That sounds pretty good dixi. My .300 mag is 2.5 high at 100, 4" high at 200, dead on at 300 and 6" low at 390. That is with 150 grain Hornaday interbonds.
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Hunting Caliber
- Thread starter douggefreshvt
- Start date
That sounds pretty good dixi. My .300 mag is 2.5 high at 100, 4" high at 200, dead on at 300 and 6" low at 390. That is with 150 grain Hornaday interbonds.
And I thought I was nuts. I read an article years ago in this same type of debate and 375 H&H came out as top choice. I carried a Sako hunter in 375 H&H for years and took well over 50 deer with that over the years. Never had one get up and leave on me and meat damage was almost non existant. People thought I was nuts shooting deer with that thing. Mine took elk, caribou, sheep, goats, and brown bear and never failed. Balistics are similar to 30-06.
That being said it's not a caliber for the timid or first time hunter. I'd go with 30-06 and hang on to it for anything you need to shoot in lower 48.
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For sheer North American "do it all", the .30-06 is a hard to beat. My choice would be the .308 however. Short action, lots of power, great for everything from tacticool to hunting. Bullet weights from 110gr to 180... If folks can't smash about anything on the continent with a 180gr Nosler Ballistic Silvertip, then they may want to get re-edumicated on vitals shooting....
KMM696
NES Member
Another plus with the 30-06 would be the CMP's ability to provide affordable practice ammo for a hunting rifle.
However, I wouldn't hesitate to use any of the cartridges mentioned for hunting NA critters. Reading this is like listening to Chevy/Dodge/Ford pickup arguments.......there will never be one 'answer'.
However, I wouldn't hesitate to use any of the cartridges mentioned for hunting NA critters. Reading this is like listening to Chevy/Dodge/Ford pickup arguments.......there will never be one 'answer'.
Chris
NES Member
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Unless you are Bert Gummer hunting Graboids, any of the .30 caliber bottlenecked cartridges will do the job if you do yours. What I would look at is the ammo itself. How easy is it to get and get in various loadings? Nice thing about 30-06 (for right now at least) you can still get some reasonable milsurp loadings for general practice and it's popular enough that you can find a variety of factory loadings to suit your game choice. Any of the newer cartridges will require custom orders, more $$, or hand loading to find the variety.
And lets face it, a good bolt gun with an internal magazine is going to be damn hard to beat. Take a look at the Savage packages and you'll see some fantastic values for 30-06.
And lets face it, a good bolt gun with an internal magazine is going to be damn hard to beat. Take a look at the Savage packages and you'll see some fantastic values for 30-06.
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that’s true, everyone loves there rifle.
but if you were to ask a question like the one in this topic, then the best bet is 30-06 .308 or .270 doesn’t matter what one all are great. anything else is just knowledge of what else.
you can't f-up with buying one of those 3. ounce you own and use one, then you can better choose what else.
remember he didn’t know what else? by now he should know more?
but at the end of the topic he will have one of those 3 just because he will be forced to pick soon enough. his brain will give up and he will have no clue of what else and he will realize then that he has to start with one of those 3 just because LOL that is why he will buy one of those three.
dixidawg
NES Member
That's interesting.
Using Hornady calculator here:
http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator
my 30-06 with a 150grn leaving the muzzle at 2910fps and zeroed at 300yds would be:
+4.3 at 100 yards
+5.1 at 200 yards
0.0 at 300 yards
-12.4 at 400 yards
Not terribly different in practical terms until you get out to 350 yards or so.
Yup that sounds about right. Here is what is says about my set up....
http://www.hornady.com/cgi-bin/ball...om=29.53&zero=300&wspd=0&calcbutton=Calculate
The 30-06 is the jack of all trades/master of none. That's what makes it so versatile.
Too much for deer and varmints, but it will kill them just fine.
Not quite enough for big bears, but it will kill them just fine.
Not quite flat enough for a plains gun, but reduce the range of your shots and it will kill them just fine.
Here comes a big crap storm: I'm going to name the ideal calibers for North American game:
woodchucks-.204 Ruger (or 22 hornet, .223, 17rem, etc)
coyotes- 22-250 (or .223, 220Swift, etc.)
antelope- .243 Win (or 257 Weatherby, etc.)
deer- 6.5x55 (or 257 Roberts, 260rem, 7x57, 7mm08, 30-30, .308, etc.)
caribou/elk/moose- .300 Win Mag (or 7mm mag, 35 Whelen, 358 win, 8mm mag, .338, etc.)
bear- .375 H&H (or 35 Whelen, .338 win mag, 458 win, etc.)
or
the 30-06 could be used to do all of them.
Let the games begin...........
Too much for deer and varmints, but it will kill them just fine.
Not quite enough for big bears, but it will kill them just fine.
Not quite flat enough for a plains gun, but reduce the range of your shots and it will kill them just fine.
Here comes a big crap storm: I'm going to name the ideal calibers for North American game:
woodchucks-.204 Ruger (or 22 hornet, .223, 17rem, etc)
coyotes- 22-250 (or .223, 220Swift, etc.)
antelope- .243 Win (or 257 Weatherby, etc.)
deer- 6.5x55 (or 257 Roberts, 260rem, 7x57, 7mm08, 30-30, .308, etc.)
caribou/elk/moose- .300 Win Mag (or 7mm mag, 35 Whelen, 358 win, 8mm mag, .338, etc.)
bear- .375 H&H (or 35 Whelen, .338 win mag, 458 win, etc.)
or
the 30-06 could be used to do all of them.
Let the games begin...........
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I think this is pretty spot on. Different tools for different jobs. I have been know to shoot a chuck with a 300 mag because the situation presented it self. The 243 will also kill calm black bears, not that it is the best choice. The one I want is a .257 Weatherby.
Well it is obvious to me that everyone of you are wrong. The clear choice is the 7mm Rem Mag. Actually it is just my choice as I love its versatility.
Anyway there are many calibers that will work for you. However, ask your hunting partner how far shots are likely to be. It is very important to remember that as a gerneral rule there is a minimun amount of foot pounds of energy the bullet needs to have at point of impact (unless you like to shoot and wound an animal and then chase him up and down a mountain side). I don't recall what the foot pounds are for moose, but for deer 1,100 is a comfortable minimum.
The 7mm Rem Mag is a bit more potent in similar bullet weights as the '06. It also shoots a bit flatter and retains energy at longer distances, and comes in a bunch of bullet weights and designs. And that is why it is now my choice.
I suggest finding out how long you may have to shoot, choosing the right bullet design and then buying the gun that can deliver that bullet at the distance and still retain the energy it will need to do the job.
Dave
Anyway there are many calibers that will work for you. However, ask your hunting partner how far shots are likely to be. It is very important to remember that as a gerneral rule there is a minimun amount of foot pounds of energy the bullet needs to have at point of impact (unless you like to shoot and wound an animal and then chase him up and down a mountain side). I don't recall what the foot pounds are for moose, but for deer 1,100 is a comfortable minimum.
The 7mm Rem Mag is a bit more potent in similar bullet weights as the '06. It also shoots a bit flatter and retains energy at longer distances, and comes in a bunch of bullet weights and designs. And that is why it is now my choice.
I suggest finding out how long you may have to shoot, choosing the right bullet design and then buying the gun that can deliver that bullet at the distance and still retain the energy it will need to do the job.
Dave
RFWAVELENGTH
Banned
My own choices were .308 for the rifle and 12-gauge for the shotgun. My rifle is a Ruger KM77 MK II and my shotgun is a Remington 870 pump-action. I purchased both at Riley's in Hooksett, NH and got good deals. These two firearms are all that you will ever need for hunting, skeet/trap shooting and home defense here in New England. Choose carefully and spend your cash wisely. I highly recomment Riley's as a dealership. Fair prices, good service and no Massachusetts sales tax.
![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
30-06 has been proven time and time again to be the most versatile rifle caliber ever produced. It can do anything a similar round can do, and also be light loaded better than any other case of similar size. You can use bullets from 110gr to 220gr with acceptable accuracy from most any rifle with a 1-10" twist with the right load. It out-slugs the .270 hands down, and is more versatile than the .308. The 7mm mag may have a slight velocity advantage, but I guarantee the animal isn't going to know the difference.
If you want a "do it all" rifle, you will have a hard time finding a better round than the 30-06. It's been around for 100+ years, and it's still used more than any other round for American Big Game. I think that say's it all. And the fact that I have absolutely leveled several deer with it using 180gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. One blew through both shoulders on a 185lb buck at just over 100yds, shattering the bone and anchoring the deer without a step. I am sure they will do the same on larger game as well. Use a 30-06 with 180gr Nosler Partition's or BT's and you will do just fine.
Another very good but often overlooked round is the .280. Same case as the -06, but with a 7mm bullet. It's comparable with the .270, but has a slight advantage with a heavier bullet.
If I was going to buy a shotgun, it will be a 20ga slug gun. They have more reach than the 12's, are a bit lighter, and will do just fine on deer with a quality Sabot slug. All the old timer's I hunt with use 20's, and they do very well. I am the last to use a 12, and it's only because it's what I have. 12's have excessive recoil and are just too heavy for my liking. You will get off faster follow up shots, should you miss, with a 20 as well. A very good 20ga deer gun is the H&R Tracker 2 in 20ga. Nice and light, and super accurate. You only get one shot, but you only need one if you only take good clean shots.
If you want a "do it all" rifle, you will have a hard time finding a better round than the 30-06. It's been around for 100+ years, and it's still used more than any other round for American Big Game. I think that say's it all. And the fact that I have absolutely leveled several deer with it using 180gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. One blew through both shoulders on a 185lb buck at just over 100yds, shattering the bone and anchoring the deer without a step. I am sure they will do the same on larger game as well. Use a 30-06 with 180gr Nosler Partition's or BT's and you will do just fine.
Another very good but often overlooked round is the .280. Same case as the -06, but with a 7mm bullet. It's comparable with the .270, but has a slight advantage with a heavier bullet.
If I was going to buy a shotgun, it will be a 20ga slug gun. They have more reach than the 12's, are a bit lighter, and will do just fine on deer with a quality Sabot slug. All the old timer's I hunt with use 20's, and they do very well. I am the last to use a 12, and it's only because it's what I have. 12's have excessive recoil and are just too heavy for my liking. You will get off faster follow up shots, should you miss, with a 20 as well. A very good 20ga deer gun is the H&R Tracker 2 in 20ga. Nice and light, and super accurate. You only get one shot, but you only need one if you only take good clean shots.
