Which calibre is a one for all

Naturally a 45/70, from 150gr. cast to 500grain, 1000fps to over 2400 fps, handloaded shot cartridges for birds, something for everything.
 
I'd go with a .338 Win mag. Can reload from 160gr to 300gr and from 180gr to 250gr factory loads. Ammo can usually be purchased at Can. Tire and Walmart (if you had to).
Its pretty flat and you will never be under gunned for anything in North America.
 
308 isn't a bad choice, nor is the 7mm-08, 7x57, 270 or 30-06. I'd not recommend the 280 as factory ammo could be hard to come by if you travel and lose your suitcase with your ammo inside. Standard ammunition is always a logistically smarter choice.
 
Calibre

dutchhunter said:
it all comes down to were you live .we can not hunt with anything bigger then a 270 so thats what we would most likly chose in southern ont it will work for moose as well as deer and yotes .if i lived in the far north or the mountains my choice would be a 30 cal DUTCH
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Thanks for all your advice , since I live in Southern Ontario the above quote was pretty much what I was thinking.

As for the coment about who would only want 1 gun anyway , its because my wife won't let me have anymore ( LOL)

Thanks

Gymbo
 
If I were to pick one gun, I would say a .30 caliber magnum of some flavour. You would have the potential with a good bullet to hunt almost any game, anywhere in the World. It could be done with a .308 or '06, but sometimes it's just nice to know you have a little extra horespower under the hood. I would probably select a .300 Winchester magnum if I were to be specific. I've found that cartridge to be wonderfully accurate, so if you ever wanted to shoot competitive, your set. I never found it to kick too bad, so you'll get in the practice you need and you'll have the flight characteristics of a .270, but heavier bullet weights to choose from.
 
All of the "do it all" cartridges listed thus far use different loads for different game. While this is a fine way to gain versatility with a single rifle, it requires that you memorize several trajectories, but there is another way. The .375 (H&H, Ruger, Ultra, Weatherby, etc) loaded with a 300 gr spitzer or a .416 (Rigby, Ruger, Remington, Weatherby, etc) loaded with a 350 gr spitzer provides flat trajectory, fine accuracy, and terminal performance that makes them suitable for all species of big game, and large varmints. Thus the .375s and .416s have my vote for the ultimate in versatility, provided the size of your game falls between marmots and elephants.
 
I would also put 12 gauge up there. The most versatile gun and if I only had to have only one gun that would be it. It can take down birds, small game, and large game by only changing your ammo (and chokes if you want to). It always gets overlooked in these "which caliber is king?" threads.
 
I would go with Boomer's choice of a 375 but it would be my 375JDJ or 375RUM...

When it comes to only one gun mine would either be my Rem 700 LSS 375RUM or my switch barrel single shot T/C Contender carbine so I don't have to choose only one cartridge/cal.

.375" cal bullets are inherently accurate but would get a little pricy to shoot gophers all day. :redface:
 
Camp Cook said:
I would go with Boomer's choice of a 375 but it would be my 375JDJ or 375RUM...

When it comes to only one gun mine would either be my Rem 700 LSS 375RUM or my switch barrel single shot T/C Contender carbine so I don't have to choose only one cartridge/cal.

.375" cal bullets are inherently accurate but would get a little pricy to shoot gophers all day. :redface:
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Not if you got a 250 grain lee mold, and size to .378;)
cut an old rcbs 30-06 die , lapped to .378 , and screws into a press for sizing.
 
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Never know if/when the Lieberals get back in we maybe lucky to be allowed to only own one gun and I'm betting that if we are allowed one that it will only be single shots... :mad:
 
If you reload you own, then a 300 win mag can be loaded from mild to "oh my god, I think I broke my shoulder".

If you're shooting factory ammo, then a 308 is the "one size fits all" of the hunting world. For shooting moose at huge distances, you might want something with a little more punch. Over all though, if I could only own one gun, it would be a 308 bolt action.
 
Boomer said:
All of the "do it all" cartridges listed thus far use different loads for different game. While this is a fine way to gain versatility with a single rifle, it requires that you memorize several trajectories
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Why can't you use a .30-06 with a 180 partition for everything? One load, one trajectory...
 
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