Best do-it-all hunting caliber

Most bullets designed to properly expand at minimum impact speed around 1,800 fps. That is what a 30-06 factory load will deliver between 500 and 600 yards with 180 Nosler Partition started at 2,700 to 2,800 feet per second. So a 30-06 180 grain flat base spitzer will meet your range requirements. A 308 Winchester with 165 Partitions will top out at that impact velocity about 500 yards. To get "more", with bigger cartridge, then you must learn to handle more recoil, or use bigger, heavier rifle. So, as above, a 30-06 is a good place to start and many, many hunters stop at that level (or near twin like 270 Win, 280 Rem, 7mm Mag). If you do not hand load, likely lighter recoiling 125 grain factory is better place to start practicing. I have never hunted great bear or bison, but can not think of any hunt I have been on in Western Canada that a full house 30-06 with 180 grain Nosler Partition was inadequate. I have taken many whitetail and mule deer with 308 Win, 7x57 and 30-06 - almost all using 150 to 165 grain Speer and Nosler bullets. I have taken elk with 165 grain 308 Win and 225 grain 338 Win Mag. I have never taken a moose, yet!
 
For do-it-all, it will be barely sufficient for certain game and overkill for most. Overkill is always better than underkill! I started with a 300 WM and still use a 300 WM for everything from whitetail to elk to moose. Totally excessive on deer haha. It will reach out past 600 yards w/o breaking a sweat using high-BC 200gr bullets. My current load 200gr ELD-X load (handloaded much longer than SAAMI spec for more useable case capacity) drops 55" and drifts 18" at 600 yards. That's zeroed at 230 at 2700 ft elevation and 10 mph wind.

Same bullet in my 308 is 98" drop and 26" drift. I don't like to dial more than one rotation of my turret while hunting and this is over 15 MOA of drop - most scopes are 12 MOA per rotation.

30-06 would be somewhere in between.

I was planning a 6.5mm semi auto for deer but Trudeau took a steaming dump on that idea... I might use the 6.5 barrel blank for my Savage 308, instead. Barrel swaps are easy on Savage 110's, btw.

30 calibre is a compromise caliber. Little animals like deer don't need any more than a 243, 257, or 6.5. For big animals like moose, elk, and bison, you won't be overgunned with a 338 Win Mag.

In retrospect, I would have been better off with two main hunting rifles. And I was working toward that... I'd suggest getting a 243 or 6.5 Creedmoor for the little stuff right now (243 is also excellent for coyotes and such) and save up for a 338 or even 375 Ruger in a year or two when you go after bigger animals. 25-06 is also an amazing deer laser but ammo costs a bit more. Same with 270. It works well but I hate it LOL. Think of it this way: deer laser and moose hammer.

You aren't going to shoot a 338 or 375 (or 300, most likely) all that often. It just isn't fun in a sporter weight rifle. But the 375 will go to Africa on a Cape Buffalo hunt without any concerns :).

Yes, a 243 will burn out a barrel a lot faster than 308 but then you can buy a new barrel with a faster twist rate and shoot longer, better BC bullets :).
 
rifleman762 said:
For do-it-all, it will be barely sufficient for certain game and overkill for most. Overkill is always better than underkill! I started with a 300 WM and still use a 300 WM for everything from whitetail to elk to moose. Totally excessive on deer haha. It will reach out past 600 yards w/o breaking a sweat using high-BC 200gr bullets. My current load 200gr ELD-X load (handloaded much longer than SAAMI spec for more useable case capacity) drops 55" and drifts 18" at 600 yards. That's zeroed at 230 at 2700 ft elevation and 10 mph wind.

Same bullet in my 308 is 98" drop and 26" drift. I don't like to dial more than one rotation of my turret while hunting and this is over 15 MOA of drop - most scopes are 12 MOA per rotation.

30-06 would be somewhere in between.

I was planning a 6.5mm semi auto for deer but Trudeau took a steaming dump on that idea... I might use the 6.5 barrel blank for my Savage 308, instead. Barrel swaps are easy on Savage 110's, btw.

30 calibre is a compromise caliber. Little animals like deer don't need any more than a 243, 257, or 6.5. For big animals like moose, elk, and bison, you won't be overgunned with a 338 Win Mag.

In retrospect, I would have been better off with two main hunting rifles. And I was working toward that... I'd suggest getting a 243 or 6.5 Creedmoor for the little stuff right now (243 is also excellent for coyotes and such) and save up for a 338 or even 375 Ruger in a year or two when you go after bigger animals. 25-06 is also an amazing deer laser but ammo costs a bit more. Same with 270. It works well but I hate it LOL. Think of it this way: deer laser and moose hammer.

You aren't going to shoot a 338 or 375 (or 300, most likely) all that often. It just isn't fun in a sporter weight rifle. But the 375 will go to Africa on a Cape Buffalo hunt without any concerns :).

Yes, a 243 will burn out a barrel a lot faster than 308 but then you can buy a new barrel with a faster twist rate and shoot longer, better BC bullets :).
Click to expand...

A fair bit of technical lingo, but I get the jist. I'm thinking I will have to settle for a 'lesser' caliber for now. stock up my freezer with smaller big game, and stick all that money I saved from the grocery store and put it into the 'bigger caliber big game rifle' jar. I was thinking that might be the case, but as mentioned, if there was a golden cartridge, that's what I was seeing if I could find.
 
I wouldn't even hesitate to shoot a bison with a 30-06. As stated... stay away from big magnums and get a smaller cartrige that you will enjoy becoming proficient with.
 
If you are asking what cartridge is good to kill large game out to 600 yards, you probably don't have the skill or knowledge to shoot a deer past 150 yards.

Get yourself a .308 or a 6.5 Creedmoor and a case of ammo and hit the range once a week, develop your skills. Both cartridges are easily capable of killing out to about 400 yards and further for the skilled shooter. By the time your case of ammo is gone and you shoot a few deer and moose you will better understand what is required in gear, skill and opportunity to kill an animal at 600 yards in BC. The reality is that most BC game is shot within 200 yards. My longest kill was around 400.

My do all cartridge for some time now has been a 300WSM in a custom M70, but it could easily be a 7RM, 300WM, 30-06, 6.5PRC, .280 or dozens of other cartridges. But I have killed big game in BC with everything from .223 to 375 Ruger and I tend to pick whatever rifle appeals to me at that time.
 
Lots of suggestions , all with their merits.

Here is the long and the short of it, disregard any definition of "over gunned" you cannot be(I'll go into this later) , you can however be under gunned.

To answer your question.

A 300 WM will do it all in N.America.

Being over gunned and causes excess damage is a moot point IMO , game damage comes from lack of proper bullet use - not what your rifle is chambered in. A 25/06 with a varmit or fragile bullet light weight bullet will do far more meat damage than a heavy stout bullet in your 300WM on large game.Use a bonded or partition type bullet in your rifle of choice and you will have no issues taking game reliably of any size at any distance within it's limits and typical hunting distances.

What a larger/stronger chambering does is allow you sufficient energy and speed for proper bullet expansion as your ranges increase.

There are dozens of do all calibers out there but there are lower end limitations.As a minimum for large game within 250-300 yards I would go .260 Remington/7-08 Remington type and up(this excludes large bears).

Large bears or dangerous game in Canada I would go as a minimum larger capacity .284 chamberings (7mm RM, & 7mm STW etc............)

The 300 Wm has as much over the counter variety of ammo as does a 30/06 and many other chanberings out there, it is a retail plethora.40 years ago yes, say 30/06, .308 , .270 due to ammo availability but that isn't the case any more.

I'm not going to get into recoil, custom loading or any of that as it doesn't pertain to the OP's question as well, there is no black and white answer and lots of grey area and over lap.
 
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Whatever you choose you need to learn to shoot it. Shoot from all shooting positions (standing, sitting, kneeling, prone, off sticks if thinking of Africa). Get comfortable with it. You owe it to the game you are hunting to be a ethical hunter. Don't skimp on optics. You can get a good hunting setup for around $1000.
Lots of good suggestions listed. As you have stated you shoot a waterfowl shotgun so you have some knowledge of recoil. Not sure if a 300WM would be an ideal choice to start but to each his own.
My suggestion would echo many others such as 6.5, 270, 7mm, 308, 30/06, 8mm. If hunting in heavier cover a 35 Rem, 444 Marlin, 45/70, etc might be in order. Generally in North America you don't need a magnum cartridge to kill game (exception might be Alaskan bears or Polar bears. An African PH told me one time that you can take a relaxed lion with a 243, but if you pizz it off a Sherman tank might be in order). Again it comes down to what ever you choose learn to shoot it!
 
I see the DG/bear argument frequently used to justify larger calibre or higher velocity offerings. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but food for thought is the new Canadian Ranger rifle. When CR’s were given the chance to spec the replacement for their .303’s, they chose .308. These are folks who frequently run into the big bears, regularly sustenance hunt, and didn’t see a need to go bigger.
 
I think it depends on where you hunt. In eastern canada a 308win would be a good cartridge for a new hunter but out west I would prefer a 270win. I usually recommend a 30-06 as a good all around cartridge, cause it is. When you consider that most of our hunting is for deer I believe a 270 has an advantage, especially if you decide to hunt mountain game. A 270 is flatter shooting than a 30-06 and has a little less recoil which is more noticeable in a light weight rifle. The 270 loaded with 110 gr bullets at 3400 fps would be a good choice for Pronghorn antelope. You could add coyote to the list as well. Loaded with 130 gr ttsx or 140 - 150 gr bullets it is easily capable of ELK and Moose. The 270 is a good cartridge as is the 30-06. jmo
 
.375 H&H for the world; 300 Win for North America. That's easy, practical and verging on boring. ;)

Trouble is; people who have to ask probably shouldn't be shooting either one yet, and people (and thats a pretty elite group) who plan to hunt everything don't need and don't want one rifle.

Better to consider what you are really going to do, where you are going to do it, where you are as a shooter and gear up from there.
 
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