Which rifle caliber?

[rockerZ71]

I voted .30-30

[So Flo]

I voted .270.
This is a very flat shooting round with great range, it has a bunch of energy, and can take everything from small Florida deer and hogs up to elk, sheep, etc.

[Jared89]

I went with 7mm rem mag AWESOME rifle....
Rem 700 stainless barrle 3-9x40 nikon scope got it at my local shop for $700w/scope

[BusinessPro]

cannibul - i agree with you. i have studied balistic charts and yes on paper they are real close. but in actual results in guns that hunters use, the 30.06 drops some, a .270 less and a 7mm mag less. these are real guns i am shooting at the range. they are not expensive guns. these are actual performance. my .270 is on at 200 and should be 1.5 high at 100 but it is 3" high at 100. not enought to make a diff on deer but it varies from the chart by 100%.

whether or not a hunter shoots 70, 100, 200, or 300 yards depends. in Kansas my cousin and his group shoot 250 - 300 regularity. they are on at 300 and know it. in NE OKLA, a lot of deer are taken at under 150. 70 yards is common and most hunters don't worry a lot about a 300 yard shot. 30.06 is very common.

but the poster said all N.A. game and some of those u need to know you can make a long shot. thur my experience a 7 mm mag does a real good job and heavy enough to take a big animal.

good luck.

[Plinkomatic]

Perhaps I'm a classicist, but a lever action 30-30 is king for single caliber hunting.
Inexpensive rifle, iron sights, totally reliable, plenty of available ammo, approved for most tags.
Not too heavy to schlep.
And cool.

[Krackels]

I voted .308 over the .30-06 mainly because it has better ballistics further out but can shoot many similar sized bullets as the .30-06.

The .300 Win Mag would be a good choice if you were looking for something for bear, elk, or moose but it would most likely be overkill for Whitetailed deer and mountain goats and similar sized animals.

[PAPACHUCK]

For me, it's;

Hunting 4-legged critters = .30-06
Hunting 2-legged critters = .308

My hunting rifle is a Ruger M77MKII All-Weather in .30-06 topped with a Nikon 3x9x40 that will take any game animal in America, with good bullets, and proper shot placement.

My favorite defensive rifles are chambered iin .308/7.62x51.

I feel I need but one hunting rifle, and that need has been fullfilled.

I feel an urge to obtain many defensive rifles and handguns for some reason though.

Hmmmmm..........should I get help?


Nahhh......this is fun.

[XD9OD]

I'll readily admit I'm not a fan of bolt guns---i'm a southpaw So, autoloader! 6.8SPC. That'll be my next two upper receivers

[jfdavis58]

Hunting is more than just a rifle. Every caliber listed and a few not listed would do the task desired in the hands of the properly prepared individual under idea circumstances. Is that you?

Or rather is this your first rifle and you just want the most popular? Do you reload? What is your budget? How tolerant of recoil?

My first rifle-the first one I bought for myself- was a Remington 700 BDL in 270 Winchester. I thought then and continue to think now that it is perfectly suited for any North American game except in Alaska. I also own rifles (bolt or lever guns) in 223Remington, 22-250, 30-30Winchester and 300Winchester Magnum. At one time or another I've owned 243, 7mm-08, 6mm, 7mm and 30-06. Each is or was owned for one or two specific reasons and at some point was pressed into service for fringe tasks--results varied.

Come back, tell us some of your goals and about your abilities and preferences

[lynxpilot]

I researched and chose 7mm Remington Magnum. In hindsight, might go .308, but I'm not at all unhappy with mine.