Sherpas. Bearers. Think safaris.
And 7MM Mags will kick like a mule. Don't know why anybody would want one. Unless it was a blue elephant gun or somesuch.
BKB
Sherpas. Bearers. Think safaris.
And 7MM Mags will kick like a mule. Don't know why anybody would want one. Unless it was a blue elephant gun or somesuch.
BKB
I've had a couple 7mmMags. I could never warm up to them. Killed a few deer and antelope with them, but more times than not the critter would run for a ways before piling up. Granted if I hit the vertebrae or head it was dead right now, but lung and heart shot deer seemed to always go for a stroll after the shot. I didn't and don't like that. Plus ammo was more expensive, it kicked harder, but didn't seem to hit the animal as hard. Of all the magnums I ever had the only one I actually really liked was the .257 Weatherby and I haven't ruled out buying another one some day.
Just better make sure you have a bunch of eye relief on your scope with one!
BKB
I don't like 'em, either. But DD is a LEO, and knows shooting. I just thought of it, and didn't want him to rule it out.
And, can I ride a Sherpa?
P.S.
My .257 Wby Mag kicks less than my .270........however, it is the ONLIEST Magnum I'll ever own. I just sold my cannon..........the 7MM WSM........ouch.
WARNING - Due to the rising costs of ammunition, warning shots will no longer be given.
I"m with Johnyboy, 308, does everything a 06 and 270 do, short action, and just plain accurate.
Whey do you think most sniper rifles are 308, I'm sure your dept. uses them.
Ammo is always available even at the small mom and pop stores.
The older I get, the better I was. I also forget my password and have to have Len reset it for me
Thanks for all the input. Several guys I know around here are talking about the 300 winmag, but I remembered seeing a lot of you talk about your 270's and just wanted opinions from people that regularly shoot big animals at longer ranges than I'm used to.
Decisions....decisions.
If this does pass, it won't go into effect until next year at the earliest and then if I do buy something, we can start this debate all over again when I ask for bullet recommendations.
"Never try to fight an Old Dude. If you win, there's no glory; if you lose, your reputation is shot."
I agree with the assessment of the 30/06 for all around. But If you are going with a 300 mag don't do the win mag. Get the 300 Remington ultra mag. It's a beltless casing and a much better round.
A Government that pays people to do nothing destorys their willingness to do anything!
Well....I typed a big ol' reply, and then finger fudged this phone keyboard and lost it.
There are a lot of cartriges built from the 30-06......
35 Whelan
280
270
25-06
308
260
7mm-08
243
AND I am sure I am forgetting some......
Actually, the 308 was derived from the 300 Savage, not a down sized 06, which in it's own right is a great round.
The older I get, the better I was. I also forget my password and have to have Len reset it for me
That said...MY personal all-around favorite is the 30-06. For a lot of the reasons mentioned above. I too don't like tracking game all that much. With the bullets I've been shooting in mine for 30+ years, they are most generally DRT.
Dangit JB, I think you are right.
Just going from memory here in the wilderness. [:^)
The 250-3000 IS the parent case of the 300 Savage so then the 250-3000 IS the parent case of the 308, or Grand-parent as it were...dde18
A Government that pays people to do nothing destorys their willingness to do anything!
I'd say 06 as well. A remmy 700 bdl in 30-06 was my first rifle. Man that thing was sweet.
Like has already been said... It'll kill anything on this continent at short OR long distances.
Readily Available ammo.
Etc etc.
As has already been said, if you want a caliber that will pretty much do it all with the ultimate in over-the-counter availability, the .30-'06 is what you are looking for. Is it the best (insert critter name here) caliber? Maybe not. Will it adequately take every critter in North America? Darn tooting'.
That being said, my deer rifle is a Remington Model 700 BDL in .30-'06. It has taken whitetail, mule deer, antelope, & an elk along with numerous coyotes & other smaller critters. Would I use it on black bear or moose? Without a doubt!! On grizzly bear? I would but hesitantly. Not because the gun won't do the trick but because after seeing three grizzlies while in Glacier National Park last summer, the closest at less then 50 yards, I'm not real sure I would be real excited to hunt one period. Those suckers are BIG!!
As for a sweet shooting little caliber I have really grown to like, the 7mm-08. My wife has one and I steal it whenever she doesn't have a tag but if you don't reload then ammo availability is an issue. The .308 is another similarly great round but again with availability of ammo.
Just my two cents and worth what you paid for it.
Be sure to let us know what you decide.
I personally shoot a 257 Roberts in the Remington BDL, as an all around caliber the 30 06 is gonna be hard to beat. However I don't think I would want a charging grizzly on the other end of my little 257 even with 120 gr partition
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones"
Albert Einstein
I'd want a howitzer for that situation.
BKB
Aim for the right eye.
We all know what P-hole aims for ... I just hope it's a boar!
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness" - Mark Twain
4 pages in a rifle calibre and we haven't gone off topic. That's got to be a GH record.
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Raoul Duke
My big old balls itch.
BKB
Well, you got one adjective out of two correct ... (and that one ain't "big").
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness" - Mark Twain
Well I will throw my 2 cents in, I for one like being a little different. The 30.06 is a great round but for DRT on deer I have yet to see a better round than the 25.06 heck I have 2 of them. I also have a .270 WSM and with a Barnes tsx I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a elk with it. Now that I have said all that I just ordered a semi custom .325 WSM that should be ready in about 7 months so that may end up being my new favorite. I know the elk I killed in 2011 was hit with 7 mag barns tsx in 165gr and he never took a step. The bullet broke his shoulder and went up into his spine. I guess my point is there are all kinds of choices and many of them work well so just buy several of them that is what I do.
“ No kingdom can be secured otherwise than by arming the people. The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave”
James Burg, An Enquiry into, Public Errors, Defects and Abuses 1775
Well, I think some here are missing the point. I also love the .25-06, .270 and the .308, etc, etc, etc, but the question is, if there could be only ONE rifle, what would be the best caliber to be able to kill any big game animal in N. America? I will stand by the .30-06 as the best SINGLE rifle to own due to it's versatility, ammo availability and economical advantages. I seriously doubt your could pick a better caliber for an ONLY rifle.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness" - Mark Twain
I didn't read it as he was buying his only rifle. I read it as he was buying his first rifle. Big difference.
Besides, who do you know that hunts that only owns one?
BKB
ME for many years.
QUOTE:
I don't see any mention of more than one rifle now or in the future. He's gone all these years without a rifle and has only hunted with a shotgun. I assumed this recommended rifle was to replace the shotgun now that rifle hunting is allowed ... yet he wants it to be versatile enough to take other big game if he decides to go that route. Nowhere does he mention he wants separate deer rifle, antelope rifle, elk rifle, bear rifle and dragon slayer rifle recommendations. I took the request as a "one-gun-does-all" recommendation. To that, I recommended the super versatile .30-06.I now have a good excuse to buy a (as in singular) rifle.
My question is, what caliber rifle would you recommend? I'd like something that would be multi-use that I could use if I ever go hunting for some other species of big game or the chance to hunt somewhere that is a lot more open country that Indiana is.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness" - Mark Twain
Thanks for all the info guys. At this time I just looking for a rifle to use in case they allow the use of them for deer here in Indiana. I'd like to make it as multi-use as possible so that I don't necessarily NEED another one if I have the opportunity to hunt in other locales.
We all know that guns get lonely in the gun safe and need another of the same type to keep them company, and if you have two guns together in a dark safe, they tend to get together and multiply. (At least that's what I tell my wife when she see's how many guns I have in there.)
I'm guessing that I'd just stay with the one for quite a while since unless I travel, there won't be any need for anything else, and I just don't have the money I used to before having the kids to start buying guns that are species specific like all my shotguns are. I have a shotgun for deer, one for ducks and geese, one for turkey, one for pheasant and rabbits, etc...guns are just too damn expensive any more to get that way with rifles since I'd only be able to hunt one thing with it here.
If this does go through, and it sounds like it's going to, I'll let you know what I get and then we can start the bullet conversation.
Last edited by DeputyDog; 11-04-2014 at 09:10 AM.
"Never try to fight an Old Dude. If you win, there's no glory; if you lose, your reputation is shot."
Another line of thought.
You could get an AR and then get diff uppers for it.
Prob. is Niner ... he stated money is tight!
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness" - Mark Twain
Ruger American Rifle, best deal going in the gun business right now. You just can't beat it for what you get in quality and accuracy. My next choice if money was tight would be the Weatherby Vanguard it is also a fantastic rifle that won't break the bank.
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