Rifle: One Size Fits All?

APF1985

APF1985

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Hi All,

Im looking at getting my first hunting rifle soon and had a few questions for the seasoned pro's out there.

1. Do you guys have a "one size fits all" rifle that you use for everything from deer, elk & moose, all the way up to a grizzly or a bison, if you had the chance? Or do you have one rifle for deer size, one rifle for moose/elk, and possibly another rifle for anything larger?

2. What calibre would you suggest for the above scenarios? Either your "one size fits all" calibre, or what calibre would you use on each size of above animal?

I plan on starting out this year with just deer, and have read that a .243 will do the trick quite nicely. I suppose I am torn as to whether to be cost effective with a single rifle for all, or get 2 or 3 rifles depending on what im going after on that trip.

Your wisdom is greatly appreciated!
 
There is only one one-size-fits-all, and that is .375 H&H. For North America only, a .300 Win Mag or .338 Mag would serve well. These will give you true across the board capability, not just barely squeezing by at the heavy end of the game spectrum like say a .30-06. I've seen .30-06 class cartridges on Bison and they are very marginal.

Just learn to manage the very manageable recoil of a magnum and you will be grateful for its increased versatility and abilities. A lot is made of the magnum's recoil when in actuality it's is entirely manageable, you just need to practice.
 
For a new hunter I'd suggest going with something in the .270, .280, 30-06, 7mm Rem range. I like a .300,.338 or .375 just as much as anyone but trying to start with one isn't doing yourself any favors.
 
I'd say to you; how much shooting have you done, and do you handload?

In a perfect world, whatever anybody says, the ideal is to handload. Then you can tailor your cartridge/caliber of choice to a much wider number of game animals. The .30-06 will comfortably take anything that walks, in N.A., when loaded with appropriate bullets.

If you've never played around with a center-fire, at all, I'd be inclined to recommend the .30-06, and use 'Premium' bullets (180-200grain). Either buy 'em over the counter, or handload them.

Otherwise, if you're looking for the one-size-fits-all, then go for the .338WM for Alberta. Again, I would recommend handloading and tailoring the bullet to the species of animals you like to encounter.

But that's just my opinion.
 
30-06 all the way. You be able to kill anything in North America. Factory rounds are cheap and easy to come by. Everything from coyotes/wolves to moose and bear, will drop when that gun goes bang. Rounds range from 110 to 220 grains, and a huge collection of bullet designs. Good luck.
 
Thanks for all the input guys!

I have not yet broken into hand loading. This is something that will come sooner or later. Im not too concerned with recoil, i have some experience with centerfires, .243 & 12 gauge mostly. Im leaning towards a .300WM at this point, though something a little smaller and cheaper sounds good too. Im also interested in using the rifle for precision distance shooting, for siggles & ghits :)
 
Forget all the above nonsense......

308 Norma MagNUM.

If the chaps way back in days of yore would of branded it the
308 Winchester Magnum, she would be everyones favorite............:wave:

Tizz sooo.
 
Problem is finding cartridges, .300 Win Mag is on more shelves than .308 these days. It'll reach further than the shooter can as well, and has proper all around authority. If he aspires to hunt Zama Bison or the open herd west of Wood Buffalo, a .300 is strongly advised over a .30-06.

I you're comfortable with 3" Mag 12 gauge, .300 Win is even easier on the shoulder.
 
I like the idea of a .300WM. Im looking at the Tikka T3 Lite from Cabelas for a rifle.

As mentioned in my original post, im looking for an all around rifle & cartridge to cover any beast I could possibly go after in the next 30 years. Starting with deer, and maybe someday flying up north to go after a Buffalo.

If I want something to shoot all day for precision, ill look at a .243 or a 30-06.

Thanks again guys!!
 
You may not like the T3 Lite in 300 Win Mag if you use a full bore 200 grain load.
They are inclined to come back with some authority, and tend to "jump" quite a lot as well.
The standard T3 is much nicer to shoot off the bench, especially with a quality recoil pad.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
One size fits all...375 H&H. Works good in north america...300 Win Mag. Bare minimum for everything in north america...30-06(legal to hunt bison with here when loaded appropriately...wouldn't be close to my first choice to use). My $0.02.
 
Now you guys have me all thinking!

Perhaps better to get a smaller caliber, perhaps a .243 (which I have plenty of experience with) for deer, elk & moose. And then down the road when considering doing a frizz, buffalo, or even a safari I should get a second rifle for that stuff?
 
.243 is far too light to be fair to Elk and Moose, there will be people who will chime in "Works great", but I view it as a stunt and only suitable in such situations for minors and the disabled. .300 Win Mag as we're already discussing here is as close to an ideal Elk and Moose chambering as they come, .30-06 no slouch either but slightly less so on Elk, especially at range. Moose aren't particularly tough and any of the usuals heavy 6.5mm / .264 and up would be appropriate, just my small change.
 
"...seen .30-06 class cartridges on Bison and..." Operator failure.
You don't need a magnum anything for any game in North America. Including big bears. Magnums cause more wounded game than anything else due to the excessive muzzle blast and felt recoil. If a rifle isn't fun to shoot, especially for an FNG, the owner won't practice with it.
Any standard .30ish calibre(.30-06, .308, .303, 8mm Mauser, etc) with the right bullet and the skill to place the bullet properly will do nicely.
"...am torn..." It'll come down to your budget. Think in terms of the cost of ammo and the time to practice with whatever rifle you end up buying. You have to be able to hit a 9" pie plate, off hand, at 100 yards, every time. A .243 will kill deer sized game and black bears with no fuss, but it's too light for larger game like moose and elk.
 
sunray, how many Bison have you hunted and how many big bears? Please don't spread misinformation based on what you've read on the Internet, you do everyone a disservice for personal satisfaction alone.

.30-06 as a Bison cartridge leaves loads to be desired, they are enormous animals with enormous hearts and a lot of blood. They can also be far tougher than anything else in North America. .30-06 will kill them, but not well with one little mistake, a .338 Win Mag will make it a lot cleaner in the second scenario. You need perfect shot placement with a .30-06 to drop one quickly, been there. A hit that would drop a Moose in fifty yards can have you a Bison going kms. They are that tough.

I would appreciate your experiences hunting Bison as a fellow learns new things daily. I'm just afraid this is a Chuck Hawks scenario, "Never done it, have expert opinion however."
 
You're guy's wealth of information has educated me beyond words.

What I plan to do is stick with a .243 for deer & blackbear, as that is all I will be hunting in the immediate, foreseeable future. In a year or two, when I start looking at going after some bigger game (grizz, moose, elk, etc), i think i will go with the .300WM.
 
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