Best all around hunting caliber for BC?

R

Rifter

CGN frequent flyer
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
7   0   0
Location
Surrey, BC
If you were buying a gun to hunt everything from wolves to moose/bear what would your choice be?

I want a guide gun in 45/70 just not sure how well it will do on smaller game. I do plan to reload though for some lower power rounds for smaller game.

My dad thinks a .308win or .300win mag is a better option, although I question the .308 stopping power on larger game, my dad is under the belief that shot placement is everything and even a .22 should be good for a grizzly if you land the shot right lol.
 
You are going to get a zillion opinions and it sounds like you have already decided on a caliber.

If I was looking for the "closest thing to a one gun that does it all" it would be a 30.06

You can load it with bullets from down near 100 grains all the way up to 220 grains or so and in the process of seeing what it likes you can pick up tons of different factory loaded ammo with any type of bullet you could think of.
 
I have a .303 enfield for the blacktail deer , 180gr pill puts them down fast and shots are always very close. I prefer the bigger "slower" moving .303 for this purpose

for interior mulies and "general" hunting of BC big game , I have a 7mm rem mag and a .338 federal (insert 30-06 here as it's really all a guy needs for BC)

for northern BC and north, where bigger moose and bigger bears are the norm, I've stepped up to a .338 win mag.

but, whenever a new hunter , especially those on a budget, want a trusty reliable all around rifle/caliber for BC , 30-06 is a "can't go wrong, almost do all caliber" ..... for BC anyways
lots of stores carry 30-06 in weights suitable for deer up to the largest of our game here.
 
45ACPKING said:
I have a .303 enfield for the blacktail deer , 180gr pill puts them down fast and shots are always very close. I prefer the bigger "slower" moving .303 for this purpose

for interior mulies and "general" hunting of BC big game , I have a 7mm rem mag and a .338 federal (insert 30-06 here as it's really all a guy needs for BC)

for northern BC and north, where bigger moose and bigger bears are the norm, I've stepped up to a .338 win mag.

but, whenever a new hunter , especially those on a budget, want a trusty reliable all around rifle/caliber for BC , 30-06 is a "can't go wrong, almost do all caliber" ..... for BC anyways
lots of stores carry 30-06 in weights suitable for deer up to the largest of our game here.
Click to expand...

You can't go wrong with a 300WM either! :)
 
Such a personal choice. Depends on many subjective factors.

If you like manageable recoil and you don't plan to shoot Griz or Bison, then .270 is a nice choice. Flat shooting, good knock-down power, affordable ammo.

If you want a true "do everything" gun then you need to step it up a notch, but then it is a matter of managing the recoil in whatever way works best for you.

For me, .270 works. Has killed everything so far and I am very, very accurate with it. I don't plan on shooting Grizz, ever, and if I ever win a Bison tag I will celebrate by buying a gun just for that hunt. :)
 
If it was just one caliber for everything, you could do a lot worse than a 30-06. Lots of variety, every rifle out there is offered in it. If you don't reload, ammo is everywhere.
 
Here's another plug for the time-tested 30-06. There is nothing on this continent that the 30-06 will not handle.

I will concede that I would be more comfortable with a little more "oomph" if I were facing a charging Grizzly, but
a good bullet in the 30-06 will put a serious hurt on him too.

JMHO, Dave.
 
I would choose a 308, however other things to consider are the price of the ammunition since there is a huge difference in cost depending upon the caliber chosen, also the recoil which again depends on caliber and the bullet weight. You need to be able to afford to shoot in order to become proficient. I have center fire rifles in 223, 308 and 45/70
 
Last edited:
Live in the south half of BC for 16yrs then another 4 just because.... Seen 1 grizz.

Lived in northern AB going on 4yrs now... See grizz a few times a month.

Lots of moose hunters here drop em with 30/30's an a bunch of old fellas use the trusty .243 for elk...

I'd say for an all arounder in BC you'd be hard pressed to go wrong with anything in a .30cal north of .308, same could be said for 7-08... The 30-06 is the "North American" all arounder IMHO... Will bring the hurt down on anything that you put your sights on and is actually relatively cheap to shoot... If I had to choose a boomer for strolling thru BC hills and trees tho (an I packed a gun or a chainsaw for half the time I lived there) I'd be finding a short action lite weight walking stick like a Remmy model 7 in 7-08 or .308 stuffed full of TSX's or partitions, your not off target by thinking of a guide gun in 45/70 but them lever guns tend to collect the countryside in em over time... A good bolt gun just plain works... For lil critters just grab a game getter an keep it in your pocket.


My .02 anyway
 
Anything in the 308 or 30-06 area is a good place to be. That said, if I was dedicated to shooting smaller game (deer, sheet, goats) then the world is your oyster. However, if you feel the need to step it up and do things like elk or moose, well, I would feel more comfortable with something with Mag in the name. Finally, if I thought there was a significant chance that a grizzly would be causing me troubles, I would want something definitely Mag.

No plans to hunt anything larger than big deer? 308/30-06. This will be enough to provide emergency protection against bear.

Planning to hunt big animals, like elk/moose/grizzly? 338 Win Mag. This has a better/heavier bullet than the 300 mags, and it may make the difference. And it is more suitable for bear protection.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom