Four centerfire hunting rifles for the world.......go!

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.223

6.5CM

7mm Remington magnum/280AI....so similar they might as well be interchangeable.

.375 Ruger

I own one (at least) of each.
 
I don’t already have a 470 NE but I figured “hunting rifle” would eliminate my 50 BMG from being a good choice but haven’t tried API on hogs yet (going to have to work on that)...anyway, I found another round that reportedly received a “sporting use exemption” from the BATFE.

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/72/401/ssk-industries-950-jdj-gun-number-one-single-shot

Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
3,600 gr (233 g) 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s) 38,685 ft⋅lbf

That should do it for my Mammuthus primigenius hunting trips.
 
.17 Hornet
7mm Mauser
44 Mag
45-70

That means I don’t hunt the really big stuff in Africa. Never wanted to hunt them anyways.
 
6.5 hot rod of your choice. In a light weight mountain rifle.
.308 or .30/06 (pretty much the same)
.375 H&H
.500 NE

or

.30/06
Spare .30/06
.375H&H
Spare .375H&H

I’d have traded the 6.5 for a .22LR but this is a CF only discussion.
 
.223 Remington/5.56 NATO
.243 Winchester
.270 Winchester
.375 H&H

There are places that require straightwall cartridges. If a PCC lever action .357 or .44 Magnum still counts, and you are still limited to 4, I’d have to reluctantly give up the .243 because the .270 can download to cover most of the gap between .223 and .270 that the .243 covers. Otherwise, I’ll have my little 1894 carbine, and keep the other four as well, thank you very much.

The .375 is the outlier for me. I’ve never hunted anything or anywhere it’s necessary, but if I need to cover the world, the .375 just has to be there.

And yes, there will still be the obligatory rimfire and shotgun. This isn’t about those.
 
A 7mm-08 Lightweight Mountain Rifle type bolt action. Top it with a 4-12x. Covers anything that won't stomp me to death.

458WinMag in a bolt action. Covers everything that can stomp me to death. Loaded down, covers deer in straightwall only states. Fill the stock with lead shot when shooting the heavies, take it out when hunting with 45-70 level loads. Slap a decent 2-7x on it.
 
Only 4, so they have to be obscure and interesting. Powerful enough for the job, and fun to shoot as well.

Small game- Marlin 62 .256 winmag
Medium game- going long range single shot here. Ruger No 1 RSI fully worked over by a Smith for the best target gun it could be while still being a hunting rifle.
Large game- we need a semiauto thrown in the mix. M1 garand with conversion to 35 whelen and dropped into a custom red white and blue laminate stock.
Dangerous game- drilling. I’m partial to American drillings in 16/16/3006 setup but would like a bit more for dangerous game. Go traditional 16x16/ 9.3
 
.22 for small animal
.308 because thats what I've used for nearly 50 years and i know it will kill every thing thats huntable in Europe and most of the game animals in the US.
8x57jrs Merkel 160E double rifle just because it such fun to shoot and I shoot so well with it.
My LGS has a new Mauser M98 in .416 Rigby if I needed a rifle for DG.
 
Loyalist Dave said:
.
450 Bushmaster
.404 Jeffery
.358 Winchester
6.5mm Grendel

OH and something that shoots, patched .530 round ball, but the topic is "center fire" so this last choice would be off topic.
Click to expand...

WHY the above four? Well there are lots of nice cartridges that I also like, such as the .35 Whelen, .30-06 Springfield, .45-70 Government, 6.5 Creedmoore, 7mm-08 Winchester, .25-06, .243 Winchester, etc etc.


I chose the .450 Bushmaster because it's a straight walled cartridge that is therefore allowed for deer in areas where straight walled cartridges are the only rifle ammo allowed for deer, and it is available in both bolt action and AR-15 platforms, while something like the .45-70 Government although being also a straight walled cartridge, is a "long action" so lever action and bolt action and the odd single shot rifle. The .350 Legend would also work. Even the .44 Magnum would suit, but not in an AR platform.
I chose the .404 Jeffery, which was a purely academic choice, because it was well liked in Africa for very dangerous game, by the rangers and the guides, while the hunters were using something larger in many cases. I figure the professionals know or knew something. It would be my African cartridge, but it's only "on paper" for me. The .416 Lott is another contender. This was only from reading, and my sources could be outdated or even full of beans, eh?
The .358 Winchester because it is easily fabricated from .308 brass, is good in bolt action and lever actions rifles, and IF somebody made a barrel for it, you could put it in a AR type of platform.
Finally the 6.5 Grendel as it out performs 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington in an AR-15 platform, and it's lower pressure than a lot of the cartridges that also work in the AR-15 platform and out perform the 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington, as well as I have personal experience with it and like it.
.530 patched, round ball as that allows me to hunt during Muzzle Loader season as well as regular deer season with a flintlock that will perform when primers and caps are scarce.

LD
 
A Bighorn Armery lever action in 460 S&W mag shoots 45long 454 and 460 plus shot shells.
Henry Model X in 45-70
3006 with a real nice scope
Got to have a 22lr in there
 
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