Best Rifle/Caliber for North American Hunting?

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Well, I guess world-wide, it will probably be the .303 British? The Canadians seem to do fine with this one and they have some big critters :)
 
In lever action,

Marlin Model 1895G Guide Gun .45-70
aMarlinModel1895GGuideGun45-70SN01019031.jpg
 
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You could in theory shoot 240gr bullets out of a 30-06, You are only pushing 30-30 speeds with it but it will shoot them. Woodleigh is the only company that I know of that currently makes a real hunting 240gr that will stabailze in a standard 1:10 twist. Talk about a real thumper, .361 SD in a heavly bonded SP should blast through anything this side of a mature bison. It is the only small caliber SP that will out penatrate the 160gr 6.5mms. No factory loads for these as far as I know, you have to roll your own.
 
I pulled out the micrometer, it looks like most of my 30-06 is actually 30.0625773
Works fine though.
 
Any brand name bolt action .30-06. Antelope to moose to bear. 125 to 220 grain bullets, 55 grain w/sabots if you're feeling varminty.

Honestly, if you want to know America's 'popular' calibers, see what's on sale at Walmart before deer season.

30-30, 308, 30-06, 270, 7mm mag.

I don't think any centerfire rifle caliber comes near those in popularity at present.
 
My two are 30-30 lever action and 30-06. I'm happy with them. Lots of others that would work as well.
 
I would leave the 55gr 30-06 on the shelf, too many people griping about the poor accuracy of the rem sabot. get a 264 cal or smaller for varmint, flatter trajectory and much less recoil. 25-06, 6.5x55, and 260rem are much more versitale/practical rifles if varmint are in the mix. 30-06 is more versitlile if American bison or grizly is on the list. No one rifle is perfect for every situation.
 
Every heavy hunting rifle here will kill and 90% of the time you can swap one for another with no impact on the result.

But my suggestions are as follows:

First get a Ruger 10/22 for cheap training and fun. No Scope, base rifle. Practice. 500 rounds cost about the same or less than 20 centerfire cartridges.

30-06 is the choice and here is why.

As long as ammo is available, you will be able to get 30-06 ammo.

In the south I can walk into 24 hr convenience stores and get 30-06.

There are better rounds for specific situations but the best overall hunting rifle to live with is the 30-06. It is the most versatile.

Remember, you got to shoot the gun to hit where you aim. PRACTICE.
 
epijunkie67 said:
Wow. Just... Wow.

I figured there would be a huge number of possible contenders for this question. To see an almost unanimous list of suggestions for the 30-06 kind of impresses me. I've never owned a 30-06 before but I might have to seriously look at one now.
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30-06 is an amazing all around, round man.. take a look, and try one, heir great for everything
 
The 30-06 may be the most popular,
but the stats. on the 7mm are hard to beat. (Bal. Coefficient per bullet weight etc).
I'd would think something like the 280 would be ideal,
or one of the 7 Mags if recoil isn't an issue
 
Do a search for ".30-06 vs .308" and you almost certainly find plenty of heated debates, mostly locked in a stalemate. The general consensus seems to be that .30-06 is better if you hand load, while .308 is often preferred if you just shoot factory loads; beyond that, you can't go wrong with either.
 
Years ago when I addressed this situation I had a 30-06 but thought the 7mm mag was a better solution. I am a reloader and there are a lot of options for a 30-06, however the 7mm is better at long range as in Antelope in WY. Today I would only settle for a .338 mag. It has a wide range of bullets available for reloaders and a favorite in AK for factory ammo. Any of the three is ok for a one rifle do most bolt gun.
Jim
 
Is no one going to make a case for the 270WSM? If recoil and muzzle blast get minimum consideration I would nominate the short action rail gun. Featherweigt varmint bullets at 3600fps+ up to ultra heavy 160 and 180gr bullets. More energy/momentum then any 30-06, and flatter shooting then any 7mm rem mag load (neck and neck with the 300 Ultra mag). My 140gr Accubonds @3200+fps are more then suitable for any hunt in the lower 48 states. 130gr SSTs @ 3400+fps w/.460BC provide rail gun speed/trajectory perfect for deer class game at any hunting range (very accurate too). As an added bonus it uses smaller powder charges, it is better in shorter barrels then the other magnums, and the smaller charges make for less barrel wear too. If you don't mind 30-06 class recoil what is not to like? Jack O'Connor used his old 270win to hunt everything form rabbit to brown bear. If his old 130gr SPs could do all of that imagine what modern bonded bullets and an extra 250fps could do. :evil:
I went to buy some brass for my 270WSM the other day and the gentleman behind the counter was an very old school hunter/state champion shooter. I was expecting to have him sneer at my ultra modern choice of caliber, instead he raved about how he thought that was the perfect hunting caliber for North American game. I still perfer the mild manners of my 6.5x55 90% of the time, but he made several really good points.
Recoil is below 7mm rem mag, and tied with 165gr 30-06 loads IMHO.
 
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Is no one going to make a case for the 270WSM?
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Lord no. Tis the only cartridge that I've owned and hated. The straight walled case with sharp taper doesn't help feeding any (to make things worse it was chambered in a Browning A-Bolt with 60 degree bolt lift), cartridges (and components) were costly and hard to find, and it afforded little gain in performance over the established .270Win. Glad you like yours, but it wasn't my cup-o-tea...not at all.

:)
 
Hard to find??? Where do you live? I pay about $0.55 for a quality brass, and they are availabe in every gun store around here+ Bass Pro and a few other major retail stores. My Savage feeds them just fine, not as smooth as my T3 mind you but nothing is. No less then half a dozen stores carry quality .277 bullets like the Nosler and Horandy I mentioned. A total non-issue for me. Factory ammo everywhere including wal-mart and costs about the same as 7mm rem mag.
The old 270 is a heck of a good gun too, but I would turn this into the same old boring 270 vs 30-06 debate that has raged since 1925.
 
I sold mine a few years back, and due to the disposition of said rifle, and my distaste for the cartridge I have quit looking for cases, so that condition may well have changed. Even if so, I still don't like the cartridge for the other reasons...and the fact that it uses .277cal. bullets (which got left behind despite being ensnared between the marvelous 6.5 & 7mm) which isn't a handloader's dream caliber (now people are really pissed off at me :p). That said, bullet selection for said caliber has been steadily improving over the past few years, so perhaps it will come around before long.

:)
 
Well remember most 6.5s come with a remarkable 1:8 twist so they stabalize very long bullets very well, the 7mms come with either a 9 or 9.5 to 1, while the 277 cals almost all come with 1:10. They won't stabalize bullets quite as long but they tend to do better with medium length/weight bullets which are just plain better for 300-500yd range trajectory. Despite that engineers have managed to get some very impressive BCs out of the 130-150gr bullets in that caliber. Now if someone made a 6.5mm short action mag that could launch 140gr .612BC bullets at 3200fps I would be in LOVE!! Until then I am thrilled with 3430 fps and a .460BC in a 130gr bullet. Talk about lazer flat, nothing this side of a barrel burning 7mmSTW will shoot flatter at 500. Hence I stand by my previous statement that in the 06 recoil class there is nothing more versitle for American game then the short action rail gun. Especaly since the introduction of bullets that will stay intact at 3200+fps impact speeds(TSX, Accubond and Swift Scirocco II)
 
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And the best part of the 270WSM is that if you decide to push it's abilities to the max it will really impress you. 74gr of magpro will turn a WSM into a weapon without comparison. 3300+fps with a 140gr Accubond (23" barrel) 3450fps (in 28" barrel) is an instant death sentence to anything it strikes and shoots as flat as any 338 Lapua, 300 ultra mag, or 7mm STW load I can find. For those of you that compare everything in ft lbs that is about the same KE as a standard 300 win mag (200 ft lbs more in the long barrel). That kind of versitiliey is really hard to beat IMHO, though I would argue that kind of trajectory and energy are a massive overkill anywhere south of Alaska.
BTW caution that is a compressed load, and a bit over my Nolser manual max, start at 67gr and work your way up. Both for the sake of your gun and your shoulder. I am more then happy with my 3200fps and don't feel the need to make my rail gun any faster, it is already too powerful for around here, and kicks pretty good in my 6lbs rifle. Hence my 6.5x55 is my go to gun 90% of the time and with my handloads even that is an overkill in my experence.
 
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well im gonna say the best rifle for deer, hogs, elk is gonna be a rifle that you are comfortable with and know how it shoots which include the caliber limits and your limits. personally i look at it like this, i have a rifle that i use to hunt wooded area and a rifle i use to hunt open fields. i use a 35 whelen with 200 gr x bullets for the woods( it puts them down in a hurry) and youre able to get it up to 310 gr. which will cover every animal in north america. if im in an open field i use a 257 weatherby mag with a 115 gr vld to really reach out there and touch them. so find what you are comfortable with as far as recoil, accuracy, distance, and animal and you can take just about any animal in north america with exact shot placement
 
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