Cost effective Hunting Rifle?

Joshatdot

I am wondering what caliber is most cost effective for general big game hunting. IE cost per box, then stopping/take down power.

Like is 30-06 most common/best? 7mm, 243, 270, 300 Win Mag...etc.

Also factor in Old Military Rifles: British 303, NATO 308, 7mm Mauser, 8mm Mauser...etc.

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bobski

30-06.

former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, former navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction. NRA certified instructor.

gap1916

Big Game in North America? If this is the case the 3006 will take any animal on the North American Continate. My 2 cents [8D] That being said my hunting rifle of choice is the Savage model 99 in .308.

Greg
Former Marine
2nd A N G L I C O

duckhunter

When did ammo cost become a factor in hunting?? With all the other costs what is a few dollars for ammo??

I WOULD RATHER BE DUCK HUNTING.

He Dog

I am with Duckhunter, I don't get the criterion. .22LR is the most cost effective, but not for big game. If you are buying one rifle to last all your life and hunt anything in North America, buy a .30-06 and forget a couple of dollars difference in a box of ammo.

Joshatdot

Thanks for the quick replys. Well I guessed 30-06 might be most common, but that caliber of gun is rare at our Pawnshop =
There are only 2 out of 100 guns that are 30-06 here. 1 is a OLD Remington 760 Pump Action 30-06 (I have never seen a pump action Rifle, or a Bolt Action shotgun either!), and the other is a Santa Fe Model 1945 30-06.

There is this neat old RFI Enfield No 1 Mk III .308 (NATO 7.62mm) gun here, which shoots very well.

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nyforester

I would say the 308. It is very similar in feet per second & energy foot pounds, however it is a shorter action, therefore less bolt travel, lighter ammo, you can carry more. It uses the same bullets as 30-06 so reloading is not an issue. Brass and bullets at all stores is plentiful. Also the military uses it so ammo is all over the world. I would think you could effectively kill any animal in North America with a well places shot. Thanks my 2 cents.

"GOD created Q-tips for cleaning GUNS...not EARS."

"You can run....but you can't hide."

danski26

the remington 760 is a VERY good deer rifle. If it is in good shape and you take care of it the rifle will outlast you. Your children will be killing deer with it when you and I are worm food.

0311 semper fi

Travis Hallam

The .308 Lazzeroni Warbird would be the most cost effective for general big game hunting. At $100 per box of 20 it is only $5 per shot. At 400 yards it has more speed and energy than a 30-06 does at the muzzle using the same bullet. This should stop most anything at 400 yards (6" drop). If you are hunting elk who cares about spending $50 on ammo if it means getting a trophy bull. I do which is why I sold my Warbird.[:D]

After getting my Warbird I ended up shooting smaller deer than I did with a .270, I think the power of the warbird causes the racks to condense due to the energy shock, hence a true ground shrinkage (my story and I am sticking to it)!!!

Mad Dog

wanted man

If you are talking about nothing larger than average whitetail deer and no longer than 200 yd (or so) shots, the CHEAPEST rifle to shoot, with enough "knock down power" is almost definitely the 30-30.
You can buy 20 rds for $10 all day long, find them nearly ANYWHERE. Does that answer your Q?

rldowns3

A british .303 will fit the bill too.

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sandwarrior

If you're looking for cost effectiveness I'm thinking that a cartridge that can "do-it-all" from hunting trophy elk down to varmint hunting and sitting on the bench at the range and shooting a hundred or so rounds....the 7mm Mauser or .308 is your choice. The better of the two for availability of ammo is the .308. The 30-06 is good for everything above except putting 100 rounds through it in one day....it will be a long time before you want to do that again. Same with all the magnums. The light rifles like .243, 6mm, .257 and .260 aren't quite enough if you need to take a longer shot at that trophy bull across the canyon at 400 yds. The .308 has the minimum power to do it and so does the 7mm Mauser. The 7mm-08 has right around the same power as the 7mm Mauser also. -just my thought

We have the second amendment so that all the rest are secure....UNK>

mallard

good morning all,

the 30-06 without a doubt. i guess/have been told that i am an old foggie but i only own three calibers. .22 rimfire, .223, 30-06. they are three different rounds that have served me well.

whichever round you decide on, stick with it. shoot it/shoot it some more.

enjoy the rest of the weekend,



mallard