re: If you could have only 1 caliber for hunting North American big game,

Posted by SEClint

New Orleans, LA/Portland, OR

Member since Nov 2006

49487 posts

Posted on 12/8/16 at 10:31 pm to cypressbrake3

308

Posted by Tigerstro2

Louisiana

Member since Nov 2015

318 posts

Posted on 12/8/16 at 10:56 pm to Tigerpaw123

Did I read that right when it said killed with a 22lr?

Posted by ShawSalt_88

Member since Nov 2016

251 posts

Posted on 12/8/16 at 11:07 pm to cypressbrake3

7mm RUM

Posted by bhtigerfan

Baton Rouge

Member since Sep 2008

33618 posts

Posted on 12/8/16 at 11:57 pm to ShawSalt_88

Factor in ballistics/performance (velocity, ft/lbs of energy downrange, trajectory/inches of drop).

Cost of bullets and availability.

Range of weights and manufacturers of bullets.

Availability of different manufacturers of rifles.

.300 WM

This post was edited on 12/9/16 at 12:27 am

2 ...

Posted by Bushmaster

19th Hole

Member since Oct 2008

39955 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 1:30 am to bhtigerfan

.338 Lapua. I shot it and the 50 overseas for years.

Posted by RogerTheShrubber

Juneau, AK

Member since Jan 2009

299716 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 2:12 am to bhtigerfan

.338 win mag. Good enough for bear, but not really overkill for smaller game.

This post was edited on 12/9/16 at 2:14 am

Posted by upgrade

Member since Jul 2011

15077 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 5:01 am to cypressbrake3

I really have no desire to hunt any of the bears. Brown, black, grizzly, whatever. So if we're talking a moose on down cartridge for me, it would be a choice between 35 Whelen and 338-'06. I think I'm leaning towards 338-'06.

If for some reason I'm forced to hunt griz, 338 WM? I'm not so sure my previous two choices would be be bad to have for grizzlies or big browns.

This post was edited on 12/9/16 at 6:03 am

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Posted by bayoudude

Member since Dec 2007

25907 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 7:48 am to cypressbrake3

.270 Baw

Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt

Here

Member since Jan 2011

72098 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 8:07 am to DownSouthDave

The ruger guide guns show to weigh less than 8 pounds which isn't bad at all.

I will own a .375 one way or another at some point in my life and I will shoot a deer with it.

Posted by klrstix

Shreveport, LA

Member since Oct 2006

3573 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 8:16 am to Ace Midnight

quote:

.308

I have always had a irrational fondness for this caliber. Irratiional because I have no ballistic or otherwise objective reason for this sense I do not keep up with or research this sort of thing.

So my question is what are the reasons for your choice?

This post was edited on 12/9/16 at 8:19 am

Posted by DownSouthDave

Member since Jan 2013

7520 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 8:19 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt

Mine is a CZ with a duralyt.

I weighed it on a bathroom scale so it probably wasnt dead nuts accurate but its probably not far off.

After a few days and many miles of packing it around for moose I switched to my Finnlight and it felt like I was carrying a toy.

Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt

Here

Member since Jan 2011

72098 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 8:23 am to DownSouthDave

Have you shot a deer with it yet?

I'm trying very hard to justify a ruger guide gun in .375 ruger even though I have absolutely no use for such a gun

3 ...

Posted by Ace Midnight

Between sanity and madness

Member since Dec 2006

95648 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 8:27 am to klrstix

quote:
So my question is what are the reasons for your choice?

Ubiquity, cost, familiarity, flexibility, availability (of a fairly wide range of factory loadings, plus data on a whole range of handload recipes) - it is a cartridge that does not excel at anything, but is adaptable to almost every shooting situation. The only significant issues would be relying on it for small game (overkill) or dangerous game at close range (underkill) - but that broad range covered by the OP, that's my caliber. I can see the arguments for .270, .30-06, even the .300 Mags (my favorite is Weatherby).

If Remington had done a better job with it - the answer to the OP would have been .300 RUM, because that is precisely the role that caliber was intended to fill. But, since that didn't mature as intended (at least I don't think it did) - we're left with the tried and true hunting/sniper cartridges exactly because they're tried and true.

I like the .308. Had I grown up doing a lot of hunting with .30-06, .270 or 7mm, I might lean towards one of those. I think a lot of the choices in the thread are supportable.

This post was edited on 12/9/16 at 12:05 pm

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Posted by Crawdaddy

Slidell. The jewel of Louisiana

Member since Sep 2006

19261 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 8:28 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt

30.06

Sold every where and can take down anything

Try and be all different with an odd caliber and find yourself out of shells

Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt

Here

Member since Jan 2011

72098 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 8:34 am to Ace Midnight

They had a spectacular idea with the "power level" loads. Shame it never caught on.

Posted by klrstix

Shreveport, LA

Member since Oct 2006

3573 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 8:34 am to Ace Midnight

quote:

Ubiquity, cost, familiarity, flexibility,....

Thank you for your response.

Posted by MrCoachKlein

Member since Sep 2010

10310 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 8:41 am to cypressbrake3

Posted by upgrade

Member since Jul 2011

15077 posts

Posted on 12/9/16 at 9:07 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt

You'll be the only one at the camp with one. Your desire for the 375 is much more realistic than mine for the 470 nitro express in a double rifle. I don't know why I want one because I don't want to hunt dangerous game. I just love the rifles. Too bad they cost as much as a truck.