The Ultimate North American Hunting Round?

Best North American Hunting Round

  • .270 Winchester

    Votes: 70 8.4%

  • .270 WSM

    Votes: 11 1.3%

  • .30-06

    Votes: 358 42.8%

  • .35 Whelen (tough to find, yes, but solid)

    Votes: 19 2.3%

  • 7mm Rem Mag

    Votes: 67 8.0%

  • .300 Win Mag

    Votes: 147 17.6%

  • .338 Win Mag

    Votes: 67 8.0%

  • .375 Mag (H&H or Ruger)

    Votes: 54 6.5%

  • .300 Ultra Mag (tough to find, but hard to argue with)

    Votes: 8 1.0%

  • .300 WSM

    Votes: 35 4.2%
  • Total voters
    836
Well, since this is strictly for entertainment purposes...a candidate for "efficient and versatile short action" would be the .325WSM. I've been playing with one this year, not because I had a huge desire for the cartridge but rather because I got a great deal on a BLR takedown model in that chambering and I wanted to play with that gun. Perhaps not the best choice for the crowd that takes those 500-yard-and-longer shots (you know, because no other shot was presented and they had no choice), but a good mid-level performer, big enough for most targets, small enough for most shooters, decent bullet weight selection and velocities, and easy to shoot. The gun itself shoots as well as most bolt actions, carries beautifully, and packs away easily and compactly for travel. Probably not what I would grab as my one-and-only...okay, definitely not :)...but no worse an option that many others touted here. For a gun/cartridge combo that can be squirreled away in your vehicle while away from home at a jobsite, and then used with great effect during a hunting trip that presents itself while you are on your travels, without having an arm and a leg invested in it in case something goes poorly...it has a lot going for it.

Speaking hypothetically, of course. :)
 
And the 30-06, for all it's vanilla, is once again the clear winner.

Same as it always is when the gun magazines ask this same question.

Maybe I better go ahead and get a spare one.... :)
 
I think myself the most practical answer is dependant upon the terrain you choose to hunt.
For most of us, that usually means the topographical layout (complete with flora or lack thereof) of your nearest hunting grounds.

A freaking boring answer huh?
 
Dogleg said:
It costs much more than the replacement barrel, so if you can afford to shoot them out the barrel cost won't mean anything. And that's with handloads.
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Very true. I would also need a heck of a lot more shooting time than my current near zero lol. Dang it!!
 
jjohnwm said:
Do we need to go back to the Justin Bieber analogy again?
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I missed the Biebs analogy... didn't read every post... I am sure it was enlightening and illustrated how you can reach the top without and real talent (aka - .30/06???)... am I close?
 
Brutus said:
I think myself the most practical answer is dependant upon the terrain you choose to hunt.
For most of us, that usually means the topographical layout (complete with flora or lack thereof) of your nearest hunting grounds.

A freaking boring answer huh?
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Good, but in the opening post it's explained those are precisely the answers this particular question seeks to avoid. Not what's best in your backyard, but the best continent wide cartridge, from the Sierra Madres of Mexico to the arctic tundra.
 
Ardent said:
Good, but in the opening post it's explained those are precisely the answers this particular question seeks to avoid. Not what's best in your backyard, but the best continent wide cartridge, from the Sierra Madres of Mexico to the arctic tundra.
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Well, in that case I probably would knod in the direction of the 300 Win Mag. Even though in some places I would feel more secure with the 338.
 
damnit Ardent, you forgot the most obvious round, the .50BMG... :yingyang:

that said, the 30.06 is the oldest round there, also the most readily available due to it's commonality and the fact it can drop everything in North America. yeh, some of the bigger guys can drop a grizz a bit better than the .06, but that's where the do-it-all starts in your list, making it the best.

personally, I'd use the 7mm-08 on everything but for grizz. they need a bit more than a pee shooter. :rolleyes:
 
hoytcanon said:
Why do you suppose it has attained this popularity?
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By being a ex-military cartridge of the largest group of gun owners in the world. Most of that group who are hunters are pursuing relatively small, inoffensive animals at relatively short range and will never see a grizzly, brown bear, bison or even a moose outside of a zoo. Dreaming about elk is a stretch for most.

For the first major part of its life it was not considered a mild cartridge but a hot damn 30 caliber screamer. Even the 300 H&H didn't stumble along for another 20 years more or less. Nope it was the rod-rod, beating the 30/40 and 30-30 in a day that smokeless powder was new. There was a predominance of iron sight usage, and most the iron sight, deer popping, close-range and flag waving users had all the gun they could use at iron sight range. Cheap and available didn't hurt, much like cheap and available did wonders for the .303.

Being the "ultimate" wasn't part of the criteria. Being good enough was. Some would like "good enough" to be more than it is.

For what its worth, I've used the 30-06 a lot. Not because its the ultimate anything, but because I have a close range, high volume opportunity that its good enough for. Easier on the ears too.
 
I would say for most hunters the .30-06 is ideal, more experienced shooters who can handle a .300 Winchester or Weatherby Magnum without flinching are probably better off with one of those and 180 grain or heavier bullets.
 
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