Which cartridge to get???

[roymunson]

I'm hassling with the same thought patterns here. I have a mulie and pronghorn hunt coming up. My 7 mag with 150 gr partitions will get it all one, but I'd like to pack something smaller for the pronghorn, just for fun.

I know I dont NEED a new one, but i do WANT a new one. Thinking 7mm-08, 308, or 6.5 creedmoor. I'm also "afraid" that if I buy a round like that, i'll skip the 7 mag and just do it all with that 6.5

 

[yoderjac]

They way things are going these days, the best bet might be to go find ammo you like and is available, buy a lot of it, and then buy a gun that shoots it.

 

[Telemark]

When I looked for a new deer gun...I narrowed it down to 308 or 30-06 real quick simply because of cartridge availability. I ended up with a 308 and it's going to do the job just fine for anything I am going to have a chance to hunt here in IN....I do NOT have experience with black bears or wild hogs... I just know that a 308 is comfortable enough that my 17y/o daughter uses it and doesn't think twice. And some folks will claim you can never have too much gun...I would rather have just the right amount of gun in one I am very confident in that I can shoot well without fear of a bloodied eye-brown or a recoil flinch. Shot placement is far more important

A .308 is a good gun for hogs and black bears. Even moose.

 

[Telemark]

I'm hassling with the same thought patterns here. I have a mulie and pronghorn hunt coming up. My 7 mag with 150 gr partitions will get it all one, but I'd like to pack something smaller for the pronghorn, just for fun.

I know I dont NEED a new one, but i do WANT a new one. Thinking 7mm-08, 308, or 6.5 creedmoor. I'm also "afraid" that if I buy a round like that, i'll skip the 7 mag and just do it all with that 6.5

All good choices. Only buy the 7mm-08 if you plan to reload for it.

I would take the 6.5 above the others for pronghorn for the flatter shooting, but for a big mule deer, I think the 308 is the better choice. I hunt with a 308 in the US, Canada, and Norway. It's always one shot kills(biggest animal was a red stag about 400lbs.). Probably the best selection of ammo at the sporting goods stores is in 308, and I always find something that shoots well in any given rifle. I've even found multiple loads in different weights that shoot the same. Hard to go wrong with a 308.

6.5 Creedmore is an interesting cartridge. I'd probably own one if I lived in the US. Where I live the 6.5x55 is very popular. It's a great cartridge, but there's no open terrain here to make me need anything especially flat shooting, so I never really considered it. Plus, on bigger animals, the extra weight and energy makes me feel better.

 

[j-bird]

A .308 is a good gun for hogs and black bears. Even moose.

I figured it would be on the hogs and black bear...but I don't have first hand experience with it on those critters. I would suspect you may want a little different bullet construction and heavier weight for those more dense critters as well. I'd like to find a buck this fall that some may mistake for a moose however!

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I'm hassling with the same thought patterns here. I have a mulie and pronghorn hunt coming up. My 7 mag with 150 gr partitions will get it all one, but I'd like to pack something smaller for the pronghorn, just for fun.

I know I dont NEED a new one, but i do WANT a new one. Thinking 7mm-08, 308, or 6.5 creedmoor. I'm also "afraid" that if I buy a round like that, i'll skip the 7 mag and just do it all with that 6.5

6 Creedmoor. Mo flatter, less recoil, and there seems to be a lot of ammo on the shelves locally at least. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to use it for muley either.

 

[Native Hunter]

When I shot competition and helped Indian Creek in the product development of their choke tubes, there were some days that I shot over 100 three-inch magnum turkey loads in one day. Recoil doesn't bother me a bit... Wait...what are those bright lights in the sky, and why is everyone driving their cars upside down............

 

[yoderjac]

When I shot competition and helped Indian Creek in the product development of their choke tubes, there were some days that I shot over 100 three-inch magnum turkey loads in one day. Recoil doesn't bother me a bit... Wait...what are those bright lights in the sky, and why is everyone driving their cars upside down............

Got to say that they make some great turkey chokes!

 

[Native Hunter]

Got to say that they make some great turkey chokes!

Great chokes, and the owners are great people as well.

 

[Telemark]

I figured it would be on the hogs and black bear...but I don't have first hand experience with it on those critters. I would suspect you may want a little different bullet construction and heavier weight for those more dense critters as well. I'd like to find a buck this fall that some may mistake for a moose however!

Yeah a 180 grain bonded bullet is good for larger animals. 150 grain bullets knock the holy crap out of whitetails.

I have used a lot of different bullets on red deer, and they all get the job done, even if the bullet construction isn't that heavy. The bullets I use now can come apart on larger animals, but they shoot so accurately in my rifle that I can place them perfectly every time, including a frontal head shot by moonlight.