All around rifle

One rifle for everything? It would spend more time waiting on barrels than getting shot. You gotta spread the pressure around or your plinking/practice/target/varmint/hunting rifle will get sick when you need it.
 
One "all round" rifle....

My vote goes for the .30-06, too..............

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NAA.
 
I personally would have to toss a coin between my Browning .270 and Parker hale 30-06. At the range, I shot them both and the pattern at 200 yards was pretty much the same. Just on the recoil side, I prefer the .270. With the right bullet, it will do the job on bigger game animals too. I have developed loads for them as I reload for all my guns except the rimfires.
 
10/22 with a flashlight, laser, folding stock, and rails hanging everywhere.





Or a bolt .308
 
One Gun ?

I never leave home for a big game hunt with less than two guns, you never know when you may need a backup rig. I dropped a rifle last year and went straight to the backup since repairs could not be done while out of town.

If you had to narrow it to one gun..then I guess the 300 WSM would be alright, its only a question of preference.
 
One gun for everything - if it included big bull elk and big bears it'd either be a .338 Win Mag or a .338-06. If not the real big stuff, then a .300 mag, either version or even a 7mm Rem Mag. But Jeez, man, one gun?????? Blasphemy. I have 35 and still see holes that need filling.
 
Personally I like my 1957 Husqvarna 7x57 mauser. Can only get 140 grain bullets for it but its nice and light and flat shooting. However I might consider a Weatherby MkV Ultra Mark 257 Wby Mag or maybe a 270 WSM. I guess it all depends on what kind of hunting you do and landscape you hunt in
 
One all-round rifle?

I like the concept so much I have a dozen such rifles ....................... ;)




If forced to pick only one however it would be the 338-06 in a medium weight rifle. Very good reach with 180 and 200 grain bullets for deer and sheep and a bulldozer within 250 yards with 250 grain bullets.
 
I went with the same thinking and bought a Browning X-bolt in 300 WSM. Shot it for the first time last night and the recoil pad that comes standard with the rifle is exactly what I need. I could shoot it all day long with no fear of bruised shoulder. Love that rifle so far... can't wait for deer/elk/moose/whatever season--- I'm ready!
It goes well with my .223 and .22 LR, but I have to admit that I've got my eye on a 375 H&H or a lever action in 45-70 to really round things out.
 
If you must have one buy a TC single shot. Then trick it out with every barrel they offer. You can hunt everything from elephants to gophers and still tell yourself you have one rifle. ( with 20 interchangeable barrels )_:D
 
Haha , from personal experience I can tell you it wont last. Twice I have done the same thing and reduced the arsenal to one hunting rifle(30-06 both times) It was partly financial and partly the idea of "why do I need so many guns if I can only hunt with one?". There is just something about getting your next new gun that is addicting. You might be happy with your 300wsm for a while but ..wont be long until you talk yourself into another gun for another situation.Its just nice to open the safe and see a bunch of guns you love rather than JUST 1.besides 1 gun will be lonely in there by itself;) dont do it!
I can justify in my mind having at least 4 rifles to cover my hunting situations and then at least 3 more that are unique in some way just to have..
 
The varmint to big game cartridge will be a compromise that will not fill any particular niche as well as a more specialized piece, but then that's the attraction isn't it. I approve of the concept of the single rifle that can be carried day in and day out, able to hit a mouse with one shot and kill a moose with the next. The more the rifle is shot the more intuitively you can shoot with it, and the more confident you become. The difference between the competent marksman and the outstanding marksman is often nothing more than confidence. The more you confine your shooting to a single piece, the better you are apt to become with it.

Rather than cartridge choice, the real secret to versatility is handloading. Almost any modern cartridge can be loaded to effectively solve a wide variety of shooting problems, and most rifle cartridges from .25 to .40 have their champions. I for example reach for my custom .375 Ultra carbine more often than anything else, it is as accurate as a varmint rifle, shoots as flat as a .300 magnum, cast bullets are fun to shoot and put small game in the pot, and loaded with heavy bullets at full steam it is enough for any land animal on the planet, and many marine mammals as well. That was my choice, but you must determine the parameters you need to cover and make your choice accordingly. But keep this in mind, it is the package you search for rather than the cartridge.

The rifle should be light for portability, and short for quickness. The stock should be immune to changes in temperature or humidity. The sights should be equally useful at long range or short, and it would be wise not to ignore the addition of irons to a mid-power variable scope. The rifle should be accurate enough for the most demanding shooting you will call upon it to do, but this is a lesser problem as it seems that today's rifles which do not shoot MOA with a wide variety of loads are the exception to the rule if the range reports are to be believed.
 
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