none! But boy, I fell in lurve with that rifle and I know that I'm going to be very conflicted in the next few days :(
 
Congrats on the Benelli!
I have an old Benelli M1 Super 90 that has probably been in my collection for 20 yrs, outstanding shotgun. It doesn’t see any use since they changed the rules in our limited firearm zone to include pistol caliber rifles of certain dimensions because the 44 mag is easier on my old shoulders than the 12 gauge. I let my Cousin borrow it while hunting with me 3 seasons ago but he fell down a hill of broken concrete and put a scratch on the receiver, he doesn’t get to borrow it anymore.

I hope that you have as many good times with your shotty as I’ve had with mine.
I guess I could say, I hope you have a shotty time with it ;)
 
Casinostocks said:
Alright, so here's where I am currently at:

I took a nice and gingerly road trip with my GSD this morning up to the Bass Pro Shops store (Cabela's sister here in Cali) about 110 miles northeast of me on the I-15 (on the way to Las Vegas for those who know). The San Bernardino mountains look beautiful this time off year with the higher elevation covered in snow due to the major recent rainfall here in CA. The weather was nice and crips and the visibility was great, none of that smoggy stuff blowing east from LA toward the mountains.

I went to look at a couple of rifles and ended up with one. Welp, in Cali there's a 10 day wait period so technically I paid for it after doing a ton of paperwork which is honestly as voluminous as buying/selling a house! Thank goodness it was a rifle because handguns are even more of a PITA here :p

My old Mossberg 500A is soon going to be replaced with a Benelli Supernova for which I'm really excited about :) I went for the only pistol grip version left in the store with 18.5" and upon taking delivery, I will immediately upgrade it to the 6+1 form the standard 4+1. This shotgun is going to be the cat's meow as far was I'm concerned and in very capable hands (not mine) I'd wager that not many dangerous and wild critters would wanna be at the wrong end of this shotty!

I had also asked them to set aside a Tikka T3X Lite in SS for me ($799). Man o' man, what a light and sexy rifle! Hot damn! I read a shyte load on this rifle after getting a great tip from one of our own wonderful forumites and them Aussies and Kiwis in particular just rave about these Tikkas (SAKO makes them and Beretta imports them to the U.S). The one which they had was chambered in .308 W which is the caliber which I would have taken if I wanted to pull the trigger (pun). Mating that with a Leupold 4x14-50 on-sale for $499 from $599 (back ordered) would make a GREAT set up for about $1500 outta the door sans any other accessories and ammo. I'm going to sleep on this one just because I know that it will not see any immediate hunting action, maybe none! But boy, I fell in lurve with that rifle and I know that I'm going to be very conflicted in the next few days :(
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Those Tikkas are nice, especially for the price

As for .308, I wanted to stay out of the caliber wars, but honestly, .308 or 30-06 can and have done the job for most things in NA (especially if, as you stated, the hunting part will be limited to 100 yards and under), and are two of the most easily found calibers nationwide.

6.5 Creedmoor would be something to look into if you want to get into PRS and/or want to stretch it out to 1000 yards and beyond. While folks have taken large game at 600-700 yards with it, you'd typically want something with more ooomph (and therefore, recoil) to take a bull elk at that range.
 
Those of us who've grown older here together in the past 3-4 years since the inception of this sub, never let our disagreements devolve and escalate into a war of words between us, a CPK band of brothers, in the literal sense of the word. It was very unfortunate that the last time someone saw the topic, walked in uninvited when we were having that 1911 purchase discussion of mine (which never happened!) and then the .45 ACP discussion quickly degenerated to a point that Nathan had to act to lock the thread up ;)

To me, a know-nothing, all these long rifle calibers which we've been discussing lately are invariably close cousins of one another rising and evolving from the same kinda platform. After much pondering, at 56 YO, I am not a young guy to do the PRS stuff; maybe in my head but not practically speaking. Heck, the days when I used to easily do 30+ full & no cheat push-ups are well in the rear view mirror. I really don't see myself going into my pretend sniper pose, splayed on the ground because when I wanna get up, I may need someone to extend their hand to pull be up or if I do it myself, I may break a rib or rip one out :D

So yeah, for now we're talking a nice hunting rifle that maybe, just maybe one day get used for actual hunting in the nice and vast open spaces like what we have in some of our western states. Short of actually hunting, we are talking paper punching and dinging gongs, just because! To me, it's like getting a K18; I never needed one but I wanted one. First world issues!
 
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