Flat shooting calibers??

[WSM]

Does anybody know where I could info on flat shooting calibers? I would also like to here any info on what caliber you would chose if you could only have one gun. A caliber that would be able to shoot anything in North America.

[Rackmastr]

If I could only have one gun??? My 7-08AI.....

Either that or a 30-06 would be the next choice.....

[mulecrazy]

I like the 270WSM. Very versatile and flat shooting. The right bullets hold their energy really well at the long distances. I had no issues when shooting my moose last fall. I would suggest visiting various ammo manufacturers websites and looking at their ballistic tables. Some are very good and easy to compare rounds. I found it very helpfull when researching the 270WSM.

[2 lazy]

270 Wth. mag.

[Jeromeo]

flat shooting... for what?? For deer I'd consider a 243 or 270 both win or WSM. For Coyotes or varmint I'd say 22-250, .204 ruger, .220 swift, .223. If you want a flat shooting rimfire then the .17 hmr is a blast. All depends on what you want to shoot.

Hands down if I could only have one gun it would be my .270 win. Takes out deer, moose and mostly anything you throw in front of it :)

[decker]

30-06 for one gun but the 25-06 is a nice flat shooter.

[Hilgy]

my pic would be any of my .280's I just love this cal.

[WCTHEMI]

I am very impressed with my 270 WSM, a 300 WSM or 7mm RM would also be good choices. You would be very happy with any of these on most game in North America.

[ABDUKNUT]

I like my .270 Wby but ammo is expensive, and to tell you the truth I am just as happy with a .30-06 or even 7mm-08.

The .30-06 shoots as 'flat' as anything out there with 150 or 165g bullets, and will anchor anything up to an Alaskan Brown Bear with proper 180g bullets- so long as you do your part and make the shot count.

[Kelly & Beth]

I have to agree with Hilgy. My 280 all the way.
Beth

[whitetailhntr]

i'm also in the .280 club. awesome caliber especially if you handload.but if i had to choose one gun for all north american game it would be a .338 win mag,cause there is some big ass bears that require big ass big ass bullets.The .280 works for anything else.

[twofifty]

Tell us if you reload you own...

If you don't you will not find 280 ammo for sale in every corner store like you do 30-06 ammo. 338 Win Mag is also easy to find in stores, but not with lighter weight bullets that travel fast.

338 will often be 'too much' rifle whereas the 30-06 will seldom be stretched to do the job if you do yours.

30-06 has the additional advantage of shooting a very wide range of bullet weights and constructions, incl. premium bullets, even if you don't reload. Look at the Accelerator thread running nearby to find out more about the 30-06 as a varmint round...

[Cal]

Either the 270 win or the 30-06 will fit the bill on any hunt you do in alberta, the 30-06 is a little more versitile due to the bullet selection availible. The 270's strength in my opinion is that it does its job so well without needing alot of different bullets, I'v used the 130 grain silvertips on everything from coyotes to moose. I'v also used the 150 grain coreloc bullets on the same variety of animals. For this reason I think I would lean a little towards the 270 if I could have only one gun, not having to sight in different ammo for different species is a nice feature.

[Dick284]

Wanna define flat shooting for us.
My definition will vary from a few out there, and I know ATR's definition is different from mine.

All round choice is a case of comprimise. It will be too big for critters at one end of the spectrum, and will be marginal at the other end of the spectrum.

Now if you wanted to say a caliber suitable for 85% to 95% of the hunting done in Alberta, by 90% of the hunters in Alberta.

On that you need not look any farther than what is on the ammo shelf in Backwaternowhere's hardware store.
303 Brit, 270Win, 30'06, 7mm Rem Mag, and maybe 300 Win .Mag.
Or any of the other calibers maybe not quite so popular, but having performace similar to those listed above.

[shirtr]

As your name suggests. Start there. 7mm WSM. Next to that the good old 300WM will take anything and all you need. Not sure how flat shooting you mean but the 7 (.284) and the 30 cal offer many great bullets with good ballistic coefficients for shooting long range.
If your 7 is a factory chambered rifle you may run into problems with seating depth vs. case capacity and may not be able to get the most out of the longer bullets. Most Remingtons allow for long OAL but others such as Browning make the magazines short so you are limited in OAL.
Anyway, there is a crap load of info, just do a search in google.

[cannonc]

257 weatherby. Flatest shooting Hardest hitting bar none:)

[Dick284]

257 weatherby. Flatest shooting Hardest hitting bar none:)

Hardest hitting??????????????

Me thinks not.

Adequate for sub 500yds on most game animals, yes.

But for shere on target energy at extreme distances there is a miriade of other calibers which will eclipse the 257Roy hands down.

I even think the flattest can be overshadowed by more than a couple calibers.
Off the top of my head, I'm thinking 7mm RUM, 300 RUM, 300/378 Roy.


Dont drink too much of the Kool Aid.;):wave:

[Sakoman]

I love my 7 mm STW, but the factory loads for this gun are not that great IMO. I also have a .270 WSM but that is because I want more than one gun.

[ACKLEY ABE]

FLAT SHOOTING CALIBRE. Hmmm. Always gets me going a bit. All modern cartridges are relatively "flat-shooting". Example: A 7mm Rem mag has a 15 yard point blank advantage on a ten inch target over a 280 Rem. Not a bunch is it. Ignoring the fact, that with any firearm, the bullet starts dropping from the time it leaves the barrel, there are some that have slight advantages over the others. All round North-American. Well I would use my 280 AI on a Griz only if I needed to. If I were to go and look for one, I would carry my 338 WM. Oooops, there goes flat shooting down the tubes. So then what? Well maybe I should carry my 338 for everyting. Not a bad idea, but what about those long range Whitetails I see in Saskatchewan every year? Maybe shoulda brought a 300 Win Mag with me (which is actually what I do).

Now I guess I better load a light wimpy bullet so it's "flat shooting". That ain't gonna work either. Might go a long ways and get there with enough retained energy to kill a fly.

So... flat shooting or lots of energy. Within reasonable hunting ranges, any modern cartridge is capable, or should I say as capable as the shooter. Personally, I still use heavy for calibre, as long as the rifle likes it.

Are you recoil sensative? Actually everybody is, wheather they admit it or not. The secret is to learn to accept the recoil. Big guys tend to take recoil harder than slimmer guys simply because they stop the rifle with their bulk whereas slighter ppl tend to roll with it .

If you're ok with recoil, by all means have at er with a 300 win mag or the like. Actually a 300 on a rifle with a good stock design and little drop in the stock is not too bad. Iffn ya don't like being punished, then what the heck is wrong with a 30.06 or a 280 Rem, for example. I know they won't kill anything, cause they ain't a magnum.

I have seen far too many guys shooting boomers, that flinch, jerk and just don't do much good at all, when if they were shooting a lighter rd, they'd be bringin home the meat every time.

I don't know how many Kodiak hunts you plan on, but if your shooting a 7 wsm, your probably doin just fine, and I'm pretty sure you'll be able to drop a deer or moose with it as well. Might not be able to make those 847 yard shots on em, but then not very many ppl could (believe it or not some ppl tend to exagerate the distance they shoot their game at). A pace for most folks isn't 3 ft, so sometimes the math becomes a little confusing.

Best advise, methinks. Pick a rifle/cartridge combonation tht you are comfortable with and practice....lots. Don't be afraid of the man with many guns, be afraid of the man with one. He knows exactly what it will do.

But buy a 338 Win someday....Everybody should have one.

Let us know whatch end up with.

Good Hunting.

[twofifty]

Ackley, that's a heck of a good post. I particularly like the practice with what you got bit.

[harv3589]

Excellent post Ackley!

[ACKLEY ABE]

Well, thank you gentleman. I was feeling a little yakkity today.

[bigg_sexy1]

Love the 300 Ultra, definately good to go for anything in North America

[High_N_Wide]

I will have to add a vote for the 7MM STW. This gun shoots very flat and has a great Ballistic Coeffiecient with the proper bullet. On big bears I'm sure you would be fine, I killed a buffalo a couple years ago with it one shot and it dropped where it stood. I have also taken deer at distance :wave: with factory loads with no issue. I used to shoot this gun alot and know it well. Remington Sendero 7mm stw works great just do not plan on carrying it all day.:lol:

Trev

[koolken]

This post is just what I was looking for right now,I have a 270 and bought a 30-06,well I stole a 30-06 with the price I payed, and now I cant make up my mind what to keep.I want to go moose hunting next year so im thinking i want something a bit bigger than my 270 so I am totally messed up right now wondering what to do.

[Kale 19]

300 rem ultra mag is a flat shooter and is more than enough for anything on this contanent. Overkill for deer sized game and kicks like a mule but gets the job done and its rare you have to do any tracking. I shoot one and reload it with 165gr nosler accubonds. It's flatter than a 270 WSM and hits like a 338. Depends on what you are hunting. All the 280 & 30 calibers would be good choices for all around hunting. Everyone has their personal preferance. As long as you can place the shot where you want it, you are probably safe with 25 cal and up.
Good luck with your search.

[Pathfinder76]

Flat shooting to 300yds is a function of speed. Past 300yds it matters less. Flat shooting matters more on little targets (coyotes) and is one of the reasons I shoot 55 gr BT's at 4k out of my 243. Oh and as a bonus, time of flight matters when it comes to wind drift.

[Cal]

From what I've seen moose can't tell the difference between either of those callibers and both of them are entirely enough gun for the job despite what some will tell you. I'v shot most of my moose with the 270, I dont use premium bullets and I'll admit that my shots are not always absolutely perfect and still I have never had one go further than 30 yards and most have not made it that far. I would say that is pretty good performance and not merely "marginal" as some will tell you.

[koolken]

Thanx Cal, I love my 270, really do,but the 30-06 I bought is a beauty, Tikka,T3,stainless,cammo, where my 270 is a Tikka too, but the 695 model.It seems i am looking for reasons to keep the 30-06 cause the 270 has never let me down.

[roger]

for pure speed, have a 'smith grind up a 257STW...4000+fps
here is some readin' for y'all...
http://www.2joutfitters.com/STWrifle.htm

[WSM]

This post is exciting for me. I think it very interesting on how people think and like reading these threads. My plans are to have a caliber that is good for moose, elk, deer, antelope, sheep and maybe a black bear one day. I have a 22-250 for the varmints.

[LongDraw]

Judging by the perameters you outline above I wiuld pick a caliber in either .284, or .308 caliber because of the great range of bullet selection. 7mmRM or your name sake 7mmWSM would be my choice.

[MountainTi]

for pure speed, have a 'smith grind up a 257STW...4000+fps
here is some readin' for y'all...
http://www.2joutfitters.com/STWrifle.htm

Now I have to add to my christmas wish list:)

[BC7stw]

Since it is only the bullet that kills, you must first decide which dia. you want. Then figure out which bullets are constucted well enough for your needs. Look at the ballistics tables to determine what you feel is flat enough. This will narrow the choices down quite nicely to just a couple or three. I shoot a 7 stw, my son a 270 wsm. Either work very well. I shoot everything from moose to coyotes with my stw with great results. Personally if it's only one gun I think I'd pick 7mm or 30 cal. Likely lean towards a 300 wm or a 300 wsm. The ammo is easy to get for either should I be stuck without any reloads.

7 mm ultra mag is a bit flatter than the stw, the weatherby about the same. If you don't reload, find out which is your best option based on what is available over the counter. The big magnums have increased recoil, they do shoot a bit flatter. There always is a trade off.

[rembo]

Thanx Cal, I love my 270, really do,but the 30-06 I bought is a beauty, Tikka,T3,stainless,cammo, where my 270 is a Tikka too, but the 695 model.It seems i am looking for reasons to keep the 30-06 cause the 270 has never let me down.

I'd keep the 270 just because it's a 695.

I'd keep the 30-06 too,..well, because it's a 30-06...even if it is a T3....

do you really think a moose will know the difference between..say, a 160 Partition out of the 270 or a 165 Partition out of the 30-06?...it would have to be a very sensitive moose with a great knowledge of sectional density and energy.....moose aren't that smart....

[Stinky Coyote]

for non-magnum calibers the .270 is awesome choice, it can handle moose just fine, is flat and its nice and easy on the shoulder for the performance it gives....only problem with the standard .270 is its boring....doesn't seem to have the flash of the new short fat super magnums etc.....

so there you go, if you want something that is easy to shoot well because of lesser recoil and muzzle blast etc. its hard to beat the standard .270...

my big cow moose at 200 yrds couldn't tell the difference, went right through her with 130 gr fusions and i hit rib, still the exit was the same size as the entrance (tough little bullets)....she went 50 yrds

i use the .270 lots on coyotes now too, a little heavy for them but not like going after them with a magnum, plenty tolerable still, you won't keep fur though, very versatile cartridge, holds its energy well to extended distances, mine still has over 1000 ft/lbs energy at 700 yrds

[Sputnik]

Try www.chuckhawks.com (http://www.chuckhawks.com)

I've found a lot of articles on his site to be well written and informative.

[.257Weatherby]

Hardest hitting??????????????
at extreme distances there is a miriade of other calibers which will eclipse the 257Roy hands down.
I even think the flattest can be overshadowed by more than a couple calibers.
Off the top of my head, I'm thinking 7mm RUM, 300 RUM, 300/378 Roy.

Dont drink too much of the Kool Aid.;):wave:

Dick, can you please mix me up some of that Cherry Kool Aide Please ;)

Just Teasin of course. lots of good points to be made but first of course the definitions for the topic need to be made a bit more clearer...
Rob