Picking a hunting rifle caliber based on reloading for it

[J_McLeod]

I would go with .308. It's cheaper to buy and load than 30.06 and has almost as much power. It's suitable for whitetails, Elk and just about anything else in the lower 48. You don't see much surplus .308 any more, but still more than 30.06 and there is plenty of surplus .308 brass around, it's relatively cheap and easy to find.

One advantage of reloading is that allows us to consider cartridges we wouldn't otherwise. I'm considering a 7mm08, which I wouldn't without reloading and I have a .243 which I can shoot a lot more because I load for it. Both are also good deer cartridges, and you can form the brass from surplus .308.

 

[gamestalker]

Nothing wrong with those two, but if your considering a hunting rifle based on component availability, I sure wouldn't confine the list to just those 2 options. Unless your loading for some obscure cartridge, and even then, brass and bullets aren't at all difficult to find.

The 7 mag has been no problem finding brass or bullets for. And the 300 WM, which uses the same bullets as your mentioned options, can be loaded to suit anything in N.A. without having to push the outer limits, such as for elk or bear, and brass has been plentiful around here.

If it were me, but it's not, I would be considering something other than -06 or .308 for absolute versatility. I've personally taken everything with the .270 win, to include elk and black bear, and at some pretty good distances too.

GS

 

[4895]

It has been said..."If I only had one rifle, I would have a .30-06"

That statement works for most people and isn't such a bad idea, especially if you live in a rural area where ammunition selection isn't as vast as your favorite www.bulletpowderprimer.com website.

However, since you/we are skilled in the art of reloading, you/we don't need to be so short-sighted. With a bit of patience and timing, you should be able to locate any/all components needed to load what you need.

The 7mm rifles are perhaps my favorite for shooting at all ranges and carry a very wide selection of bullets. The .280 Remington is a particular favorite for all-around hunting.

The .260 Remington is another great round that will serve you well with deer/hogs/coyotes/elk and is a real fun round to shoot. Plus you can resize brass from .243, 7mm-08, even .308 necking up or down to get the 6.5mm neck size. This isn't optimal, but in case of another shortage would keep you shooting.

There is nothing wrong with a .308 or .30-06 either. Both are great calibers for any reasonable hunting scenario.

If recoil is a concern, don't discount the .25-06 Remington. It is a fantastic round and will handle itself well without beating you up.

If you ever figure it out, let me know too. I should only be lucky enough to have 1 rifle and shoot it well.

P.S. As a reloader, I don't ever purchase mil-spec or surplus ammo. I load with my rifle shoots well and save the bullets that don't shoot sub-MOA for trading.

P.P.S. Why do we have to buy a whole pound of rifle powder when we only need enough to load 20 rounds or so for working up a load? Wouldn't it be nice if we could buy quarter pound sample bottles of powder?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

When the shortage hit bot the .223 and .308 were also hit hard. it was almost impossible to find brass but brass for the 30-06 was still available.

I'm a huge fan of the 30-06 but I could do well with a .308 too. Both are equally easy to reload for and both use a wide range of powders which will help in these lean times...

 

[RealGun]

When the shortage hit bot the .223 and .308 were also hit hard. it was almost impossible to find brass but brass for the 30-06 was still available.

I'm a huge fan of the 30-06 but I could do well with a .308 too. Both are equally easy to reload for and both use a wide range of powders which will help in these lean times...

Saying one should avoid AR rounds because of demand and shortages kinda gives the same result, wherein .30-06 stands alone among widely distributed calibers.

 

[RealGun]

The 30/30, .250 Sav, .257R, .308 & 30/06.

The 30-30 Winchester is legendary and the only necked cartridge rifle I own next to my AR, but aside from having limited range is plagued by shortages of reloading components, perhaps more seasonal than many other calibers.