I would ask the local stalking guides if I were you, last time up there the ghillies were taking the piss out of some foreigners (could have been the next glen mind) for using a .300 win mag as far too much fucking gun!
If you turn up with a rifle and can shoot it then most ghillies will accept that as proof but be prepared to carry his .270 if you cant!

Oh, christ, the continentals and their obsession with .300WM. Even the damn target shooters in NL shared the obsession... on a 100m indoor range, antisocial sods.

Me: "why 300WM, FFS?"
Him: "It's for long range"
Me: "how long?"
Him: "300m or so"
Me: "That's not long range. I've shot .308 at 1200yds, so shut up you mincer"

One guy insisted on shooting steel-jacket S&B 147gn FMJ projjies through his expensive 300WM. Waste of powder and barrel, frankly. The funniest thing was that he was doing all this benchrest-type case prep he didn't understand, doing it so badly that he was wrecking his (expensive) brass, and then putting about the cheapest projs money can buy in NL on the top of it!

Originally Posted by clayp1g

Ok I am not expert in the stalking field by any means, so I can only talk from my own limited experience.

I have a .243, .303 for stalking I also use my .223 (I have a large amount of Muntjac on the land I shoot over). I got the .303 partly out of nostalgia but I have the opportunity to shoot boar. I am looking at replacing the .243 with a rifle in the 6.5mm cal, mainly for the reasons that PF states.

As for the calibres you mentioned the .308 is going to be the easiest one to get hold of ammo for as every man and his dog makes it. That also means it should be cheaper which is good. There is also a larger selection of rifles on the market. I would look on guntrader, gunmart.net and gunstar.uk

I don’t know about others on here but I try to get out at least a couple of times a month to practice by setting up a tgt then shooting at it from different ranges to learn hold over/under and windage. I have found that very useful when bambi appears. It helps that I load my own, and have popular calibres so I can change the projectiles that I shoot.

So I suppose what I am trying to say is buy a rifle (hopefully after you have tried a few, at the local rifle club), in the different calibres you are interested in. Then if you are still unsure get one with the largest choice of rounds and rifles. One last thought I know someone who regularly takes deer with an 7.62x 39 (home loads), it’s a very mid recoiling rifle and a pleasure to shoot.

Its arrived:bashing bambi: Grendel an adventure in 6.5mm

Originally Posted by 4(T)

.308/7.62mm has the benefit that you can still get relatively cheap ammo with which to blat away on a range.

Where? there is nothing cheap in the shooting world these days, £18 per 100 surplus has not been around for a few years now or are you suggesting taking some work home.....

I've been hunting deer with my old man since I was too young to carry a rifle. Not sure exactly what your goal is, but I would suggest the 30-06 or .308 given the three choices you gave.

The deer over there are pretty small compared to ones we have over here and you need to consider shock damage to the meat. I assume you will be hunting them to eat. If you are just going for a rack, using a magnum caliber will increase your odds of a long shot when sitting in a stand at a distance.

I prefer to stalk the deer and elk. Most all of my shots were taken under 100yds and you really don't need a magnum for that range. Others have suggested the .270 which is a great caliber for deer. It has a nice range and doesn't destroy a bunch of meat when you get a nice shot.

Lower power optics are also ideal for the deer in a heavily wooded environment. A 1-4 power scope will give you allow you close instinctual shots and can be gained up for longer shots if the opportunity arrives.

A lot of my hunting buddies like open sights for heavily wooded areas but, the lower powered optics give you a great advantage when there is low light or terrible weather.

Good luck hunting!

N
NW Montana