quote:

If we were to design a battery of say four rifles for someone to hunt worldwide with, what would the calibers be?

.22rf
.270 Win
.375 H&H
.50 or .54 cal. muzzleloader

1. .17 HMR Anschutz

2. 12 guage Berreta 391 Urika Semi-Auto

3. .300 WSM Browning A-Bolt Stalker

4. .470 NE Kreighoff Classic Big 5

From my present battery I would choose as follows. These choices are in priority as one can only carry one gun at a time or pack and ship one or two. The priority is in non DGR order.

Sauer 16X16X8-57 drilling.

Savage 99 .358 Win.

Kimber 8400 .270 WSM

Winchester pre-64 M70 .375 H&H.

Ill go with
243

300 wsm

338 win

416 rem

Bill

Practical choice: Romantic choice:
.22LR .22LR
.30-'06 6.5X55
.375 H&H 9.3X62
.458 Lott .416 Rigby

.22LR--Everyone needs one, for inexpensive practice if for no other reason.
.30-'06/6.5X55--Varmints to Medium Plainsgame
.458 Lott/.416Rigby--For grumpy critters

That didn't post the way I wrote it:
The one's on the left should be separated to the right as the romantic choices.

Im a PH i have a lot of rifles but my battery is a cz308 ,acz375hyh ,a mauser 458winch and a marlin guide gun 4570.A 22 is always in my truck too .juan

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Wemmer:
Frank,

I'll trade you my "battery" of guns for that "hottie" in your video-clip...

...I hope that's not you wife I'm talking about...

JW

It makes no difference who's wife she is, it doesn't change the "HOT" factor!

John S:

Can an old retired hunter get in on this discussion?

Mine would be

1) 7x57 (7mm Mauser)
2) 30-06
3) 375 H&H
4) 470, N.E.

22 WMR
.243
30-06
375 H&H

22LR
270 Win
375 H&H
470 N.E.

22 L.R.
22/250
30/06
416 Rem

22lr lever action

30-06 bolt action

375H&H bolt action

Big bore double rifle of your choice from 458 cal through 510 cal, mine is in the non traditional 458wm but it works great.

JPK

7X57
300 H&H
375 H&H
416 Rigby

If I can add a fifth, it would be an AR15 in .223.

.22LR

.223 Remington

.308 Winchester

.375 H&H Magnum

The .375 H&H Magnum is a cartridge that some people would say is on the light end of the heavy magnum spectrum, but you will get a lot more use out of this rifle battery than one that includes something like a .470 Nitro in it. There just aren't enough animals walking the earth that warrant the use of a shoulder fired cannon to convince a man who only wants to own four rifles to buy one.

As far as my other choices, the .22 long rifle is a great cartridge for small game, collecting food on hunting trips, target practice, pest control, plinking, and general shooting. Both the .223 Remington and the .308 Winchester are excellent hunting cartridges covering the every instance from prairie dogs to moose, and with these two rifles you are able to stock up on surplus ammunition for those just in case of nuclear winter times that may arise.

This is like asking what 4 flavors of ice cream do you prefer.

.243
300 Win Mag
.375H&H
.458 Win mag

Why, easy to obtain most anywhere.

quote:

Originally posted by John S:
A number of the readers here might not be rifle cranks and really view them as tools to be used on the hunt.
these types generally want a good dependable rifle in an adequate caliber for the job at hand, but nothing more.
If we were to design a battery of say four rifles for someone to hunt worldwide with, what would the calibers be? This battery is not subject to much changing as years go by. This fellow will buy it and keep it, replacing is only an option if the original is stolen or demolished in some way.
He isn't going to be replacing scopes every other year either, as one new milestone or another passes by. He/she is a hunter and wants to spend the money hunting and not tinkering with guns.
I'm sure there are those reading this that say, "Yes, that is me!, so tell me what I need to buy and let's get this over with so I can start saving up to hunt Africa or Alaska or Texas or wherever I can go."

17Mach2 Kimber
7x57R / 12ga Brno
30-06 Custom Mdl 70
375 H&H Custom Brno 602
Would be able to live well off these

Though not my current choices, if I was starting from scratch... .22LR, .223 Rem, .30-06, .375 H&H. I'd be done and way ahead financially! As a shotgun, the 12 GA would do

IMHO - The 4 Rifles NEEDED To Hunt The Planet CORRECTLY!!!

1 - Because the hunter is safer against dangerous game IF he is SKILLED in the use of the following rifle, I vote the HEAVY should be a SxS DOUBLE in the largest rimmed/flanged caliber a guy can carry himself all day and shoot WELL! A second set of barrels in 500/416 would be a huge bonus, or for the died in the wool traditionalist a 450/400 3" - this assuming the main barrels are chambered in some .458 or larger caliber.

2 - Down one should be a .375 H&H belted mag. in a bolt action that holds five rounds total and functions PERFECTLY! NEVER, will you have a lack of ammo. This can kill anything from almost any angle. It "reaches out some" as well.
The belt is STUPID, but ammo is just about everywhere. H&H should have taken the 404 Jeffery brass at the full 2.85", made the rim the same size as the base, .544, instead of Jeffery's rebated rim, and used the .375 diameter bullet at a heavier 325 or so grain weight.

3 - Next is a bolt action .330 DAKOTA with it's .338 bullet, zillions to pick from, and beltless brass and proper non-rebated rim (it's the same diameter as the base). Use this on most anything, but NOT dangerous stuff in AFRICA INDIA or THE ARCTIC. Poor ammo supply, but DAKOTA ARMS will overnight ammo to you worldwide. Ideal cartridge design for a bolt action rifle. This can take much of the game the .375 can in a pinch, though technically unlawful to use on dangerous game in some locations.

4 - Last, because I have NO attraction to little calibers, (or ground hogs) a bolt action 30-06. It can to much of what the 330 DAK can do depending on how heavy a bullet you load. You can go light for USA antalope or little white tail deer. There are even very light sabot loads if you MUST shoot tiny animals farther away. Endless ammo, fine cartridge design, proper rim, no belt. PURE U.S.A. written all over it!!!

SHOTGUNS For The Birds

Upland, Over Dogs - 2 inch, yes 2 inch chambered SxS 12 Ga at 5 lbs 5 oz max. 5 / 3 BETTER carry all day, get 12 gauge pattern with a light 20 ga. weight gun!

Water Fowl - SxS 12 ga. 3.5" chambers, reaches way out there. once you've killed enough WF in your life, still go out, but sell this gun and take your little 2 inch chambered gun, you'll have to meet the challenge of getting those birds to come much, MUCH closer to you!

This would be a perfect Battery for my use.
1= 22mag with a 3to7 Pecar Berlin scope. One of my favorite pastimes is a weekend south to the Australian high country chasing Rabbits and Foxes.

2= 7x64B with 2.5to10x50 ZEISS. This one for game such as Deer, Chamois, Thar, Ibex and Wild Pigs.

3= 9.3x64BR. With a 1.5-6x42 S&B Mag Eye Relief scope.

4= 450NE or 470 double rifle.

5= 12GA a must.
Cheers,
Adam C

1) .22 lr semi-auto

2) .270 WCF scoped single-shot

3) 9.3 x 62 bolt with express sights

4) .450/.400 double rifle

223 / 30-06 / 375 H&H / O/U 12 Gauge (Yes, I know its not a rifle, but you only need three with one good shotgun). You will always be able to get ammo . I don't believe anyone should take a shot at anything over 300 yards.

22LR for small varmints in close
30-06 for small to med varmints at normal range
300 RUM for varmints at long range
375 H&H for everything else
or just the 375 and to hell with everything else

I would prefer 5 rifles:
1.22LR
2.223
3.30-06
4.338
5.416
If I were limited to 4 I'd drop the 22LR.
Mufasa

22-250
25-06
338WM
416Taylor

nuff said.

... and for those of us who don't understand why there are rimless cartridges:

.25-35
.30-40
9.3x74R
.400 Jeffery

All four of these have a century of big game experience.

On second thought, replace the first two with .22 LR and 6.5x54R (or 6.5x57R if history is no concern).

Like many I probably have too many rifles so it makes the choice somewhat difficult. This is the list after my first trip to hunt Buff in Tanzania. I may have been prone to lighter rifles before:

1) .308 Win just a good all around caliber for lighter came. Good ammo availability

2) .338 Win Mag just to reach out and touch something bigger. Pretty much all you really need for North America.

3) Ah ... the medium ... the problem begins. Either a 9,3x62, a .375 H&H, or a .416 Rigby depending on where you're going and whether or not the subject of pursuit bites, kicks, or chases you down. (The .416 calibers really are not stopping rifles but loaded with a 350 grain X or TSX can do anything a .375 H&H can do.)

4) The heavy ... .470 NE in a double rifle or either a .458 AR or .470 AR in a bolt rifle.

Ohhh well,
all the rifle that I have (12) in various calibers, and same one in some caliber that I still not have

.223
30-06
.375 H&H
416 Rigby

To be complete, you would need a .22 LR and a 12 gauge shotgun.

.22rf (with cb-shorts and long rifle HP ammo)small game and varmints
.223 medium sized varmints
.338winmag big game animals
.416rem large African DG

The initial post comtemplated a fellow who wa snot a rifle afficiando, but wanted "tools" that work. With that premise:

6.5x55 Ruger 77 can be had for $500

300 WinMag in Model 70 or a nice older FN $1000

375 H&H in an Interarms or Whitworth about $1000

and for the big stuff,

416 Rem Mag in model 70- I got mine for $900? but they are more now- plenty quality ones on gunsamerica now and Cabelas for about $2000

One could do it all for about $3500, plus optics

I wish I set out with this plan and stuck with it- instead....a very large safe and lots of toys "I don't need".....

quote
"Like many I probably have too many rifles"

Shame on you thinking that way! Never can you have too many. A kind gentleman once told me
" guns are like jello, there is always room for more" and I have tried to live by that truth.

SFC E7
29 days and counting

I have a lot of rifles but i only use almost daily this a ruger 1022,acz 308 ,and a cz 375hyh.Juan

1) 22 rimfire

2) 308

3) 9.3x62

4) 416 Rem Mag

For a complete four gun battery:

22LR
223
9.3x62
416Rem

Kudude

quote:

If we were to design a battery of say four rifles for someone to hunt worldwide with, what would the calibers be?

The original question asks for four rifles. Changing the question to four firearms, I would adapt the answer to the following [these four long guns will cover everything that walks or flies:

.22LR bolt-action, .30-06 Springfield bolt-action, .375 H&H Magnum bolt-action, 12 gauge semi-auto shotgun.

Anything in between, such as a .223 or .22-250 Rem, is for target-shooting, whether the target is live or not. Add a 1911 .45ACP pistol and a more classic and complete battery does not exist.

My 2 Sakos in 06 & 300wm and 2 rifles chambered in z-hat Hawk wildcats .

I know you specified RIFLES but if I was putting together a 4 gun battery to hunt the world ti would be:

12 guage pump (I just can't ever be without one)
30-06 (or 308)
375 H&H
416 Rem or Rigby

I know I don't have a "varmint" rifle in there but that could be covered by the '06 or 375 H&H. The shotty would be for birds and small game. It could serve as well for deer, black bear (or bigger with the right slugs), and hogs in heavy brush essentially used as a rifle. Of course the '06 could be used for anything up to large plains game. The 375 could be used for varmints up to DG. The 416 serves well for deer and up including all DG. This all assumes that bullets are matched to the intended game though there would be nothing wrong with using 180 grain bullets in the '06, 300 grainers in the 375, and 400's in the 416. Those 3 loads would do just about everything at any reasonable distance. Brenneke makes a 600 grain slug load that generates 3900+ ft/lbs of energy. Good enough for most bears.

I would choose

.25-06 100grain bullets. Ruger M77V custom heavy 26" match barrle. Night force 3.5x15 50mm scope with NP-2DD retical.

.300 WSM 180 grain bullets. Kimber 8400 Montana. Leupold 2.5x10 LPS german #4 retical.

.338 Win mag 250grain bullets. Ruger No1S. Leupold 1.5x5 1 inch tube VX-III Duplex retical.

.458 Lott 500 grain bullets. Ruger RSM. Leupold 1.5x5 VX-III Illluminated German #4 Retical 30mm tube.

This is my hunting battery. even though I have a number of other rifles these are the ones I turn to every time.

I would have to have a fifth rifle. My winchester model 52B with my Lyman 8X target scope. With Lapua subsonic ammo shooting sqirels and other small game in the head is way to much fun.

Great post.


Sempr Fi

Will

Man, how did this post get by me without some response?! Ok, here goes for me. By the way, who out there has volunteered to do the compilations on this one?

.375 H&H
.300 WSM
.223 Rem.
.22 LR
All appropriately scoped of course, and in the right brands and models to my liking.
The original post did say RIFLES; so with that I stuck to it.