Best do-it-all hunting caliber

I started with a Remington 700 SPS in .308 and it was great, I live and hunt in BC and have hunted Deer and bear with the .308. longest shot for me so far has been 200 meters exactly.

Go with the .308 or 30-06 man. If you want to kill game at 600 yard or more you will have to consider what another gentleman on this post suggested and get another gun for longer range kenetic energy transfer. A 6.5 Creedmore will definitely *reach* out to 600 but its not necessarily ethical to shoot at an Elk or Bear with it at ranges such as those, you could make that kill but should you ��.

I use a 7mm rem mag now in .140 gr for deer, I can up my grain size for bear and elk but have successfully killed bear with it. It kicks allot more than my .308.

My wife uses a .308 and is very effective with it.

Its a good question with allot of personal stories that come with the answer. At the end of the day just buy something capable... and then get more! I have several hunting rifles now! ��
 
I echo the 308 or 30-06 as a beginner do all cartridge. Heck, not even just for beginners, those can be (and are) life long do all cartridges.

600 yards is a long shot, especially if there is any wind. I personally don’t drink the long range hunting koolaid. But, as mentioned by others, you would need to decide what bullet you’re going to use, determine it’s minimum expansion velocity and pick a cartridge that will have that bullet at, or higher than, that velocity at whatever your intended range is. There are special bullets made for lower velocity expansion, Hornady ELD-X, Nosler Accubond Long Range.

But as others have mentioned, most game is taken at 200 yards or less. My longest shot ever was on an Antelope, 175 yards, tool in hand: Winchester 94 in 30-30. Bullet straight through the heart, Antelope face plant. My closest shot ever was a whitetail buck, 8 yards, tool in hand: Savage Axis in 6.5 creedmoor. 143 ELD-X straight to the spine just below the scull, deer face plant. Thank goodness I had the high ballistic coefficient bullet, it was windy and my holdovers were crazy! (Sarcasm). Even with the scope as low as it would go (3x) it took patients to place that bullet correctly at that distance, just a lot of fur in the scope!

I still like to target shoot and practice out pretty far at times (sometimes out to 1000 yards), but that’s just for fun, I would never personally shoot at game that far away, too many factors.

THIS IS ACTUALLY IMPORTANT: I recommend that you shoulder and try out as many different brands and models of rifles as possible. Don’t just buy the cheapest thing. Look out for things like cheek weld (scope to eye alignment when you shoulder the rifle). Here’s a good trick: WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED, shoulder the rifle with a scope mounted, then open your shooting eye. You should be looking straight through the scope with the crosshairs perfectly lined up. If not, something needs to change (scope or cheek height). Work the action, see if you prefer 90, 70 or 60 degree actions (referring to bolt lift). Operate the safety, do you like where it is / how it functions? Do you like a safety that locks the bolt closed? Does the length of pull (rear portion of the stock) fit you? Somewhere out there is a rifle that will fit you just right, that’s the one to get.
 
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RYoung said:
Hey guys and gals. I'm relatively new to hunting as well as firearms ownership, but am wanting to get into it more and more as each day progresses. I already have my waterfowl shotgun, and I'm looking for a hunting rifle, but would prefer one caliber that can do it all. In my search for that magical caliber, I stumbled upon a link from Bass Pro in which they have a chart with over a dozen different calibers and categorize what they're best for. 300 WinMag seems to be the only golden caliber (on their chart) that can handle all big game. I know many factors come into play like shot placement, distance, bullet type, weight, etc. But in your expertise, is a 300 WinMag a good, do-it-all caliber? Thanks for your input.

https://1source.basspro.com/news-ti...e-rifle-caliber-chart-pick-right-ammo-hunting
Click to expand...

You’re new to shooting.

Any rifle calibre that ends with “mag” is a bad choice for you.

At appropriate ranges .308 Win will do the job on any North American game if you do your part.

And it is far from being the only non magnum calibre that will.
 
RYoung said:
Hey guys and gals. I'm relatively new to hunting as well as firearms ownership, but am wanting to get into it more and more as each day progresses. I already have my waterfowl shotgun, and I'm looking for a hunting rifle, but would prefer one caliber that can do it all. In my search for that magical caliber, I stumbled upon a link from Bass Pro in which they have a chart with over a dozen different calibers and categorize what they're best for. 300 WinMag seems to be the only golden caliber (on their chart) that can handle all big game. I know many factors come into play like shot placement, distance, bullet type, weight, etc. But in your expertise, is a 300 WinMag a good, do-it-all caliber? Thanks for your input.

https://1source.basspro.com/news-ti...e-rifle-caliber-chart-pick-right-ammo-hunting
Click to expand...

30:06
 
There's not much magical about the endeavor, it's basic physics. The best choice for hunting NA (bear in mind this response assumes hunting everything from coyote to moose to polar bear) is 270win (primarily because of government incompetence in some jurisdictions and the arbitrary caliber restrictions placed on coyote hunting because of parallel big game seasons)... barring government stupidity, 280Rem and 30-06 are also at the top but ammunition availability everywhere makes it a 270 or 30-06 choice.

Magnums work, but aren't necessary and no amount of power compensates for crap shooting: having a magnum will discourage frequent practice simply because of the heavier recoil and higher ammo cost. If these are not valid concerns, fill your boots: There is nothing inherently wrong with 7mm mag, 300wm or anything really provided they meet minimum criteria... use a 338lm if you want. The only drawback is increased hydrostatic shock in the game animal and the increased meat damage: properly placed rounds it's not a great concern, if it were we'd all be using slow and heavy lobbers like the 45-70 or .577snider
 
TT1900 said:
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.
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well i do think you do not know how army is choosing tools ... CR they did not choose the caliber nor the rifle .... the army did ....
 
I get a kick out of people who shoot at 500, 600 yards or more.

How many of you can accurately guestimate an object at 450 yards? Is it 400, 450, or 500 or even 600. Do you know how much your bullet will drop at 400 as opposed to 500 yards? Without a good rangefinder you would be SOL (or maybe get yourself a spotter and pretend you are a sniper)

I have had opportunities to shoot animals at ranges of 500 yards and more and just said no. If I cannot get closer than that then he goes free. I am not going to starve. I wouldn't call myself a hunter if I had to use an artillery piece to reach the animal.

I know a lot of you will say "I do that all the time". My response - you are a better hunter than I am, have a good day
 
RYoung said:
Hey guys and gals. I'm relatively new to hunting as well as firearms ownership, but am wanting to get into it more and more as each day progresses. I already have my waterfowl shotgun, and I'm looking for a hunting rifle, but would prefer one caliber that can do it all. In my search for that magical caliber, I stumbled upon a link from Bass Pro in which they have a chart with over a dozen different calibers and categorize what they're best for. 300 WinMag seems to be the only golden caliber (on their chart) that can handle all big game. I know many factors come into play like shot placement, distance, bullet type, weight, etc. But in your expertise, is a 300 WinMag a good, do-it-all caliber? Thanks for your input.

https://1source.basspro.com/news-ti...e-rifle-caliber-chart-pick-right-ammo-hunting
Click to expand...

Good accurate round; however, as a universal caliber, no. 7 X 57 with light hollow points is great for varmints; heaver 140-175 gr work fine for deer, moose and bear.
If you are in southern Ontario; 6.5 x 66; 260 Remington or 6.5 creedmoore will do everything, including bear; depending on how loaded. All our NA game was taken successfully long before we had magnums. That being said, Magnums do extend your reach; but in a big game hunt the fun stops when the trigger is pulled, and you have to drag that moose a KM through a steep valley with swamp at the bottom.
 
nomad 68 said:
Wonder how many times this question has been posted on cgn? I'm thinking 1000 wouldn't be a crazy guess and probably a bit low lol.
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And we patient old pricks that have been shooting since before Justin's old man was elected PM keep answering.
 
TrollGRG said:
I get a kick out of people who shoot at 500, 600 yards or more.

How many of you can accurately guestimate an object at 450 yards? Is it 400, 450, or 500 or even 600. Do you know how much your bullet will drop at 400 as opposed to 500 yards? Without a good rangefinder you would be SOL (or maybe get yourself a spotter and pretend you are a sniper)

I have had opportunities to shoot animals at ranges of 500 yards and more and just said no. If I cannot get closer than that then he goes free. I am not going to starve. I wouldn't call myself a hunter if I had to use an artillery piece to reach the animal.

I know a lot of you will say "I do that all the time". My response - you are a better hunter than I am, have a good day
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Oh man, you went full fudd. Dear lord
 
TrollGRG said:
I get a kick out of people who shoot at 500, 600 yards or more.

How many of you can accurately guestimate an object at 450 yards? Is it 400, 450, or 500 or even 600. Do you know how much your bullet will drop at 400 as opposed to 500 yards? Without a good rangefinder you would be SOL (or maybe get yourself a spotter and pretend you are a sniper)

I have had opportunities to shoot animals at ranges of 500 yards and more and just said no. If I cannot get closer than that then he goes free. I am not going to starve. I wouldn't call myself a hunter if I had to use an artillery piece to reach the animal.

I know a lot of you will say "I do that all the time". My response - you are a better hunter than I am, have a good day
Click to expand...

383SB said:
Oh man, you went full fudd. Dear lord
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Ok, 383SB, ... if you can call a member here in this forum a fudd (Hunting and Sporting Arms forum), then we want to hear about your hunting kills at 600 yards and beyond!!!

  • Where, when and how?
  • How many kilometers did you carry your rifle on your back?
  • How many height meters did you climb that mountain with your rifle? You surely hiked/climbed 1000 elevation meters up a mountain .... right?
  • How many days were you out in the wild?
  • What other equipment were you carrying on your back? Rangefinder, tripod, etc. ....
  • Please post pictures ... trip report ... link to diary .... !!
 
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383SB said:
Oh man, you went full fudd. Dear lord
Click to expand...

Yeah, really. In my opinion, it's ethical to shoot animals as far away as you can consistently hit the vitals under the current shooting conditions. In variable wind and no rangefinder, maybe 250 yards. On a calm day with a rangefinder, 600 is easy for a lot of people. I won't go into my hunting stories here but I hunt both bald prairies and steep mountainous terrain. You can't always get closer. You ever try sneak up on a whitetail across a billiard table flat, snowy prairie?
 
30-06 is a great middle weight all arounder...if you want less recoil go 308, in you can handle more go one of the 300 magnums.

Oh and BTW, a 308 can easily kill out to 500/600 yards! :)
 
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