Best all around hunting caliber for BC?

Anything that can move a 130+ grain bullet at 2600 fps or faster will do whatever you want it to. There's not a critter on this continent that can tell the difference between a .270, a .308, or a .300 WM if you do your part. And if you don't do your part, it doesn't matter how much powder and lead you're slinging. I've seen a 100 lb whitetail take a 180 gr slug out of a .300 Wby through the belly and head for the hills. This makes me a non-believer in "knockdown power".
Sorry for the unpopular opinion.
 
I like short action calibres and rifles in that matter as well.
Love the WSM's and for BC,7mm or 300 is just fine for everything except maybe grizzlies but could work occasionally too
 
Man hs been trying to measure their ##### around tha campfire for many years.
If it where just that simple we wouldnt have all the guns we have available to us today.
This is my rifle, there are many just like it, but this one is mine comes to mind.
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
FLHTCUI said:
Man hs been trying to measure their ##### around tha campfire for many years.
If it where just that simple we wouldnt have all the guns we have available to us today.
This is my rifle, there are many just like it, but this one is mine comes to mind.
Tight Groups,
Rob
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Flewtchii, ya need sum pillow time............... Laugh2
 
yidava25 said:
Anything that can move a 130+ grain bullet at 2600 fps or faster will do whatever you want it to. There's not a critter on this continent that can tell the difference between a .270, a .308, or a .300 WM if you do your part. And if you don't do your part, it doesn't matter how much powder and lead you're slinging. I've seen a 100 lb whitetail take a 180 gr slug out of a .300 Wby through the belly and head for the hills. This makes me a non-believer in "knockdown power".
Sorry for the unpopular opinion.
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You sound just like my dad, lol
 
Yep, forget the 45/70, it's about as far away from an "all-round" caliber that you can get for B.C. or anywhere else for that matter.

Do yourself a BIG favour and get yourself a 30-06 and never look back.
 
I'm with hawk-i.........300 mag, take your pick which one, I love my 300 Wby but killed a lot of game with a 300 Win and a few more with a 300 RUM.

My all time favorite "one size fits all" cartridge is the 340 Wby, but I do realize it's not everybody's cup of tea. Unless you are a very frequent shooter of moderately heavy recoiling rifles the 340 can tend to be somewhat disconcerting..........but what a killing machine it is from 60-600 mtrs doesn't matter, it strikes like lightning !!!!
 
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c-fbmi said:
My all time favorite "one size fits all" cartridge is the 340 Wby...

... but what a killing machine it is from 60-600 mtrs!!!
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How bad would that suck if you ran across a trophy sheep at 50 yards.... you would have to stalk 10 yards AWAY from him... ;)
 
During my years of working in northern BC, we would see the big bears on a regular basis. Even when you are sitting in a vehicle, they look big - I could only imagine what they would look like when they were looking down on you. My answer is usually a .30-06 for these kinds of questions - and it still is to a point; but if you can tout a .338, you will never lose points for overkill.
 
saskcop said:
During my years of working in northern BC, we would see the big bears on a regular basis. Even when you are sitting in a vehicle, they look big - I could only imagine what they would look like when they were looking down on you. My answer is usually a .30-06 for these kinds of questions - and it still is to a point; but if you can tout a .338, you will never lose points for overkill.
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Trouble with this question is it's usually asked "Best cartridge for BC", then when it's brought up grizzlies can be the size of moose on the north coast, or more plentiful than black bears over everything north of 58 degrees, or that moose on the Yukon border can go 1,500lbs, a bull bison can go 2,600lbs... "Well aside from those, .308 / .30-06 / .280 is perfect."

Province wide, ideally it's a .338 Win Mag, a .300 is great too. A .30-06 will do it of course too, but it is by no means the best. Douglas probably is closest to best with the .340, as he gains some trajectory over my .338 WM nomination, and it certainly isn't going to do worse on the animal is it?

We aren't debating the best cartridge, we're debating our favourite cartridge. Academically there isn't a thing a .30-06 can do the .300 can't improve on. Add human factors like recoil sensitivity, rifle weight and how much the hunter can carry, etc and we're now into preferences that aren't the same for everyone. Moral? .30-06 is not the best, it's just good.
 
Ardent said:
Trouble with this question is it's usually asked "Best cartridge for BC", then when it's brought up grizzlies can be the size of moose on the north coast, or more plentiful than black bears over everything north of 58 degrees, or that moose on the Yukon border can go 1,500lbs, a bull bison can go 2,600lbs... "Well aside from those, .308 / .30-06 / .280 is perfect."
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Very true, me northern moose took 3 180 gr bullets all without a exit wound and he absorbed every one of them without falling over. Much different then the Alberta moose I was used to. The 30-06 would do the same job for sure. But the big grizzly bear I ran across at 40 yards, the 300 did not feel near big enough if he had decided to come towards me instead of away from me.
 
Ardent said:
Trouble with this question is it's usually asked "Best cartridge for BC", then when it's brought up grizzlies can be the size of moose on the north coast, or more plentiful than black bears over everything north of 58 degrees, or that moose on the Yukon border can go 1,500lbs, a bull bison can go 2,600lbs... "Well aside from those, .308 / .30-06 / .280 is perfect."

Province wide, ideally it's a .338 Win Mag, a .300 is great too. A .30-06 will do it of course too, but it is by no means the best. Douglas probably is closest to best with the .340, as he gains some trajectory over my .338 WM nomination, and it certainly isn't going to do worse on the animal is it?

We aren't debating the best cartridge, we're debating our favourite cartridge. Academically there isn't a thing a .30-06 can do the .300 can't improve on. Add human factors like recoil sensitivity, rifle weight and how much the hunter can carry, etc and we're now into preferences that aren't the same for everyone. Moral? .30-06 is not the best, it's just good.[/QUOTE]

Nope, 30-06 isn't necessarily the best, but it's pretty much the max recoil-wise that probably 80% of shooters should use, unless they're prepared to do a lot of practice and acclimatization. 300 mag and up, especially 340 and up is a big mistake for most shooters. I own and love my 340 Weatherby and think that it is without a doubt the best all-round Large Game rifle there is for N. America, but I don't think most hunters should use it.
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30-06 "adequate for everything, but not the best for anything" can't remember where I heard that but it's still true. So I guess if you only want one gun it's the go to but that's no way to live!
 
Power Pill said:
Whatever you can do with a 30/06, you can do with a 308
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About the only advantage to the -06 that I can see is that there is a little more of an option to step up the reloads if you are not shooting factory ammo.

When only factory ammo is being used, and only old-school barrel twist rates were bing considered, the -06 had the advantage on the heavy end of the bullet weights available, but between the two, I don't see enough difference to care one way or another.

FWIW, I read a fella's opinion that the 458 Win Mag was pretty much the best and most universal cartridge out there because you could load it for anything from squirrels to elephants. Lots of donor case supply for the 458 x 2 inch, too...

I'll keep my .308, thanks.

Cheers
Trev
 
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