Rifle Calibers - Help me understand what to use.

[ZeSpectre]

I've been dithering around between 5 calibers and I can't make up my mind which one to get. (Yeah, I know, buy 'em all... wish the budget would allow that).

I'm only personally familiar with one of the calibers listed below so if you kind folks could sort of "fill in the blank" and let me know what each is considered good for (or inappropriate for) I would surely appreciate it.

Ze

----------------
.223
Good for....
-
Inappropriate for...
-
.243 (Mostly familiar with this one)
Good for....
-Woodchuck
-Fox
-Whitetail deer
Inappropriate for...
-Mule deer
-Bear
.30-30
Good for....
-Hogs
-Deer
Inappropriate for...
-
.30-06
Good for....
-
Inappropriate for...
-
.45-70
Good for....
-Deer
-Bear
Inappropriate for...
-Rabbit (boom-poooof)
-

 

[Ironballs]

Just fill in the blanks, like this?:

.223
Good for....
-Coyote
-Vermin
-Paper
Inappropriate for...
-Combat
-battle

 

[ZeSpectre]

well that'll work. Mostly I was referencing in terms of hunting but I suppose opinions on other uses are applicable.

 

[Titan6]

.30-06

- Good for darn near everything
- Overkill on most game under 50 pounds.

.30-30

- Good for everything up to about 400 pounds at medium range. Maximum range IME is 150-175 yards. The farther away the less on the bullet.
- Overkill on animals under 25 pounds
- Would not use it on anything large with a really tough hide or bones

Keep in mind the above cartridges are versatile (esp 30-06) and different loadings have different capabilities.

 

[Sunray]

"...Inappropriate for...-Mule deer-Bear..." Nope. The 243 will have no problems killing either with the right bullet and good shot placement. Mule deer have big ears, but other than that they're about the same size as a whitetail. Black bears aren't that hard to kill either. The .243 is too light for moose or elk. Although lots of both have been killed with a .243.
The .223 is a varmint round. Too light for larger game, although some people do kill small deer with it. The same people will use a .22-250 on deer too. Mind you, it's not the cartridge so much as it is the available bullets and ammo. Most of the .223" bullets available are varmint bullets that are designed to expand rapidly upon hitting light skinned game. Most factory ammo uses varmint bullets too.
The .30-30 is limited mostly by the lever action rifles it's chambered in. A bolt action .30-30 can give truly amazing accuracy. Unfortunately, there aren't many of them around. Savage used to make one.
The .30-06 can be loaded to kill any game you care to hunt. It's about as versatile as any cartridge can get. If you're looking for an 'all 'round' cartridge, the '06 would be it. Mind you, the .270 is pretty versatile too.

 

[glockman19]

I think the best all around hunting caliber is the .30-06. I t can kill just about any animal in Northern America. anything smaller can be killed by a .223 or .22.

 

[rockstar.esq]

The two starting with".2xx" are fine for varmints/ paper. Using either on bigger stuff requires superlative accuracy. The two starting with ".3xx" are fine for 90% of the game in NA to include the over populated "Bull Hippie"! The 45-70 is a fine cartridge for most hunting applications. In stronger modern guns it can be very formidable. All but the 30-30 have strong reputations for accuracy. You may not know that the .223 is a scaled down 30-06 and the 50 bmg is a scaled up version of the 30-06!

 

[Cosmoline]

Remember, the key to all of this is bullet selection. A .30'06 loaded with a 100 grain bullet is a completely different animal than a .30'06 loaded with a 220 grain bullet.

 

[ZeSpectre]

So given that the .357 Magnum pistol cartridge is well known for having an enormous range of loads and capabilities, would it be a reasonable parallel to call the .30-06 the rifle version of same? What I'm trying to ask is would you consider the .30-06 to have (in the rifle category) the same sort of flexibility depending on load and bullet?

Or to put it another way. If I needed an "all occasion" pistol, it would be a .357 Magnum revolver. If I needed an "all occasion" in the rifle range it would probably be ??? (.30-06?)

 

[Cosmoline]

Most rifle cartridges offer a wide range. The .30'06 has a wide range, but so do many other rifle cartridges. I'd say the .30/30 has a more limited range--the typical being 150 or 170--though even it can be loaded down or even loaded with a sabot accelerator. The .45-70, of course, has an exceptionally wide range of loads from black powder to magnum express. There's an entire book written about it, the classic "Forty years with the 45-70." Matthews even worked up a line of small game rounds for the big cartridge. Any mid range centerfire round will have a great number of load possibilities. The 7x57, for example, can be loaded with very high velocity 90 or 100 grain bullets for varmints, mid range 140's for deer and even heavy 160's or 190's for elk and moose. Bell notoriously used those heavy penetrators on elephants.

Remember not to get too hung up on the cartridge. The sectional density of the round, as well as its construction, will tell you more about a rifle's potential game range than the cartridge itself. A SP bonded bullet of X SD at Y FPS is good for Z game, regardless of whether it's thrown by a .30'06 or a .300 win mag. The BC of the round in flight will tell you its effective range. The cartridge's only real role is how widely available the loadings are commercially and what potential size and velocity of bullets it can throw.

 

[BrianB]

...and the .308?

 

[tinygnat219]

Ze,

Knowing your physical condition and your preference for non-shoulder dislocating recoil, I'd stay away from the 30.06. However, to answer your question, it and the .308 are pretty much the "do it all" cartridge.

For your other cartridges, .223 is a varmint round. It's illegal to use it on deer in VA, for example.
.243 is a good varmint, and medium game round. I wouldn't go after bear with anything less than a 12 Gauge with rifled slugs. The .243 will fetch you rabbit, deer, racoon, etc. Recoil is also not too bad (I have fired one of these before).
30.30, old cartridge, not so good at long ranges. It's probably taken more deer in America than any other cartridge and can be found almost anywhere. The same can also be said of .243.

.45-70. Nothing wrong with this old war horse. Whatever it hits will stay down.

 

[Rangr44]

.223
Good for....
- Varmints, Service Rifle Target Shooting
Inappropriate for...
- Most medium & large game, even though technically legalin some areas

.243 (Mostly familiar with this one)
Good for....
-Woodchuck
-Fox
-Whitetail deer
-Mule deer
Inappropriate for...
-Bear and larger game

.30-30
Good for....
- Hogs
- Deer
- Antelope
Inappropriate for...
- Elk, Moose & larger game

.30-06
Good for....
-Pretty much anything, up to (but not including all) The Big Five, loaded correctly
Inappropriate for...
- Four of The (African) Big Five
- Thirteen-line Ground Squirrels (Chipmunks)

.45-70
Good for....
- Deer
- Bear (all)
- Moose
- Elk
- Caribou
- Pretty much Everything, except three of the African Big Five
Inappropriate for...
- Hippo
- Rhino
- Elephant
- Chipmunks

 

[Hazzard]

I disagree...The 30-06 and 45-70 are both fine for ground squirrels as long as you don't want to tan the hides!

 

[MachIVshooter]

The .30-06 is undoubtedly the most flexible cartridge extant.

That said, if your largest game will be elk, a .25-06 is much better suited to the lighter end (varmints).

Honestly, you need many rifles to cover all the bases. I use a .22 rimfires for small game, .17 Remington and .220 Swift for varmints, 6mm Rem or .25-06 Rem. for antelope and deer, .25-06, .30-06 or .375 RUM for elk and if I ever get to go for big bears, I'll use the .375 RUM or .45-70.

 

[Coronach]

JUST BECAUSE the bullet weighs more than the target, people insist on thinking the .45-70 is not a good chipmunk round.

Some people's kids. Yeesh.

Mike

 

[browningguy]

Well I'm with most of the others, I hunt with .223 up to coyote size (lots of people in Texas use them on deer though), One of my three current 30-06's almost always goes along for the ride even if just as a backup gun. The new Hornady load vastly improves the 30-30, and for rasonable range deer and blak bear hunting it might be ideal. And finally the 45-70 is a great short range thumper, I hunt pigs and deer with a .50 Beowulf AR15 which is nearly identical ballistically.

All around though it's the '06, plenty for any North American game with 180 and 200 gr. bullets, and can be downloaded with 110 and 125 gr. bullets if you need to. And not mention that with 150-165 grain "regular" loads it's dandy for all the medium game.

I see the .243 as good up to whitetail weights, anything bigger I just want more bullet. I think it makes a fine first centerfire rifle due to the lighter recoil than the '06.

 

[ZeSpectre]

Okay, sounds like I'll probably stick with my first inclination and go with .243 Now I just have to find a Remington 7600 (gosh don'tcha just feel so bad for me <grin>).

It's funny, all the pondering and research and I'm right back to the rifle I was going to buy in the first place.

I do appreciate all the help though.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

I think you've chosen well. The 243 is an excellent round. Just remember if the quarry weighs in excess of 100 pounds, that bullet selection is critical, and shot placement will have increased significance

If you're a recoil shy person that can handload, the 243 will get it done.

 

[ZeSpectre]

If you're a recoil shy person that can handload, the 243 will get it done.

It has to do with an old shoulder injury that does make me recoil sensitive. I'll admit it, I WANT a .45-70, but I'm pretty sure I'd fire it a few times and then wind up leaving it in the closet after it thumps me. So .243 it is.

 

[Rangr44]

If you've got your heart set on a 7600, you'll be a whole lot better off if you got it in .270, ILO .243.

The .270 will do just as good as a .243 on varmints, and a whole lot better on larger game - right up to & includng Elk - at a very little increase in recoil !

 

[whited]

.

It's funny, all the pondering and research and I'm right back to the rifle I was going to buy in the first place.

Your first choice is usually the right one.

Given your parameters, 30-30 would be a good choice as well. It just
depends if you want a levergun or not.

 

[one-shot-one]

$0.02

ALL DEPENDS ON EACH SHOOTERS ABILITY BUT GENERALLY:
.223
Good for....VARMINT OUT TO 200 YARDS DEER INSIDE 150
-
Inappropriate for...GAME LARGE THAN DEER
-
.243 (Mostly familiar with this one)
Good for....SAME ABOVE BUT STREACH THE RANGES TO 250 & 200 COULD DOWN A CARIBOU UNDER RIGHT CONDITIONS
-Woodchuck
-Fox
-Whitetail deer
Inappropriate for...
-Mule deer
-Bear
.30-30
Good for....ADD BLACK BEAR TO YOUR LIST
-Hogs
-Deer
Inappropriate for...ANYTHING PAST 200 YARDS
-
.30-06
Good for....ANYTHING IN CONUS. INCLUDING BIG BEAR UNDER RIGHT CONDITIOND RANGES TO 300 + ON ANIMALS UNDER 500 LBS.
-
Inappropriate for...SMALL GAME UNLESS LOADED DOWN TO THE POINT WERE ACCURACY SUFFERS.
-
.45-70
Good for....ANYTHING INSIDE OF 200 YARDS
-Deer
-Bear
Inappropriate for...
-Rabbit (boom-poooof)
YOUR MILAGE MAY VARY!

 

[one-shot-one]

p.s.

don't for get to look at the 6.5X55 and .260 both offer a little more bullet weight with out more kick.

 

[NORTEXED]

I have been all over the board with everything from 222 to .458, and now have 1 rifle I consistently hunt and spelunk with. It is a sporterized 1903 in a real pretty Fajan stock I bought several years ago from a buddy. He was going to Alaska to hunt , and good old American Airlines lost his 7mm Mag. The gave him 500.00 to get something to hunt with, and he found it in a Juneau gun store for 275. He hunted successfully with it and when he got home found his 7mm waiting. AA couldn't take the .06, and let him keep it for his troubles. He sold it to me for 250 with a Williams peep on the back. I had Lou Williams in Ft. Worth put a 4X12 Redfield in some Controll rings on it and bend the bolt for me. It shot 1" at 100 with the peep, and does 1/2" - 3/4" all day with the Redfield. I just love it, it'll hit anything I can see, doesn't hurt me (with the Pachy Decellarator on it) and is a joy to own. I load for it, but it's nice to know there's not a Mom & Pop hardware store I can't find at least 3 bullet weights at. Flexibility is the key, and getting familiar enough with 1 gun to feel perfectly at ease.

My baby: