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What's your favorite caliber for hunting?
- Thread starter 2c1fr
- Start date
Good question... and I'll follow it up with one of my own; what am I hunting in this scenario?
Living in the Dallas area, the good ol' .270 Win is a pretty good option for anything that could be hunted within a 12-hour drive from home. Whitetail, muleys, elk, black bear, feral hogs... I wouldn't feel under-gunned bringing a .270 to any of those parties. Even something like auodad out in West Texas... it'd be a pretty decent choice. Are there better choices for each of the above hunts? Sure... but if I could have only one, the .270 has the versatility to make it happen. Additionally, it's a common enough chambering that I'm likely to be able to find a box of ammo nearly anywhere that ammo is sold. It isn't one of the tacticool cartridges, so it's less likely to be ravaged in an ammo shortage than would be something like .308 Win (or perhaps even 6.5CM).
That said, it's obviously a bit too much gun for something like prairie dogs or 'yotes... so, the .270 Win coupled with a good .223 would be a pretty useful pairing for my uses.
Living in the Dallas area, the good ol' .270 Win is a pretty good option for anything that could be hunted within a 12-hour drive from home. Whitetail, muleys, elk, black bear, feral hogs... I wouldn't feel under-gunned bringing a .270 to any of those parties. Even something like auodad out in West Texas... it'd be a pretty decent choice. Are there better choices for each of the above hunts? Sure... but if I could have only one, the .270 has the versatility to make it happen. Additionally, it's a common enough chambering that I'm likely to be able to find a box of ammo nearly anywhere that ammo is sold. It isn't one of the tacticool cartridges, so it's less likely to be ravaged in an ammo shortage than would be something like .308 Win (or perhaps even 6.5CM).
That said, it's obviously a bit too much gun for something like prairie dogs or 'yotes... so, the .270 Win coupled with a good .223 would be a pretty useful pairing for my uses.
any of the short actions... 7-08, 6.5 Creedmoor, 308. Enough to get the job done, low recoil, and cheap enough to practice and get good with!
I mostly hunt Elk and Mule Deer in some pretty wide open spaces , 300 WM with 210- 215 grain bullets ! . I used to go with 06 for Elk and 25/06 for Deer & Antelope . A friend really wanted my 06 and my 25/06 barrel burnt out . Limited bullet options for the 25 convinced me to stick with 30 cal and 7mm .
7MM SAW is on the horizon .
7MM SAW is on the horizon .
300 wsm. Not because its the best but my M70 Featherweight is my favorite hunting rifle. I use a 223 for varmints.
I thing the 6.5 Creed may replace it though. If i ever find a M70 classic with a shot oit barrel....
I thing the 6.5 Creed may replace it though. If i ever find a M70 classic with a shot oit barrel....
For many years, it was the good old reliable Rem 700 in .270. The RPR is taking it's place. The selection of available bullets from 95gr to 143 gr make it as versatile as having 2 guns. For accuracy, it's as good if not better than most of my other rifles. The MLOK front end lets me add night vision, bigger or smaller scopes or a flashlight or ??? for whatever is needed for the particular hunt. And change it back in a matter of minutes.
For everything other than elk up to moderate ranges (600 yards), my 243AI. Bigger game requires bigger rounds. My 300WM is IMHO the most flexible cartridge class and can take everything from prairie dogs with 110-125gr bullets to deer/elk with 200gr bullets to 800 yards. But as I this year enter the 338 realm with an Edge it is clear it stand a level above anything of lower diameter, but adds 2lbs to carry rifle weight.
Due to former curious laws here, I also have a .358 WSM variant that is essentially a 35 Whelen AI but in a short action. Within 500 yards, that wide bullet is simply destructive and puts things down quickly.
Due to former curious laws here, I also have a .358 WSM variant that is essentially a 35 Whelen AI but in a short action. Within 500 yards, that wide bullet is simply destructive and puts things down quickly.
Hard to beat the old 308 in Missouri . Rarely take a shot over 200 yards but for the extra long distances 300 wsm is pretty damn accurate
For small critters, either a 22lr or 223 wylde. White tails and mulies, either 6.5 grendel or 308. For elk, either 308 or 7rm.
Thanks for all the replies guys I guess I should have been more specific seeing as how there is a lot of different kinds of hunting out there let's say deer pigs sheep mountain goats elk black bear everything you could find in the lower 48 states minus maybe the mountain goats add pronghorn to the list!
For mulies and antelope I've been using my 308 and anything bigger it's been my 7mm rem mag. I'm saving now to built a 280 AI that I think is going to be my new favorite hunting rifle.
For big game would be my Tikka SL in 308. [IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com\/20170822\/bca3e5176515fde1c380b558d5f00205.jpg"}[/IMG2]
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.30-'06, or .223, and 20ga Sabots. My big game rifle is simply a Savage Axis II .30-'06 with a decent laminated replacement stock. I bought it as a blem at a serious discount, can't find a damned thing wrong with it
I'm not really into long range hunting, the longer shots are usually at varmints; where a less than optimal shot is usually a clean miss.
Greg
I'm not really into long range hunting, the longer shots are usually at varmints; where a less than optimal shot is usually a clean miss.
Greg
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I am always reaching for one of my 6.5 creedmoor. I am even to use that cartridge for a black bear hunt in Michigan's Upper Peninsula this year.
got to be 12Gauge......
between duck season, and the limitations we have on deer hunting, its about all i actually can hunt with up here.........but it seems to work pretty well.
although i did just pick up a .375H&H for when i make my way down south for Nilgai and hog
between duck season, and the limitations we have on deer hunting, its about all i actually can hunt with up here.........but it seems to work pretty well.
although i did just pick up a .375H&H for when i make my way down south for Nilgai and hog
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For the small white tail, and sika deer around here 5.56 77gr tmk in the boiler room is good out to 250-300 yards.
also built a 300wm for deer from across a field (6-800 yards+) and I'm looking to add a 6.5c to cover the in between.
also built a 300wm for deer from across a field (6-800 yards+) and I'm looking to add a 6.5c to cover the in between.
A million different answers and none of them are wrong. As we can see, it really depends on where the hunting takes place and what's on the menu. Out here in Wyo, I shoot a 6mm bullet at almost everything. .243, 6mmai or 6mm-284. I've shot a couple truck loads of deer with a 6mm, is it the best? Got me but it kills shit dead. I will admit the 6mm stays home when I head to the hills for elk. Why? Because I have better options, so I grab my 7.82 Patriot. Would I still hunt elk with a 6mm if I had to? Damn right, just have to be a little more picky about my shot.
So favorite... yikes, seriously tough question. The last few years hunting have been with a 6.5wsm. Mule deer @ 655, meat in the freezer. Goat at 400, yawn... go get the truck. The extra punch is really nice when the shots get long. As stated before, where and what really changes what my favorite cartridge is going to be.
t
So favorite... yikes, seriously tough question. The last few years hunting have been with a 6.5wsm. Mule deer @ 655, meat in the freezer. Goat at 400, yawn... go get the truck. The extra punch is really nice when the shots get long. As stated before, where and what really changes what my favorite cartridge is going to be.
t
250 savage lately, it seems no one thought about the 100+ year old caliber and new powders, it's easily exceeding 3100 FPS with 100 gr bullets, and I think it's going to make it to 3000 FPS with 115 gr bullets. Oh and with sub MOA groups
been using the 6.5 caliber since 1984, a sportorized swede 96 and it's been hell on the whitetails over the years, and poor groundhogs are vaporized with 100 gr Sierra HP's. Oh have a 6.5 CM too.
SB
been using the 6.5 caliber since 1984, a sportorized swede 96 and it's been hell on the whitetails over the years, and poor groundhogs are vaporized with 100 gr Sierra HP's. Oh have a 6.5 CM too.
SB
30-06 .308 .270 I like practical things.
But, when my Uncles and Dad passed, and their guns came to me. I made it a point to shoot at least 1 white tail with each gun. So, .300 Savage, .32 Win Special, .303 Savage and 30-30. With a nice soft point bullet that opens up, they all work. Loaded the .300 Savage with a 165 grain Sierra Pro Hunter , old lot with a big open hollow point. Wow I have never seen any thing bleed like that.
With the .270 using a Hornady Interlock I shot a deer broad side at short range, but no blood loss. Thought I had missed and was pretty upset. Finally found some drops of blood and recovered the animal. Shot through both lungs, and it looked like I they had a pencil poked through them, zero expansion. The next year I used a Sierra Pro Hunter and it blew the heart apart, and had a big exit hole. Dumped him.
The point is, with a good bullet, of reasonable size, they all work for white tail.
But, when my Uncles and Dad passed, and their guns came to me. I made it a point to shoot at least 1 white tail with each gun. So, .300 Savage, .32 Win Special, .303 Savage and 30-30. With a nice soft point bullet that opens up, they all work. Loaded the .300 Savage with a 165 grain Sierra Pro Hunter , old lot with a big open hollow point. Wow I have never seen any thing bleed like that.
With the .270 using a Hornady Interlock I shot a deer broad side at short range, but no blood loss. Thought I had missed and was pretty upset. Finally found some drops of blood and recovered the animal. Shot through both lungs, and it looked like I they had a pencil poked through them, zero expansion. The next year I used a Sierra Pro Hunter and it blew the heart apart, and had a big exit hole. Dumped him.
The point is, with a good bullet, of reasonable size, they all work for white tail.
243 is my go to medicine for coyotes. But ill be replacing the 243 with a 6.5-284 Norma. 308 for bigger game. Such as black bear in WV. Nothing really all that "big" here in ohio. But id have no issue with shooting elk or larger with a 308.
On a side note, Ive seen a lot of gut shots from guys who like to use cannons. Some never recovered. Just sayin
On a side note, Ive seen a lot of gut shots from guys who like to use cannons. Some never recovered. Just sayin
20 year old Remington 700 AWR in 300WinMag, kills deer, elk, moose,black bear, caribou, sheep, and mountain goat nicely and good enough to slow down a grizzly if push comes to shove. On my one grizzly hunt I used my 338 Winchester Mag.
This is equivalent to owning only one wrench, my .243 is kick ass for coyotes up to mulies and whitetail but overkill for wabbits and underkill for elk and bear. Your list of game is not a one caliber list.
