I'm looking to get another rifle, something bigger than a 30-06,like a 325 WSM, 338, 375, etc....

any opinions on some good calibers out there?

338 or maybe the old 375 h&h. there are some nice .40cal leverguns too.

Always been partial to Weatherby cartridges...ever considered a .338-378 Mag? Or, even though it is still a .30, the .30-378 slings a 180grain bullet at an impressive 3400fps...lots of energy!

I really like my 300 win mag

I had a 350 Remington Magnum built. It knocks the "oink" right out of a hog. Pronto! It's kind of a "tweener" from the 35 Rem & the long action magnums. Works for me.

It's a short action & while it has a pretty stout recoil with a 250 grain Nosler Partition, the 200 grain Hornady Interlock is pretty mild and still makes a 200 lb hog drop with a dead on shoulder shot.

i'd say the 308 is pretty decent. Didn't read your post well. I would say 338.

In my opinion, .35 Whelen.

300 ultra mag

.35 Whelen, or if you want to be really different, 9.3x62.

I will throw a vote in for the 340 Weatherby! I have one from Hill Country Rifle and its awesome!!!

Hard to beat the 300 Ultra Mag though!!


If we are talking non magnums I would say the 35 Whelen!

338-06. Will do almost what a 338 win mag will do, but kicks like a 30-06. I have wanted one forever, but since weatherby quit making them, its become a fairly scarce item to get.

338 WIN MAG ALL THE WAY. 160GR FOR DEER TO 250GR FOR HOGS OR ELK AND UP TO 300GR IF YOU HAND LOAD BUT NOT NEEDED IN MOST CASES.

338 win mag and this is why

by : Chuck Hawks
The .338 Winchester Magnum is the most popular medium bore cartridge in North America, and the only one for which a truly wide range of rifles is available. Winchester introduced the .338 in a Model 70 rifle named the "Alaskan," and it has become the most popular caliber used by professional guides in that vast state.

Factory loads for the .338 Winchester Magnum offer bullet weights of 200, 210, 225, 230, and 250 grains. Reloaders have all of these, plus bullets of 175, 275, and 300 grains in addition. Solids for thick-skinned dangerous game are available, usually in 250 grain round nose style.

Winchester loads their 200 grain Ballistic Silvertip spitzer bullet (BC .415, SD .250) to a MV of 2,950 fps and a ME of 3,864 ft. lbs. At 200 yards the velocity is 2,509 fps and the energy is 2,794 ft. lbs. The MPBR (+/- 3") for this load is about 289 yards.

Remington loads drive a 225 grain Core-Lokt spitzer bullet (BC .435, SD .281) at a MV of 2,780 fps and a ME of 3,860 ft. lbs. At 200 yards the velocity is 2,374 fps and the energy is 2,815 ft. lbs. The MPBR of this load is around 270 yards.

Federal's Premium Safari Rifle load pushes a 250 grain Nosler Partition spitzer bullet (BC .473, SD .313) at a MV of 2,660 fps and a ME of 3,925 ft. lbs. At 200 yards the velocity is 2,300 fps and the energy is 2,925 ft. lbs. This load has a MPBR of approximately 265 yards.

While there is a wide range bullet weights available for .338 rifles, the 200-250 grain bullets remain the most popular with reloaders. I use the 225 grain Hornady Interlock SP as the all-around bullet in my .338 Win. Mag. rifle.

A number of powders perform well in the .338 Win. Among those often recommended are H414, H4350, IMR 4350, IMR 4831, and RL-19.

Here are some specifications of interest to .338 Win. Mag. reloaders: bullet diameter .338", primer size Large Rifle Magnum, maximum COL 3.34", maximum case length 2.50", MAP 54,000 cup.

The sixth edition of the Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading shows that 58.7 grains of H4350 powder can drive a 200 grain bullet to 2500 fps, and 73.9 grains of H4350 can drive the same bullet to a MV of 3000 fps.

A 225 grain Hornady bullet can be driven to a MV of 2300 fps by 58.2 grains of IMR 4831, and to a MV of 2800 fps by a maximum load of 69.8 grains of IMR 4831. Hornady's figures were taken from the 24" barrel of a Winchester Model 70 rifle, and all loads used Hornady brass and Winchester WLRM primers.

Data from the Barnes Reloading Manual Number One shows that a 250 grain Barnes bullet in front of 65.0 grains of H4350 can be driven to a MV of 2574 fps, and to a MV of 2730 fps by a maximum load of 70.0 grains of the same powder. Velocities from the Barnes Manual were chronographed in a 24" barrel.

The Barnes Reloading Manual also shows that if their 225 grain X-Bullet (BC .482) at a MV of 2,800 fps is zeroed to strike 3.05 inches high at 100 yards, it will be about 4 inches high at 200 yards, and 4.05 inches low at 300 yards. These figures apply to a rifle with a scope sight mounted 1.5 inches over the bore. Incidentally, that bullet still has 2,083 ft. lbs. of energy at 300 yards!

Check out the Lazzeroni calibers & ballistics.

I personally dont see any need to go larger than a 6mm/.257 for Texas game.

That said, I have a .50 Beowulf that I have for a novelty/pig gun. Very accurate for a 1/2" projectile.

I love my 300 wby to death but dont pass a day where I dont wish I had goten the 30-378 instead.

That said the list of calibers I considered when doing exactly what you are thinking of was...

300 wby
30-378 wby
416 rem
350 rem mag
35 whelen
375 H&H

Good luck with your gun

matt

My vote is for the .338 Lapua cause its a good 1500 meter round... and cause nobody else voted for it.