Thread: Rifle/ caliber opinions for bush and mountain

Hi members.
What's your thoughts on caliber and rifle selection for bush and mountain hunting in South Island?
For bush hunting I'm kinda leaning towards 308

For mountain hunting with potential longer shots in windy conditions the 280ai has caught my eye The 7mm caliber seems to give a good wind deflection/ energy combination and since I'd like to go unsuppressed it kinda rules the magnums out

For rifle selection it's still a blank slate but requirements would be lightweight and stainless

Any insights would be much appreciated Cheers

300 wsm would do everything with authority

The way these threads often end up, not just here, is with votes for so many different cartridges that the OP is kind of overwhelmed. That and - much like Godwin's law and Hitler - someone inevitably starts shitting on 270.

7mm08, boring and very vanilla, but works. 284win ticks alot of boxes if you are a handloader.

Originally Posted by Hunty1

7mm08, boring and very vanilla, but works. 284win ticks alot of boxes if you are a handloader.

+1 as much as I dislike it

Originally Posted by Pommy

The way these threads often end up, not just here, is with votes for so many different cartridges that the OP is kind of overwhelmed. That and - much like Godwin's law and Hitler - someone inevitably starts shitting on 270.

I think what @Pommy means is get a 270.

Seriously I use a 270win and have shot deer, tahr and wallabies between 5 and 320 metres with a 3-9 scope.

Originally Posted by Steven1

Hi members.
What's your thoughts on caliber and rifle selection for bush and mountain hunting in South Island?
For bush hunting I'm kinda leaning towards 308

For mountain hunting with potential longer shots in windy conditions the 280ai has caught my eye The 7mm caliber seems to give a good wind deflection/ energy combination and since I'd like to go unsuppressed it kinda rules the magnums out

For rifle selection it's still a blank slate but requirements would be lightweight and stainless

Any insights would be much appreciated Cheers

....have you done any hunting before?

The answer is the one you shoot best, and probably the one you already have.
Anything .243 and above will do it with careful shooting, anything above 7mm will do it will some assurance.
If you’re new to the game and want light, do not go with anything that has magnum in the name. Something T3 weight I’d suggest .270 max, to help you place shots well. The recoil can start to get up with light rigs, and doesn’t help when you’re shooting from weird positions up in the mountains.

.270 and suppress it...job done. yip there might be calibres that do it better....and faster...and with less noise,recoil,terminal mess.....but few that will do it with less fuss or bother.
If I didnt own a .270 it would be either a .308 or a 30/06 for eggzachary the same reasons.
pick your load for task at hand and you simply will not look back,take out the front wheels and animals will pile up and go nowhere..... job done.

45/70 GOVT and a big lobbing sight.

Originally Posted by Hunty1

7mm08, boring and very vanilla, but works. 284win ticks alot of boxes if you are a handloader.

Exactly what I was thinking, I have a 280rem (non Ai) and it dose no more than a 7mm08 with factory


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Have done quite a bit of hunting before coming over from SA, also done a good couple of trips with mates down here and it'sdefinitely a different game over here.... Had 308 and 30 06 and still have gear for reloading so getting into loading for different calibers won't take too much

I have a 308 and have had a number of 270 rifles.
If i was only to have one rifle it would be the 300wsm.
Never lost an animal up to 645 yards.
Its a pussy to shoot with a suppressor. 150 to 212 grain projectiles and my accubond 180 grain gets a tad over 2920 fps. Lozt a number of animals with the 270 as they didnt fall over straight away.
Never ever had that with the wsm

.270Win or .308Win are both great choices when using factory ammo. Many other calibres would also do the job, but factory ammunition to feed the rifle may not be as readily available at your local.

honestly 308 will do it all, massive amount of different ammo available, can buy it at most shops nationwide as its a common calibre. yeah sure the trajectory isnt the flashest but as an all purpose centrefire its hard to beat