Because two current threads What caliber for eland? and Help with Next Rifle Purchase have become essentially the same discussion on caliber selection, I'd to offer the following for your comments. It's a compilation of my own experiences and the collected wisdom of those who have posted here for several years and have far greater field experience than I do. I know, for instance, that some of you prefer the use of solids in some applications on DG, but others have commented that premium-constructed bullets have obviated the need for them.

Caliber is often the main consideration many hunters make when choosing a rifle to hunt big game.

A premium-constructed soft-point expanding bullet with maximum weight retention in a weight of 160gr to 180gr delivered in an appropriate caliber-for-size will serve adequately for all big game up to 900lbs in weight including bull elk and moose in North America and plains game up to and including kudu and eland in Africa. Excellent choices are Barnes MRX, Barnes TSX, GS Custom, Hornady Interbond, Northfork, Nosler Partition, Speer Trophy Bonded Bear Claw and Swift A-Frame.

The most popular factory-made cartridges that offer these bullet weights include 7x57mm Mauser, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Rem Short Mag, .280 Rem, .308 Win, .30-06 Springfield, .300 H&H Magnum, .300 Win Mag, .300 Win Short Mag, .300 Rem Ultra Mag and .300 Weatherby Magnum.

Although it delivers considerably more recoil with its usual 225gr bullets, Federal now offers the popular .338 Win Mag loaded with 180gr Nosler Accubonds. The comparable .338 RUM and .340 Weatherby Magnum are available with 210gr to 225gr bullet weights.

Larger calibers and correspondingly larger bullet weights intended for dangerous game will also fit the bill but come with significantly higher recoil. The .375 H&H Magnum with bullet weights of 250gr to 300gr is an excellent all around choice for all heavy game from giant sable and Lord Derby eland to the large brown bears of North America and Asia. It is also the minimum legal caliber for the Big Five of dangerous game in certain African countries. The big .400s, especially .416 Rem Mag and .416 Rigby with their 400gr bullets, are great stoppers but are punishing to shoot. .458 Lott, the 500s and 600s probably deserve a discussion of their own.

If no other dangerous game but brown bears are on the menu, above and beyond most of the world’s antelope, then 200gr to 220gr premium bullets from the .30-06 Springfield up through any of the .300s and .338 Win Mag will do the job.

Resources:

Federal Cartridge 2006 Ammunition and Ballistics Catalog

www.federalcartridge.com

Accuratereloading.com bullet report from JJ Hack of 19 June 2006:

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1411043/m/474108794

FAQ Accuratereloading.com Barnes X Performance In Africa Big Game Animals:

http://www.accuratereloading.com/barnesx.html

From several reports posted here recently it seems that the .308 130gr GSCHV is an anomaly and an exception to the rule.

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The 30,s tend to be multi hit necessary ...The 416,s shut things down very well .... And the recoil isn,t that much..... The 375,s bridge the gap between small and big and are pretty easy to shoot....You might as well shoot a 6.5 as a 30 cal..

I don't agree with you about the .30s, but I do agree that the 6.5x55 Swede is a very efficient caliber. Without an extraordinarily efficient cartridge, like the reported performance of the .308 130gr GSCHV, I don't think I'd use it with any other bullets on game over 200lbs or so.

Like someone else posted here recently, too much is made of using minimal calibers for the job at hand.

Did you post this?

quote:

Originally posted by gumboot458:
... But I also think it immoral to use a too small caliber which can lead to the same result from a different angle..

By the way, as to "man wounders" (sic), check your history. The 6.5x55 Swede was originally a military round. The .260 Remington is essentially the same round.

quote:

Originally posted by gumboot458:
2 rifles is all you need ... a 260 rem and a 416 Rem mag...prarri dogs to elephants ... I would jetesen the man wounder also....too boreing..

Although, I'd love to have a CZ 550 FS in 6.5x55 for a sheep gun.

Since the 6.5x55 made it's reputation with 160 grain bullets, it should have been included with the 7mm and 30 caliber cartridges using 160 to 180 grain bullets. Another caliber that should have been included is the 8mm; as in the 8x57 and 8x68. I think that WPN is simply showing his American location in not including some of the European cartridges that aren't used as much here in the states.

Can't hide my origins or experience, but thanks for the info. I'd guess a 160gr projectile for a 6.5x55 can only happen with reloading (I know, that is in the name of this site), as none of the big three carry anything larger than a 140gr.