Best caliber for what I am going to do?

[TonyAngel]

Man, these "one gun to do everything" questions are tough. It's tough because one usually won't cut it, unless you can compromise in areas.

My first question would be, how much are you going to be shooting it? If you are going to be shooting the snot out of it, that's definitely something to consider. Personally, I've settled on two calibers. Those are 5.56/.223 and .308.

I chose the 5.56/.223 because it is available in both the AR and bolt guns. The caliber is more than adequate for small stuff and some get by with it on larger stuff, with proper shot placement. Practice ammo is fairly cheap and I've seen MANY stock ARs shoot match/varmint ammunition with MOA accuracy. The barrel is also going to have a long service life; something approaching 10K rounds (or more), depending on how you shoot it. Shooting an AR out to 500 yards won't be a problem either, with the right ammo.

I chose .308 for something with a bit more thump and for longer ranges. I'm not going to tout the .308 as a long range round, because it isn't; but pushing it to its limits is fun too. The big advantage of the .308 is that variations in ammo abound. There is almost no limit to the combinations that you can come up with and the caliber seems to possess and inherent accuracy. Barrel/throat life also seems to be around 5K rounds or more.

.22-250 does shoot flatter and farther than .223, but barrel life is usually something around 1500-2000 rounds. .243 shoots farther and flatter than .308, but has a shorter barrel/throat life.

Considering that you want to use the rifle for everything, you have to figure that you're going to shoot it a lot.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

For a hunting rifle, I am a big fan of the 30-06 .... a timeless classic. Remington makes a 55 grain round 30-60 cartridge. That way, you have something for the small critters. If the recoil concerns you, Remington sells what are reduced recoil rounds that they say has a 40% reduction in recoil. From hands on use, I tend to agree with them. A 30-06 can shoot 55 grains and can also shoot 220 grains, recoil can be quite manageable. IMO it doesn't get much better than that.

 

[68wj]

For a hunting rifle, I am a big fan of the 30-06 .... a timeless classic. Remington makes a 55 grain round 30-60 cartridge. That way, you have something for the small critters. If the recoil concerns you, Remington sells what are reduced recoil rounds that they say has a 40% reduction in recoil. From hands on use, I tend to agree with them. A 30-06 can shoot 55 grains and can also shoot 220 grains, recoil can be quite manageable. IMO it doesn't get much better than that.

A timeless classic, like a carborated V8.

Where does one find 55 gr .308" bullets? Please don't mention sabots since the OP said that he his wanting to hit P-Dogs, not a barn's broad side.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

A timeless classic, like a carborated V8.

Where does one find 55 gr .308" bullets? Please don't mention sabots since the OP said that he his wanting to hit P-Dogs, not a barn's broad side.

I've seen MidWay USA have them. Yes, they are sabots, which may be an issue. Good point. I've seen many say 4 or 5 MOA for the sabot 55 grainers and a few say 2 MOA. Having said that, there is no reason you couldn't use a 150 grain bullet on a prarie dog or coyote. It would still kill it dead.

FWIW, I have a short list of criteria when I look for a car. Rear wheel drive and a V-8. I want to personally thank all those that drive a Prius or other 4 cylinder to help keep gas more affordable (if that's what you call nearly $4/gal gas).

 

[BrocLuno]

243 with fairly quick turn so it can stabilize the longest and heaviest bullets you can load. You can certainly whack pigs with heavy bullets and all the rest of your hunts will work with normal commercial grade stuff. Target bullets will appreciate the quick barrel

 

[SlowFuse]

Im putting in another vote for 25-06. You can go from the super light stuff, like 75gr V-Maxs, 85gr ballistics tips and 90gr hollow points for small game. 100 grain Rem core-lokts that you can find at walmart/academy are great if you don't reload. Fairly accurate and cheap. Then if you decide to move to something bigger you can get the 115, 117, 120gr loads in whatever flavor you prefer. 115 Nosler Ballistic tips are one of my favorites. Being able to push a varmint load over 3600fps and then moving up to a 115 or 117 and only losing 3-400 fps (muzzle) seems pretty good to me...

 

[ECVMatt]

It appears you can, but you may be limited to expanding copper solid bullets like the Barnes TSX, Hornady GMX, etc.
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/current/mammalregs.asp#353
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/current/mammalregs.asp#368

^^^ This information is incorrect.

You are only limited to lead free bullets if you are hunting within the condor range. A map is available on the Dept of Fish and Game. The remainder of the state is open to whatever you choose to use. For big game hunting you can use any centerfire ammo, so yes you could use a .223.

For what you are asking about I would suggest the .243. It is a great all around choice. It will hammer smaller varmints and take pigs as well. I have killed many, many pigs with a 6mm Remington and a .243.

I agree that the .25-06 is a tempting choice, but here is why I would pass on it. First ammo is harder to find than the .243. I know that a good store will have both, but Wal Mart and other store have a limited supply and .243 is ussually there. Second is that the .25-06 is somewhat overpowered for the lighter animals with produces more recoil than the .243, lastly the .243 comes in small action rifles and I prefer them for handiness in the field. These are mostly subjective observations, so I am sure others could easily refute them but the .243 is a good round none the less.

If you are located near LA and would like some help getting started in hunting, I belong to a club that sponsor Hunter Safety classes and has a private range in the desert near by.

Good Luck and have fun.

 

[Allent]

If pigs are a big deal 243 or 308 better for pigs. If dogs are more on the weight scale 223 good to 500 for kinds. Buy two 223 for dogs and 45-70 for pigs and have fun when your friends say what was that?

 

[Skyshot]

A .243 will do it all, pigs are no problem. I've taken a few black bears with the .243 in the 300 lb. range and a bunch of whitetails. Lots of good bullets for whatever game you are after.

 

[buddyemily]

Lol deer are not hunted with a 223 in southern states. 30-06 maybe a little more likely.

 

[Ruger745]

.243 or .25-06, in that order.

+1 to that

 

[11D10]

best caliber

This is my first post on this site so ill do my best. First of all you chose a really good group of caliber to pick from. The one I'm most familiar with is 243. It's a great caliber, but can be expensive to shoot. The one thing you can be sure of it will reach out and touch someone. You may not have much dog left afterward. It shoots nice and flat, it does suffer a little from side winds,but you can learn your way through that.

 

[ugaarguy]

Originally Posted by ugaarguy
It appears you can, but you may be limited to expanding copper solid bullets like the Barnes TSX, Hornady GMX, etc.
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/cu...alregs.asp#353
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/cu...alregs.asp#368

^^^ This information is incorrect.

You are only limited to lead free bullets if you are hunting within the condor range. A map is available on the Dept of Fish and Game. The remainder of the state is open to whatever you choose to use.

It's incorrect how? Note that I wrote MAY be limited to, not WILL be limited to.

may - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/may
...used to express possibility...
...used to express contingency, especially in clauses indicating condition, concession, purpose, result, etc.

must - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/must
...to be required or compelled to, as by the use or threat of force: You must obey the law.

 

[Afy]

.260 Rem also possibly a 6 BR

 

[kludge]

Regarless of the cartridge you choose "prairie doggin" places different demands on the rifle than pig/coyote hunting.

I would choose a cartridge with a lower case capacity for a PD rifle, just for less barrel heating/throat erosion. .204 Ruger, .223 Rem, and at the top end .22-250. I would want a heavy barrel, and 24"-28" long.

The .204, .223, and .22-250 are great for coyotes, but I would want a heavier caliber for pigs. In a coyote rig I would want something light (as in the rifle) with a shorter barrel.

As long as range is 200 yards or less .30-30, .35 Rem, 7x62x39 would be good pig guns, and you can probably stretch that a bit.

If I were you I'd be thinking T/C, Rossi, H&R single shots with purpose built barrels, or a switch barrel savage.

If by "prarie dogs" you only intent to shoot a few prairie dogs now and again, not 200 at a time, then I would say...

.257 Roberts, .25 WSSM, .25-06, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, .260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmore. any of them would also work splendidly for deer.

 

[vaupet]

for shooting and varmints up to 300 metres, 223 is very nice and very common thus affordable, for all purposes btween 300 and 600 metres I love the 6,5x55 but any 6,5 mm will do fine IMHO.

 

[Art Eatman]

If prairie dogs are only an occasional play-time, I'd take up reloading for a .243. If they are a major portion of the shooting, I'd go with any of the "little guys", also reloading.

The small centerfires would be sort of an okay minimum for hogs, but I'd be very picky about how I was hunting and what shot I'd take. I wouldn't go walking hunting and take shots at running hogs.

 

[2ndtimer]

I am looking for a sensible caliber for anything from shooting prairie dogs to coyotes and a small possibility of pigs? The furthest I would be shooting would be 500 yards and that would be strictly for plinking purposes. Do you guys have any suggestions? I was thinking between .204, .223, .25-06, and .243--I understand you would necessarily want to shoot a pig with a .204 but I would like to see your input!

Based on the original post, I would suggest the .223 Rem in a good bolt action to start with. Ammo is much less expensive and more available than the other cartridges he lists. Recoil is light enough to see your shots hit (if you shoot from a rest with a heavy barrel) The .223 is also easier to shoot accurately for a beginner (if the poster is a new shooter). I also like the .243 Winchester. But if his primary use is for varmints, and possibly pigs, then the .243 is really more than he needs for most of his uses. The .223 would allow the most practice since the ammo is cheapest. Maybe he should even consider the .17HMR for practical varmint use out to 150 yards or so and even lower ammo cost.

 

[6.5swede]

With hogs in the equation, my vote would be anything 243, quarter bore (25-06, 257 bob, 250 savage), or 6.5. They'll all do the job with appropriate projectiles for the task at hand. The 22's would work on hogs as well, with careful shot placement of course.

 

[Water-Man]

I shall continue to use the 6.5x55 Swede.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I went back to the OP and looked at it. There is where you mention the 0.2x calibers. I'm going to stick with my suggestion of a 30-06. Obviously more than you need for a prarie dog but fine for hogs. That way if you wanna hunt bigger you already have the rifle.

Reduced recoil rounds exist if you are recoil sensitive. My 30-30 with the Remington managed recoil rounds literally feels as if I'm shooting a semi-auto 223. I'd expect a 30-06 to have the same level of recoil reduction.

Personally, I really like a 30-30 lever action but it a bit more of an aquired taste. I think the 30-06 is a more general and better tool. I have one of each and solved that problem.

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

If the majority of your shooting with be predators and varmints, possibly at significant range, then the 204 is your best bet.

While it is true that you need a fair bit of power to penetrate the gristle plate on a large hog, there is no rule that says you have to shoot them there.

The one thing you DON'T want to do is choose a gun based on one hypothetical scenario, and then have to suffer through the bulk of your real world shooting.

 

[sansone]

I'd go for a .243 bolty, that would be about perfect for you're application.

yes sir, great flat shooting bullet for prairie dogs, plenty of power for pigs and dear

 

[john5036]

At least for hogs, and with respect to the aforementioned cartridges' abilities and accompanying opinions... is there an "honor code" for hunters in regards to clean killing a hog, vs. clean killing a deer?

I only ask because I'm not familiar with hunting etiquette towards prey, but I do realize the difference in sentiment towards a deer and then to a feral hog.

 

[stratosrider62]

25-06 or .243 either one will do what you listed to do. 243 ammo is a little cheaper than 25-06. I like both.