Five Centerfire Cartridges for the Rest of Your Life

223 and 6.8spc for the AR platform.
.270 win for deer, hog, bear, and long range coyote
30-30 just because I love levers

those I already have, and would keep. To go to #5 the only thing I’m really missing is a dangerous game rifle, but i will probably never get to go to Africa, let alone hunt there, so that’s a bit of a stretch, but I do seriously keep looking at a 338 Lapua for fun.

But that is assuming that I still get to have front-stuffers including the golf ball cannon I still intend to build

I'll just stick with what I have...
.223
.30-30
7.62x39
.30-06
.357 mag

7.62x39--Defense
30-06--varmints to open country deer
35 Rem--deer in the thick stuff
35 Whelen—Elk/Bear/Moose
458 Win Mag—Anything else

.223
7.62x39
6.5 Creed (or 243)
.30-06
.375 Ruger

I would say,
1. 5.56/.223
2. 6.8spc
3. 30.06
4. 7.62x39
5. 45/70

9mm
.223/5.56
.270

One of the various lever action cartridges----should i ever get another lever action.

223/556, 44 magnum, 357 magnum, 45 acp, and 10 mm. These are my most fun guns to shoot. I'd miss 9 & 40, but not too much.

Steve S. said:

.308
.308
.308
.308
.308
I am old school and extremely comfortable with this caliber - this would be enough for me in any situation.

Click to expand...

Beware of the man that only owns one gun

I happen to only have centerfire rifles:
243 Win, 44 Mag, 35 Rem, 30-06, 7 mm Rem Mag

22LR: Pure fun and good to teach others
9mm: Self defense and CCW
556/223: Home defense, varmint, all around.
6.5 CM : Hunting, competition.
50 BMG: 2A, huntingT-rex or engine blocks.

Steve S. said:

.308
.308
.308
.308
.308
I am old school and extremely comfortable with this caliber - this would be enough for me in any situation.

Click to expand...

I'm kinda the same way about 223/5.56 but I do enjoy shooting my 6X47L. Maybe I should add a 6ARC to the collection

I could ;live with less. but to play this game:
22K-hornet for varmints
6mm BR in a sub 6# rifle for predators
6.5 x 55 for small to medium game
375 H&H for serious stuff
45-70 BPCR for grins and giggles

I could cut that down to 3:
1.) .223
2.) 7.62x54R
3.) .375 H&H
but, since you say 5,
4.) .30-06
5.)7mm-08

.223 Rem/5.56
.243 Win
.270 Win
.270 WSM
.308 Win.
That’s what I have, and is more than I “need”.

Here is a different angle- what if you don't get to choose- what if you get to grab what you can carry and run- are you smart enough to live with what ever you can carry the most of.....????
Ok- I love all the calibers....and can't pick just a few....but I will tell you I can live a long time with a 20 guage shotgun and a ton of 22 LR ammo!

Steve S. said:

.308
.308
.308
.308
.308
I am old school and extremely comfortable with this caliber - this would be enough for me in any situation.

Click to expand...

I like the .30-06 -- it has a bit wider performance range than the .308.

To cover every eventuality, these should take care of all needs.
.223 /5.56
7mm-08
.30-06
.338 Win. Mag.
.416 Rigby

For 5 centerfire rifle cartridges:

1. 5.56 for both a defensive rifle and plinker
2. 8mm Mauser for the historical interest, medium/large game hunting, and plinking
3. 7.62x39 for defensive use and plinking
4. 300 Savage for medium game hunting
5. 30.06 for medium/large game hunting

Runner up would be 30-30

For real world use and not just to have:

1. 450 Bushmaster and/or 460 S&W Mag- I can use it for medium and big game hunting legally in the vast majority of jurisdictions.

2. I’ve never really considered much of any other philosophies. I hunt in woods out East so that is what I know. If I did long range hunting I would choose the 300 WSM in a Browning BLR I suppose.

3. 223 for defense and varmints.

4. Starting to dig now. I have always wanted one of those pretty rare Remington 7600s in 25-06.

5. I guess I have to continue my love/hate relationship with my Marlin 1894SS so 44 Mag.

Hmmm......centerfire and rifle only?
5.56, 300 BLK, 7.62x51.
I could add .30-30, 7.62x39, and 7.62x54R if I had to, but I could live happily with the first three.

I wouldn't feel handicapped with a 223 in an AR and a bolt gun along with a 308 bolt gun. I don't anticipate ever needing it, but if I need more power than 308 I'll go straight to one of the 375 magnums.

I have a 30-06 that hasn't been hunting in a decade, but I'm sentimentally attached to both the rifle and cartridge.

I bought a 6.5 CM and like it a lot. But for now it is a range toy. If I were advising younger hunters I'd tell them to chose it over either 270 or 308. But at this point in my life I have several 308's that I like and it just isn't worth the effort to change.

Favorite five?
.222- My personal favorite varmint round, the original target round
6mm Arc - My new ar round of choice
.257 Weatherby- Lots of power and distance, not bad in the recoil department. My open field hunting gun.
.35 Whelen - For the big stuff, or when I’m near property lines for deer. Any deer that met my 35 was dead on contact.
5th ones tough...
30-06? .223? .243? I guess .243 because my absolute favorite gun is a Savage 99 in .243.

223
7.62X39
6.5 Grendel
6.5 Creedmoore
308

Five centerfire cartridges for all time ... I have them already.

.223 Rem/5.56x45mm NATO
.308 Win/7.62x51mm NATO
.300 Win Mag
.338 Lapua Mag
.375 H&H