What rifle for what region?

[Preacherman]

I debated whether to put this thread in Rifles or Hunting, but chose Rifles because it's more about the rifle than about animals as such.

We all know that there are various types of terrain that affect or influence our choice of rifle. I can think of plains, mountains, desert (perhaps not too dissimilar to plains?), woods/brush, etc.

There's also the question of the animals in that region. You can hunt for a specific animal with a highly specialised rifle (e.g. mountain sheep), or carry a rifle that's good for anything you might encounter. I would think the latter is a big factor in someplace like Alaska or Africa.

So, based on your experience, what would be the best general-purpose rifle for a particular region/type of terrain? I'm thinking caliber, weight, size, etc. are all factors that would have to be taken into account. Specific regions or terrains are:

1. Alaska.
2. Africa - plains or bush.
3. Desert (e.g. Arizona, New Mexico, etc.).
4. Plains (e.g. Dakotas, Kansas, etc.).
5. Woods/brush (e.g. much of the South, Michigan, New England).
6. Mountains (e.g. Colorado, parts of Montana and Wyoming, etc.)

If you can think of any other regions or types of terrain that call for a rifle suited to the area, please post them.

I'll start with the two areas with which I'm familiar.

Africa: You need something powerful enough to defend yourself against things with teeth, but also able to take smaller antelope. I think the quintessential all-round African cartridge is the .375 H&H. With solids, it'll take small antelope cleanly, but also do a job on elephant, buffalo, etc. With soft-points, it'll take the largest antelope (eland are considerably bigger than moose, growing to about 2,000 pounds), and also be useful against lion, etc. It's usually in a bolt-action rifle, but I like the balance and speed into action of doubles, and the cartridge is equally at home in either format.

Woods/brush: This is all-pervasive in north central Louisiana, where I live, and I think this is classic lever-action territory. I've used .30-30, .45-70, and .308 in lever guns, and think that their shorter length, ease of balance, and speed of action are the best for this terrain.

Let's hear your thoughts!

 

[sm]

Woods/brush:

I too am in the South and Concur Preacherman with your choices. Personally, Model 94 in 30-30 , 12 ga shotgun with slugs , Model 70 in '06.


"Open" :

Around my neck of the woods , Farm, Ranch, Beanfiield ... Personally -Model 70 in '06 , .308 , .243. Amazing what a 12 ga with slugs will do when that is all you have though...

Incoming...plop!

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Around here, if you are in the woods you are unlikely to be able to see more than 50 yards in any direction due to the thickness of the brush. I think a lever action with iron sights is fine for this terrain, and personally I like 44 magnum for this particular area.

If you are hunting around the edges of fields, range may be a bit longer, but still probably not more than 200 yds. For that I prefer a 308 with a scope, but thats really more than you need.

 

[WhiteKnight]

I don't think there's much that couldn't be done, and done well, with a Remington 700/Winchester 70 with a sporter weight barrel and optics in 30/06.

 

[LAK]

I am inclined to agree with WhiteKnight; except I would be inclined toward one of the old '52 Mannlicher-Schoenauers or perhaps Mauser sporter in 7x57.

 

[dakotasin]

alaska - rem 700 lss in 338 rum.

africa - don't know, don't care, have no desire to ever go there. if forced, i'd go w/ a dakota arms in 375 h&h.

desert - rem 700 in 7 stw.

plains - rem 700 in 7 stw.

woods - marlin 336 in 35 rem.

mountains - weatherby ultra-light in 300 roy.

 

[Steve Smith]

Mountains-
About 90% of your hunting can be done with a .30-06, but if you really feel undergunned (you shouldn't) .300 Win Mag.

 

[Okiecruffler]

I did most of my deer hunting in thick brush in eastern Oklahoma. Not only were the shots close in and fast, if you didn't anchor the deer pretty much were he stood, you had a nasty job of tracking on your hands. My goto rifle was my .444 Lever with iron sights. With a 240gr bullet doing around 2,300fps, if I did my part, tracking was pretty much pointing and saying "There he is."
If I was puttering around Western Oklahoma where the shots could stretch out abit farther I prefered dad's Ruger #1 in 25-06.

 

[R.H. Lee]

Around here we've got mountains, plains, desert, woods and rolling hills. The most dangerous animal you might encounter would be a cougar (mountain lion) protected species you'd better not shoot, but if you had to, I reckon a 30-30 would do the job. Oh, yeah, we've got some bears and wild pigs in the hills near here, too. But the bears aren't real big, and you gotta go way back in the wilderness to find the pigs. Live and let live is my motto.

 

[trapshooter]

This is fun. Three guns would do it all for me, if I had to.

1. Alaska.
2. Africa - plains or bush.

Same gun for both. .375 or bigger. (Might take a .338 mag or 8MM to Alaska, though, as there would be lots of longer shots for meat opportunities, while reserving the right of self defense against our favorite target up there).

3. Desert (e.g. Arizona, New Mexico, etc.).
4. Plains (e.g. Dakotas, Kansas, etc.).
6. Mountains (e.g. Colorado, parts of Montana and Wyoming, etc.)

Similar problems, same solution. 7MM mag to 8MM mag.

5. Woods/brush (e.g. much of the South, Michigan, New England).

Ye old standby. .30.30, or .44 Mag carbine. Other available calibers would work, too. This is the only area where I depart from a desire for a bolt gun.

 

[ID_shooting]

Not ever been to AK so I can only guess from what I have read, a guide gun maybe, or 458? Not sure.

Africa, well, never given that much thought.

For the hunting I do here, I have a Rem 700 ADL in 300WM w/ a Weaver 3-9. I choose the 300 not for the power, but rather the trajectory. I did have to modify the rifle for recoil control however. Yes a '06 can get the job done, but the 300 is much flatter shooting.

I choose the ADL to keep things light, simple and reliable, safety is easy to reach after I get into shooting position and the finish/stock is very durable and I can pack it all day with out killing my self.

No need for a heavy barrel. Mine is good for about 3 rounds, after that, barrel heating causes the groups to loosen, but I dont plan on taking more shots than 3 anyway, so why bother w/ a 10 pound rifle.

The terrain I hunt in varries and are all with in a 1 hour drive from my home, thick forrests, moutain tops above the tree line, rolling plains/farm land, high deserts and canyon lands. The only area I have had an issue in is the tight brush, no long shots there but I carry the scope at the lowest setting so unless they are real close, it gennerally is not an issue. But I have had better success if I use clearings and things like powerline access.

 

[Art Eatman]

3,4 & 6: 24" barrel, .30-'06 sporter. 3x9 Leupold. 110-grain for varmints; 150-grain for antelope and deer, and 180-grain for elk.

5: Handiness is more the key than most other factors, IMO. More in the carbine style, generally, and light weight. .308-ish cartridge. Iron sights or low-power variable scope.

1&2: Strictly armchair quarterback: .375 H&H or more.

, Art

 

[Smoke]

My country runs predominantly to #5. With occasional outcroppings of #4 & 6.

I'm having a very tough time convincing myself a Remington 673 chambered for the 350 Rem Mag wouldn't be the perfect do-all gun.

I would rather pick a flatter shooting round for long "Plains type" shooting. 7mm, 300 WM, '06 would do fine. (.270 ain't exactly a slouch, either)

A & A, absolutely zero experience, I'll leave these to those that know.

Smoke

 

[Zeke Menuar]

Here in Oregon there are assorted versions of numbers 3 through 6.

3,4,& 6:My 700 ADL Tupperware Special in 270 Winchester with 3-9x scope

#5. Grandpa's(now mine) Savage M99-R in 300 Savage. Honorable mention to my Mosin M38.

Armchair QB selections

Alaska, M70 Winchester or CZ550 in 9.3 x 62.

Africa. Some sort of bolt-action 375 H&H. Honorable mention to 9.3 x 62

ZM

 

[Fumbler]

1. Alaska. - 30-06springfield with heavy loads
2. Africa - 338 Winmag
3. Desert - 270win
4. Plains - 270win
5. Woods/brush - 30-06 springfield
6. Mountains - 270 win

I'd have to buy only 3 rifles =)

Not taking into account how practical 3 rifles are, my other picks would be:

1. Alaska. - 338 winmag
2. Africa - 270 Weatherby with a 500S&W mag on my hip (I'd be there for antelope, not hippos). If I can't have a handgun then 338 Lapua with a muzzle brake.
3. Desert - 270 WSM
4. Plains - 25-06
5. Woods/brush - small light bolt action 308
6. Mountains 270WSM

 

[litman252]

I'll play,
Alaska, I'd take a Mod 70 in .375 H&H, it would go good with the tenis shoes . I got to shoot one a couple years back and it was not too bad. Enough to get the job done.

Africa, jeez I'm too chicken. I'd go with a .416 rigby and take someone else along to use there shoulder

Desert/plains, For smaller game, under 150lbs I'd take a Mod 70 in .243. For bigger stuff, still under 300 lbs I'd move up to a nice 25-06 in a good bolt, Mod 70 for me.

Woods and brush, I use a Mod 760 Rem in 30-06 works good with a 1.5-4 or 2-7 scope. It is as handy as a 99 or 94 lever action, I have both in back up depending on the game.

Mountains, I'll take my Mod 70 Classic in 7mm STW, it's the best worthless caliber that I have and I need to use it some day.

Fun game,
Tony

 

[schromf]

Preacherman,

One rifle to do it all would certainly be a 30-06, vary the bullet weights from 150 gr to 220 gr for the application. No its not ideal for several of the tasks but it will get by on it all except the big nasty stuff in Africa. That said I would take my 30-338 first choice if I could only take one rifle, too heavy for the light end granted, and still not heavy enough for the African nasties but it can do it all if I did my part.

1. Alaska.
A 30 Mag is just about perfect for this, so is a 338 Mag, it should be remembered that Alaska is varied terrain and game animals and a sheep in mountains is one extreme, caribou is almost a plains game scenario, and Yakitat bay and coastal regions south of there have a lot of thick cover country. On the light side everything from a 270 up and to the heavy of a 375 H&H

2. Africa - plains or bush.
I have no personal experience with this but I think there are two classes of calibers here, Dangerous game and the other. The other is covered by the Alaska guns above, for Dangerous stuff a 375H&H is the min, 416, 404, 458 stompers all fit this bill. The lightest I would consider for these animals would be a 9.3x62 or a 35 Whelen.

3. Desert (e.g. Arizona, New Mexico, etc.).
270, 280/7x57, 30-06 all work, or a magnum version of one of these

4. Plains (e.g. Dakotas, Kansas, etc.).
ditto #3

5. Woods/brush (e.g. much of the South, Michigan, New England).
I am going expand on this one cause this and below are what I usually hunt. Not in the classical sense though. I hunt the northern Panhandle of Idaho this is heavly timbered country similar to what you are descibing except straight up and down, and logging clear cuts, rock shale slides and canyons give the occasional longer shot. So this a real mixed bag, from a whitetail at 15-30 yards normally, but bear, elk and moose are a possibility, and the odd chance of needing to make that 300 yd shot across a clearcut. There is another class of huntng up here and that is really long distance, which is across a canyon, 600-1000 yard on elk, but this is very specialised, takes very good rifles and excellent shooters and I do not recommend this type of hunting generally, most hunters and their rifles aren't up to this type of shooting, the guys that do this are really benchrest shooters with magnum rifles that spend a lot of time preparing for this type of shooting.

Back on the type of hunting I normally do ( I don't canyon shoot above ) I usually carry a 7x57 ( read 280, 308, 30-06 if is your favorite caliber ) with not longer than a 22" barrel. A little light on elk, but up to the task if I watch my ranges ( no 300+ yarders ). If I am out specifically for elk one of my 30-338 mags is what I will carry. A case could be made for a 358 Winchester in this country also, big enough for the larger animals at reasonable ranges not too heavy for whitetails and black bears.

I am building up an new carry rifle, right now it is down to 2 choices a 338-06 and a 9.3x62, on an old Winchester model 70. A pretty good case could be made for a 338-06 being just about ideal, light bullets (210-225 gr ) nets a reasonably flat trajectory, and the heavy bullets (250 gr ) has both enough frontal section on the bullet and penetration to make this a excellent choice for larger game animimals found both here, Canada, and Alaska. This cartridge covers a lot of ground, it can be used from antelope to really big bears with appropriate ammo.

I really have no experience in the classical eastern scenario above, but I think my 7x57 or a 308 ( or variant 7mm, 35 cal ) is ideal. And a properly set up 6.5x55 has it name written all over this. Two of my last three deer have been running targets at 35-40 yds, a properly set up rifle is a lot more important in my mind for this type of shooting than what the caliber/cartridge the rifle is chamber for.

I also think that this type of shooting is getting a lot less common, than it once was. I am working on teaching my boys this now (one is a young adult) and offhand shooting is not a quickly developed skill, both my boys have watched me shoot deer and expressed they would not have attempted the shots as they knew it was beyond their current capabilities. More range time and practice on this I hope will correct this, but this will be a couple of year process I expect, next year practice will be offhand shooting at pie plates, then followed by getting the plates swinging I guess. I never really thought much about this until lately when I was trying to get the boys proficient at this, and it seems to be more difficult than I thought. I figure they will be ready when they are consistantly hitting the plates 8 out of 10 times, and at still targets I want to see them do this at 100 yds, but the moving stuff I will half that distance. I am pretty fussy on ethical treatment of game and both boys know they are not to shot at animals unless they are sure a clean one shot kill is a strong possibilty, which for now and their current skill levels limits them to very close offhand shots ( 10-15 yards ) and rested positions.

6. Mountains (e.g. Colorado, parts of Montana and Wyoming, etc.)

see #3 above, pretty much covers this.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

Why the preponderance of magnums? a 6.5X55,.270, 7mm-06, .308 or .30-06 does the same job with less recoil.

I think i could get away with two rifles for all of these except africa.

an m-1 in .30-06 should do fine for the woods, as its slim and has no brush grabbing protuberances. it's somewhat limited in bullet weights, though.

A pre-64 model 70, also in .30-06 should do fine for plains game and critters that need 200 grain bullets.


alternatively, you could use an m-1a in .308, and a levergun in .45-70.

a number4mk1 in .303 with a number4 converted to .45-70 could also take care of everything.


I suppose you could get an m-1a converted to .376 steyr. that could take care of everything by itself.

 

[jefnvk]

Around here, most everythign is under 200 yards, maybe a 300 yard shot across the field every once in a few years. My Rem 700 in 6.5 Swede can handel it all. That being said, I am thinking about getting a lever gun, probably in 35 or 30-30, because of the smaller size. There, for the most part, is no reason for a scoped bolt rifle where I hunt.

Actually, I may just get a 5 rd . magazine and use my SKS.

 

[WYO]

From http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...&Board=Howell&Number=252895&fpart=&PHPSESSID=

"What gun to hunt with....
Get a 257 Roberts, a 30-06, and a 375 H&H. Shoot Nosler Partitions, Leupold 2.8x8 on Talley's. Shut up and go huntin...
by Charlie Sisk"

I thought it was rather clever.

 

[Gordon]

After Jan 05 .50BMG's are it for the open season on Limosine Liberals!

 

[NMshooter]

Well, the unofficial state cartridge for New Mexico seems to be 7mm Rem Mag. Personally, I think a .308 is enough for most game animals.

Never hunted in CA, what is the season like for limos?

 

[El Tejon]

.30-06 would be O.K. for anything I care to shoot in those areas.

.308 and 6.5 Swede have worked for me in the past. I like the 6.5 Swede for my state/region. But, physics is universal.

It's not the cartridge, it's the rifle and it's really the rifleman.

 

[Okiecruffler]

I've noticed a rather large number of people shooting 7 and 300 mags at the range, hootin' and hollerin' about their 3 inch groups at 50yrds. All I think is "If you dropped back to an '06 or .308 you may be able to actually hit what you're aiming at." This is Oklahoma for the love of Pete. The one guy I know who scores every single year is an old fella with a rem 870 that's probably older than I am.

 

[Lonestar.45]

I think my Remington 700 BDL in .270 will handle just about anything I care to hunt. No large bears or dangerous African game, but anything else, at any reasonable range, yes.

I've shot deer at 15 yards and 250 yds. Hogs, turkey, you name it. I guess if I had the $ to get a specialized rifle for every terrain I could hunt (again, if I had the time and $), I'd pick a few other rifles, but then again, probably not. I'm so familiar with it and trust it so, I don't think I'd feel uncomfortable using it in any of the regions originally posted (except large bears, cape buffalo, elephant, etc., I'm not that crazy).