Big-Game Hunting Cartridges: My Top 5 Picks for Harvesting Big-Game
Travis Olander 12.22.23
The average .270 or .308 is great for hunting whitetails (which one’s better?), but for dropping larger game, like mule deer, elk, moose, or bear, you’re pushing the limits of what these intermediate rounds can take down quickly. There are well over one hundred centerfire rifle cartridges that are up for the task, though – and for every cartridge listed below, there are, of course, competitive alternatives. But with all the factors collated, these are some of the best five cartridges you might want to consider for hunting big game.
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What’s In a Good Big-Game Hunting Round?
These are some of the qualifiers I consider when selecting any new round. If you’re ready to drop cash on your first or next big game shooter, these are the factors you should consider before picking an action.
- Cost per round. Big game loads can get expensive. Some straight-walled rounds are only available by special order; a single cartridge made by Holland & Holland might cost as much as a box of the stuff we’re talking about. I try to keep costs under $3.00 per round, but some of the heavy hitters on this list demand as much as $5.00 per round.
- Ballistic performance. Slow rounds with high arcs aren’t good for hunting big game. The rounds we’re looking at have high case capacities and plenty of speed to provide flat trajectories at game-taking distances.
- Terminal performance. All that speed needs to be matched with lead that’s capable of putting down a stout animal quickly. In short, these rounds need to make big holes in tough hide.
- Accessible rifles. You probably don’t want to spend five figures on an English elephant gun. In the 21st century, a good big game round should fit handily in plenty of modern, affordable bolt-action rifles.
Big-Game Hunting – .30-06 Springfield
- Bullet Diameter: .308″
- Case Length: 2.494″
- Overall Length: 3.34″
- Muzzle Velocity (180 gr): 2,700 FPS
- Muzzle Energy (180 gr): 2,913 ft. lbs.
In an increasingly crowded space dominated by .20- and .30-somethings, the legendary .30-06 is your granddad’s whiskey: It’s tough, it kicks, and it gets the job done without any flare, as it has for decades. This Kraut-slayer-turned-antler-taker is one of the oldest and still ableist big trophy loads in the land. It just glances 3,000 foot-pounds of muzzle energy – and even crosses that line with ease, if you hand load some spicy cases – while affording less than 4″ of drop at 200 yards. These stats alone mean the ’06 Springer packs the punch and laser trajectory you need in a big game round.
But it’s not just ballistics that make the .30-06 a choice round for big game hunting. Because it’s been around and favored for so long, there’s endless factory match loads available, with dozens of top-tier actions, chassis, and rifles ready to accompany your hunt at budget-friendly prices.
Big-Game Hunting – 6.5 PRC
- Bullet Diameter: .264″
- Case Length: 2.030″
- Overall Length: 2.955″
- Muzzle Velocity (147 gr): 2,960 FPS
- Muzzle Energy (147 gr): 2,782 ft. lbs.
You knew that, amidst the 6.5mm craze, at least one would make it on this list. And 6.5 PRC is, indeed, a fair choice for big game work. Of all the .264-diameter options, this casing’s packed with so much powder that it affords fewer than 10″ of drop 500 yards, with some of the highest ballistic coefficients available in any 6.5 load. Introduced just seven years ago, the 6.5 PRC utilizes some of the heaviest .264 grain weights to pack the punch necessary to take down big trophies without a chase.
Built off the .300 Ruger Compact Magnum case, the PRC offers more than 28% case capacity than the 6.5 Creedmoor — itself a favored hunting round, and considered by many to be the “new .308” for antler guns. For all its power, the PRC somehow affords modest felt recoil: About 17 pounds for average loads. Things start to bruise and fingers get twitchy in anticipation at around 20 pounds of felt recoil, so the 6.5 PRC provides plenty of comfort (and arguably less kick than .30-06) alongside its terminal performance and flat trajectories. And, although this precision target round’s just a couple years old, it’s quickly become a favorite among those who dawn seasonal camouflage. To meet demand, top makers like Howa, Savage, Winchester, Tikka, Christensen Arms, and plenty of other bolt gun makers have introduced dozens of actions with light, accurate stocks and chassis made specifically for hunting.
Big-Game Hunting – .300 Winchester Magnum
- Bullet Diameter: .308″
- Case Length: 2.620″
- Overall Length: 3.340″
- Muzzle Velocity (200 gr): 3,029 FPS
- Muzzle Energy ( 200 gr): 4,092 ft. lbs.
With some loads as hot as 3,300 FPS, .300 Win Mag is basically a .308 Winny on steroids. Introduced in 1963, this long-action hunting round frequently makes over 4,000 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy. Frankly, it’s overkill for most American antlered animals, but it’s perfectly suited for dangerous game. And, with a ballistic coefficient as high as .600, with as little as 6″ of drop at 300 yards, the .300 Win Mag’s one of the hardest-hitting and flattest-shooting loads that fits in an action about the same size as the .30-06’s.
You might respond with the argument that, based on ballistics alone, there are surely better .300-class magnum rounds for big game work. But .300 Win Mag is truly a Goldilocks round: It provides immense take-down power while still affording manageable felt recoil, rifle weight, and rifle length. Bigger .300 Magnums begin to feel unwieldy and even painful to shoot for experienced hunters and those with burly shoulders.
Because of its age and popularity, .300 Win Mag is also one of the most compatible big game rounds in the .300 Magnum class. Like the elderly .30-06, this cartridge is readily available in your go-to bolt guns, with plenty of affordable but accurate rifles on most local FFL’s shelves. The same can’t be said for other rounds in this class. At publication, cost per round is, frankly, remarkable as well: Proven Prvi Partizan loads go for just $1.25 per round; Match Grade stuff from Federal’s Premium line go for $3.00 per round. That’s a lot of power for the price of a coffee.
Big-Game Hunting – .375 H&H Magnum
- Bullet Diameter: .375″
- Case Length: 2.850″
- Overall Length: 3.600″
- Muzzle Velocity (300 gr): 2,559 FPS
- Muzzle Energy (300 gr): 4,363 ft. lbs.
Getting tired of the theme, yet? Yes, it’s another one of your grandfather’s cartridges. The .375 H&H is the original belted magnum cartridge, well over a century old – it was introduced in 1912 – and still being planted in the break-action breeches of expensive double rifles throughout Africa.
Sprung from a 24″ barrel, the .375 H&H shatters big game bone and makes plenty of big holes with well over 4,000 ft. lbs. of energy – and plenty of energy retention at distance to boot. It’s an incredibly flat round, too, dropping under 4″ at 300 yards while retaining over 2,500 FPS. While there are a few niche rounds that can provide similar performance, it’s yet again the accessibility and affordability .375 H&H affords that makes it a prime contender for sitting in the action of your big game rifle – like the long-action variant of the Winchester Model 70.
Perhaps the only drawback the .375 suffers is felt recoil. It’s a proper bruiser, slamming over 40 pounds of punch into your shoulder with every shot. You’ll need an impressive brake to tame this cartridge, but in exchange, you’re getting a laser pointer that’ll drop some of the largest game that doesn’t have tusks.
Big-Game Hunting – .416 Weatherby Magnum
- Bullet Diameter: .416″
- Case Length: 2.913″
- Overall Length: 3.750″
- Muzzle Velocity (400 gr): 2,700 FPS
- Muzzle Energy (400 gr): 6,474 ft. lbs.
If you’re shopping for any round with a “4” after the decimal, you’re probably going after some huge stuff, like bull Moose, Cape buffalo, lions, Alaskan Grizzlies, or any other once-in-a-lifetime hunt for something properly dangerous lurking in the African Plains. Pushing over 6,000 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle is necessary for such animals, and .416 Weatherby Magnum is just one of a few .40-something-caliber rifle rounds still available in modern bolt guns that meets this demand. With that much power, the .416 Weatherby is landing with literally zero drop at just over 200 yards when zeroed at 100 yards – but you’ll suffer 60 to 70 pounds of felt recoil with each trigger pull.
In this class of ammo, there really aren’t any “accessible”, common rifles available. But Weatherby makes some popular and relatively affordable rifles under their Mark V series, like the ~$3,400 Dangerous Game, or the $2,800 Deluxe. We simply can’t cover all the best big game rounds at once. If you’re looking for one of the most budget-friendly setups, consider the Mossberg Patriot, chambered in .375 Ruger.
