[Montgomery84]

I have been reading on this forum for a while now but am just now registering. I was lucky enough to have won a raffle for a Ruger M77. As I understand it, I have my choice of any caliber offered in this model.

I have only recently started shooting and currently own a Remington 760 in 30.06 and a Winchester Model 70 in .243. I am looking for a caliber to compliment these 2 rifles. I will be hunting deer this fall and there are plenty of pigs around the area as well. Also have the opportunity to do some varmint shooting with a friend. Most of my shooting will still be done at the range.

What advice do you guys have for me?

 

[Sinbad12-2007]

Well, I've always had a soft spot for a Ruger International in .308 Win but that would pretty much be duplicating an area already filled. I'd be hard pressed to recommend another caliber in the same genre' but perhaps a nice .270 Winchester (not that short magnum). If larger game were on the agenda then I'd opt for a .338 Win Mag. Something in that class of cartridge. I don't particularly care for the "short magnums", but I'm old and I like old things ... like traditional offerings.

And congratulations on winning that rifle. I've had several 77's over the years, the first one being a 7X57 with the old, original, tang safety. Liked it so much I bought another one in .257 Roberts. Alas and alack, both gone now to satisfy an old habit ... feeding my family.

 

[Guidedfishing]

Congrats, I'm making the assumption that it is a M77 Hawkeye. I have several Hawkeye's and have been impressed with all.

As far as hunting whitetail, hogs, you pretty much have it covered with those two rifles but having another caliber is always a good thing in my book.

I don't know if you handload or if you ever have any intentions on hunting that may present its self at longer range or with considerably more bulk than a whitetail or a pig. You definitely have some room between the .243 and 06, and plenty of room above the 06. Do you have a preference to .243 length action or 06 length action?

You'll get a bunch of responses but think about what niche you want to fill or itch you want to scratch as you get everyones opinion.

currently here are the options in the standard m77. there are always special runs for some dealers in different calibers as well like .280, 35 whelen, there may even be some 6.5 swedes out there.

.204 Ruger
.22-250 Rem.
.223 Rem.
.243 Win.
.25-06 Rem.
6.5 Creedmoor
.257 Roberts
.270 Win.
7mm Rem. Mag.
7mm-08 Rem.
.30-06 Sprg.
.300 Win. Mag.
.308 Win.
.338 Win. Mag.

If you like the short action you may like a 6.5 or 7mm caliber
If you like the long action maybe the 25-06 or .270

one of my personal favorites is the .257rbts, but you have a .243

once you get above the 06 you are looking at belted magnums

Like I said you'll get lots of advice
good luck
GF

 

[Montgomery84]

I was thinking about a .223 to shoot targets with and take care of any varmints.
OR
Step up between the .243 and 30.06 and use the .243 for varmints.
OR
Put the money towards something else like that over and under shotgun I keep itching for.

I don't see myself in the near future needing anything bigger than the 30.06 unless I get real ambitious and lucky.

 

[fremont]

35 Whelen if you can find one. Boy, do I wish I would have jumped on their 264 Win Mag when it was in the catalog. Congratulations on your win!

 

[Jim H]

you could consider a short action thumper such as a 338 federal. but if you decide to look into something along the lines of a .223 you may want to look into a 204 ruger too. i here they are a blast to shoot. on last thing, if you are kinda set for centerfire but are just trying to fill some spot that may not truely exist, why not look into a M77/22 and have a nice rimfire to go with your set up, could even go the .17 HMR if you want, it's just a thought on my part and BTW congratulations on winning you lucky dog!

 

[big dan]

the 223 would be a dandy! do you reload?

 

[hailstone]

There's another possibility you probably should look at but didn't mentioned. Having been in your position numberous times over the years, I've found that what you end up with usually you don't need, want or like. Therefore I've approached the win with taking whatever leeway I get in selection and turn it into an advantage that helps sell or trade the item for something else.

Few years ago I won a Benelli Super Black Eagle II 3 1/2" shotgun. That's mainly a goose gun which I very seldom hunt. Using for up land game its way too heavy for any amount of field carry. Traded even up for a DPMS AR-10 in 308 caliber which gets used for target and fall white deer season. With another upper in 243, I can use it on coyotes or other varmits.

Past March's Whitetail Unlimited banquet won my choice of a Stevens 200 in 30-06 or Stoeger Condor 12 Gauge shotgun. Since I already have the 30 caliber field covered and knew how hard it would be unloading the Stevens rifle opted for the shotgun. Gun show two weeks later sold the shotgun for cash at nearly retail pricing. Took that money and bought Bushnell 6500 Elite 2.5-16 scope. With my advancing age and diminishing eye sight have realized the importance of quality optics needed for my continual enjoyment of the shooting sports.

 

[MontyF]

Congrats on the win! Since you already said it, I'd go along with choosing a .223 and preferably with a vatrminter weight barrel.

If it was me doing the picking for myself ..... no doubt I'd go with a stainless composite in .338 WM. Just the medicine for big/dangerous game on this continent.

 

[45-70 nut]

If it were me I would go with the .338wm but what you are looking for from reading your post, the .223 or 25-06 would fit nicely.

 

[Montgomery84]

All the guns I own are wood stocks. I was thinking about going with a laminate stock which looks like it will narrow my choices of caliber.

I do not currently reload but that may change sooner than later!

My varmint hunting friend shoots a 22-250 and reloads so that could be a good start to reloading?

.223 will provide plenty of cheap ammo.

Another consideration I have is the fact that my 30.06 was passed down to me by my grandmother. It is in excellent shape so I will probably always feel the need to baby it. It might not be a bad option if I chose a caliber that overlapped the 30.06 a little.

.270 Winchester? 7mm-08 Rem?

 

[broom_jm]

The way I see it, you can go under the .243, over the '06, or split the difference between the two. The .223 is a more economical way to shoot a lot of rounds and is a good choice for varmints, though the .243 is better in every category except powder burned/recoil. To me, owning both is somewhat redundant, unless you just want to put a lot of shots down range. If you go over the '06, go big with a 338WM, or something along those lines. Anything less and you aren't covering any new ground.

If you decide to go in-between, there are some great options. Numerically, the 27 caliber is right in the middle and since my favorite cartridge is the 270 Winchester, that seems like the obvious choice, to me. A 7mm/08 is a big 243 and the 270 is a little 30-'06, so either one is a good option and both will fill that gap in your arsenal. Perhaps the most "interesting" option you have is the 6.5 Creedmoor, but I wouldn't choose that unless you're committed to learning how to handload...which is a great idea, really!

Congrats on winning a new gun and be sure to enjoy the "dilemma" of having to choose which caliber!

 

[Bird Dog II]

With a .243 and .30-06 in the safe already, you need to go big or small as some others have said. How is your recoil tolerance? If it is good, I would look to a .338 Win magnum. Otherwise, a .338 Federal or .22-250/.223 would be a nice way to fill out you trio.

 

[zb338]

I would go with the 7MM magnum. It has a little more power than
the '06, but is flatter shooting. You should be able to kill just about
any North American game with a 7MM Magnum with heavy bullets
and yet it shoots lighter bullets as well.

Zeke

 

[RaySendero]

I have been reading on this forum for a while now but am just now registering. I was lucky enough to have won a raffle for a Ruger M77. As I understand it, I have my choice of any caliber offered in this model.

I have only recently started shooting and currently own a Remington 760 in 30.06 and a Winchester Model 70 in .243. I am looking for a caliber to compliment these 2 rifles. I will be hunting deer this fall and there are plenty of pigs around the area as well. Also have the opportunity to do some varmint shooting with a friend. Most of my shooting will still be done at the range.

What advice do you guys have for me?

If a 243 & 30/06 - My pick asuming std calibers as shown would be:

<TABLE class=allModels border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e8e8e8" onmouseover="highlight(this); showModelImg('7113');" onmouseout=unHighlight(this);><TD>HM77R</TD><TD> #7113</TD><TD> in .338 Win. Mag.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[Bird Dog II]

I would go with the 7MM magnum. It has a little more power than
the '06, but is flatter shooting. You should be able to kill just about
any North American game with a 7MM Magnum with heavy bullets
and yet it shoots lighter bullets as well.

Zeke

ZB has a good point. Since your .30-06 is not a bolt gun, you could use a .300 or 7 mag Ruger 77 for your long range hunting needs.

 

[Montgomery84]

Probably not going to be doing a lot of long range shooting. Our place has pretty dense brush so long shots won't be the norm. And the biggest game I will be after will be North Texas whitetail unless an opportunity out of the ordinary comes up, in which case I can probably borrow a gun.

 

[BigBob3006]

If you plan to shoot varmints I'd suggest the .22-250. This will cover everything up to and including coyotes. Bigger than that your .243 will sure pick up the slack.

 

[CCAguns]

Won a Rifle

After considering what you said you have and what you might like, I have two suggestions.

Based on the fact that you have a .243 Win, a wonderful target round and a fantastic varmint gun in the Model 70 Winchester, your needs are covered here.

If you are willing to hunt with Grandpa's rifle, regardless of the wear & tear on it while hunting, then opt for the shotgun you want.

If you are leaning toward preserving Grandpa's gun for casual shooting only, then by all means get another .30-06 in the Ruger Mdl 77. You can't ask for a better deer/hog rifle, and you can probably utilize the same ammo for both guns. If you decide to reload, you can tailor a load forr your new .30-06.

Congrats on the win!

 

[MikeG]

If you are not recoil-shy, the .338 Win Mag is a fun gun. It really slaps the pigs down hard! If you're deer hunting in Texas, chances are you're pig hunting too.

I've shot pigs with about everything you can think of between a .22 rimfire and a .458 Win mag. They're all good and hitting the pig correctly is what it's about.

Short barrels are handier for fixed blinds. You bang them on things less trying to get them out the window in a hurry, ask me how I know this!!!

Just a couple of thoughts. Heck I like them all.....