Question about centerfire calibers

TGW, I can't begin to tell you why people get emotionally attached to a particular cartridge. I've no idea. What I do know, however, is that once a cartridge is found which performs to expectations and desires, any change is more from "want to" and curiosity than anything else.

I don't see where the age of a cartridge means anything beyond nostalgia. As long as you have brass, powder, primer and bullets, they keep on working just as good as when they were "young and healthy".

"New" might mean "better" for benchrest target shooting, but Bambi can't tell the difference between a .32-20 and a .460 Weatherby if he's shot through the brain. Dead's dead, and some new whizbang cartridge won't make him any deader than an ancient holdover from the 19th Century.

But, hey, if folks want something new and different, far be it from me to discourage them. I'm not a storm cloud, looking to rain on somebody's parade.

I've had:

22-250
223
243
257
25-06
270
270WSM
6.5x55
7mm08
308
30-30
7mm Mag
30-06
300 WM
338 WM
340 Weatherby

They all did what they needed to do. I enjoyed all of them, though some less than others. Some people swear by this or that caliber, and for them it works. I figure sometimes you get lucky and find what works quickly (and cheaply) and stick with that caliber. Sometimes as Art mentioned above, curiousity and "wants" come into play.

I think if I had to pick just two- It would be 2 of the ones you mentioned, which I have.

257 Roberts
6.5x55

If three- I'd stick the 30-30 in there. Which I've also got.

They would cover my "needs" from now on.

If I could just quit thinking about 45-70's and 375 H&H's...

I have been told a .270 will kill a moose at 600 yards.

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It certainly has the potential, as does a 100 other calibers. A shot that hits the vitals is all you need.



NCsmitty

Personally, I've never understood the .270 when you can have an '06.

But I digress. I think you are approaching this thing all wrong. The way to think is "what am I going to hunt that I need a new gun for?"

There are Javelina here, I need a 41 magnum Carbine! There are wild bore on my cousins place in Texas, I need a 30-30. There are prairie dogs in Colorado, I need a .22 Hornet. There's Prairie Dogs in Kansas, so I need a 22-250. An Elepjhant escaped somewhere in Arkansas, I need a double .500 Nitro.

Your problem is, you are just not thinking about this right. This worked on my wife....for a while.

A .500 Nitro for elephant?

If you had ever owned any of those, especially the Savage 99 in .250 cal,
you`d know the answer to that question.

Legally, a .62 caliber flintlock "smooth rifle" is the only "1 gun does it all".

7mm Remington Magnum spans those power requirements, but would be illegal in many states.

What is one Rifle that i can hunt anything with in North America ? from ground hogs to Elk or moose.

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Logisticly speaking, There are quite a few calibers/cartridges that are wholey capable of this. Shot placement is generally more important than caliber. (Disclaimer: obvious common sense applies here, no one with any CS would take a .22LR elephant hunting)

i.e. for a lot of years, the .30 WCF (Now known as the 30-30 Win) was dropping Buffalo on a regular basis, before the 30-06 was around... I've read that guides carry 30-30's in Alaska for bear, I know a guy who hunts Elk in New Mexico with a Marlin 336C in 30-30, I used one back home in Pennsylvania, 3 shots fired, 3 deer, longest shot was a little under 100 yards.

but there are folk who seem to think that a 30-30 is too feeble for said purpose...


Cheers...

I'm the opposite.

I don't know why people like the new Super Duper Short Magnums. The vast majority of shooters have way too much gun for the game they hunt. The .257Roberts would be a much better choice for whitetails, but so many hunters just have to have a 7mm Magnum.

Too many people think they can make up for accuracy with power.

A very knowledgeable gun nut friend of mine the other day said "Lookit, we had all the cartridges anyone would ever need by 1920 - but we have to SELL rifles since rifles don't wear out very quickly, so we invent new cartridges to sell new rifles."

So really a better question might be, "Why would anyone shoot a .270 when the 6.5x55 was in existence long before it was?" The answer is "because someone invented it and marketed it to sell rifles."

What is one Rifle that i can hunt anything with in North America ? from ground hogs to Elk or moose. I have heard a 7 mm will do it all. Is this true

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Wow, there are several things wrong with the QUESTION.

First of all, which "7mm" are you talking about - there are many many cartridges with a caliber of 7mm.

Secondly, 7mm, even if it did describe an actual round, 7mm ain't a "rifle", it's a cartridge. Rifle choice is almost completely unrelated to cartridge choice, and a very good important separate question to ask.

Thirdly, back to cartridges, there are at least a dozen or two really really good contenders for "just one to hunt anything with in North America", and there's no right or wrong answer; just opinions. I'm of the opinion that's it's somewhere in the .260 rem/6.5x55/7mm-08 rem/7x57/.270 win/.280 rem range, give or take, to hit the sweet spot cover both small varmints and large game effectively and efficiently. I guess if I *had* to pick one, it'd be 6.5x55 or .280 rem.

But it's all just personal preference between .243 and .45-70. With the right bullet selection and ear shot, a .243 will kill the largest coastal brown or polar bear. With the right load, you can shoot prairie dogs all day with a .45-70 or .375 H&H mag provided you know your holdovers. Just all tradeoffs & personal preference. But *most* people feel that one of these two bottlenecked cartridges is the best balance, since they are the two most popular in North America: The .270 Winchester, and the .30-'06 Springfield.

"Outdated". Does that mean the same as "Classic"?

I have three safes that are full. Most I do not "need". Many over lap in use. Nothing makes me smile like watching my 11 year old little man shoot his great grandfathers' .32win. I just shot my dad's 25-06 tonight. There are more to some rifles than just MV and marketing.

but we have to SELL rifles since rifles don't wear out very quickly,

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Remington has taken care of this problem...lol Whoops!

7mm-08 Remington, or 7mm Remington Magnum, or .280 Remington aka the 7mm-06?

Here are most of the 7mm cartridges:

1. 7x57mm Mauser
2. 7mm-08 Rem
3. .280 Rem (formerly known as 7mm Rem Express)
4. 7mm Rem mag
5. 7mm WSM
6. 7mm RUM
7. 7mm RSAUM
8. 7mm Dakota
9. 7mm STW
10. 7mm BR
11. 7-30 Waters
....

I'm sure there are others. The most popular one (by far) is #4 - the 7mm Remington Magnum.

If you're asking (and I think that you are): "Is the 7mm Remington magnum a good choice for a 'just one rifle' scenario to take all game in all circumstances?", then the answer is definitely YES - it's one of those dozen or two rounds that can make a substantial claim to that title - probably in the top ten in most people's books.

Remington has taken care of this problem...lol Whoops!

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Ouch! Easy, now.....