SwampWolf
Member
Or why not a Model 99 chambered in .358 Winchester-my favorite "woods" rifle set-up.
Best Rifle/Caliber for North American Hunting?
- Thread starter epijunkie67
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Or why not a Model 99 chambered in .358 Winchester-my favorite "woods" rifle set-up.
Definitely no right answer for this question except whatever rifle you shoot best!
I have friends who dread pulling the trigger on their 7mm mag, why shoot it if you can't stand it. Find a rifle that fits and you shoot well, you'll be much happier in the long run.
I have friends who dread pulling the trigger on their 7mm mag, why shoot it if you can't stand it. Find a rifle that fits and you shoot well, you'll be much happier in the long run.
AR-Joker
Member
Not a fan of the 06, but I suppose it would pretty much get the job done. If you wanted a short action, I'd have to go with the 308 or 35 rem if it was within 200 yards.
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
If I haven't responded already (?), my vote goes to the .25-06 Remington~! 
It will do anything that needs to be done in North America~!!!!!!!
It will do anything that needs to be done in North America~!!!!!!!
highland outfitter
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I favor a 300 win mag - really a souped-up 30-06 but it is accurate (just ask a 1,000 yard target shooter)
DM~
Member
The obvious answer is 30-06, but my personal choise is a 280 Rem...
The 30-06 really is a no brainer!
DM
The 30-06 really is a no brainer!
DM
Maverick223
Member
I don't know if that was meant as a joke, but I kind of agree (with caveats).
While I don't believe it is the best choice for most folks, it would be the last hunting rifle that I would dispose of. With the right load you can use it for any medium-large game species in NA. That said most folks may find the recoil to be a bit too much (honestly I don't, but my rifle fits me well), too heavy (again, mine is easily manageable), and too costly (handloading mostly mitigates this disadvantage). Some argue that it affords a poor trajectory, but this is a misnomer, as it duplicates the .30-06Spd with similar projectile profiles (e.g.: comparing a moderate weight spitzer to the same). In short, I really like the old cartridge, but it isn't right for everyone (or even most).
RangerHAAF
Member
30'06 for long range; 308 for medium range, 180 grain Winchester XP3s.
akhillbilly
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I was working for a famous AK hunting guide & I asked him this very question. And this guy has seen & used them ALL.... 243win with-out flinching. WHY? He said everything you hit, dies as if struck by lightning. He hated the 7mm rem mag....WHY? Everything hit by it runs off, everytime.... griz, caribou, sheep, wolf, moose, didnt matter.. He also said most "dudes" will go out buy a anti-aircraft magnum and maybe shoot 2 box's of ammo a year thru it. Most cant shoot them very well during the heat of combat anyway. But a 243? alittle kid/ woman can handle them, thus shoot better. And cheap to shoot, thus more practice. After watching a 10 year old boy drop a record book caribou at 250 yards on a very windy day, with a "mere" 243 (his first ever animal), I sorta have to agree????
Live2offroad
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- Mar 20, 2011
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- 33
.308 for all around use and availability of ammo..
Maverick223
Member
akhillbilly, welcome to THR! There is absolutely nothing that the .243Win. can do that the 7mmRM can't (other than leave a bit smaller hole), either the guys shooting simply didn't place their shots well, or used inferior bullets/loads (probably the former), furthermore it is not a terribly difficult chambering to shoot well (recoil is scarcely more than a '06). I'd bet he says that a .338WM or .375H&H won't work as well either.
Kachok
Member
I have to go aginst the grain here and vote for the 6.5x55 or 260. There is nothing that the 06 can take that I would not be just as comfortable shooting with the 6.5s and vice versa. Lower recoil, lower noise, flatter trajectory, and better retained energy downrange with hunting bullets, make the 6.5mm my clear choice. In theory the 140gr 6.5s would penatrate as deep as a 190gr 30 cal and the 160s would punch just like a 220gr 30 cal. Mabey I would like the 30-06 more if I were a larger framed shooter, but I am small and LOVE my little Sweed, it drops them right where they stand every time.
Maverick223
Member
Kachok, I won't argue that the 6.5s (both listed as well as others) aren't great rifles and in many ways better than some larger cartridges, but they aren't an '06. The .30cal. may lack a bit of efficiency and not have the best bullets available (though they aren't bad either) but there is simply no arguing that they are both larger projectiles (leaving a bigger hole and crushing more tissue) and more powerful (no matter how you compute it...momentum included). Again, I really like the 6.5s (particularly the 6.5x55mm and .260Rem.), they are amongst my favorite cartridges/chamberings, but they can't really compete with the .30-06Spd.
2 Wild Dueces
Member
The 280 Rem will do everything needed for N.A. Discussion ended.
30-06, 35 Whelen, or even 375 H&H loaded appropriately.
30-06 would be my first choice. The 270, 280, 7mms all would be fine choices, but 30 cal would give the widest range of bullet choice, and the old '06 makes the most out of the choices in that caliber. 308 win works, but falls short at longer ranges with heavier calibers, and the 300 mags can be a little too much rifle for many to shoot effectively.
Since the OP stated that he likes lever guns, and if long range isnt the primary factor, the 45-70 would be a good choice. Lighter loads are perfect for hogs and deer sized game, while flattening the trajectory a bit, and the heavier loads would be fine for just about anything else that a person would want to hunt.
Since the OP stated that he likes lever guns, and if long range isnt the primary factor, the 45-70 would be a good choice. Lighter loads are perfect for hogs and deer sized game, while flattening the trajectory a bit, and the heavier loads would be fine for just about anything else that a person would want to hunt.
My Elk rifle is a Marlin 1895G. Inside 200y it is a fine little rifle.
Pistol Ranch
Member
Be interesting to see the .243 on a Grizzly, since they "run off" when hit with a 7 mag.....
P.R.
SpeedAKL
Member
If you factor in brown bear, polar bear, and bison, a magnum-grade .338 starts to look ideal for the full spectrum of North American big game. It's excessive for deer, sheep and perhaps elk as well, but the additional horsepower comes in handy for the really heavy stuff while not being total overkill like a big-dore dangerous game cartridge.
Without angry bison or big bears in the mix (i.e. what 99% of us in the Lower 48 hunt), any high-power cartridge in the .276, .284/7mm, or .308 range will do the job. I'd look at the .30-06, .270 Win, .308 Win, and 7mm Magnum in particular.
Without angry bison or big bears in the mix (i.e. what 99% of us in the Lower 48 hunt), any high-power cartridge in the .276, .284/7mm, or .308 range will do the job. I'd look at the .30-06, .270 Win, .308 Win, and 7mm Magnum in particular.
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