Narrow caliber selection down to best 5

[BsChoy]

22 lr...everyone needs at least 12

223....small stuff up to deer (not for use on deer unless loaded appropriate)

308/30-06...either but I like 06 for more power with lager bullets for up to and including moose (308 is so much nicer to the shooter though)

338 win mag...up to the african big 5

any of the 416's for the rest of the large mammals with toofers to bite you with.

 

[schtinky123]

.22 LR - plinking, targets, small game, just plain ol' messin' around
.223 - targets, varmits, small to medium game
.308 - targets, medium game thru some larger game. (It was a toss-up between .308 and .30-06, but .308 offers a wider range of "evil black rifles" to play around with.)
.375 RUM - elk and beyond, armor-plated squirrels, etc.
.458 Lott - for when I'm feelin' "saucy"

 

[rnovi]

Just Five? Shouldn't this be "Just four and a .22"?

.22 Rimfire.

.357 Magnum Lever Gun. Preferably a Winchester 16", or a Marlin 18" given the current market...

.257 Roberts - Remington Titanium Ultralight. The "goto" deer gun and all day carry gun.

.350 Rem Mag - Remington 673. Alternately a .35 Whelen in a Rem 7400 auto. Everything from big deer to elk to grizzly.

.416 Rem Mag - for the really, really big stuff. And zombies.

 

[Evil Monkey]

NATO

1. 9mm NATO
2. 5.56mm NATO
3. 7.62mm NATO

Others...

4. 7.62mm Soviet
5. 7.62 54R Soviet
6. 5.45mm Soviet

Big Boys

7. .50 BMG
8. 40mm (#1-7 should help you get #8 during rough times )

 

[Srigs]

My choices...

22LR
30-30
270
308

 

[Terrierman]

.22 LR
.223
.30-06
.375 H&H
.416 Rigby

 

[Shawnee]

C-B-lo

 

[Shawnee]

Piece of cake!

.243 and 7mm/08 Done.

If I have to go to Africa add the 416 Rigby

Oooops. I was assuming the .22 LR was a "given" since most of us were born with them.

 

[TimboKhan]

.22 lr
.30-06
7.62x39
7.5 Swiss
.223

Obviously, I am only interested in what I would have, as the 7.5 swiss isn't all that popular a cartridge, but I could get by very easily with those 5. I can't think of a situation that I could possibly get myself into where one of those calibers wouldn't be the appropriate choice.

 

[atek3]

223, 308, 260 rem, 7 WSM, 338 LM

that's all you need for basically everything.

atek3

 

['Card]

Best 5? I dunno.

My favorite 5? That's easy.
.22LR
.270
.300 Savage
.30-06
.300 WinMag

 

[bowfin]

Okay, here is my list:

.22 long rifle: For training, plinking, squirrels, rabbits, raccoon

.22-250: For coyotes and prairie dogs.

7mm Remington Magnum: For those windy antelope and deer hunts with few chances and long ranges

.308 Winchester: An ideal deer cartridge.

.50 caliber blackpowder: For the month long muzzleloading season. Yes, I do eat all those deer, and still end up running out of sausage

Nope, no picks for SHTF, home defense, alien invasion of either kind, zombies, and/or taking on governments, foreign or domestic.

 

[Karbon]

1) .22lr plinking
2) .270wsm most medium to large game hunting
3) .50 for the muzzy season
4) 45/70 big stuff

Then... another fun gun...

5) .223 or .22-250 or .204 or????

 

[CornCod]

.22LR- Cheap target practice, small game
7.62X39- Combat
.308Win-7.62NATO-Hunting, Sniping
9mm Para-Light Carbine
.375 H&H Magnum-Big Game hunting

 

[streetstang67]

In case your wondering, I counted up everybody's favorites and came up with these top 5 calibers.

.22
.223
7.62x39mm or .30-30 (combined these two because so many people picked them and they are very similar)
.30-06 or .308 (combined for same reason)
.45-70

Honorable mention: .375 H&H, .50BMG, .270 Win, .300 Win Mag, and .338 Win

 

[kutenay]

.45-70-defence in G-bear areas when working, especiallu alone

.338 Win. Mag.-my favourite B.C.-NWT-Yukon hunting cartridge

9.3x74R-in my Merkel drilling for fun meat hunting of Grouse/ungulates at the same time.

9.3sx62-becoming my favourite cartridge after nearly 40 years with the .338; this old-timer is a wonderful round with the right handloads

7x57 Mauser-for hunting small deer on Vancouver Is. and, next year, the Queen Charlotte Isalnds

I have a whack of others as well, but, these suit me best for where I live and hunt.

 

[BobMcG]

The actual question was...

...if you were limited to only 5 rifle calibers, which would you choose and why?

Not a bad question but I'm going to use five rifle calibers I would keep if I had to trim down to just that number.

1) .22LR - Very inexpensive plinking and small game.
2) .243Win - Varmints to medium game.
3) 7.62X39mm - Inexpensive plinking and negative deviants.
4) .30-06 - Medium to large game.
5) .45-70 - Medium to large and dangerous game.

 

[ETXhiker]

Since this is fantasy land and cost is no object:

.22 LR
.22-250
.257 Roberts or 6mm Rem.
.338-06 or .35 Whelen
.416 Rigby

 

[TexasRifleman]

5 is too many.

.22LR - Cheap
5.56 - Cheap and nearly everything is chambered for it or .223 (ignoring possible safety issue there, another day maybe)
30-06 - Because the Garand needs it,and everyone has a Garand right?

Optional if you just really need 5
.308 - Again, so many rifles chambered for this one.
.45-70 - If you can't kill it with a .45-70 you should really consider running away.

 

[12GA00buck]

1. .22LR, practice/small game
2. 12GA, anything at ranges under 50 yards
3. 30-06, everything
4. .357/.38 special, two for one deal, medium game, defense
5. 40 S&W, defense

Close Contenders
44 mag/special, another two for one deal, large game, defense
.45LC/454 casull, large game, defense
.45 ACP, defense
45/70, brush gun
.35 whelen, big game