new hunter how many calibers?

kodiakjack said:
Where do you live Jay? Or, I should say, where do you intend to hunt? Same location for yotes and deer?
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yes same area. as a new hunter id prob go after deer next. if i get a chance to go with a group id rather eat elk or moose.
not trying to change my mind on everyone. i just like the option to go a bit bigger then deer. that's one of the reasons im less interested in .243. i think i see what your getting at though, im walking along looking for deer with my 308 and i see a coyote..... 308 cuts them in half.
 
jay smith said:
yes same area. as a new hunter id prob go after deer next. if i get a chance to go with a group id rather eat elk or moose.
not trying to change my mind on everyone. i just like the option to go a bit bigger then deer. that's one of the reasons im less interested in .243. i think i see what your getting at though, im walking along looking for deer with my 308 and i see a coyote.....

308 cuts them in half.
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Where are you though? Or where are you hunting? Eastern Ontario? Different terrain calls for different rifles...
 
jay smith said:
my bad. British Columbia Okanogan area, the Kootenays and maybe norther bc but thats a big maybe.
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Been there, done that....... a 223 and a 308 is a great combo....... but, as much as I don't like Swiss Army knives and prefer dedicated rifles, I can't argue with a 270 in your case....... if you are hard set on only one.....
 
Not to sound like a broken record, but the 308 is so versatile..
Bit bias though, my favorite cartridge all day long..
 
I've always been of the school of thought, that one should (if money is a concern) start with the most versatile platform, then, as money permits, expand one's inventory with more job specific rifles. Eventually, accumulating enough tools in the war chest, that the original platform becomes redundant, and can be sold, or just kept for sentimental reasons.

I started with a 12 gauge. It did me for everything from ducks to bunnies to deer and even moose. But as time went on, I added more and more to my inventory that did a better job at each task. Today, that old shotgun hardly ever leaves the safe.

For your situation, my own suggestion would be to get a 270 (or 270wsm if you dig it). It'll work from coyotes up to moose. It's a little heavy for coyotes, but you said you wanted to keep the pelts, not sell them. So perhaps you wouldn't mind a bigger tear in the pelt, and the story that goes along with it... I think you can get bullets as light as 90gr (?)
 
good suggestions so far, for me though I go with 7.62x39, 7.62x51, .22lr, 12gauge. That pretty much covers it. happy hunting.
 
SuperCub said:
I can. ........ The 243.

It will do anything the 250Savage will do and be a lot easier to find in the form of rifles, ammo and reloading kit.
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New Camper said:
I know it has dwindled to a small market, almost obsolete now in the world of cartridge fad... but a niche like you mentioned I can't think of anything better than a 250 Savage. Everything up to black bear/deer, without excess recoil, muzzle blast, overbore... I'm surprised this round is not more popular for young hunters, recoil shy, small women and sensible men.
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I wasn't making the argument that the 250 Savage was easier to obtain: I was implying that it has pointlessly declined in popularity. Yes, they both can do what the other does, but the 250 does it without being grossly overbore. Charles Newton had things figured in 1915 when he designed it, but brilliant ideas often get squashed in the latest "greatest" craze. Forty years later, someone merely necked down the 308... more noise, faster barrel burning only to obtain a slightly flatter trajectory and the original development gets flushed... Not to detract from the fact that the 243 is a capable cartridge: I have one... that I intend on re-barrelling to 250Sav. ;) Actually I intend on picking up a couple Remington model Seven (appropriately re-barrelled), someday in hopes of giving to wife/children... Daddy the square. :)
 
PEKS said:
Not to sound like a broken record, but the 308 is so versatile..
Bit bias though, my favorite cartridge all day long..
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The case of the 308 is short of powder capacity. Not until it has been necked down to a .243 does it start to measure up. But, by then the bullet is too small for a big game cartridge.
 
Ron AKA said:
The case of the 308 is short of powder capacity. Not until it has been necked down to a .243 does it start to measure up. But, by then the bullet is too small for a big game cartridge.
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I think they nailed it... Sunray.
 
A 233 or 22-250 make for a very nice coyote rifle. As for deer and up well that really is a harder question. Magnums are expensive to feed and not necessarily any better. I think the top four choices would be 30-06, 270, 7mm-08 or 308. If you're after a model 70 then the last two will be hard to find.
 
Ron AKA said:
The case of the 308 is short of powder capacity. Not until it has been necked down to a .243 does it start to measure up. But, by then the bullet is too small for a big game cartridge.
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Last 4 Decades has proven well for most of my hunting, go with what I know..
I like my Big Bores too, cheers..
 
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