Favorite All-Round Rifle Caliber

W

Wabajack

Joined
Jan 16, 2007
Messages
867
So what do you feel is the best all-round rifle cartridge? from deer to moose (North America). :D

Right know I am going with the .308 Win, maybe a 30-06 :D
 
Caliber ? That's diameter, you really mean cartridge. There isn't enough difference between the 308 and 30-06 to make an argument....Real men use the 45-70 !
 
.300 Weatherby Magnum

Although CLEARLY overkill for whitetails, it will competently take any N. American game animal if loaded properly and fired true. Flat trajectory at 300 yards, with plenty of terminal ballistics out to 500 yards for even one shot kills on elk. In my W. German Mark V and Swarovski glass (yes, it SAYS W. Germany on the barrel, so that gives you a vintage) I shoot 1/4" groups of 3 at 200 yards.
 
Wabajack, that's like asking why those of us who are married picked the lady they did. :)

I would say that .30-06 or .308 are very good choices. .30-30 certainly can and does take game up to moose, and 7.62x39mm is almost ballistically identical, but at greatly reduced ranges. 7.62x54mmR, .303 British or 7.92mm Mauser are all also great rounds for this kind of thing. And other than the .303 and .30-30, they've all spawned commercial varients smaller and larger in bore size that might do you well.

What I would say is that 7mm is probably the smallest bore size you want to go with. You might be able to sneak by with something in the 6mm range if you can place it right. My grandfather took a lot of deer and bear with a .25-06 and with a deep penetrating bullet it would have been less than optimal but certainly a possible for moose; .243 runs almost as hot. But while those give you greater versatility, I think that there is too much lost at the upper end to give two thumbs up unless you are a damn good shot.

If you wanted to go up, I might go with a heavier bullet which will improve your performace on larger and more dangerous animals at a cost of meat damage and a more "rainbow"-like arc. I would say that .338 would be my top limit for North America, but European and Russian hunters like 9.3mm/.366" range bullets. I think those are better suited for Africa, but they work.

The other direction you can go up in is with one of the belted or short magnums. But unless you need the range, I would consider them over kill again. They'll shoot flat, but with the extra speed, you might not like the amount of meat damaged, higher cost and the more beat up shoulder.

My personal choice would depend on how much brush you were looking at. If it was very long shots, over 700m, probably one of the short magnums. If I was looking at nothing over 200m, and not over 100m for the bigger game, .30-30 or 7.62x39 would be fine. For all around, the best compromise IMHO is .308 or .30-06.
 
Why not mix in the .270. Easy to get ammo and flatter shooting than some of the other choices so don't have to judge distances as carefully. Chances are the moose hunting would be occasional, maybe once in a lifetime, so probably don't 'need' a hard hitter.
Good luck, Craig
 
30-06 for almost everything. If you need something bigger, then .375 H & H.
 
cden said:
Why not mix in the .270. Easy to get ammo and flatter shooting than some of the other choices so don't have to judge distances as carefully. Chances are the moose hunting would be occasional, maybe once in a lifetime, so probably don't 'need' a hard hitter.
Good luck, Craig
Click to expand...
In this size range, I would tend to go for a .280 or 7mm Mauser (loaded to modern pressures) a little more sectional density and little better bullet selection. I don't think that you can get a 170 gr solid for a .270 :D
 
I don't know if it is true, but someone told me that Teddy Roosevelt hunted all African big game with a 30-06. For those here who know who he was, do you know if there is any truth in that statement???
 
Not true, at least not entirely. Roosevelt may have hunted with an '06, but he was more widely known as a lever action junky and did most of his hunting with a 1895 winchester. Think it was chambered for .405 winchester.
 
Drawing the line just short of the big bears and big moose, I think the old tried and true 6.5 x 55 Swede is a superb all around cartridge. With a careful shot, it would do in the bears and moose, too. Very versatile, accurate, and lethal, and it doesn't beat the shooter around. But if you want to really say "all around" for use in North America, then the .30-06 should get the nod. A friend of mine visited Alaska several years ago. He hung around with some of the locals and told me most of them were packing .30-06 bolt actions for their daily do-everything rifles. I guess with a 220 grain slug it would do at least reasonably well on big bears, and I think somebody loads (or did load) a 250 grain for it. You need extreme penetration on huge animals that can eat you! :eek:
 
Yup, thanks a lot Joe. Just kidding, I know this is a little like talking politics. Actually, I like Dr. Mudd's choice as I've been slowly putting together a Swedish Mauser hunter. Good thing there's no rule that says you can only pick one. Can I also add that my absolute favorite place to be on a fall morning would be in a duck blind, so I retract the .270 and vote for a 12ga.
Take care, Craig
 
308 all the way for a good "all around" cartridge. You can get it in about any bullet weight and shape. It's a great short action for bolt guns, and runs well in a semi. You can load it for moose, whitetail, or two legged varmits. If I had to go with one caliber, it'd be 308. I keep building scout rifles for it. I don't know of any other caliber besides possibly the 06' that has the versatilty.
 
I am a .308 junky. I own/have owned many rifles in this chambering because of it's mild/moderate recoil, very accurate with the right loading and some of my favorite guns semi and bolt are chambered for it. With that said, my pick for a "do all" round would be the 30-06. From varmints to elk/moose it will get the job done. .270 is another great choice. A few things to keep in mind on the latest and greatest "Super Burn Down the Barn Magnums" is- recoil....I don't care how "tough" you are, a 7lb .338 Mag will beat the crap out of you (noise and recoil wise) Unless you have spent alot of time with some of these big mags, they are a waste of time for most folks. Don't "over-gun" yourself. Know your needs and limitations. The average hunter will never exploit the advantages these things offer (terminal ballistics at extended ranges). Unless you are hunting something that hunts back in close quarters or are an above average marksman that can make that 600+ yard shot with no qualms, they are not needed. I can't count how many of these rigs come back to the gunshop I work in (part time) after hunting season. They are cool as all get up around the camp fire......mostly stink in real world use by the average guy. Second is cost. I can get a few boxes of premium 30-06 ammo for the price of one box of Weatherby ammo for example. Third- bore life (an often over-looked fact) This doesn't just pertain to "magnums" either. Any cartridge that is "over-bore" (large case, little bullet) will erode the heck out of the throat of the barrel. This is one of the key accuracy points in the rifle (among a few others) For example, most good quality factory .308 tubes (excluding chrome lined bores ala FN) will go 3-4k+ rounds before any large accuracy swings. A good quality custom barrel (Mike Rock, Schnieder, Krieger, older Shilen, Obermyer etc etc etc) can and do go in excess of 8-10K rounds and still shoot like a house a'fire. A buddy of mines M24 (Army long gun) has at last count 8300 (eight THOUSAND three hundred round) and STILL shoots sub 3/4 MOA at 100yds for 5 shots. It has one of the afore-mentioned Mike Rock barrels. A fairly sedate .300WM will cook a custom tube in less than 1500 rounds (usualy).
My pick for a no BS hunting rifle? Winchester Classis (Pre-64 style action) in 30-06 with a GOOD quality 3X9ish scope with good quality mounts. Something else not mentioned yet- DO NOT BUY A CHEAP SCOPE!!!! The hassle of poor sight picture, non-consistant adjustments, fogging and the likelyhood of failure after a little abuse is just not worth it. Figure at least $300-400 on the cheap end for glass. I've had scopes that cost more than my rifles and most of my rifles are 2K and up. You can't hit what you can't see. I know this might be a little more in-depth than you were looking for, but I live for this stuff. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions.

Sheeze, I need a smoke.:D
 
Dr. Mudd said:
...... I think the old tried and true 6.5 x 55 Swede is a superb all around cartridge.
Click to expand...
One day I will have a rifle built around this cartridge. I have been seeing alot of guys using it and the accuracy they are getting is phenominal. Seems to shoot flatter and buck the wind better than my beloved .308 loads too.:thumbup:
 
The 30-06 will perform better with heavier bullets when going after bigger game. I have a 30-06 (now improved) that I bought to handle all of my hunting needs. Well I'll probably never go elk or moose hunting - I sort of wished I had purchased a light weight 7mm-08 or 260.

By the way, I actually do most of my hunting with a Ruger #1 in 45/70 using handloads. Short handy gun that requires a little closer hunting.

tjg
 
Well the 30/06 is probably more versatile but my Ruger M77 6.5x55 with 129- 140gr. bullets does whatever I need it to do. It's also a tack driver.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top