Pick a cartridge.

The Magic 7

I have owned several 7mm08s and never had a problem. It in my opinion is the best deer cartridge ever made. I have had excellent results on bear deer and moose with this cartridge. I have one now and wouldnt part with it unless i found another 7mm08 i like more. I call it the Magic 7.

Sandy
 
No magnums? Sorry, guess I don't fit into your view of the world then. 338 WM all the way.

Though my next choice would probably be the 7mm08, I greatly enjoy shooting this caliber at the range, and if I were limiting myself to mulies and smaller, it'd be my go to gun.
 
.270 Winchester in a Dakota Model 10, HAlf octagon 25" barrel and a Leupold VX III 3.5-10 w/ german #4. I wouldn't be able to put it down. Ahhhhhhhhhh........:adult:
 
Perhaps a definition of a general purpose rifle is in order. When it comes to killing game from squirrels to cape buff, my .375 is the rifle I reach for. To me that pretty covers general purpose, but in a non-magnum the .30-06 is my choice without hesitation.

While I have no quarrel with the ballistics of the .303, I believe that the LE is at a disadvantage if MOA accuracy is part of the equation, although I have seen a couple that could manage it, and a P-14 can be as accurate and easy to scope as any modern sporter.

The thing about the .308 is this, if you choose it because it approaches .30-06 ballistics, why not just get an '06?

The debate over which is more accurate short action or long has no merit when considering hunting rifles. It has little merit when considering target rifles either, otherwise large caliber long range rifles would of never seen the light of day if they were not accurate.

The .270, .280, and .284 are all proven performers, and would be the cartridges expected to be chosen by those whose experience has been in open country. IMHO, they do not make the cut as general purpose cartridges because they lack heavy bullets. The .30-06 does not lack a fine selection of heavy bullets, yet the '06 will match the sub .30's trajectory when loaded with the appropriate, high BC bullet.

In my experience, the .30-06 works wonders as a small game round when loaded with cast bullets. It works well as a varmint rifle when loaded with bullets under 150 grs. It works well against medium game when loaded with bullets from 150-180 grs. It works well against big game and dangerous game when loaded with bullets weights over 180 grs. The '06 performs well on the rifle range when loaded with the appropriate match bullet, and in my opinion gives up little to the .308 in terms of long range accuracy.
 
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6.5x55

pharaoh2 said:
If you were going to buy a standard cartridgem (Non-magnum) as a general purpose round, that would see lot's of range time, and used for deer sized critters, what would you want? .7mm-08, .308, .270, .280 or 30-06?

Well following those criteria, the cartridge I would choose would be the 6.5x55 swedish mauser
 
For deer size critters and range/plinking...

My vote would go to the 7.62x39...

At some point in time, I really want to get one of those CZ 527 Carbine, I think it would be great for such a job :)
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sillymike said:
For deer size critters and range/plinking...

My vote would go to the 7.62x39...

At some point in time, I really want to get one of those CZ 527 Carbine, I think it would be great for such a job :)
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7.62x39? I like the 6.5x55 and 7x57.
 
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