for the 1000th time - Caliber options?

[Elkmagnet]

I would second the 300wsm it will be better suited for a short light platform than a 7rm or 300wm 28 0r 30 nosler.
Wsm was designed to be used in a short light gun.
That said if recoil is at all an issue get the 06 it will do what you described.

I can currently find 300wsm ammo online easier than 30 06. Ymmv

 

[6mm Remington]

280 Remington - 140 gr. Nosler Accubond or Partition. (Great cartridge and an all time great.)

280 AI - 140 gr. Nosler Accubond or Partition (Used the Accubond on my grizzly bear last year. One shot.)

30-06 - 165 gr. Nosler Accubond or Partition (Hard to beat.)

 

[brymoore]

280ai.

 

[VOLhunter]

A few years back I picked up a Tikka T3x Lite stainless in 7mm Rem Mag. It's recoil is noticeable less (or at least more manageable) than my Browning A-Bolt in 30-06. A lot of "felt" recoil is attributed to how well the stock fits you.(Highly recommend a vertical grip) I load 160gr Accubonds and 175gr Partitions in the 7mmRM and I shoot 180gr E-tips in the 30-06. Both are adequate for your list of intended species and both have excellent selections in boxed ammo. If you want a 300WM, go for it. There's not that much difference in recoil, ammo is again readily available, and if moose and griz are possibly routinely available for you, there might be a bit more comfort mentally carrying the 300WM.

Is this a custom ground-up build or are you taking a stock rifle and having modifications made to customize it? Ask your gun maker if has some rifles in different calibers for you to shoot before you make your choice. I would definitely stick with a "common/ standard" caliber with ammunition availability being an important issue. Whatever you choice, have fun and shoot it as often as you can!

 

[buffybr]

I don't know what it would do to your weight, BUT.
7mmSTW or 8mm RM would be my bet in a custom build

In a 7 pound rifle....OUCH!!

Given your criteria and location, I would say a 7 mm RM or .30-06. I've had both, their recoil was about the same, and both will easily handle all of the animals that you listed. The 7 shoots a little flatter, the .30 has a little heavier bullets available.

Right now there is an ammo shortage down here in the lower 48. I would imagine it's worse in AK. All of the newest wizz-bang cartridges show great ballistics on paper, but finding ammo for them can be a problem, especially in remote locations. 7 mm RM and .30-06 ammo is usually easier to find.

 

[mtmuley]

For 400 yards as a max range and ease of finding ammo, I'd look to .30-06, .300 Winchester, 7mm Remington and .270 Winchester. I'm a big fan of large cased magnums. Not practical for most hunters though. My mind recently is going towards a .30-06 AI with the new Absolute Hammer bullet. Good luck. mtmuley

 

[Dan O]

The OP said his builder did not recommend a 300 WM due to recoil in a <7 lbs. rifle. In my mind that would eliminate all the magnums listed with the exception of "possibly the 7 RM" I've never owned one so I'll leave it at that. With that in mind the 30-06 is a great choice or possibly the 280 Rem or 280AI. If he is only going with available factory ammo then the 30-06 would be my choice. With the exception of the big bears I would also consider the 270.
With todays bullets I think it makes it a toss up as to which one to pick. Awwww heck be boring and go with the 30-06 or be cool with a 280AI LOL.
Good luck with which ever you choose their all good.

Dan

 

[406dn]

This will go on until the end of time. The laws of physics will forever remain in effect. If you want a light mountain rifle that doesn't kick your teeth loose, there is a practical limit on how much energy the bullet can carry when it leaves the barrel.

The 30 06 case is in that wheelhouse. If you are more concerned with performance on big bears, go with the 30 06. If you want the trajectory to be as flat as possible, then the .270Win fills the bill.

Either way you go, ammo can be found anywhere its sold,,,,,,maybe not these days,,, and if you do your job, it is very likely the bullet will do its job.

 

[std7mag]

With a well placed shot what will kill an animal faster and deader, a 257 savage or a 505 Gibbs? Think about it!

What's a 257 Savage?
I have a 250 Savage, and a 257 Roberts.

505 Gibbs <7 lbs. OUCH!!!!

 

[Don Fischer]

What's a 257 Savage?
I have a 250 Savage, and a 257 Roberts.

505 Gibbs <7 lbs. OUCH!!!!

Well you get a choice. 250 Savage or 257 Robert's! Or you can assume I made a screwup!

 

[Dougfirtree]

Just get the '06.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

If you don't reload and want a good proven solid shooter, get a 30-06. Shells are more common, less expensive, and can be easier to get. If you start reloading, the 30-06 is a real nice caliber for reloading and takes the heavier bullets pretty well. Don't get something less common or something you may regret. There are a lot of great calibers, but keep it simple. IMO...

 

[mevertsen]

The gun smith is recommending 30-06 for a reason.

You are already going to a custom route, so go with what he recommends.

 

[shrapnel]

Anticipating the build and all the nuances, make a custom rifle personal. Don’t be fooled by the magnums including the 7 mm Remington, they do kick and you don’t need that extra recoil in a light rifle.

There isn’t a cartridge in North America that has killed more game or proven itself more worthy than the 30-06. Add to that, living in the interior of Alaska and what ammunition will be more abundant?

Although the ranges may not exceed the ballistics of the 35 Whelen, you are still limited to the ammunition you can get and use.

If the 30-06 was retired today and never shot again, there isn’t a single cartridge that would eclipse the amount of game credited to the ‘06 in its lifetime. Make the right choice and you won’t be sorry...

This will go on until the end of time. The laws of physics will forever remain in effect. If you want a light mountain rifle that doesn't kick your teeth loose, there is a practical limit on how much energy the bullet can carry when it leaves the barrel.

The 30 06 case is in that wheelhouse. If you are more concerned with performance on big bears, go with the 30 06. If you want the trajectory to be as flat as possible, then the .270Win fills the bill.

Either way you go, ammo can be found anywhere its sold,,,,,,maybe not these days,,, and if you do your job, it is very likely the bullet will do its job.

The gun smith is recommending 30-06 for a reason.

You are already going to a custom route, so go with what he recommends.

 

[Icetracer]

What about a .308 win instead of the 30-06? You can get a short action instead of a long action to save weight there also.

 

[ThunderNocked]

So talking with him some last night his current favorite cartridge is the 280 Ackley and almost as high is the 7mm REM mag. He said also quality ammo has been more available for these then even the .30-06.
he said these, then 270 were the most readily available locally as he checks twice a week at all the local shops.

thanks guys I appreciate everyone’s thoughts. Lots of good reading.

Also I know that all of you are right, with modern tech there really isn’t a bad option but there are other factors like availability and price that can be looked at. Thanks again everyone for suffering through another of these posts.

 

[Nambaster]

I am with Icetracer 308 is short action and should kill anything on the continent out to 400 yards. 30-06 only has a 100FPS advantage over the 308. Out to 400 yards there won’t be a difference. Consider the balance of the 308 and the short action advantage. It’s splitting hairs but the 7mm-08 negates the 30-06 advantage in a short action as well.

If you get lucky you might just end up with a rifle like my weatherby. It’s just a vanguard with no modifications. No matter what I shoot out of it, it holds the same zero and shoots sub Moa. I can shoot 150 grain military ball rounds, or factory federal, hornady, literally any 308 round and the zero holds at sub moa. If I do my part and pull the trigger it will hit where I am aiming.

 

[shrapnel]

So talking with him some last night his current favorite cartridge is the 280 Ackley and almost as high is the 7mm REM mag. He said also quality ammo has been more available for these then even the .30-06.
he said these, then 270 were the most readily available locally as he checks twice a week at all the local shops.

Seriously, your guy seems a bit wishy washy. Originally he recommended 270 or 30-06 and now he endorses a 7mm mag or 280 AI! Claims of those cartridges being more available than a 30-06 in gun shops leaves me skeptical of his credibility.

The one factor in all of this that keeps getting overlooked is Grizzly. “If I do my part” and “with correct shot placement” are comments for shooting varmints. Grizzlies need more consideration on terminal ballistics. There is a reason that a PH in Africa wants you to shoot a rifle of a certain bore diameter because caliber does matter.

It is your choice, but 280 AI availability in a gun shop and recoil of a 7mm mag would steer me away from those cartridges and put the 30-06 on the top if the list for your build. You do want to build the rifle for your lifetime of hunting, choose wisely because you don’t want to do it again later, but then you just might...

 

[ThunderNocked]

sorry, when we talked in person we talked more in depth. Our first several conversations were short over the phone.
He said he always recommends.30-06 and 270.
But he really likes the other two rounds as well. After we were talking about calibers and everything I asked him other rounds and he said if I did one build he could do the 280 AI and he loved that, if I did the other base then he could do the 7Mag and he liked it to. He said for him personally his favorite round at the moment was the 280AI. But that both builds comes in .30-06 and 270.

I know he probably wasn’t poring about ammo, the Sportsman’s warehouse has been awful locally. They have no 300 win, 300WSM or .30-06 when I’ve been in the last 6 times. They are always out of the nicer bullets for the 6.5.
I’ve seen 7mm and 300 weather by and 338 but haven’t even looked at 280 or 270.
Since everyone up here probably has a.30-06 it might make sense.
“You want a caliber that has enough shooters they regularly stock your ammo but not so many shooters that in shortages it’s gone”.

sorry I didn’t mean to make him sound wishywashy as I don’t think that’s the case. We just had a long conversation, 2-2.5 hours and I got a lot of information. He has had a very successful career up here harvesting big game.

 

[Elkmagnet]

Everything a 3006 or 270 does a 280ai does better. If ammo is available in your area get the 280ai I have ran it though a few ballistic calculations and was impressed with its ability to defy the wind.

Drift at 200yds with a 30mph cross wind.

3006 168 ttsx has 9.7 inches of drift.
280ai 145lrx has 7.4 in

300yds
3006 has 22"
280ai has 17.28"

400yds

3006 40.47"
280ai 31.39"

Thats a pretty dam big difference