Rifle and caliber question

[mtmuley]

Brake, not break. mtmuley

 

[mdhunter61]

All of the rifles you have will kill moose and elk - but if you want a new rifle, go with the .338 WinMag. A lot easier to get factory ammo for, and a wide variety of loads and bullet weights.

I was born in Alaska, and have been lucky enough to hunt there 12-13 times over the past 15 years. I started hunting AK with a Winchester Model 70 in .30-06; a few years into my AK hunts I bought a Ruger Model 77 in .338 Winny, and it's all I take to Alaska now. We've had grizzlies inside of 100 yards on several occasions, and I like the heavier bullet if I am ever faced with having to shoot a grizzly in a DLP situation.

Here's the griz we chased off the ridge where we were camped on this year's hunt. We started yelling at him when he was about 350 yards away, but he closed to about 75-80 yards before deciding to vacate (I snapped this pic when he was closing the distance). The .338 gives me a little extra comfort at times like this, although shot placement is still the critical factor.

 

[CTELK83]

Wow. That's crazy that he just kept coming. Another reason to go with a heavier bullet as well. Coming back from my Idaho elk hunt this year, a guy on my flight said a member of his hunting party had his face bit off by a grizzly. My hunting partner carries a pistol and gave me one which I left in camp. I'll be carrying a 500 from now on.

 

[mdhunter61]

Wow. That's crazy that he just kept coming. Another reason to go with a heavier bullet as well. Coming back from my Idaho elk hunt this year, a guy on my flight said a member of his hunting party had his face bit off by a grizzly. My hunting partner carries a pistol and gave me one which I left in camp. I'll be carrying a 500 from now on.

Grizzlies don't have great eyesight; I think he was coming closer to circle downwind, and to get closer, so he could see and smell what was yelling at him. We were out in the open and could see at least 80-90 yards in every direction, and it was daylight, so the situation was as good as could be to ask him to leave.

I carry a .357 Magnum into camp and leave it in the tent - when hunting I rely on my rifle, I'm a lot better shot with a rifle than I am with a pistol.

Yep, heavier bullets are nice at times like above - I use 250 grain Swift A frames in my .338, and have a Leupold VXii 2-8x scope. I love this rifle.

 

[Brian in Montana]

The kimber 7mm I have has the ability to.have a muzzle break of not. It's the first and only rifle I have with a break. Are they that loud? Do people using breaks wear hearing protection while hunting or just at the range? I am from the east and I know my deer rifles would kill an elk or moose but I think the fact they are such big animals gives Mr an excuse to convince myself i need another gun... a bigger gun.

My 300WM has a muzzle brake. It makes the earth shake.

That said, its a very comfortable and effective rifle to shoot. Kicks quite a bit less than my .308. Hearing protection is always important when shooting but probably more so shooting magnum rifle with a brake.

 

[CTELK83]

So I was talking to my wife about my dilemma of what gun to bring next fall moose hunting... she said me complaining about whether or not to buy a new gun and have to decide which one to take is "not her problem" laughed and walked away!
So now, I'm thinking I keep my 338, sell only the tikka 7mm and buy a 375! Have to decide between 3

 

[rammac]

Brake, not break. mtmuley

Oh wow, you really showed me, I'll bet you feel important, now if you'd just spend your time correcting everybody else that has misspellings in their posts. Oh, and while you're at it, try spelling out all the stupid acronyms that everybody likes to use.

 

[480/277y]

Sounds like you just want to buy a new rifle, and that's reason enough .
Of your choices, I'd go 338 WM.

 

[noharleyyet]

 

[CTELK83]

Haha. That's amazing

 

[jryoung]

No rifle will be louder with a break than without...for the shooter...as long as it's designed properly.

Breaks seem louder to the people that stand next to a shooter that uses one because the sound waves from the gasses and the bullet's passage are directed toward the sides of the rifle. A break works by redirecting gas away from the muzzle and against the surface of the cuts on the break wall. Those gases push the rifle forward and they counter the gasses that escape from the muzzle. The angle of the cuts in the wall of the break will determine the angle of the sound waves that are created when the bullet passes the cuts. A break with flat cuts is going to be tough on the shooter because the sound will be directed toward the rear, a break with a slight angle will direct the sound away from the shooter. Cheap breaks have flat cuts, expensive one have angled cuts. Some breaks will have the angle on the rear faces only while others will have the angle on both the front and rear faces. If you fire a rifle with a break inside a room or any contained enclosure than you'll definitely suffer more from the sound because rather than sending all of the sound out of the muzzle and outside of the enclosure you're redirecting some of inside the enclosure.

The results of this test are extremely consistent and don't agree with your thoughts. Do you know of any brands that have the testing to support your theory?

 

[rammac]

Good data and I can't deny what it shows, but I will reiterate

No rifle will be louder with a break than without...for the shooter...as long as it's designed properly.

The angle of the sound waves is critical and measuring the sound at the shooter's position is different than the sound levels anywhere else. I would be more interested in seeing what the sound was at the shooter's position, not 64.5" behind the muzzle and 9" to the side. I might be proven wrong but I suspect that there will be certain brakes that actually don't increase the sound at the shooter's position but this test report certainly doesn't prove or disprove that.

I do know that I fire a brake on a couple of rifles and for me, as the shooter, I find no difference in muzzle report but I do get complaints for people who stand off to the side of me when I fire.

 

[belly-deep]

If you think you need a brake, what you really need is a smaller gun.

 

[mtmuley]

Oh wow, you really showed me, I'll bet you feel important, now if you'd just spend your time correcting everybody else that has misspellings in their posts. Oh, and while you're at it, try spelling out all the stupid acronyms that everybody likes to use.

Well, if you are gonna go into technical detail, at least use the correct application of the word to describe what you are explaining. And, I suck at acronyms. I've had to ask the meanings here before. mtmuley

 

[ismith]

If you think you need a brake, what you really need is a smaller gun.

Yes but what if you need a rifle break?

 

[belly-deep]

Yes but what if you need a rifle break?

Well that’s a whole different story....

 

[1_pointer]

Of the two choices you're pondering, I'd go with the 338 Win Mag. But, I think a better "investment" would be to take that gun money and take one you already have on a trip for a new species or an old species in a new place. You won't remember the gun as much as the trip...

I have a 338 Win Mag that is my "go-to" as I got it from my deceased father as a college graduation gift. I've not yet killed an animal with it that couldn't have been killed with anything smaller on your list. In fact, I think the 7 mag is a better option as an all-arounder. I'd scope the Kimber and shoot it side by each with the Tikka and keep the one you like the best.