I know that this is a hot topic, I have had numerous rifles over the years and have taken more game than the average person could comprehend. If I were to be limited to one gun it would be the 7mm Remington Mag or the 7mm Weatherby Mag, there is a good selection of bullets for this caliber up to 175 grain. I have also had greatluck with the 270 Weatherby and the .284 Winchester. My suggestion is to pick a rifle you like and try it at the range that would be the first step as at times what looks great in a Magazine ad is far different in the fit and feel of the actual rifle. I also have a couple of Mauser 66's that have interchangealbe barrels, this might be an option as well. My motto is you can never have two many guns
Best all around Caliber.
- Thread starter Slacker
- Start date
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
When I read through these threads, there seems to be a trend that the guys who carry rifles more often as not tend to prefer rifles that are less job specific, while those who carry a rifle less often, or perhaps do the majority of their shooting at a range, prefer specialized rifles. This shouldn't be a surprise I suppose, because those of us who "always" have a rifle with us shoot at a broad range of targets with that one rifle, and therefore choose a rifle that is suitable for the greatest variety of targets in a geographical location. In some cases that general purpose rifle could be a .243 in another area it could be some flavour of .375.
An exception to the trend is my pal Pounder. There aren't many days in the year he doesn't fire a rifle. His custom 602 .458 has been rebuilt and returned after last year's unfortunate episode when a round went off in the magazine and he's got a custom Marlin 95 .45/70. To my way of thinking, both of these rifles are very specialized for bear work, and would seem to be less suitable for anything else. Pounder does have a very good general purpose rifle though, a pre '64 M-70 .300 H&H.
An exception to the trend is my pal Pounder. There aren't many days in the year he doesn't fire a rifle. His custom 602 .458 has been rebuilt and returned after last year's unfortunate episode when a round went off in the magazine and he's got a custom Marlin 95 .45/70. To my way of thinking, both of these rifles are very specialized for bear work, and would seem to be less suitable for anything else. Pounder does have a very good general purpose rifle though, a pre '64 M-70 .300 H&H.
Hey easy now DB...yes I've picked up some new toys recently...but I don't need to justify them...I just WANTED them so there's enough justification right there. But sad enough to say, with these last three purchases of a 700 Ti in 260 Rem, a 700 LSS in 257 WBY and a S&W 629 Performance Center weighted barrel....I'm done buying for a LONGGGGG time! I think where you live plays a more important role in gun selection than anything else in this country and for those that stray away from what would be most practical...well cheers to you. This is exactly what I've found myself doing....for example:
If I was to hunt moose in the east, I've got a Ford F150 4x4
If I was to hunt deer in QC, I've got a 7600 35 whelen
If I was to hunt deer in S.ON I've got two 12g slug guns and a 270 win
If I was to hunt deer in SK I'll have a 300 RUM and a 257 WBY
If I was to hunt elk in AB I have a 300 RUM and a 375 RUM
If I was to hunt sheep out west I will have my 260 Rem Ti
If I was to hunt bearin B.C. well the 375 RUM gets the call
You've gotta be ready for anything!
If I was to hunt moose in the east, I've got a Ford F150 4x4
If I was to hunt deer in QC, I've got a 7600 35 whelen
If I was to hunt deer in S.ON I've got two 12g slug guns and a 270 win
If I was to hunt deer in SK I'll have a 300 RUM and a 257 WBY
If I was to hunt elk in AB I have a 300 RUM and a 375 RUM
If I was to hunt sheep out west I will have my 260 Rem Ti
If I was to hunt bearin B.C. well the 375 RUM gets the call
You've gotta be ready for anything!
