Kachok
Member
To be the "Single all around cartrage" they have to do everything and do it pretty darn well. 30-30s are great in the brush but fail the test in open country, the 243 is fantastic for open plains game but it's 100gr bullets are a tad light for larger game, their penetration is less then ideal. The perfect all around cartrage should be able to use heavier higher SD bullets at adequate speed for a good 400yd trajectory, and very high BC bullets out to long ranges for target shooting without eating up the barrel like some heavy magnums can do. In Addition to this it should be light recoiling enough for all day varmint hunting or target shooting in a realistic weight rifle. Finnaly I would sugest that the all around rifle should be at leased .264 cal and be able to use bullets of at leased 140gr, and be no larger then a 30cal for recoil reasons.
By these criteria we can narrow down the ideal cartrage to the following list.
6.5x55/260rem/6.5 Creedmore/6.5x47 A+ across the board. Highest lethality to recoil ratio, sure the caliber is a tad small for the largest of game, but their fantastic penetration keeps them a viable option. You HAVE to handload to explore the limits of the 6.5s factory ammo is very limited
6.5-284 About as overbore as I would consider, this is a real monster of a 6.5mm that delivers a fierce blow to long ranges with mild recoil and true world class external ballistics.
270 Win if you factor in the cost, avalibility and variety of factory ammo this one REALLY shines, second only to the 30-06 in that regard. Shoots flat, hits hard and kicks light....what exactly is there not to like?
7mm-08 External ballistics rivaling the 6.5mms and internal efficiency rivaling the 308 win this short action packs a hellava wallop in such a small package even at range. Another A+ choice especially for handloaders.
7x57 While the 7mm-08 is a little faster with varmint weight bullets the old 7x57 is better with really heavy bullets for large game, making it a top contender without a doubt.
280 Rem The fastest 7mm that I would call truly an "all around" cartrage. Better ballistics then the 270 in every catagory, and higher SD bullets for large game, sadly the factory options are limited, making this a handloader's cartrage.
308 win World class internal ballistics combined with good external ballistics and a reputation for accuracy makes this the choice of many sharp shooters around the world, it's only two limiting factors are it's inability to use the ultra heavy .30 cal bullets effectively and it's mid ranged speeds, with it's wide variety of factory loads this is as practical as any for deer through elk class game.
30-06 If you shoot only factoy ammo this is it, no other cartrage comes in such a huge variety of useable bullet weights, it stomps the 308 with 180gr and heavier bullets, and comes pre loaded as heavy as 220gr making this a good bear, buffalo, and moose cartrage even in factory form. While I would argue that the 7mm-08, 7x57, 6.5x55 and 280 Rem are probably better "all around" with custom loads the 30-06 is without a doubt the most versatile cartrage for the casual hunter, and it does have some impressive handloads in it's arsenal as well.
The 30-06 is the hardest kicking cartrage that I would even consider shooting 100+ times in a day on the rifle range or blasting varmints so I will cut it off there, sure the 300 mags are great but not really an all around contender.
By these criteria we can narrow down the ideal cartrage to the following list.
6.5x55/260rem/6.5 Creedmore/6.5x47 A+ across the board. Highest lethality to recoil ratio, sure the caliber is a tad small for the largest of game, but their fantastic penetration keeps them a viable option. You HAVE to handload to explore the limits of the 6.5s factory ammo is very limited
6.5-284 About as overbore as I would consider, this is a real monster of a 6.5mm that delivers a fierce blow to long ranges with mild recoil and true world class external ballistics.
270 Win if you factor in the cost, avalibility and variety of factory ammo this one REALLY shines, second only to the 30-06 in that regard. Shoots flat, hits hard and kicks light....what exactly is there not to like?
7mm-08 External ballistics rivaling the 6.5mms and internal efficiency rivaling the 308 win this short action packs a hellava wallop in such a small package even at range. Another A+ choice especially for handloaders.
7x57 While the 7mm-08 is a little faster with varmint weight bullets the old 7x57 is better with really heavy bullets for large game, making it a top contender without a doubt.
280 Rem The fastest 7mm that I would call truly an "all around" cartrage. Better ballistics then the 270 in every catagory, and higher SD bullets for large game, sadly the factory options are limited, making this a handloader's cartrage.
308 win World class internal ballistics combined with good external ballistics and a reputation for accuracy makes this the choice of many sharp shooters around the world, it's only two limiting factors are it's inability to use the ultra heavy .30 cal bullets effectively and it's mid ranged speeds, with it's wide variety of factory loads this is as practical as any for deer through elk class game.
30-06 If you shoot only factoy ammo this is it, no other cartrage comes in such a huge variety of useable bullet weights, it stomps the 308 with 180gr and heavier bullets, and comes pre loaded as heavy as 220gr making this a good bear, buffalo, and moose cartrage even in factory form. While I would argue that the 7mm-08, 7x57, 6.5x55 and 280 Rem are probably better "all around" with custom loads the 30-06 is without a doubt the most versatile cartrage for the casual hunter, and it does have some impressive handloads in it's arsenal as well.
The 30-06 is the hardest kicking cartrage that I would even consider shooting 100+ times in a day on the rifle range or blasting varmints so I will cut it off there, sure the 300 mags are great but not really an all around contender.
