im looking to buy my first bolt action gun, but i only want to buy only one in my life time so i want to make sure it is the right caliber the first time. i want a caliber that is capable of taking down any game in north america up to elk or moose at anywhere from 100-300 yards or so. i would also like a caliber that is capable of making shots past 300 yards and still be accurate so i can do some long range target shooting for the fun of it. What are your guys suggestions?
what is the best hunting caliber for north america?
- Thread starter kyan
- Start date
john-brennan
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island B.C.
7mm RM OR 30-06
I started off hunting with my pre '64 94 30-30 and I did hit the 500 yard gong at the range on my second try, so you are correct.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Is it that time of year again? You're in BC, so you have bison, grizzlies, mountain sheep and goats at your fingertips. The best all around cartridge for your purposes is the .300 Win Mag. This considers ranges out to 500 (mountain game, trajectory and energy delivery at range), effectiveness on bison twice the size of moose, grizzlies, ammo availability off the shelf, and rifle selection available in the chambering. Other cartridges will do, and offer things like less recoil if that's a concern. But you didn't ask the easiest cartridge to shoot, you asked for the best and for BC I'm convinced that's the .300 Win Mag. Four out of six clients we had show up this year to hunt BC had some form of .300 mag, in my opinion they chose wisely.
If you're never planning to chase the exciting species lesser chamberings would do fine. Would be a sad choice, you can do more than a quarter million dollars of hunting as a BC resident for the price of tags.
If you're never planning to chase the exciting species lesser chamberings would do fine. Would be a sad choice, you can do more than a quarter million dollars of hunting as a BC resident for the price of tags.
thepolinator
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Sudbury, ON
Try 43 mauser. ..
The 300 Win is a great cartridge for practically everything someone who wants one rifle will ever do. Take a 30-06s bullets, a .270s velocity and combine it with a good shot who thinks recoil is fun and there is hardly anything he can't do with it. Never mind that shooters like that are the exception, and shooters like that don't need advice, and that shooter could take a a pretty good stab at doing the same with a rusty Lee Enfield. That would just confuse things.
