Four caliber battery?

[Mr Bill]

225 Win
either .284 Win or 30-06 or 7mm Mag
8mm Rem Mag
either 416 Rem Mag or 458 Lott

Those either or decisions are tough choices.
They'd ultimately depend upon the rifle selection.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Well, I think I could do it with 2 or 3 actually. The Dark Continent is calling me, daily now, and the Great White North has a strong pull too. So....

1) .260 Remington (which I have)
2) .338 Win or Weatherby Magnum (which I want)

Until I feel dangerous game or varminting calling me, that is all I should need.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Well as you said everone should have a .22.

But I also think you should have a 12 ga. with a deer barrel and a birdshot barrel.

And a medium caliber all around game rifle, like a 30-06.

and a Heavy just-for-grins even if I don't get to Africa rifle like a .375 H&H. (though I've noticed the trend letely for everyone to have a 45-70)

If you are varminting you can use the .22 for the close stuff and the 30-06 for the long shots.. it's not like you are gonna eat parire dog and crows.

So to reiterate:

.22
12 Ga
30-06
.375

(Remember this is a hunting thread, not a what-if-the-aliens-invaded-while-I was-ien-route-to-hunt-so-I-grabbed-my-poddle-shooter-from-behind-the -seat kinda thing, BUT, everybody should have one of those too.)

 

[Ron L]

223
308
338
12 gauge

Should cover it.

 

[MeekandMild]

Too heavy, too powerful and too much recoil and noise.

My list:

.17 HMR
.243
.270
.35 Rem

Maybe change the .35 to .444 one day.

 

[cratz2]

243 for varmints and slightly larger game
25-06 or 270 for open plains game
30-06 for even larger game
45-70 for the largest game. 375 if you want something a little more traditional

For the handloader, the list can even get by with only two rifles and be nearly as versatile - the 257 Roberts with 75 Gr VMax for varmints and 117 Gr SSTs for larger game and the 338 Win Mag lightly loaded with 185 or 200 Gr for deer, elk and small bear and 250 Gr X Bullets for the dangerous stuff.

 

[Big_R]

I just can't help myself:

.243 Win
.300 Win Mag
.375 H&H
.416 Rem Mag

The only other thing you need is a good reloading set up.

Ryan

 

[H&Hhunter]

Well here is my personal 4 gun battery for anywhere do anything.

1.308/Or 30-06 for general critter hunting Deer Elk ETC.

2..300 mag of choice in a light weight rig for sheep and goats. Mine is a .300 Weatherby ultra light weight & I am experimenting with a model 70 in .300WSM

3. .375H&H because no man is complete without one. I find myself using this caliber more often than not for most anything.

4. .458Lott because when you need a big gun you really need a BIG GUN. The .375 just doesn't have the poop in the tight cover and tall grass on P.Oed dangerous African game. Though I wouldn't feel under gunned with mine in a pinch. And that is my two gun combination while hunting Africa for that reason. If my Lott goes T.U. I've still got a more than capable dangerous game rig back at camp

All of these rifles are synthetic and blued stainless and all except the Lott are topped with quality low power variables because the low end of the magnifacation scale is more important to me than the high end. A good 1.5 or 1.75 X 6 is in my opinon the best set up in world. At 6 power it's enough to shoot acuratley past my effect range with just about any rifle however, a 4 power and up scope is worse than useless at 5 feet in the brush. Also I like the smaller lense sizes as they allow you to mount the scope lower making the gun a faster handling peice.

Sorry to ramble guys it's just that I really get into this stuff.

 

[Mannlicher]

I dont really plan to hunt the world. For my rifle hunting in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, I only have to look into my gun safe for a working 4 gun battery.

1. .44 Mag Marlin 1894S. 2.5X Weaver scope. Load is the 270 grain Speer Gold Dot. This is my main WhiteTail combination.

2. 8X57mm M1908 Mannlicher-Schoenauer Carbine. Double set triggers, Redfield 2X7 20mm scope. Best all around gun I ever owned. Perfect in heavy cover, more than adequate for that 300 yard shot. With good handloads, it will take anything in North America.

3. .270 M1952 Mannlicher-Schoenauer rifle. Single set trigger. 3X9 Leupold Vari-X III.

4. 7X57Ackley Improved. Single set trigger, synthetic stock, Shilen barrel. 140 grain Sierra Game King over IMR 3031 powder. A wonderful long range rifle. Light weight, light recoil, and performance like a 7mm Rem Mag.

 

[Legionnaire]

As I don't expect to hunt anywhere but North America for the forseeable future, here's my list:

.22 LR
.223
.308
.338 Win Mag

Don't have the .338; haven't needed it yet!

 

[Edward429451]

Hmmm.

22LR for sure.

223REM. Although for this niche the 243 WIN might be better.

308 WIN. Largest rifle I own to date.

338 WINMAG or maybe 45/70 havent decided.

I'm not going to Africa so these should cover all of North America for me. Alaska or Europe isnt out of the question though.

 

[Art Eatman]

Huntin' stuff?

Colt Woodsman, for miscellaneous stuff.

Lil Sako carbine, .243, for varmints and deer. (It might get left behind on account of the 700Ti in 7mm08.)

Model 12 12-gauge for birds.

And, of course, "There ain't many things a fella can't fix, with a few hundred dollars and a thutty-ought-six."

, Art

 

[meathammer]

I guess for my personal list I can get by with two. (I agree that 22lr is a given.)

1. 12 gauge

2. 7mm mag.

I haven't hunted any dangerous game yet. I'll be needing some new artillery if and when the opportunity arises. My buddy has a .30-378 he would probably let me borrow. If that didn't slow the critter down, I probably shouldn't be shooting at it!

 

[Brian Williams]

22lr given

223 so much of it out there

243 nice flat shooter with many different weights

7mm-08 it will do most of what 308 does and flatter

45/70 or 35 rem

I have noticed that hunters tend to heavier calibers where shooters tend to the smaller end.

 

[Mannlicher]

However................................

I just put on layaway, a Ruger #1-H Tropical in .416 RemMag. I don't think I will ever need it, but the price was right, it's NIB, and golly its purty. Bet it will make a great Hog rifle.

 

[Slingster]

In addition to the premise of being able to take any non-bird game animal anywhere in the world with an appropriate cartridge, and given that the premise specifies worldwide use, one also needs to consider ammo availability and restrictions on military cartridges in some countries.

Based on ammo availability alone, I'd choose:

.223/5.56 NATO
.308/7.62 NATO
.375 H&H
.458 Win Mag

The military cartridge restrictions would make the first two on that list potentially problematic, so to be safe on that score, but still be reasonable assured of worldwide availability, I would modify the first two items on the list to:

.222
.270

If we throw in bird hunting, then I'd substitute a Drilling with SxS 12-ga barrels and the .222 underneath for the first gun, with a variable scope in claw mounts.

 

[stevelyn]

Here's my all around North America list since Africa isn't in my forseeable future, but would IMHO, work well in Africa.
I also believe in a lot of cases, improvements in ammo and bullet technology/quality make addition of some calibers unnecessary. I'll explain in my list.

.223 Rem. A no-brainer, official NATO caliber, accurate. Ammo plentiful and cheap in a variety of varmint, plinking and anti-personnel loads. If you need more range, sneak up a little closer.

.30-06 Sprgfld. Probably more commercial loads available for this caliber than any other. Stoked with standard pressure/velocity ammo for general purposes. Federal High Energy and Hornady Light Magnums moves the '06 into .300Mag territory for larger game.

.45-70 Gummit. With standard pressure ammo it has the trajectory of a basketball and is a very good 100 yrd woods cartridge for big critters. Stuff it with the "magnum" or "+P" loads from Buffalo Bore and Garrett respectively, and you have a decent large/dangerous game combo that crowds the .458 Win. at a very reasonable price. They also flatten the trajectory and extend the practical range a bit.
A hunter from FL just recently took the African Big Six using Garrett loads and a Marlin 1895 rifle. None of the animals he took needed more than two shots.

Yup, I can do it in three. But, for sake of a toy, I'll go with a .............uhhmmmm .35 Whelen Imp. or neck up a .300 WSM to .35 and stick it in a scout rifle. (Hint-Hint Winchester)

 

[shooter10mm]

I can't believe that no one said a .22 Magnum!! :banghead:

here goes:

1. .22 Magnum
2. .25-06 for everything up to Elk
3. .300 Rem. Ultra Mag for larger Deer, Elk, Bears to African plains game
4. .375 Ultra MAg for the big stuff.

That'll do it!

 

[JOE MACK]

4 rifle hunting battery

These are my choices, they may be a little different, but they're mine!

.22-250

.41Magnum (lever-action)

.280Remington

.411/.416Remington

I said it was a little different.

 

[mohican]

A 12 gauge pump or auto with interchangeable barrels can be a battery unto itself.

4 gun battery, assuming a .22 lr is a given
.30-06
12 gauge with both rifled slug barrel and field barrels
.44 mag
.375 H&H

The problem with this, and articles based on 3-4 gun batteries, is when the wife reads them and says - see, you don't need more than 4 guns

 

[HankB]

Interesting how a few folks have included both a .308 and a 7mm or .300 in their choices.

My choices, assuming a .22lr is a given . . .

1. .223 (a good, target-grade AR15)
2. .30/06 (bolt action, stocked and 'scoped to suit myself)
3. .375 H&H (ditto)
4. 9mm (Preferably an HKMP5SD.)

Ok, ok, if (4) isn't a real choice, I'd take a good .470NE double rifle.

I've got the first 3, which have worked fine from plinking and varmints on the low side to lion, hippo, & Cape buff on the high side. I'll probably never have either of my choices for #4. $$$$$

 

[Glamdring]

Hmm two pairs:

1. 308
2. 375 H&H
308/150 @ 2700fps = 375/270 @ 2700 so practice with one about equals practice with other. Also can use "weaker bullets" (ie 30-30 and 375Win/38-55) for each to download for smaller game. Both would be scoped with a 1.5-5x


3. 9.3x62
4. 6.5x55
9.3x62/286 @ 2400 = 6.5x55/160 @ 2400 so again trajectory close enough that field practice with one works for the other. With either a fixed 2.5x or fixed 4x

***
Some days I might say:

1. 223
2. 300WBY/H&H
Again 300/180 @ 3100 = 223/55 @ 3200 for practical practice. Both would use 2-7x



3. 348 Win
4. 458 Lott
348/250 @ 2150+ = 458/500 2150+
or Express loads 348/200 @ 2400= 458/400 barnes X @ 2400
Would use iron sights.

 

[bambi308]

22 as given , plus 12 gauge as given then

243 win
308 win
300 win mag
375 H&H mag
470 nitro


if room take an 8 gauge shotgun too

 

[dfaugh]

Realistically

You could probably get by with 2 rifles:

.308 (or 30-06)
and the .375 H&H

Add to that a .22 and a shotgun, and there's really nothing short of elephants that you couldn't handle.

If I had to add to that, it might be a .223 or .22-250, for long range varmints, but the .308 would do it if need be.

 

[Poppy270]

I believe I could get by with two;

270 Win
338 WinMag

I use these two a lot on deer,antelope,elk,etc...have no problems.Never hunted anything larger than elk,but I hope too one day.Both of the big A's are calling me.