I will be moving back to CONUS (Texas) next year (for good) and plan to do some serious hunting. I want a rifle that will compliment either the .308 or .375 on each trip.

I'm an experienced whitetail, turkey, and hog hunter, but I want to branch out to mule deer and pronghorn as well as some of the exotics that are so popular. in the Hill Country. I primarily hunt with bolt actions and currently have a Bergara Ridge 20" .308 and am going to treat myself to a Winchester Safari Express in .375 for an eventual Africa trip (and Alaska). I am looking for something that's in between the two calibers. My instinct tells me to go with a 7mm Rem Mag as I've owned two in the past and they were great but sold them to downsize. The .308 can realistically do everything that is needed for hunting, but I'm thinking larger exotic game and longer distances like say pronghorn distances with extra power would be nice. The .300 Win Mag seems too upper-end on the power scale and the .270 and 6.5 Creedmoor seem to be too much of an overlap with the .308's capabilities. Is this sound logic? Looking at a Winchester Super Grade in 7mm Rem Mag (1:9.5) or Remington 700 CDL SF (1:9.25). Based on specs, the Remington seems like the better choice.

FWIW we also have a .30-30, .270 (both the wife's), 8x57 Mauser (iron sites only) and 8x57 (drilling).

Hey man, live up in the hill country (Kerrville) and work on a hunting ranch every other week (Ox hunting ranch). Anywho most guides use the 300WM, it’s a great cartridge and you can reach out with it pretty well, plus there are a ton of different loads and guns available. Bonus is you probably can actually find ammo for it! I have a Remington 375 that I absolutely love but past 300 yds I’d be surprised if I hit accurately. The 8mm is a good round but it’s kind of dead. There just aren’t that many options for ammo. 30-06 is a good round but the ammo for it is in high demand so it’s a bit hard to find but there are a ton of different ammo types for it.

6.5X06
ballistically very close to .264 Win Mag. and very easy to load for..........

ooops.........

I'm looking at the same thing.  I currently have a .243, 6.5cm (mostly a target gun), and a .308.  I'd like something for longer shots, but I don't really want to jump up to a Magnum.  I was looking at 6.5prc, but that seems really close to .270.

Speed goat is going to be something I'd want a fast 6mm for. .243/.243AI/6XC/6SLR/etc... something pushing 105-115gr at 2950-3200fps so you get flat as hell shooting and enough sectional density to make sure that you get an exit wound. Bringing a .375Ruger or .375H&H to africa seems like a good idea but really you don't "need" a 375 unless dangerous game is on the list and for all that you can borrow one of the PH's rifles. Most of my friends in South Africa use 300WM or 338WM for stuff from impala size to eland size except for cape buffalo/giraffe/leopard/lion/elephant. I prefer .338wm as my go-to for African plains game any bigger than a springbok. I've used a .375ruger there on eland, zebra and blue wildebeest and it did fine but it was also more gun than was necessary. A 300wm would have been more than sufficient. Below are my 1st and 2nd elands. The first one (left) was shot at 300m with a .338WM Howa 1500 wearing a Valdada Recon scope and very small and effective Recoil Reaper suppressor in a classic wood stock. The second one (right) was done at 50yrds with a Howa 1500 in .375Ruger in a Warrior chassis (very popular brand in South Africa) with a humongous reflex suppressor.

   

I'd go with 300 Win Mag.  7mm Rem Mag would be a fine choice as well.

Someone may mention 338 Win Mag, but IMO it's pretty close in power and ability to the 375 H&H so it isn't necessary to have both.

I'm in a very similar boat, with the added complications of wanting suppress everything, wanting to stick to common chamberings, and being left-handed.

My deer rifle is also a .308, and on the top end, I have .375, though mine are in the .375 Ruger flavor.  I also have a .300 WSM and 7mm-08, but those are on the chopping block since both of them would be a little difficult to suppress for various reasons.  The 7mm-08 is also pretty much totally redundant since I have a .308. I've had a .338WM, but sold it since it really wouldn't do anything that a .300 or .375 can't do.  Used to have a 30-06 as well, but didn't really need something in between the .308 and .300WSM.

Once I ditch the .300 WSM and 7mm-08, I'll be looking for either a .300WM or 7mm Rem Mag to fill the gap between .308 and .375 for me.  My main use for the 7mm/.300WM would involve travel, either out west or Africa, which is the main reason I want to stick to a very common chambering.  I'm leaning heavily toward the .300WM for several reasons, mainly because my primary goal is a harder hitting round at normal ranges, rather than a long-range round.  I'll freely admit that i have no first-hand experience, but I'd expect the .300 to perform a bit better on African plains game than the 7mm.  This is kind of splitting hairs here and I'm sure either would work just fine.  If my primary goal was shooting deer-sized game at longer distances, I'd choose the 7mm Rem Mag instead.

Short version:
.308 - Deer and deer-sized critters at moderate ranges.
.300WM - Things bigger/tougher than deer, longer ranges.
.375 Ruger - Because I can/just in case I want to hunt mid-size dinosaurs.

These three each have their primary role, but enough overlap that one can be a backup for another in most cases.  Realistically, if you can shoot the .375 well, I'm not totally sure that the gap between .308 and .375 truly needs filling, but getting another rifle is always fun, and something in between does provide some benefit.

What about a 9.3x62?

Don't go inbetween, go smaller and faster. 6.5 something, 243 win, 6mm rem, 7mm mau, or 257 rob. You will be happy.

300 PRC

.35 Whelen

Maybe a .280, great round and if you're so inclined for a touch more velocity go Ackley improved.

35 WHELEN OR 358 NORMA

I have rifles in both of those chambering.  My  .375 Holland is an old BRNO 602.

Any so-called “gap” between those is fully closed by having one of the more credible .35-cal rounds in your battery.

For big game   - to include deer, bear (Black/Brown/Grizz), caribou, moose, elk, not to mention popping the occasional hog, the only serious choices are:  on a long-action platform, the .35 Whelen; ... on a short action platform, the .350 Remington Magnum.

I have a semi-custom Remmy model 600 in .350RM. 18.5” barrel, 6.4lbs in iron-sight trim. Works for me.

I have both chamberings. I honestly don't think there's as much gap as you may think.

What about using lighter 375 loads? The 375 is ballistically equivalent to a 30-06 with comparably sized bullets. You can load 250gr FTX to reasonably fast velocities or even lighter Barnes bullets (235gr) up past 3000fps.

375H&H not only uses 308 powders but also the same amounts of powder as those 7mm/300 magnums, so you win there too.

There are a couple of intermediate calibers I would consider.

338/06 or 338 WM.

Think of the 338/06 as a very heavy bullet 30/06 and it is about 85% of the power of the 338 WM.

Or just snag the 338 WM and never look back.

Either cartridge can be loaded up or down to suit your needs.


Honestly I could but the world with a 30/06 and a 375 H&H because the gap you perceive just really isn’t there.

I own multiple 338’, 35’s 8mm’s and 9.3’s because they are fun. I need none of them.

Drop the 308 for a 30-06. The only thing in the middle worth noting is the 9.3x62.

.308 to .375 H&H is a big gap.....

I am a big 7MM Rem Mag fan.  I feel like it may be a very underrated/misunderstood cartridge.  

I also like the 300 Win Mag, and will likely be getting into the 300PRC game soon.

While I think any of them would be a suitable muley round, they are probably a bit much for antelope.  

I would lean towards a smaller (6.5ish) flat shooter for those.  In typical, ARF.com fashion, get both......




Watch this one for some info on the 7mm Rem Mag.

35 whelen?

338 Norma Magnum

Of the various choices in bores once you move up from .30-cal, the .35-cal class of cartridges is the most underestimated and maybe under-appreciated.

They tend to kill disproportionately better and faster in the field than what their paper ballistics would suggest.

I bridged that gap with 300 PRC. I have already taken Nilgai, hogs, whitetail, and Pronghorn with it. The .375H&H and 300PRC are going to Africa with me in September.

338-06