Best do-it-all hunting caliber

I was hoping to first pick the cartridge, find a decent rifle chambered in that cartridge, then spend lots of time sighting it in and experimenting with it at range. I'm not one to buy something and test it in the bush. I know there are several variable that can make or break a shot. I'm just asking, if conditions are perfect, what is the most versatile cartridge for all larger game at ranges between 100 to 600 plus yards?

I’ve been shooting and hunting for something like 28 years now and I’d still dial that down to 100-300 or maybe 100-400 yards. Vitals get kinda small over a quarter mile away. Not saying you can’t do it, but everything gets magnified every hundred yards away with less and less energy left. At 600 yards a foot back (2moa) on an animal can put the bullet through the stomach instead of the lungs. Even shooting paper we all pull a shot once in a while and hunting is way more exciting than shooting paper. If hunting ever stops being exciting it’s time to find a new hobby. On that note, I like 6.5x55, 270, 30-06, 7mm rem mag, but I own about 10 hunting rifles between .223 and .375 h&h and they all have their place.

If you are set on longer range hunting, the 7mm rem mag or 300 win mag are exceptional, but ammunition cost and recoil are up there compared to the boringly good 30’06. One of my best friends 1 shot dropped a spike bull moose at 425 a few years back with a fairly regular 3-9x40 scope on a 30-06 win model 70 featherweight with trust and confidence in his rifle and practice.

One thing to consider is weight of rifle and using a brake or not. A non braked featherweight 30-06 sucks off the bench after a few. My heavier and braked .375h&h is much more pleasant to shoot. If you reload, you can always get a larger cartridge and load it lower than max. Whenever I seem to be pushing a rifle a bit, I look for a bigger one and start over. Lower pressure loads shoot nice and brass lasts longer ;)
 
Tikka T3x in 30- 06 or 7mm rem mag.
I live and hunt in BC.
If you can take the slightly heavier recoil, go 7mm rem mag and get a a Tikka T3x lite or super lite.
You won’t need another rifle.
 
I love the 6.5x55 but if one is not a handloader the ammunition in hard to find.
Where do you find new 7x57 rifles these days besides the Zastava at Tradex?

Prvi SP 139 gr
S&B SPCE 173 gr
Norma Oryx 156 gr
Federal Power-Shok SP 175 gr / 140 gr
... and there are other Euro brands
... most of the above noted brands also come in FMJ, which make fun plinking rounds.

Commercial ammo is not that hard to find in 7x57, as for rifles, that's a whole different story. It seems 7mm-08 has mostly replaced the venerable 7x57. There are definitely runs of 7x57 with some of the Euro manufacturers, but they often don't show up on our shores.

Winchester made a run of Model70 Featherweights in 7x57
Ruger made their M77 and No1 in 7x57 (Hoyt would know more about that)
Cooper chambers in 7x57
Zastava, as you note, builds the model 70 in 7x57

Personally, I'd look for a lightly used Brno model 21 in 7x57 and never look back. :)
 
Prvi SP 139 gr
S&B SPCE 173 gr
Norma Oryx 156 gr
Federal Power-Shok SP 175 gr / 140 gr
... and there are other Euro brands
... most of the above noted brands also come in FMJ, which make fun plinking rounds.

Commercial ammo is not that hard to find in 7x57, as for rifles, that's a whole different story. It seems 7mm-08 has mostly replaced the venerable 7x57. There are definitely runs of 7x57 with some of the Euro manufacturers, but they often don't show up on our shores.

Winchester made a run of Model70 Featherweights in 7x57
Ruger made their M77 and No1 in 7x57 (Hoyt would know more about that)
Cooper chambers in 7x57
Zastava, as you note, builds the model 70 in 7x57

Personally, I'd look for a lightly used Brno model 21 in 7x57 and never look back. :)

Thank you.
 
Yes - we decided on the 30-06

Now we just have to figure out the delivery system. My vote is for a Ruger #1. If you can't do it with one round you should spend more time at the range shooting in field conditions.
 
I saw the Ruger #1 in the list of newly prohibited firearms, in there with the large caliber African game hunting rifles. It didn't have a caliber listed with it but I definitely saw the Ruger #1 listed.
I'm not sure what that means for a 30-06 caliber though.
This OIC is confusing and retarded...… and unjust.
 
I saw the Ruger #1 in the list of newly prohibited firearms, in there with the large caliber African game hunting rifles. It didn't have a caliber listed with it but I definitely saw the Ruger #1 listed.
I'm not sure what that means for a 30-06 caliber though.
This OIC is confusing and retarded...… and unjust.

The ruger #1 was only prohibited in 460. All other calibers are still legal, although the 10000 joules capable rule could probably be applied to damn near all of them due to the strength of the action.
 
I figured that might be the case but I don't trust them..... according to trudope my rifle is an AR10 when it is by design , not an ar-10 or a variant of one
if the receiver is the gun..... I wouldn't put it past them to try and push more firearms into the ban list.
 
Best all around caliber, in MY opinion: tree-oh-eight!

.300 WM is fine for all but cost more. A .308 can do anything a .300 WM can.

The cheapest part of your hunt is that bullet for your kill.Why is the price of a lunch debated unless one is so cheap that $1.50 difference is a big deal? ;)

And actually the .308 can't do anything a 300Wm does, it can do similar but at way less performance.
 
The cheapest part of your hunt is that bullet for your kill.Why is the price of a lunch debated unless one is so cheap that $1.50 difference is a big deal? ;)

And actually the .308 can't do anything a 300Wm does, it can do similar but at way less performance.

Agreed, performance isn't really comparable. But, personally I believe anything over 30-06 is overkill in Canada. Or perhaps anywhere on Earth.
 
The cheapest part of your hunt is that bullet for your kill.Why is the price of a lunch debated unless one is so cheap that $1.50 difference is a big deal? ;)

I could never understand this myself. The bullet is likely the cheapest part of your hunt, you owe it to the animal to use a quality bullet that will kill and not just wound if it encounters heavy bone.
 
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