I chose .270 Win. in 1993 for my first big game hunting rifle based on my father's advice to pick something different from his 30-06 Springfield and flatter shooting. My farthest shot ever taken in a hunting situation has been around 140 yards... Now, don't you laugh at my father, he is a great man. I chose a .223 Remington/5.56mm NATO a few years ago for target shooting because I thought I would reload for it and it would be cheap to shoot. I have not started reloading yet, but I paid the price for premium match ammo, pretty close to 30-06 match ammo prices when thinking about it. It's okay, you can laugh now. I bought a 30-06 Springfield barrel for my Encore because it was the only chambering available at the only store which carried any Encore barrels relatively close to me at the time, it is a decision I have never regretted: it shoots! I chose a 30-06 Springfield CZ 557 because I realized 30-06 could be soft on the shoulder with the Encore and it does everything I need in terms of hunting and shooting: cheap soviet ammo is available, accurate match ammo is available, hunting loads are everywhere (usually). I briefly owned a 30-30 because I didn't have a classic lever action and it seemed appropriate to own one, just long enough to realize I had become less of an iron sights shooter while getting older (I can still shoot better than many -it seems some guys could not hit the wide side of a barn at ten feet using irons if their life dependend on it- with iron sights during the brightest portion of the day, but it got a lot harder than before and I lost some of my ease, yet I truly enjoyed shooting my old BB rifle found in my dad's basement yesterday with my nine years old heir); a Model 94 just had to be in 30-30 in my obtuse mind. I bought .22 LR rifles because I can afford to shoot them like I want and I also think it is an appropriate round for beginners to learn shooting ; I like to bring non shooters, anti-gun people when I have a chance, at the range (already converted three persons to shooting), and most of all, because it is the cartridge I first shot as a kid and after all these years, I still enjoy to shoot it because it is fun. Now, I got more educated on the subject of firearms and cartridges since I joined THR, and it has changed both my perceptions and my reflexions on the subject. The last rifle I bought is a 30-06 ; after having thought about many, many other possibilities, it does not reflect the same minding as the first one. It is just funny to me that I ended up with a 30-06 after thinking about it so much, weighting pros and cons of quite a few possibilities! I have come to the conclusion that many cartridges are interchangeable in real life even if they do differ a bit when we look closely at the numbers. Usefulness, capability and practicality are important to me. When contemplating the idea of another rifle, which might be the last, I have to move on to either something significantly bigger than 30-06 (375, 416...) or a replacement for my .223 (painted her nails (trigger job), dyed her hair (good enough scope), got her bigger... wood, and still not loving her) to justify another buy. It will take a while, so I have all the time to think about it. Also, the utilitarian portion of my acquisitions having ended with the second 30-06, my next rifle will be blued steel and walnut, which might impact the chambering availability, hence its choice.
