Seeking Input

[Tartan]

1. Only elk: 300 Win Mag
2. Mostly elk: 30-06
3. Mostly deer, some elk: 7mm-08
4. All deer and antelope: 6.5 CM

My thoughts exactly

 

[BrentD]

I'd like to hear what you have to say.

Like anyone, I have no problem filling up a list of 4 calibers/chamberings, but since the the poll was for a "primary rifle" that covers all the bases, I would limit it to one, and it is a .45. Most any flavor will work. .45-70 is my choice now, any distance, any animal, it will get the job done. The longer .45s like the 2.4" (.45-90) or 2.6" (.45-100) have served me well, but they don't do anything the .45-70 won't do, although reasonable arguments could be made for one of them over the 2.1".

If I pick a secondary rifle that also covers all the bases, it would be (and is) a .38 of some flavor. Usually a .38-72 which is a bit too much of a good thing, but it is a lighter rifle that is extremely easy to carry and will also kill anything at any distance but I'm not so confident it would give me the two holes that the .45 almost invariably does.

Of course, life could go on without a really good .22 rf, so maybe that has to be my secondary rifle, although it definitely does not cover all the bases.

 

[madtom]

If we’re marketing primarily to folks who haven’t shot/hunted very much, I have to lean away from the magnums and toward a .308 or .270 with a quality bullet. My .308 is pleasant to shoot and has collected multiple specimens of all three species pretty efficiently.

 

[junior88]

only elk, 300 win mag
mostly elk some deer, 30 06
mostly deer some elk, 308
only deer and antelope, 270
But all of them left handed please

 

[Dan O]

For primarily Elk 300 WM or 7mm mag
For Deer @ Antelope with possible Elk 270 or 7-08
Some not listed but would be a good addition, 25-06, 257 WB, 280 AI, 300 WB or 300 H&H
Dan

 

[Brian in Montana]

I've gravitated away from magnum cartridges later in life. Kind of a fan of the .308 as a general-purpose, basically do it all cartridge. That said, I have also seen the impressive results of the 300WM on the receiving end. I don't like carrying or shooting my 300WM these days but I'd have to concede its the best I've used for an elk-specific rifle. So here goes:

1. Elk only - .300WM
2. Mostly elk/some deer - the venerable .308
3. Mostly deer/some elk - the venerable .308
4. Deer only - .270 win

 

[Don Fischer]

Primary elk. shoot any one I checked. 6.5 CM with right bullet's properly placed will do well on the biggest elk ever lived! So will the 7mm-08, 308 and 30-06. Now I've never shot a 6.5 CM but have taken elk with my 6'5x55 and my 6.5x06. Never shot a 7mm-08 either but a favorite of mine is the 7x57, not a lot of difference! If those do it, it would be foolish to think a 308 or 30-06 wouldn't!

 

[Greyman]

Many of you know that I have been working on some new ideas with HOWA. Last year we shot every possible combination of cartridge, barrel length/profile, stock, weather protection, you name it. The result we hope to come up with is a series of rifles that will allow the average hunter to select from a handful of options that we have tried and tested and know that they can buy that rifle and not look back with any regrets. If they hunt mostly deer and some elk, they can pick a rifle chambered in "cartridge X;" if it is mostly elk with some deer, we have a model chambered in "cartridge Y," and so on.

Consideration is given to ammo/rifle availability, past sales trends, production cost, versatility, etc.. We want to keep it to a few cartridge options, at the most, four options. I know what barrel length/profiles that match the intended use. The final product will all have HS Precision stocks, all Cerakoted, hopefully packaged with a scope combination that we know fits best, and priced at a level where the value is excellent.

I know many here own dozens of firearms, as do I. This is not a project designed for the person who is buying their 22nd firearm, though if their 22nd firearm was one of these rifles that would be great. This is mostly for the person buying their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th firearm. Again, if they want it to be the 6th-106th firearm of their collection, better yet.

With that background, I'm seeking input here, as informal as this poll may be, that gives me some confirmation/rejection of where we are headed. We are at a crossroads where some of the important decisions need to be made from a production and distribution standpoint.

I want this project to have no more than four cartridge chambering options. I want the final four selections we settle on to cover the spectrum of hunting that is our audience as I've categorized below:

1) Only elk hunting
2) Mostly elk, some deer and antelope
3) Mostly deer, occasional elk
4) Only deer and antelope

The poll asks you to provide what cartridges you would pick if you were at this crossroads I am at. You can choose up to four options in the poll, but you can choose less than four.

Your participation in this poll is greatly appreciated and very helpful. Thanks in advance for your participation.

If Howa, Nosler, and yourself teamed up, you could probably develop not only a do it all primary rifle but a series of cartridges that could be various loads developed for that rifle for a particular game species. A whole one rifle big game system with your name on it!

 

[slatebuilder]

I posted once, listing 2 of my favorites. A good cartridge debate is always fun. I should buy something new and since guns and stocking the safe are fun, I am going post again.

The hunter with 1 rifle looking to hunt the lower 48 and most of Alaska could do it with these. Put the 4 cartridges listed below in any slot in any order on Randy’s list of game, and they’ll do it. Ammo is also available at just about any convievience store and gas station in hunting country. These are also easy to manufacture and market.

Long action choices: 3006 and 270
Short action choices: 7mm08 and 308

 

[Cheesehead]

1) Only elk hunting - 308
2) Mostly elk, some deer and antelope - 7 HT
3) Mostly deer, occasional elk - 270 JoC
4) Only deer and antelope - 6.5 mb

I don’t like recoil and I don’t like heavy guns.

 

[Mountainguide]

If I was only limited to the choices on the poll, the 6.5, 7mm-08 and 308 would be be my choices. Pick one, be able to shoot it really good and hunt anything you choose

 

[grandejuan]

I use a 340Weatherby Mag for elk sized game or bigger. For smaller big game I use a 270 Weatherby Mag. GJ

 

[devon deer]

I would imagine the investment that Howa would have to make to design a new rifle would not be commercially viable.
However, (not mentioning any existing manufacturers) there are a few out there already (I own one) that have one rifle, but with interchangeable barrels, it would provide a solution to the question raised.
Cheers
Richard

 

[BluegrassBilly]

You young fellows always exclude me and my 300 H & H. I am afraid when I leave this earth I will have been the last person that liked the 300 Magnum--oh well--

Take heart, I shoot the 300 H&H and I'm in my early- (okay mid-) thirties. I was also looking for the 6.5x55, which would cover all bases if it were legal on elk in all jurisdictions. Oh, well, I guess 300 WM and 6.5 CM are their ballistic reproductions.

 

[ignorethefringes]

I chose only 3.

1. .300 Win Mag - Big heavy bullets for big heavy animals.
2. .30-06 - Great for all sorts of stuff and tons of factory ammo options.
3. .243 - Small and fast. I don't have any experience with the 6.5 but have seen the .243 knock the snot out of several deer.

 

[std7mag]

Ok, i'm going out on the thin limb here...
Knowing Howa to be one of our sponsors, and not knocking them at all, thankful for it in fact. And Nosler being one of our sponsors. And knowing Howa doesn't make ammo or bullets.
And having a sneaking suspicion that Nosler ammo was used for your testing ( not confirmed by any stretch of the imagination).
I'm curious as to why none of the Nosler family of cartridges is listed?
How about 28Nosler, 30 Nosler?

 

[Preacher shaner]

Is said for some one picking there primary rifle. So i went with. 30/06 and 270. Ether one will go down to small deer and up to elk or moose. They both are a little light for the big stuff and a little heave for the small stuff. So if just one gun them two.

 

[JLS]

I may be an outlier, but honestly my answer for #1-3 isn't going to change much, if at all. I'll drop down a bit for #4, just because I'm not a big fan of recoil.

That's why I chose a .280 this last purchase, and I haven't seen a single thing yet that makes me second guess my choice.

 

[Europe]

Take heart, I shoot the 300 H&H and I'm in my early- (okay mid-) thirties. I was also looking for the 6.5x55, which would cover all bases if it were legal on elk in all jurisdictions. Oh, well, I guess 300 WM and 6.5 CM are their ballistic reproductions.

THANK YOU young man for keeping these two sweet shooting hunting calibers alive.

Brent sent you some information on the "other game " part of the forum --it fits you better than this thread (-;

 

[scubohuntr]

It's amazing to me that you can give some people a list of choices and they can't seem to stick to it.

1. .30-06. Great all-around cartridge, suitable for anything in North America and non-dangerous game anywhere in the world.
2. 7mm Rem Magnum. More speed, flatter trajectory, good bullet selection.
3. .270 Winchester. Look up "all-around hunting rifle". It will say, "See .270 Winchester". It gives up a little energy and some bullet selection to the .30-06, but generally shoots a bit flatter.
4. 6.5 Creedmoor. It won't do anything a .260 Remington won't do, but there is much more ammo available for it.

The thing is, none of these are for me. The poll asked for "people buying their primary hunting rifle". If you have a "primary hunting rifle", you don't shoot enough to really handle a .338 or .300 mag. Likewise, you don't shoot enough to be able to live within the limitations of a .243, even for deer or antelope. All three of these are for experts. Scenario. You are out of ammo in Broadus, Montana. The only place open is the Holiday Station. They have two boxes of ammo. What are they? .270 and .30-06. There are no .280 Ackleys or short magnums. I don't take a rifle hunting unless I have at least a hundred rounds loaded up for it, and I almost never go with only one rifle. If I run out of ammo, anywhere, it's time to go home. So for me, ammo availability isn't really an issue.

For myself, I carry a .375 H&H by choice, because I purely love the caliber. I would never recommend it to someone starting out. I shoot it A LOT, and the recoil doesn't bother me. I don't load down. If I want a lighter load, I'll reach for a lighter rifle. When it looks like I may have to shoot further than I am comfortable with, considering the fixed 4X scope on the .375 (there is nothing wrong with the long range ballistics of a .375, but my eyes are not as young as they once were), I go with a 7mm Rem. and a 3.5-10X Leupold. My .308s are heavy match rifles, and the only .30-06 I currently own is an M1 (which I still hunt with when there are no mountains involved). I have never owned a 6.5 Creedmoor, but if I were to build an ultra-light mountain rifle that would change. It is no better than a 6.5 Swede or a .260, but more importantly, it is no worse. Just because it has become very popular is no reason to discount it.

Personally, I would absolutely love to own a .300 H&H. If I ever drew a bison tag, I'd need a C. Sharps in .45-70 (not one of the long .45s, because I'm not into BPCR). If I had the budget to build a lot of rifles, there would definitely be a 6.5 Swede, a .250 Savage, a .35 Whelen, and a .416 Rigby. But I don't need any of them right now as a hunting rifle.