One rifle, one calibre, one cartride.

I'd be perfectly happy with my winchester model 70 fratherweight pre '64 action in .270 win with a federal premium 150gr.
 
30/06; 180 grain Nosler partition. Boring, effective

Yup. The 30-06 and 180gr Partition is the starting point then you can go up and not feed like you have the wrong cartridge. Not much need to go up past the 366 Wagner if the goal is to maintain an all around do everything rifle.

As for platform, that's subjective. I tend toward a bolt rifle with controlled feeding and a low to mid power scope. Backup irons are nice to have but not a necessity. I wouldn't touch a semi auto with a 10 foot pole for hunting in the far North. Too much chance that it will gum up and too hard to strip to clean. A bolt that can be disassembled without tools is a major plus. For that I like the Winchester and Mauser. The Ruger, while easy enough to disassemble, still requires something to lock the striker back since the safety isn't mounted on the shroud. Something small and thin will fit in the hole but, as with anything, if you need a tool to do it then it can be lost which leaves you SOL.
 
Good bolt gun...typical M70, Rem 700, Ruger M77....etc.... In 300 Win Mag, any game at any distance. Bit of overkill on small deer, under gunned but still gets her done on the largest/toughest in NA.

Good premium factory or handloads in premium projectile....whatever that particular rifle likes to eat.
 
You listed sheep as an animal you would hunt. To me that suggests long range. 7mm or 300win mag would work. I would research what is going to give you the best ballistic coefficient for the longer shots in the 30 cal and upward range so you still have the energy to drop a bear.
 
If you had to choose one make and model of rifle in one calibre using one cartridge suitable for use in all weather for all North American big game, from deer to sheep to bear, what would it be? Not interested in load versatility etc...just sticking with a single set up and single load. Thoughts?

If I had to stick with one it would be the Cooper model 52 in 30-06 with 180 partitions.
 
Thanks everyone! Curious, just how much is gained stepping up from 30-06 to 300 wm? Also, where does 300 wsm fit in the picture, or is it not worth talking about?
 
If I had Yukon in front of my name, I'd seriously consider a .338WM. Cover you for everything from sheep to bison to grizz. With 185-grain bullets recoil is most manageable and it's an very effective 500-yard cartridge.
 
Crazy question. Too many right answers. Bigger is not always better. 50 BMG might be to much for a coyote ... lol :)

IMHO 7.62x51 NATO/.308 ... just an opinion ...
 
For the rifle a Sako Finnlight, cartridge 30-06, bullet 200gr Accubond @2700fps. This set up will kill easily to 500yds and range to 1000yds ( mine does so with <2moa precision).
 
Thanks everyone! Curious, just how much is gained stepping up from 30-06 to 300 wm? Also, where does 300 wsm fit in the picture, or is it not worth talking about?

That depends on what you are really getting out of each. I've had several 30-06s and still have 4. Using 180s for an example most of mine are hard pressed to get 2700 fps with 180s no matter what the book says. The latest; which has a 26" Benchmark barrel is walkin' out of there at 2850 fps with H4350 which is about as ordinary a load for the '06 as you are likely to find. It seems like the exception, and you have probably noticed that there aren't a lot of 26" 30-06s around.

Contrast that to my 26" barrelled .300 Wins which idle along at 3150 fps with a load that is backed off a tad for longer case life. It gets a little hard to ignore velocity differences of 450 fps. Oh sure, there's probably someone with a slow .300 with a whimp load out there. I cant help noticing that the difference between my own 30-06s and .300s resembles the difference between my average '06 and the long piped 94 Winchester 30-30 I have. Its not exactly the same spread or exactly the same weight, but close enough to be something to ponder.

The other thing you are going to get is about half again as much recoil. That may mean nothing to you, or might be a deal breaker.
 
If I had to cut all my other options loose......a vague description would be a Winchester Model 70 CRF with a #3 at 23" bedded into an Echols Legend. Probably with Oberndorf bottom metal, and Talley steel rings on top. A banded front sight, with attachable rear peep. All in .338 Win Mag and the sensible load would be 225gr Accubonds at 2850fps...
I'd scope it with a 1.5-6 or 2.5-8 of some sort.
 
Thanks everyone! Curious, just how much is gained stepping up from 30-06 to 300 wm? Also, where does 300 wsm fit in the picture, or is it not worth talking about?

I get quite a bit more velocity with 200gr Partitions out of a .300 WM than I do with 180gr Partitions out of a .30-06 - and I really like the 200gr Partition. In fact, my 220gr Partition load in the .300 WM is still quite a bit faster than the 180gr Partition loads in the .30-06 - 2850 fps for the former and 2700 fps for the latter (both chronographed). I would certainly go with the .300WM in your neck of the woods.
 
Marlin 1895GS in .45-70 with a fixed-power low-magnification scope. No question.

But I'm not limited to only one.

Good luck shooting sheep in BC across mountain ranges wih that brick of a load. You might as well get a sword and ninja the things to death considering how close you'll have to get. :D

One for everything would be either a rem700 in 30-06 or 300 win mag. I would say 30-06 does everything very very well.
 
Um the 45/70 has killed probably millions of buffalo from a long range. With the right load they can reach out no problem.
 
Um the 45/70 has killed probably millions of buffalo from a long range. With the right load they can reach out no problem.


They carry the energy to be lethal at longer range... few possess the skill to properly place the bullets at long range.
 
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