One caliber you couldn’t do without

[Captcurt]

Just put me down for 22LR. I shoot more that 5000 rounds of 22LR through rifle and handgun every year. I would have to go back to work if I shot centerfire like that.

 

[flintlocke]

.62 caliber smoothbore. Why? I can make every component to make it go boom. Projectiles of lead, round stones, bird shot, pea gravel etc., home made black powder, flint or agate or jasper ignition. Does not require the permission of a politician to feed it. Meat getting accuracy to 100 paces. Can be loaded subsonic to shoulder bruising power levels. Comes in a very light and attractive package. No, I'm not a crazy prepper, just an old guy who had a reality check during the Obama shortages of components and rimfire fodder.

 

[Snidely70431]

TBH, I'd be perfectly happy with the .270/.308/30-06 in this fictitious world of one rifle round. Beyond that.. in a true rifle cartridge, it would be the .223 because of the AR. If we are talking about anything and everything, it would be the .41MAG... not only does it work in my .41 pistols, but my Marlin 1894 as well, and does everything, in your fictitious world, short of the .308.

Conflicted.

 

[69Falcon]

.38/.357 would be my choice as it can be chambered everything from J-Frames to service revolvers to rifles for medium game (at short range).

 

[Charlie98]

Conflicted.

In what respect?

 

[Hanshi]

I have to say the .250/3000. I have two of them.

 

[tark]

I was told not to pick the 30-06.. OK. Rules are rules.

I'll pick a European caliber.....

7.62 X 63 mm

 

[doubleh]

I'm another in the 22 long rifle camp.

 

[Reloadron]

One caliber you couldn’t do without.

That is a good question and for me it's what year is this more than a why. This year was the year of the .308 Winchester and I don't even know why. I started the year with my M1A but migrated to an old custom Remington 700 I built about 25 years ago. I shot some 168 grain Sierra BTHP Match stuff I loaded with AA2495 and went on some sort of a quest to shrink groups. My M1A, AR10 and other .308 guns went by the wayside as I was totally focused on that bolt gun. Hell by the first snow and end of my outdoor range days all I was doing is loading .308 Winchester. A few years ago it was 7mm Rem Mag and then there was the 7mm-08 year. It's like I start a year with a wide range of cartridges and rifles and in short order it becomes the year of. I really don't know why but as of right now I have a few 308 experiments to complete.

A 22 LR always goes to the range be it a rifle or handgun but the 22 LR is just something to do when I am not shooting a center fire cartridge. The 22 LR just sort of fills a void I guess. I really can't think of any one single caliber I couldn't do without.

Ron

 

[horsey300]

If it's something I can't live without, then we'll accept that I CAN live without an Alaskan fantasy, and for anything I'll ever chase in the lower 48, a hot 6mm will do it for me, 2nd would be that hot prc that I have been telling the wife I can't live without and 3rd would be a 7 stw/rem mag. Why? I have a thing for speed and efficient use of it. A 30 something magnum at one time was my answer, but any of the above mentioned cartridges have a better use of the velocity in play. So far, I've not found anything too big or too far away for my .243 properly loaded. If I didn't have it then one of my other 2 choices would be just fine as well for the same reasons.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

6.5x55. Lighter bullets will work for varmints, heavier for deer. Doesn't kick like a mule either.

 

[Elkins45]

22 LR is the obvious choice, but I couldn’t hunt deer.

One cartridge to do everything? 357 or 44 magnum. Gives you a SD handgun and a lever gun for short range deer. With the invention of the S&W 69 I might go 44.