The Ultimate North American Hunting Round?

Best North American Hunting Round

  • .270 Winchester

    Votes: 70 8.4%

  • .270 WSM

    Votes: 11 1.3%

  • .30-06

    Votes: 358 42.8%

  • .35 Whelen (tough to find, yes, but solid)

    Votes: 19 2.3%

  • 7mm Rem Mag

    Votes: 67 8.0%

  • .300 Win Mag

    Votes: 147 17.6%

  • .338 Win Mag

    Votes: 67 8.0%

  • .375 Mag (H&H or Ruger)

    Votes: 54 6.5%

  • .300 Ultra Mag (tough to find, but hard to argue with)

    Votes: 8 1.0%

  • .300 WSM

    Votes: 35 4.2%
  • Total voters
    836
powder burner said:
Good to see the 30-06 taking the lead. However I'm really surprised the 300 mag didn't take more votes than it did.
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The chess club, debate team and Dungeons and Dragons crew may have voted for the .30/06... but the kool kidz voted for the .300 WM!
 
Nope no X62... I do have a pretty nice jacaranda thumbhole whoopin' stick perhaps I can show you some time...

I did do a dandy handi in 9.3X74R, though...
 
Ardent said:
I like the 9.3x62, but its extremely limited bullet selection and lack of a good boat tail spitzer rule it out of the antelope / mountain goats / sheep etc portion for me. .35 Whelen might as well be the same cartridge with an American name essentially and offers wider bullet selection.
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I'm getting a shade over 2600 with 250 gr. Accubonds, and other users have reported getting 2700 fps, not so different from a 30-06/180. Bullet selection isn't that limited anymore, especially when compared to 20 yrs ago. Finding them in stock might be a challenge, but that's true of a lot of calibres. Besides, you don't need a huge array of bullets, you just need two or three good ones.

I look at the 9.3x62 as a great big fat .308... it shoots bullets of similar sectional density at similar velocities, and tends to like the same powders too.
 
For all the 30-06 fans.....would you be comfortable hunting polar bear and brown bear with a .30-06 with no back up? And if so, have you ever hunted or actually seen these bears in the wild at close range?
 
sheephunter said:
For all the 30-06 fans.....would you be comfortable hunting polar bear and brown bear with a .30-06 with no back up? And if so, have you ever hunted or actually seen these bears in the wild at close range?
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Yes, I would... no, I haven't... yes, I have... YMMV





Caveat... I would be loading my own ammunition...

Also, you really weren't asking me as I am not a ".30/06 fan," I just think that it is the lowest common denominator for this threads criteria.
 
sheephunter said:
For all the 30-06 fans.....would you be comfortable hunting polar bear and brown bear with a .30-06 with no back up? And if so, have you ever hunted or actually seen these bears in the wild at close range?
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A good friend of mine, John Lucas, is a polar bear guide on Banks Island. His "Big Gun" is a 25-06. He prefers his 257 Roberts. The 30-06 was a fine choice in the 40's and 50's before the 300 Winchester and before premium bullets. I reckon it would still acquit itself now. Would my '06 be the first rifle in my safe that I would choose? Doubtful, but it would be better than several others.
 
sheephunter said:
For all the 30-06 fans.....would you be comfortable hunting polar bear and brown bear with a .30-06 with no back up? And if so, have you ever hunted or actually seen these bears in the wild at close range?
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I've never had the opportunity or actually even the inclination to hunt Polar Bear. However, If I was specifically out for one, common sence would dictate a more 'appropriate' calibre choice. No question. Living for quite some time in the B.C. central interior, hunting Moose and Mule Deer and in two instances 'running' into a Grizzly, I felt adequately armed packing an '06. On one of those two close quarter encounters, two fairly quick shots were adequate. As with a hunt of a Polar Bear, if I was going specifically after a Grizzly, something from the cabinet, a little more substancial calibre wise, would get the call.
 
Again, this thread was about a round for hunting...not in case you run into something. I pack a 270 and 6.5 most of the time in grizz country and feel adequately armed but neither would be my choice for the ultimate North American hunting round. The point of the thread is that you would be specifically hunting brown and polar bear.
 
sheephunter said:
Again, this thread was about a round for hunting...not in case you run into something. I pack a 270 and 6.5 most of the time in grizz country and feel adequately armed but neither would be my choice for the ultimate North American hunting round. The point of the thread is that you would be specifically hunting brown and polar bear.
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Okay. Then for my choice, I'd go with the 300 WM, or in my case and almost the same, a 308 NM.
 
sheephunter said:
Again, this thread was about a round for hunting...not in case you run into something. I pack a 270 and 6.5 most of the time in grizz country and feel adequately armed but neither would be my choice for the ultimate North American hunting round. The point of the thread is that you would be specifically hunting brown and polar bear.
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And Pronghorn, and................
Good grief man. I would happily hunt Brown or Polar bear with a 30-06. Happily!
 
sheephunter said:
For all the 30-06 fans.....would you be comfortable hunting polar bear and brown bear with a .30-06 with no back up? And if so, have you ever hunted or actually seen these bears in the wild at close range?
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I would use the 30-06 for bear hunting a 220 partition around 2500fts would make an excellent load, if thats all i had. I have hunted areas where grizzly bears were around with a 8x57 with a 196gr Norma bullet and didn't feel under gunned, so the 06 would have no problem of course shot placement would be critical. Would it be my first choice out of my battery of guns? probally not . The 9.3x62 with 286 partion @2450-2500fts would be best suited for dangerous game.
 
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