One rifle, one calibre, one cartride.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately as I'm saving up for a single gun that will the most versatile for me in both target shooting and hunting. I was originally thinking 300 WM or 338 Lap Mag, but after more research I'm leaning more toward the 30-06 or .308. It seems that many consider 300-400 yards to be the safest maximum shooting distance for humane kills. At 300 yards it seems the mag calibres offer the best hitting power, but the additional recoil could affect accuracy. Also they cost more per shot, and wear the barrel faster. Since I want to have good shot placement, which requires lots of practice, and I can't afford $5 per shot, I'm thinking .30-06 or .308. Of those two, it seems tha the .30-06 is the most versatile calibre for reloaders, while the .308 seems the most versatile for someone who shoots factory loads. I like the idea of the .308's short action compared to the longer action of the .30-06, though I suspect that its probably more an issue of whatever you get used to.

All this has me thinking Remington 700 xcr Tactical LR in .308, but not entirely decided yet.
 
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YukonBrett said:
If you had to choose one make and model of rifle in one calibre using one cartridge suitable for use in all weather for all North American big game, from deer to sheep to bear, what would it be? Not interested in load versatility etc...just sticking with a single set up and single load. Thoughts?
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Thank-you for starting a most interesting thread and I have followed it through every post while giving it a great deal of thought.

A dear friend now in his 80s has taken every horned game animal in BC and several Black Bears ( no Grizzly however ) with a lightweight Husky 30-06 using a 165 gr. handload that he and I worked up for his rifle.
That same load also works so very well in my 30-06 that I think if I were relegated to one only rifle ( shudder ) it would have to be my 30-06.
Should that ever come to pass there will be one very big rifle sale not to mention some 70+ sets of loading dies to say the least...
 
hoytcanon said:
Would using a 350 from the .416 be akin to starting a ".243 for moose" thread???
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I see what you did there. I'm too much of a Fudd to subscribe to Randy Brooks' theory that you can drop one bullet weight and still be fine. At least not for dangerous game which is where my mind always goes. My pondering was more based in Dogleg's experience with lighter bullets on water buffalo. Probably better to try lighter TSXs than bullets if questionable construction for the task at hand.
 
BigUglyMan said:
I see what you did there. I'm too much of a Fudd to subscribe to Randy Brooks' theory that you can drop one bullet weight and still be fine. At least not for dangerous game which is where my mind always goes. My pondering was more based in Dogleg's experience with lighter bullets on water buffalo. Probably better to try lighter TSXs than bullets if questionable construction for the task at hand.
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The TSX is close to the only bullet I would have tried at that weight and speed, but I did that with Barnes blessing. Sometimes you have to take things past your comfort/confidence level to see how its going to work. In my case it was to see how well a light recoiling alternative for the .458 would compare to a .375. It turned out far better than I would have guessed.
 
Dogleg said:
The TSX is close to the only bullet I would have tried at that weight and speed, but I did that with Barnes blessing. Sometimes you have to take things past your comfort/confidence level to see how its going to work. In my case it was to see how well a light recoiling alternative for the .458 would compare to a .375. It turned out far better than I would have guessed.
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Mono metals love speed! If one's mindset stays with traditional bullet construction then it is easy to have trouble believing that downsizing will attain similar or even better results than bigger bullets but these aren't traditional bullets. Like you say....sometimes you need to go beyond your comfort levels. Taylor was far from the final word on bullets.
 
sheephunter said:
Mono metals love speed! If one's mindset stays with traditional bullet construction then it is easy to have trouble believing that downsizing will attain similar or even better results than bigger bullets but these aren't traditional bullets. Like you say....sometimes you need to go beyond your comfort levels. Taylor was far from the final word on bullets.
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They did rather well, but there was some things they didn't do. Like for instance they couldn't touch a conventional weight A-Frame or Partition at any distance, and couldn't match a CEB Safari Raptor at close ranges. They did catch up and surpass the CEB at longer distances. I was trying to see it a .458 would make a passable .375 with the right bullets and still be a decent buffalo bullet. They do that a bit better than I had hoped. The Raptors were less than I'd hoped.
 
At similar pressure levels the Rigby will pretty nearly equal the 416 Weatherby which means 350s at almost 2800 FPS and, if you can find 'em on a dusty shelf, the old 300gr Barnes XFBs at 3000 FPS. That should get everyone's attention in a quick manner.
 
BigUglyMan said:
At similar pressure levels the Rigby will pretty nearly equal the 416 Weatherby which means 350s at almost 2800 FPS and, if you can find 'em on a dusty shelf, the old 300gr Barnes XFBs at 3000 FPS. That should get everyone's attention in a quick manner.
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IIRC, I was getting 2850 fps with a 350 gr X or Magtip, over 102 grs of 4350 from the 24" barrel of my #1, so 3000 with a 300 should be doable.
 
I have a steyr mannlicher Luxus with a 30-06 caliber and a Zeiss scope...seems to kill bout everything I have pointed at but have not shot a grizzly. Done moose bear antelope whitetail ( zillion) elk Muleys pigs...one lost whitetail....

Good luck with your decision
 
Browning Lever Rifle doesn't mater which - buy what suits your fancy. they have two dif grip types and Blued or Stainless models.
Get it in 308 (i recomend 308) /30-06/300wsm or 300 win mag and call it a day.

My 308 BLR shoots sub MOA - it kicks very gently and controlled compared to my ruger m77(308 also) I assume its because of stock placement/shape ect.

Its nice and compact and light to handle and feels great when you pull it to your shoulder.

And it has a Damn Clip so it shoots regular rounds not flat nose tube friendly rounds like in a Marlin or winchester Lever gun

They are levers so they also reload nice and quick too

I have many guns but for hunting my BLR .308 is my favorite go to rifle.
 
Just back from a successful bison hunt this weekend...used my Browning X - Bolt Stainless stalker CF, Zeiss Conquest 3 - 9 x 40 in 30-06 using good 'ol Remington Core Locked 180's...dropped on the spot. Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic input! I keep thinking about a larger caliber, but seem to keep knocking things down with what I've got...Pondering going up to 300 WSM, just to add to my potential range...but, don't know if I'll gain much. Oh, and the reason for WSM over WM is just to have a shorter rifle over all for easier transport. Would like to post a pic of my bison, but still haven't figured out how.
 
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