The Ultimate North American Hunting Round?

[hoytcanon]

I find the time that is burnt is at the loading bench and the multiple sighting in sessions, not bothered by and actually rather enjoy having different mechanisms about, I only hunt with one per season anyhow so no change ups. Much prefer a single rifle and bullets tailored to the game personally, and likewise appreciate one wonderful gun to numerous decent production rifles- though I subscribe to both "systems" clearly by a look in the safe. See what you're saying, I'm just on the other side of the fence, less rifles less cartridges but more heavily invested in them and tailored to you.

I suppose it depends on what your hunting season entails... if you big hunt were for bison as opposed to say, a stone sheep, it is likely that your tool would be different.

I only hunted with my 7X57 No.1 this fall but only took a meat bear and a meat doe... the rest was spent with archery gear. Everyone has to be comfortable with their choices... I love time at the loading bench and at the range, not as much as hunting, but I don't have to sacrifice one for the other... I can also hunt with a multitude of weapons... I don't imagine that will change. I also know that you have a young family, and when my three children were young a lot of things took the back seat...

 

[Ardent]

I love and miss the handloading, you're very right our little boys and being away most of the time working in the bush certainly brings load development and tinker time down to a precious minimum. Still find time to make videos of shooting once in awhile so suppose it isn't all work and no play. I do enjoy keeping it simple and all my shooting time is when away up north, can only pack so much and no loose powder etc as I fly. Multiple chamberings just isn't feasible much of the time, even bringing ammo can be a hassle sometimes and easier to just buy it at the hardware store.

Nice taste, I also used my No.1 7x57 for the passed season, it got a bear and a moose, enjoyed using it too and it may be used as my last crack at an iron sights sheep this fall. Bow hunting is a must on my list, going to try for a coastal Blacktail with a recurve one of these days.

 

[NorthernCX]

Again, honourable mention to the 30-06, but the 300 is a more sensible answer to the original question



No other caliber? Wouldn't the magnum 300's do the same thing, only better? Case capacity really shows when you start loading heavy for caliber bullets, right?

It does, especially when you send a light-for-calibre bullet down the spout with a grossly oversized case.... smaller capacity makes more sense here, IMO.

Ammo availability? What serious gunnut buys factory ammo?

Not the point. OP did not specify gunnuts, so I couched my opinion from the standpoint of Joe Hunter, who might go to the range a couple times a year at best, and doesn't handload. Sorry, I took the OP seriously.

Recoil? Who cares about recoil?

Some do, some don't but you don't need spine-snapping recoil to hunt, now, do you? Or are you one of those perverse folk that thrive on bribing a new shooter to the range with the promise of fun only to hand them something silly like a .416 Rigby?

 

[hoytcanon]

Bow hunting is a must on my list, going to try for a coastal Blacktail with a recurve one of these days.

My first dozen deer and bears and one bull moose were taken with a homemade yew and ash bow... then for a while moved up to a Jim Brackenbury recurve... and finally went to compounds and haven't gone back... but I keep thinking about those simpler days in the woods...

 

[medvedqc]

what about the 338-06?

 

[Ardent]

My first dozen deer and bears and one bull moose were taken with a homemade yew and ash bow... then for a while moved up to a Jim Brackenbury recurve... and finally went to compounds and haven't gone back... but I keep thinking about those simpler days in the woods...

I made a bow as well, unfortunately it delaminated and started twisting quite quickly, need to work on that, next one I'll buy. Yours likely did much better than my first try.

 

[Ardent]

what about the 338-06?

Wonderful cartridge, but impossible to feed from the small town hardware store, and suffers rather seriously in trajectory compared to a .300 or .338 mag unfortunately.

 

[hoytcanon]

I made a bow as well, unfortunately it delaminated and started twisting quite quickly, need to work on that, next one I'll buy. Yours likely did much better than my first try.

Seasoned the blanks for almost five years in the attic rafters... still have it but don't know if I would risk stringing it.

 

[chuck nelson]

I doubt Ardent was advocating for only owning one rifle but just throwing up a post to elicit some fun dialogue. Of course more rifles are better. FWIW, I have a 6lb 12ounce .338WM that is a dream to pack around and with a well fitting stock and quality recoil pad quite pleasant to shoot. With the right bullets ,meat damage even on smaller critters is minimal and it's very practical out to 500 yards. On the bigger stuff it does the job admirably. That's why I picked it.

You would think something that good would see more use.

 

[sheephunter]

You would think something that good would see more use.

Guess if more people needed one gun for all NA game it would.

 

[Gatehouse]

Unless you are recoil sensitive, the 30-06 shouldn't even be in the running. It can do nothing that a 300 can't do better. If one must have a .308 caliber cartridge for the Ultimate, pick a more versatile cartridge than the 30-06.

 

[BigUglyMan]

Wonderful cartridge, but impossible to feed from the small town hardware store, and suffers rather seriously in trajectory compared to a .300 or .338 mag unfortunately.

But if you use that criteria it starts to really narrow the field. The state of the small town hardware store is a pretty sorry one.

 

[Bigfoot 870]

Unless you are recoil sensitive, the 30-06 shouldn't even be in the running. It can do nothing that a 300 can't do better. If one must have a .308 caliber cartridge for the Ultimate, pick a more versatile cartridge than the 30-06.

I agree, Gatehouse and neither of the .270s should be on the list, either. I`m not sure about the .35 Whelen and would like to hear what it`s owners think. (FYI - .270 Win is my favorite, but I would never purposely tackle a Griz, Polar bear or Bison with it and luckily, I`ll never have to do it in a defense situation

 

[ciphery]

12ga shot gun. It has. So much variety and versatility.
It may not take a moose out at 1200 yards but it has taken moose.....your 338s don't make very good duck or small game guns at all.
A 12ga can take game as small as squirrels with CHEAP 2 3/4" #7 1/2-8-9's @ 1100fps
Rabbits, turkeys and such with. #4-6's @ 1240fps
Ducks and geese with #BB-3, deer and larger with 00buck-Slugs
Find me something you CAN'T kill with a 12ga
Ammo is cheap and redaly available, just about every gun owner has a 12ga of some incarnation and there is a reason for this.

 

[BigUglyMan]

12ga shot gun. It has. So much variety and versatility.
It may not take a moose out at 1200 yards but it has taken moose.....your 338s don't make very good duck or small game guns at all.
A 12ga can take game as small as squirrels with CHEAP 2 3/4" #7 1/2-8-9's @ 1100fps
Rabbits, turkeys and such with. #4-6's @ 1240fps
Ducks and geese with #BB-3, deer and larger with 00buck-Slugs
Find me something you CAN'T kill with a 12ga
Ammo is cheap and redaly available, just about every gun owner has a 12ga of some incarnation and there is a reason for this.

Take it sheep or goat hunting then report back to us.

 

[MiG25]

12ga shot gun. It has. So much variety and versatility.
It may not take a moose out at 1200 yards but it has taken moose.....your 338s don't make very good duck or small game guns at all.
A 12ga can take game as small as squirrels with CHEAP 2 3/4" #7 1/2-8-9's @ 1100fps
Rabbits, turkeys and such with. #4-6's @ 1240fps
Ducks and geese with #BB-3, deer and larger with 00buck-Slugs
Find me something you CAN'T kill with a 12ga
Ammo is cheap and redaly available, just about every gun owner has a 12ga of some incarnation and there is a reason for this.

For a survival gun a 12 Guage has much to recommend it, however it is not legal for elk, moose, sheep, etc in BC.

 

[MiG25]

But if you use that criteria it starts to really narrow the field. The state of the small town hardware store is a pretty sorry one.

I rarely miss a chance to see what is available in hardware stores and gas stations. The cartridges you see over and over are: 270, 7mm Rem Mag, 30-30, 303, 308, 30-06, 300 Win Mag and that is it. Just another feather in the 300's cap, it is the most powerful readily available cartridge.

 

[Ardent]

I rarely miss a chance to see what is available in hardware stores and gas stations. The cartridges you see over and over are: 270, 7mm Rem Mag, 30-30, 303, 308, 30-06, 300 Win Mag and that is it. Just another feather in the 300's cap, it is the most powerful readily available cartridge.

Same list here, though many up north have a single selection of .338 Win, and I believe .243 is missing from the list it shows up most places. I've yet to find a store without .300 on the shelf, even if it is an ancient dusty box of Silvertips or Powerpoints.

ciphery all legalities aside, setting out to hunt everything you can on the continent with a 12 gauge would be quite an interesting venture. You're going to have some serious fun in the mountains, if bow hunters can do it, so can you, but you're going to spend a fortune and make a lot of attempts to get it done. It is about as far from the ultimate continent wide North American big game hunting round as one can get. However, if we're talking just wingshooting I agree, I've used it for that in Mexico, the US, and Canada of course and there it excels.

 

[MiG25]

Yes, 243 is there but I wouldn't consider it a general purpose cartridge, 223, 22-250, and surprisingly (to me anyways) 222 are also widely available at mom and pop shops.

 

[medvedqc]

I agree, Gatehouse and neither of the .270s should be on the list, either. I`m not sure about the .35 Whelen and would like to hear what it`s owners think. (FYI - .270 Win is my favorite, but I would never purposely tackle a Griz, Polar bear or Bison with it and luckily, I`ll never have to do it in a defense situation

Bigfoot 870,

there is guys in town that dont read internet and have killed gizz with a 270 win. not i will do it, but if this is what i have while caribou hunting and if i have a gizz tag i wont see a problem.