All around hunting caliber?

garandfan

This is my first year that I am going to hunt elk and deer. I have been on a few hunts before but I always borrowed my friends rifle. I finally have the money and age to be able to purchase a gun by myself. So, I decided that I'm going to buy myself a good starter gun to do some hunting with. I don't have tons of money so I have been looking at the cheaper guns like the rugers and savages, mostly savage. My problem is that I can't decide on the caliber. I have been looking at either a 270, 308, or 30-06. I can handle the recoil from a 30-06, so that shouldn't be a problem. I figure that the biggest animal that I would use this gun for would be a cow elk. The only animals that I'm gonna use it on at this point is deer, cow elk, and javelina. Which caliber would be best for those types of game? I'm kind of leaning towards 308, but I wanted to hear your opinions as I will probably be buying it within the next 3-4 weeks.

"To be prepared for War is one of the most
effectual means of preserving peace"-George Washington

101AIRBORNE

.30-06

Knifecollector

.270. 100 grain bullet for groundhog,130 for deer , 150 for elk. Good flat shooting, accurate caliber. Compare the trajectory for the .308, .270, .30-06. All are good calibers, you can get a heavier bullet in 30-06, but for your situation I believe you would be most satisfied with a .270. Good luck on your hunt.

Edited by - knifeusercollections on 08/14/2002 21:06:54

COONASS

A SS 270Abolt topped with a Leupold...................

Me Love mine , good all around gun.............ofcourse next
to the .223.........Oh Hell I've done it now............

coonass
aka 270abolt

We Live in a World of Give And Take, But A Lot Of People Won't Give What it Takes.

vol fan

.270

160 grain Noslers for Elk under 250 yards.

130 Sietta SPBTs for everything else.

______________________

Proud member of the vast right wing conspiracy

Boomerang

I would go with the .280 Remington over the .270 Winchester. Better selection of buddits than the .270 Win.

The .30-06 is more flexable than the .308 Win. Other than that, take your pick.

Boomer

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as it is by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed."NRA Life Member

reb8600

I have used the 270 for years on elk and deer. I use a 130 gr bullet on both and have had excellant results.

Guncontrol-The ability to hit what your aiming at.

E.Williams

My favorite rifle round is .308 BUT for all around hunting I think 30/06.

Eric S. Williams

218Beekeep

Doesen`t anybody like bees?

.218

n/a

.44 cal whammo sling shot, with surgical rubber and leather pouch.
No jus kidding

The .270 is the best all around rifle.

"A wise man is a man that realizes just how little he knows"

groundhog devastation

Of those 3, another vote for the 270. GHD

aglore

No such critter, but the 30-06 would be the closest thing to one if one did exist.

AlleninAlaska

He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
-- Thomas Paine

steve45

You cant go wrong with any of those calibers, all are great. 308 has the advantage of cheaper surplus ammo if you dont reload your own. Cheap practice is very important, its not what you hit them with,(within reason) but where you hit them that counts.

pickenup

30-06 has a lot of different size bullets (for different size critters) that are readily accessible . Very versatile caliber.

If I knew then, what I know now.

leeblackman

.308win or .30-06spr

I also like the new .260rem

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

Shootist3006

Well, you know what I'm gonna say - 30-06!!!

Why go to a .30-06 that has been on a diet (all the .270 is - is a slimmed down .30-06) or with a stunted .30-06 (all a .308 is - is a .30-06 that forgot to grow up).

I will grant that any will do for the game you listed but someday you may want a BULL ELK and need the extra punch of the -06.

Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis

218Beekeep

I`d hate to hear what you think of bees!

.218

Shootist3006

I hear that they are KILLERS!!!!

Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis

leeblackman

.276 Steyr or .35 Whelen.

And the venerable .45/70

or the kill anything on the face of the planet .50BMG

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

Harleeman1030

50 CAL ??????????

Now that's a nice round bullet lol

Harleeman1030@aol.com

leeblackman

You can also get a .50BMG SLAP round. Its a .308"cal sabot in a .50bmg cartridge. So fast the deer won't even know its shot.

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

JustC

If you can handle the 30-06 recoil, why not step up to the belted magnum arena and go 7mm mag. 120gr for small stuff, 175 for big stuff, and 150gr for everything in between, with little or no noticeable recoil difference.

A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.

Nighthawk

The good old American 30-06 is about the best all around Rifle there is.Other than the 30-30 it the second most Popularly Reloaded cartridge in America.

Best!!

Rugster


Tou Jours Pret

offeror

I'll second lee's suggestion of looking at anything they have in .45-70 in your price range. It has more a hunting than a battle heritage, which I find attractive for a hunting gun. And why not branch out a bit?

- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

Edited by - offeror on 08/15/2002 12:50:28

He Dog

.30-06 is the top all around choice, and I don't even like it.

A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand

13FOX

M203

leeblackman

You know the .276steyr was designed by an idea jeff cooper had to be the most versitile hunting cartridge, to be able to shoot anything from varmints to the cape buffalo.

The .45-70 has been around a long time, I remember hearing about a guy that just got thru hunting the Big Five with one using cast handloads. Its also been used as far back as the blackpowder days for shooting 1000yd matches. Its a pretty versitile load, especially for a handloader. I probably wouldn't hunt rabbit with it, but from hog, deer, and anything bigger, I'd feel pretty good behind the trigger.

The .30-06spr is probably one of the most widely used cartridges ever. They even made .22cal high velocity sabots for it that could be used for varmint, however in my experience the sabots are highly inaccurate. The .308win is nothing more than a shortened .30-06, able to be chambered in short action rifles, just as versitile to a handloader, but the .30-06spr has bigger case so higher powder capacity.

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

CAndres35

my vote is for the 270. still big enough if you want to shoot that bull elk just step up to the 150grn or if reloading all the way up to 185. just my 2cts. carl

Warpig883

At the longer ranges I have had good luck with the new 17 rimfire. I pull the bullet and stuff the case with a sabot and a .10 caliber hollow point. Drops them dead at 100 yards.

moc.murofsmraerifeht.www

Shootist3006

Warpig has a great idea quote: I pull the bullet and stuff the case with a sabot and a .10 caliber hollow point. Drops them dead at 100 yards.
me - I'd pull the bullet and stuff the case with a sabot and a .10 caliber knitting needle. pins 'em down at 100 yards.

Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis

hunter280man

My choice would be the .280rem but I have to be fair and say the 30-06 is more common. My .280 used to be a .270, I shot the barrel out of it about 15 years ago and decided the perfect gun for me was the .280 because I'm a re-loader and like the 7mm for the coice of bullets.

Though I was born to royalty, I was snatched at birth, so treat me as the noble I am!!!

22WRF

30/06 from a 110 gr or less varmint load (have loaded 85 gr for turkey) to 220 gr for the bug guys.

I Refuse to be a VictimGrumpy old man

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of All Those that Threaten it

22WRF

quote:
30/06 from a 110 gr or less varmint load (have loaded 85 gr for turkey) to 220 gr for the big guys.

I Refuse to be a VictimGrumpy old man

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of All Those that Threaten it


I Refuse to be a VictimGrumpy old man

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of All Those that Threaten it

leeblackman

I too like the .280rem. I've actually just become aquainted with it recently. Though I've seen it before, I never really paid much attention to it. If you handload, it has some pretty decent stuff.

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !

Boomerang

Whew!! I was starting to wonder if I was the only .280 fan. For just about any given weight the 7mm hase a better BC/SD than the .308 buddits.

Boomer

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as it is by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed."NRA Life Member

101AIRBORNE

leeblackman,
the .308 was derived from the old .300 Savage. I would also like to see a .45/70 travel 1000 Yards. Okay, I shoot the .30/06 but
also would not hesitate using a 7mm Mag on a bull elk, if ever drawn
The 50 BMG would definitely do the job and you would not have to worry about any field dressing. Zip Lock specials.

farland

Im sorry, but are you guys serious? My opinion...anything less than .308 caliber is silly for Elk, unless you really enjoy tracking with a flashlight if your shot is at dusk. Yes I know,"a well placed shot with ANY rifle wil kill your game." BUT...what if you are a little off for some reason, or your bullet hits a twig or something? You end up with aa wounded animal. 30-06 30-06 30-06= KNOCKDOWN! If you REALLY want to do the job..use a 338, 358, or 375...Knockdown=Humane kill.

aglore

When the 45-70 was being tested by the military before acceptance as the official military round, it was teated at ranges of up to a mile.

AlleninAlaska

He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
-- Thomas Paine

Bullzeye

quote:
At the longer ranges I have had good luck with the new 17 rimfire. I pull the bullet and stuff the case with a sabot and a .10 caliber hollow point. Drops them dead at 100 yards.


At the risk of sounding like some sort of a reactionary dinosaur, WHAT exactly drops dead at 100 yards after a hit from a .10 sized piece of metal? The unlucky grasshopper that crawled on top of the target?

Better put a second round into him next time. Dont want him hopping away on you and wasting all that meat.

BlueTic

I would go to my safe and pull out my .280 everytime (I have 2, a single and a bolt), I also have a 30-06 and 7.65 but usually my hand just grabs my .280. You can get/load from the low end of .270 weight bullets to low end of 30-06 weight. For some stupid reason I do keep drewling over the new .270 WSM's though.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY RIGHTS - GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY (this includes politicians)

sodbuster

218Beekeep:
Stopped by the gunshop the other day and he had several bags of 218 brass sitting on the counter that someone had ordered in,,I have to admit they sure are cute!!,,,,,,,

garandfan:
Even though the 270 is more popular, you do have a better choice of loads with the 280.
If you want a rifle sitting in the rack that will ALWAYS do the job, (just grab the gun and a box of shells) then the 30-06 can't be beat!

"Just my opinion."