Favourite hunting cartridge

In 1976 I purchased a used Remington model 788 LH in 6MM REM. It's taken black bear, deer, caribou, coyote, even jack rabbit and cottontail, head shot ruffed grouse. It has a special place in my heart!
 
Johnn Peterson said:
;)Same here. I like to give all 'members' in the safe a turn in the lime light. Two at present, a 308 Norma Magnum and a 348 WCF. A new 'member' and a;) runner up for future mention, 6.5 CreedMoor.
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ohh tell me about it..
currrent faves are 7mm 08 and 30-06............. also will change soonly.
 
For a few more years than I probably want to admit it’s been the 30/06.
For me it’s been a “goldilocks” cartridge…not to much recoil, but not under gunned.
Plus, the rifles I’ve had it in are very accurate and in a hunting platform, for me, this is #1.
Very confidence inspiring.
6.5x55 was a close second, followed by the 300WM.
Looking for a replacement (as always), probably wind up in the 6.5 to 7mm range, so many good choices in there though…hard to make up my mind…
 
My Moose hunting Party one hour north of North Bay, Ontario; also near Red Lake, near Huntsville, Ontario:
1. .338wm Bolt
2. 30.06 Bolt
3. .270 Bolt
4. 45/70 Lever
5. 30/30 lever
6. 308 Bolt
All Meat Producers from Bull,Cow, and Calf Moose every year ( that's if we get a Tag ;)
 
The Kurgan said:
That .58 Hawkins sounds interesting, so does the Snider.
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The Fraser River was the only rifle I used for many years, hunting , guiding and trapping. Love that rifle.
It will still shoot well offhand at 100 and I can hit a 24" gong at 200 fairly regular with it, but that is really stretching the fixed open sights- and my eyes! LOL
The Snider is just cool, and I have zeroes from 25 to 200 with it, it has a Peddie ladder sight installed with a peep.
Cat
 
Going out on a limb here, but the 222 melds its way into my lifestyle once again as in the not too distant past.

There's many colder months of the Canadian year that this cartridge fulfills a need. After the fall upland season is done and the shotgun is set aside......calling season is upon us.

Spring and summer is best for handgun target practice in my household.
 
Over the years, there's a number of items I have in the safe, that have all taken turns being a favorite. The most recent that I hope to give that title to with a little field experience this year is a Winchester model 71 deluxe in 348 WCF.
 
6mm Rem has put more than 200 big game animals in the freezer, even elk and moose. Made me a pile of cash from coyotes and fox back in the late 80s. Crazy accurate and no recoil.

270Win is a king. Low recoil, easy to find ammo on the shelf, and can knock down anything in North America and almost everything in Africa.

270WSM happens to be my "go to" rifle for everything.

35Whelen is simply amazing. Currently working on a new 35.
 
Well, There has been a lot of favourites, but to begin at the beginning...

My favourite cartridge was the .308 for about 20 years because it was just a tad better at everything than the .303 British that I shot my first big game animals with. For many years and many animals the .308 did all I could ask, and then some. It still works, and would be my choice if I was limited to only one cartridge to hunt Canadian big game, but where's the fun in that???

Cartridge favourites are heavily influenced by rife type. As I explored classic European rifles and cartridges, the 7x57 became very prominent. A Brno 22F 7x57 soon rose to the position of favourite, not because it was better than the .308, but as the .308's equal, the combination of the 7x57 cartridge and Brno rifle was just so elegant, stylish, historical, and capable. Then I became enamoured with combination guns and drillings. There's not point in chambering a break action rifle in a rimless cartridge when a rimmed cartridge is better in every way. So I became a fan of the 7x57r.

But European hunters have long since passed over the 7x57 in favour of the 7x64. Wow. Love it. Versatile, fast, powerful, low recoil, and has the panache of a somewhat exotic choice. My favourite in a few different rifles. It's everything the .280 Remington should have been the first time, but Remington screwed up that one and in comparison the .280 has no real reason to exist. The 7x64 did it all first, a couple decades earlier, and better.

But then bigger game called. Nothing more traditional than the .35 Whelen for elk and moose and bears and such critters in North America. I've taken a couple dozen elk and a few moose and several other big animals with a couple different .35 Whelen rifles. Very, Very decisive even when pounding bullets through big humerus bones and into the vitals. Never a failure if i did my part. I like that a lot. Powerful, predictable game killing performance, with manageable recoil. I don't desire any more "long range " capabilities, it delivers what I need. The .35 Whelen became a loyal favourite.

But then Africa called. No proper African hunter shoots a .35 Whelen when he could be using the first, best , and most capable medium bore of all, and the one with the most worldwide acclaim, the 9.3x62. After taking Kudu, and Gemsbok, and Giraffe with my 9.3x62, and some Elk back home, I came to appreciate the cartridge as a "new to me" classic choice. It is a current favourite.

And oddly, the one cartridge that I have hunted with the least but obsessed over the most has the qualities of a favourite that I have passed over when it came to the final choice. The .375 H&H is the one cartridge that is universally acclaimed as the most capable and versatile in almost any situation, for almost any game, around the globe. I have owned and shot 5 different .375 rifles, each one was a marvel and a very capable tool. I still have two. I have used them to successfully hunt black bear and moose and elk and whitetail, but sadly never Cape Buffalo or any other dangerous game.

I chose a Merkel double rifle chambered in .450-400 3" Nitro express for the buffalo. Pretty specialized, but i like it a lot...
 
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I use all of the ones in my safe, from 204r to 458wm, but when it gets down to the nitty gritty, end of season, I always seem to find myself grabbing the 30-06.... It just works. Not necessarily a "favorite", but most definitely "trusted". I hope that makes sense.
 
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