Any shot you want: Three Centerfire Rifles for all big game, globally

[PowerG]

The criteria is "big game", so I'd consider that whitetails and up.

7mm-08
.375 H&H
.460 Weatherby

 

[Jim Watson]

John Taylor wrote of the tycoon who could afford to charter a plane to go hunting on short notice whenever his schedule gave him a few days.
He had Holland's special order lightweight .375 H&H double, that he took everywhere.
As Taylor said, he was not outfitted to shoot prairie dogs on the US plains or to fight angry elephants in the bush, but anything else was reasonable.

 

[200Apples]

.308 Win - the only one of the bunch I have a rifle chambered in.
.375 H&H - or 376 Steyr if the rare Steyr Scout so chambered ever crosses my path.
.416 Ruger - I'm likely to never need more than this. If I do, I'll use a big bore handgun. Hahaha... kidding.

 

[RPRNY]

6.5x55, 30-06, and 375 H&H. Take African dangerous game out of the equation and replace the 375 H&H with 35 Krag.

 

[H&Hhunter]

One world, one caliber. 375H&H. From hogs to Cape Buffalo. Anything larger and I'd pick up a 470 or 500 Nitro Express.

Agreed except...

(.308/.30/06/.270) take your pick on the bottom end then the .375H&H or Ruger and a heavy rifle .458 lott, .470 NE or if spending a lot of time in Jesse bush with elephants a .500 NE.

 

[mavracer]

So many ways to go on this one, it's a fun one cause I like to match the rounds by some theme. How about all lever lineup 32/20 ,38/55 and 45/70.

 

[Flatbush Harry]

For all of North America, I only need two:

.30-06 Spfld w/ 168gr AccuBonds (Win M70EW, Zeiss 3-9x40 w/ Z600 reticle)

.375 H&H w/ 260gr AccuBonds (Rem700 XCR II mounted and bedded in a B&C Medalist Weatherby configuration stock) w/ either my Zeiss 3-9x40 w/ Z Plex reticle or iron sights depending on game pursued

Since I've done a ton of shooting with the .375, I'd switch to 300gr Hornady DGX Solids and Softs for dangerous game in Africa...though that is a hypothetical because on my one safari, I used a Nikon 7100 w/ 70-300mm zoom lens at ISO 200. Great pics, no trophies...and I saved thousands of $US.

Cheers,

Harry

 

[ScrapMetalSlug]

I'll use what I've got.

.243 win
30-06
.458 win mag

 

[ironworkerwill]

7-08, 7-08, 7-08

I got it covered

 

[Mackay Sagebrush]

I suppose if the topic line was changed to all rifle hunted game, rather than strictly big game, it may be easier to answer. For "Big Game", I could simply use one rifle.

For all rifle hunted game I would opt for the three I use the most, and happen to be readily available:

.223
.308
.300 WM.

These 3 cover anything and everything I hunt now, or ever expect to hunt anywhere.

 

[silicosys4]

easy
A .375 H&H with 200gr. jacketed flat nose
A .375 H&H with 250gr. spitzer,
A .375 H&H with 300gr. solids.

Those three loads will take care of anything I'll every hunt, and would work for anything on earth. The only thing that those loads wouldn't comfortably cover that is legally huntable is a Grey Whale, but I will never get to hunt those...although I have seen people do it, and they used a .50bmg and a .600 Trex.

 

[sarduy]

556
30-06
.50 BMG

 

[CraigC]

7mm08 for deer, smaller hogs and smaller plains game.
.338RCM for elk through eland.
.416Rigby is my "do-all" cartridge for Africa but if elephant is on the menu, I want a .500NE.

 

[P.B.Walsh]

5.56x45mm NATO (lighter animals)
.308 Winchester (utility)
.375 H&H (Africa Big 5 / general dangerous game rifle)

556 on a Bighorn TL3 and a SPR type AR
308 on an ARC Mausingfield and a M1A
375 on an ARC Mausingfield Action.

 

[Nature Boy]

.375 H&H seems to be a common theme in this thread. I've never shot one

 

[MrBorland]

.375 H&H seems to be a common theme in this thread. I've never shot one

Indeed. I've never owned or shot one either, but there are a number of fans on this board who've convinced me to rectify that with my next purchase.

Though I'm using a .260 Remington for deer season this year, it's good to see love for the 7mm-08. Between my 7-08 and the aforementioned .375H&H, I think I'd be set for any of my big game needs.

 

[Jason_W]

1. .44 mag levergun for deer sized game in thick woods.

2. A 45-70 short barreled levergun for game larger than deer in close range situations.

3. A medium bore bolt action (can't decide between 9.3x62mm and .375 h&h) for all big game out to 300 yards. I'll probably never be a good enough shot to ethically take big game past 300 yards, so my "long distance" rifle only has to be good out to that distance.

 

[CraigC]

Like the .30-06, the .375 is a jack of all trades and master of none. IMHO, if dangerous game is the quarry, the .375 is considered the minimum and I wouldn't use it for anything larger than Cape buffalo and giraffe. As is usual, a bigger cartridge is good insurance on bigger critters.

 

[MCMXI]

.375 H&H seems to be a common theme in this thread. I've never shot one

You need to change that!

Like the .30-06, the .375 is a jack of all trades and master of none.

I'll take a "jack of all trades" any day when it comes to hunting. For me the .375 H&H Mag is the do it all cartridge for North America even if it's on the small side for some African game.

 

[mgmorden]

.25-06 and .375 H&H and you can pretty much narrow it down to 2. Anything so big that the .25-06 won't work isn't so small that the .375 is overkill.

Though I find these exercises a bit pointless. I've got around plenty of rifles sitting in the safe with the count only expected to grow over time. I'm way more about specializing than wondering how far I can spread a few guns .

 

[Steve Cover]

.375 H&H seems to be a common theme in this thread. I've never shot one

I have.
It's trajectory is about the same as the 30-06.
During the days that I flew the Bush in Alaska, it was one of the issue guns the BLM provided when we were in Big bear country.
Like the 06, it has a large versatility when used with different bullets.
As a member of a "World Battery" it is a very good choice.

Steve

 

[Steve Cover]

Since I've gone and opened my big mouth, I'll chip in too.

Hogs to Elk is handled by the 30-06
(This could also be loaded with squibs for the smaller game)
Large game would fall to a 375 H&H Magnum reloaded to match the game.
For really dangerous game I would use a 460 G&A (Also reloaded up or down as the intended game demanded) probably in a double rifle.

Steve

 

[jim in Anchorage]

I have accumulated many rifles and handguns. During my hard hunting days I used one rifle for the most part. My old Pre-64 .338 Win. Mag with handloads tailored for the game worked very well.

I would happily hunt anything on this planet, from marmots to mastadons with my .300 WBY Rem 700 and appropate loads.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Jim, Remember the old adage? Beware the man with one gun?

 

[Gordon]

OK I'll go out of the box a bit and say : .22 Hornet , .35 Remington and .358 Norma Mag I could live with. For rabbits to Dik Dik and even the local Blacktail at the usual 75 yards they are shot it is magnitudes quieter than a .223 . I have a Krico bolt gun that is VERY accurate with a 4-12x scope. The .35 Remington in my 600 Remington has a 1-4x Leupold and with 200 grain Corelocks will kill any Elk that walks out to 200 yards at least, I have shot big wild bore with it farther than that and they died very fast. In Africa it would be great up to Wildebeast up to 200 yards . For reaching out and smacking the largest of the African Plains game or Alaskan Brownies or Elk at 600 yards I have a custom .358 Norma that pushes a 250 grain bullet at 2800 or my favorite Nosler Partition 225 grainer at 2950 FPS ! Or 275 grain Woodleighs at 2600 fps for heavy stuff like buffaloe.