What caliber would you buy?

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7-08. Although 30-06 or 308 is always a good choice. 7 RM is also a good choice. All are great rounds well proven. I chose the 7-08 as the best balance between recoil and performance for me.
 
The .280 Rem. is possibly the most overlooked caliber on the menu and current rifle selections are scarce to almost non-existant. Which is sad because it is a superb all-purpose caliber that has served me well from Alaskia to Africa. This NUL .280 is a do-anything, go-anywhere hunting rifle and weighs only 6 lbs even with it's relativley hefty 3-10 Swarovski scope. Thery are still being made and my first recommendation to anyone searching for a lifetime all-purpose hunting rifle. The .280 is also a great choice for non-handloaders because of wide choices of outstanding factory ammo. NULA1 (2).JPG NULA4.JPG 21A_3501.JPG
 
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I like 30 calibers (obviously). My wife prefers 28 calibers. :evil:
Seriously, for hunting any big game anywhere in the lower 48, I think it would be hard to go wrong with either a 30-06, a 308 Win, a 280 Rem, or even a 7mm Rem Mag (if your buddy was to get into handloading).
A good ol' .270 Win would work too. As would a dozen or so other cartridges that I didn't list. ;)
 
Rpod86 said:
My vote is 28 or 30 nosler
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The cheapest ammo I can find is 5.50 and 4 bucks a round respectively. If he doesn't reload I'd suggest something that he can afford to shoot and get dope from his gun for a 500+ shot.
 
Press the easy button. Everything from 6.5CM on up will kill those game animals at ranges farther than most hunters can ethically shoot. If you have the skills to take advantage of one of the fast 28 or 30 caliber cartridges, you don't need to ask for advice. But most of us can't make 700-1000 yard shots.

I have owned several 7mm and 30 caliber magnums over the years and sold them all. Right now, 30-06 is my big gun and I haven't hunted with it on over 10 years. My 308 does the same thing out to 500 yards and I won't take a shot anywhere near that far. It recoils less and is cheaper to shoot, which means more practice.

The 7-08 is another excellent choice, but it doesn't do anything my 308 won't do and 7-08 ammo is a lot harder to find. The new 6.5CM is the smallest cartridge I'd use for those game animals. Either of those 3 would be my choice and 308 wins simply due to ammo availability.

But if you're inclined to go with a long action there is nothing wrong with 30-06, 270, or 280. To say one is better than the other is splitting hairs. I'd advise staying away from the magnums. I know the 28 and 30 Nosler don't have "Magnum" stamped on them, but they are magnums.
 
For this intended use, I would opt for 308. I prefer short actions, but ammo availability really pushes my selection. If you want to ethically shoot at an elk size target at 500 yards, you will need to practice. A lot.
 
Offfhand said:
The .280 Rem. is possibly the most overlooked caliber on the menu and current rifle selections are scarce to almost non-existant. Which is sad because it is a superb all-purpose caliber that has served me well from Alaskia to Africa. This NUL .280 is a do-anything, go-anywhere hunting rifle and weighs only 6 lbs even with it's relativley hefty 3-10 Swarovski scope. Thery are still being made and my first recommendation to anyone searching for a lifetime all-purpose hunting rifle. The .280 is also a great choice for non-handloaders because of wide choices of outstanding factory ammo. View attachment 1118780 View attachment 1118781 View attachment 1118782
Click to expand...

I agree with Offhand. My 280 Remington is a pre 64 Model 70 with a 22 inch featherweight barrel. It's a joy to shoot and hunt with. IMG_4637.JPG
 
I hunted with 3006, 7mm mag for many years injury stopped me. Right now 7mm08 is my go to would handle just about anything in the lower 48. I'd say if 500 is possible then your friend needs a caliber he can shoot to practice for proficiency at range. Any 308, 3006, 270 or 280/ ai would work we for his purpose, although the 280/ ai would be harder to obtain, my best suggestion is to also get a 223 or similar to shoot and get good at 500 it would be cheaper to burn up a case of 223 than most other cartridges plus would teah bullet drop and drift better then use the bigger hunting round fir yhe intended game animal
.
 
Twenty to thirty years ago I would have recommended 30-06. I still use it, mostly because it's always worked for me. I've got multiple rifles and loaded a lifetime supply of premium bullet ammunition. For the past decade I have said 308 makes more sense getting most of the -06 performance with less recoil. These days I do not recommend it for new hunters who will likely be focused on paper & deer. I've seen people get good results with 6.5 CM at the range and plenty of deer and hog guides here have been happy with it so something is working.
 
Offfhand said:
The .280 Rem. is possibly the most overlooked caliber on the menu and current rifle selections are scarce to almost non-existant. Which is sad because it is a superb all-purpose caliber that has served me well from Alaskia to Africa. This NUL .280 is a do-anything, go-anywhere hunting rifle and weighs only 6 lbs even with it's relativley hefty 3-10 Swarovski scope. Thery are still being made and my first recommendation to anyone searching for a lifetime all-purpose hunting rifle. The .280 is also a great choice for non-handloaders because of wide choices of outstanding factory ammo. View attachment 1118780 View attachment 1118781 View attachment 1118782
Click to expand...
I’m a .280 fan. That said, I’m currently shooting a 7mmRM. I keep the .280 around for when my adult son hunts anything bigger than coyotes with me. In fact I have a dilemma. I’m torn between reaming it out to the AI, or giving it to my son as is since he doesn’t reload.

I really wanted him to make the plunge and buy his own “big game rifle.”

I don’t think he can convince his wifey. I really want to give it to him but I don’t want to reward her bad behavior.
 
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