Two Hunting Rifles - Which Calibers?

[zkurtb]

Hi all, a newbee to the forum.

I've been discussing this with friends, and would like to get the opinion of THR members on the following.

If you could only have two bolt action hunting rifles for all around hunting from varmit and 'yotes, up to moose and maybe even bear (essentially all North America Game), which two calibers would you choose to cover the range of CXP1 thru CXP3?

My initial thoughts are a .223 and a 30-06. But would like to hear others opinions on this.

Remember, this is limited to someone who can and will have exactly two rifles, not one or three, and wants to cover the maximum range of N.A. game with those two.

Kurt

 

[mcdonl]

I think if I had to pick two to purchase... it would be .243 and 30-06.... If I had to decide which two HUNTING rifles I have to keep, it would be 30-30 and 30-06

 

[SimplyChad]

I argree between the 30-06 and the 30-30. Both can be loaded to kill anything in the americas. Well not the 30-30 for bears unless your real good.

 

[steven58]

I'd go .22 long rifle and .308 win.

That .223 can be a bit messy on small game and now you can get more practice as well!

 

[Warners]

I currently only own 3. A semi automatic .22, a Marlin lever action 30-30, and a bolt action 30-.06 I think that's all I'll ever need. If I had to pick just two.....I think it would be the .22 and the 30-.06 as those would cover anything in North America. Having said that, I think I LIKE the 30-30 the best.

Warner


Here are the two 30 caliber rifles:

 

[fallout mike]

.22 and barrett .50. Use the .22 for practice and the .50 will kill anything you hunt.

 

[KDS]

I really like 30-06 but for small game I would look at the 17HM2 instead of 22LR. Awesome small game round and more accurate for a longer distance.

 

[pmec]

I have to agree with you, ZK.... the 30-06 will handle the big stuff, and the .223 will do a good job on the small stuff. For me, I'd pick a .308 because I'd never hunt the really big stuff, and, these days, I don't really want the kick from the '06. A .22 mag would be my choice for the second gun if I had a .308.

 

[kludge]

As long as you don't count small game in the CPX1 category, then I can bypass the .22LR, which in any quiz like this, I think that it's a given that you get a .22LR and it doesn't count against you.

.260 Rem and a .338-06

(actually I'd want a .338/.280 but saying that might just confuse people)

If the .22LR counts against you then I'll take a .22LR and a 7mm-08.

 

[gspn]

Can I throw a monkey wrench in here? I'd go with a 20 guage shotgun and a 30-06.

The 20 guage will let you kill fowl as well as small game and the 30-06 will kill everything else.

If it HAD to be just two rifles I guess it would be a .22 long and a 30-06.

The .223 and .243 are tempting because they are fast flat shooting guns and I like the idea of taking coyotes with them. But...they are woefully overpowered for other things like squirrels and rabbits. So if it had to be a bolt action rifle I'd go with the .22 so I could kill small game and still be able to eat it after shooting it.

You could then use the 30-06 for everything else. 100 grain bullets would be strong medicine on coyotes and would be reasonably flat shooting. If you zero a 110 grain bullet Barnes Triple Shock bullet at 200 yards it will be 1.1 inches high at 100 yds, dead on at 200, and 5.5 inches low at 300. Those numbers are from Federals ballistics program. That's plenty good for coyote hunting in most places.

Everything on the menu can be taken by the 30-06. If you need something really heavy you have a huge choice of bullets from 180 to 240 grains you can feed it. It's tough to beat the 30-06 for versatility.

Hell...I just sold myself on it...I need to go buy one.

And if you don't plan on hunting small game or birds I guess I'd go with the .223 and the 30-06.

 

[Tomcat47]

I would go with my Marlin 336 30-30 because as stated above it can be very versatile! ( And I would just never be without it! ) I love it for smaller game with 30-30 accelerators.

And the larger Game I would say 30-06 would cover all the bases very well!
(and they also have accelerators for it as well)

Lots of versatile ammo for a 30-06 !!!!!!

I was actually thinking .308 or .300 Winchester Mag.for the larger game like moose,elk, etc. but the 30-06 ammo availability and selection made me go back to my 700 BDL 30-06.

 

[ZEB]

Remington sp-10 and a Marlin 45-70 guide gun, use handloaded 10 gauge with a small amount of 4 shot, similar to a 28gauge load for small game. No doubt in my mind, i would take on a bear with either of these weapons.

 

[klcmschlesinger]

Gotta go BIG!!

How about a .577 Tyranasour and a 6 bore. That way, no matter what the animal, if you shoot and miss, you can beat it to death with the rifle
Just kidding, I like the 30-30 and 30-06 a bunch, but would probably go with something big and something small, so 22LR and the 30-06.

 

[bpl]

Small game included... 22lr and 30-06.

Larger varmints and up... 223 or 243 and 30-06.

 

[Geckgo]

First and primarily a .308 bullet, in bolt action, and without saying if you are reloading, I would pick the 30-06. From bears to coyotes, it's just what you need, and you can buy most weights off the shelf at good sporting goods stores. Walruses and Polar bears might give you some trouble, but they aren't really a necessity for most people in a SHTF scenario and you can hardly hunt them anyways, so.. yea.

Second, I chose .22 LR. Cheap, fun, easy, accurate. It makes for a nice combination, but don't expect to hit ducks in flight with it. But for food it works out pretty good.

Could replace the .22 with a shotty, depending on what you want to call a rifle. In that case, swap out the 308 for something bigger and you are covered for EVERYTHING.

On a side note, .223's are toys. Yotes and varmints are about it for hunting with a .223, IMHO. If you want an AR-15 then get one, but it is far from a "do it all" rifle.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

.22-250 .....7mm08 or.308

 

[john wall]

For a competent shot, the 223 and 30/06 will cover the North American Varmint and Big Game spectrum.

Good choice.

 

[suzukisam]

just get a good 243 and load up some Barnes TSX and you'll only need one rifle not two, you can take any game around with that combo. but if you need a second 300wby mag! loaded with tsx's of coarse!

 

[Sav .250]

25-06 and a 30-06.

 

[shaggy430]

I'd go with a .22 and a 30-06. Who says you can't use a 30-06 for coyotes and varmits? Those have been staples here in the south for many, many years.

 

[dzelenka]

6mm Remington for the light stuff and a big .30 for everything else. My personal favorite is the .300 Jarrett, but a .300 RUM or Weatherby would also work. If Alaskan Brown bears are on the menu, I might push the .300 up to some sort of .338 using one of those 3 cases.

 

[brnmuenchow]

1) .243Win. Winchester model 70 / or Remington model 700.
2) .300Win.Mag. (same as above.)
My reasons are simply that the .243Win. is perfect for Coyote-Deer size game. As for the .300Win.Mag. it will without a doubt take on anything in north america with better performance than the .30-06Spfld. (The .243Win. is too big for small varmint game, it is alway's recomended to have some kind of .22Lr. for that and as for the .300Win.Mag. it's just added security when it comes to big game like bears, elk, moose, mtn. lion, etc..)

 

[oneounceload]

22 Hornet for small things. Since you are wanting to include ALL NA big game, including the big bears and bison, I'll vary from my normal 7mm to something along the lines of a 338 or 375H&H

 

[ngnrd]

for all around hunting from varmit and 'yotes, up to moose and maybe even bear (essentially all North America Game)

I'd have to go with the .25-06 for varmints to deer, and .325WSM for the bigger stuff, especially if handloading. If over the counter ammo availability is a concern, I might swap the .25-06 for a .243, and the .325 for a .338WM. And, while I think the .375's are a good bet for the upper end of NA game, there's just too big of a gap between them and the .25-06 or .243 on the lower end for my liking, and I'd have to fill that gap with something like a .30-06. But then, I'd be into three rifles, so...

And (I'm sorry if I chafe the sensitivities of some of the 30-06 lovers here, but...) while the '06 is a great all-around cartridge for most NA game, it's just simply not enough weapon when a person has to make the decision to head into the thick stuff after a big wounded coastal brownie.

For the sake of full disclosure, I live/hunt in Alaska, but I don't hunt bear. The largest cartridge I own is a .300WM, and for the last 10+ years, it has sat unused in the gun cabinet. I also own an '06, a .222, and a .223. But, for the last 20 years, my go-to rifle for everything from blacktail to sheep to caribou to moose is my trusty 270 WIN with either 130 gr Scirocco's or 140 gr AccuBond's.

 

[Liberty1776]

.257 Roberts, 300 Win Mag