1 caliber for sheep, antelope and deer.
1 caliber for elk, moose and bear.

Question:
What calibers would you own if forced to have only 2?

Feel free to comment on rifle's chosen as well.

Choices:
7mm Rem. Mag and 350 Rem. Mag
270 Win. and 338 Win. Mag
25-06 Rem. and 300 Win. Mag
270 Weatherby and 375 H&H
7mm-08 Rem. and 35 Whelan

 

What kinda bear?? If you're talking about black bears, a 7-08 will handle it all. If you're talking about the great bears, I would want at least a .338WM. In all cases, leave the .270 at home. In some cases, it's too much; in others, it's not enough. (tell me that ain't gonna bring screams of rage from the .270 faithful. )

If you have a 300 or 338 magnum you don't need the other rifle anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
What kinda bear??

Brown.

quote:

Originally posted by Mikelravy:
If you have a 300 or 338 magnum you don't need the other rifle anyway.

Very true, but a 2 rifle battery is nice to have.

A 270 Weatherby or 7mm Rem. Mag can certainly pull off a 400 yard shot on a sheep or deer better than a 375 H&H or 350 Rem. Mag.

I should start a 1 rifle battery poll.

Given those choices I'd have to pick the 270 Roy and 375 H&H combo.

Truth be told, I'd more likely pick a 270 win/375 H&H combo.

If ammo is scarce, a 270win/35whelen is the most logical since the brass can be resized either way.

(*although now that I think about it, isn't the .270 roy based on the H&H case?)

I'll second rnovi's desire for a 270WIN/375H&H option.

I'd probably go for matching Win 70's (CRF, please) or CZ550's with a little bit of tuning. Blued and walnut, please.

270 and 338-06AI. Cause they both just plain work.

Bad poll parameters.

.35 Whelen & .375 H&H, redundantcy in action.

Even though I do not like it and do not have one, a 30-06 will handle everything that walks in North America.

of the choices listed, I picked the .270 and .338 win.
but if i could choose my own, it would be 7mm rem mag and .375
...tj3006

None of the above

If I can't have a 22LR

Then it's my .243 and my -06

To cover the waterfront in North America, my choices are---
340 Weatherby and 300 Weatherby.

7x64 and 9.3x62

30/06 & 22lr

couldn't vote on this one. 257 Wby and 340 Wby. That will take care of anything at any practical range.

Ken....

.375 H and H and an '06, 7x57 or maybe a .300 h and h but not any of the Weathtby Mags. Really a .375 or a .404 would do it all.

243 with barnes bullets and 375 h&h

quote:

Originally posted by FFemt5287:
I'll second rnovi's desire for a 270WIN/375H&H option.

I'd probably go for matching Win 70's (CRF, please) or CZ550's with a little bit of tuning. Blued and walnut, please.

Given the choices, the 270 and 338WM are an obvious match, with the 338 WM being the anchor of the pair.

With the 270 why would anyone suggest 375HH now when a 375 Ruger is available? Anyway, it's a toss-up between the 375 Ruger with 250 gn TTSX (.424 BC) and the 338WM with 225 gn TTSX (.514 BC). So for the poll, 338.

Dear AR Corey:

Your choices pretty much emulate my final choice for North America: 7x57 AI and a 35 Whelen AI.

Sincerely,

Chris Bemis

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:
With the 270 why would anyone suggest 375HH now when a 375 Ruger is available?

I agree.

The guy who chooses to shoot the 270 Weatherby at long range is most likely a reloader and researcher and would most likely choose the 375 Ruger over the 375 H&H. The 375 Ruger is a far superior case design and ballistics performer. However, the choices are what they are and ammo availability may play a part although I have only read one story in my life of an individual losing his ammo. Amazing how many times the "ammo. availability" reason surfaces.

300 Win Mag, and a 375 H&H.

When it comes to actually hunting, I have left all the others at home and just grabbed my 338WinMag for the last 20 years. Everything I've hunted in North America from Pronghorns on up(made my best shot ever on one of them in a howling wind at 250 that the high BC bullet really paid off). It really truly is probably the single best world wide hunting rifle ever made. If I picked something to go with it, it would likely be a 243 or 6mm Rem so I could shoot varmints after the pronghorn hunt.

Do I have to pick one of the offered pairings?

I'd pick a .25-06 and pair it with a .338WM..... and I have many times.

I could live with a couple choices but that would be mine.

I already have a 375H&H. Were I to get rid of everything of smaller caliber and have only two rifles, the other rifle would be a 240 Weatherby. That said, I chose the 270Wby as a companion to the 375.

.22 and 06 for me.

There would be nothing from squirrel to moose that I wouldn't have an appropriate rifle for.

quote:

Originally posted by just-a-hunter:
I would choose 2 different 30-06's...

Me too!

From your choices 270 Win & 338WM.

My choice is 270 Win and 338-06.

I voted for the .270 and .338 but my choice would be a .270 WSM and .358 STA. With the WSM I could shoot from 110 grains up to 180 grains. With the .358 STA I could shoot from 185 grains up to 310 grains, with the heavier bullets much faster then the .375 H&H. Good shooting.

I have done all the above with a combination of .30-06 and .375 H&H.

The .30-06 is a NULA designed originally to shoot 150 gr SST Hornady Light Mag load, now developing a similar handload.

The .375 is a modified Winchester M70 in stainless with a McMillan stock using 300 gr Trophy Bonded or Nosler in Federal Cape-Shok ammo.

In the case of an ammo emergency, .30-06 is available anywhere ammo is sold and .375 anywhere there are animals large enough to need it.

I picked the 7-08 and .35 Whelen although my choice for the light rifle would have been my 7x57 M70 Featherweight. The Welen will do for anything I'll ever hunt as I'll never be able to hunt the great bears unless I win the lottery. An occasional elk hunt would be in and I like the way my Whelen smacks them down.
Paul B.

.270 Bee and .375H&H what an amazing coinkydink!! I happen to shoot those two calibers in NA quite a bit!

Of course the .270 Bee and a 7MM are pretty much interchangeable! But either way that is a pretty tough combo to beat for N.A. or even Africa.

I vote 7mm Rem Mag & 375 H&H Mag. Then your good for the entire world.

Elk and up = Remington Classic 35 Whelen
Deer and down = Remington BDL 25-06

quote:

Originally posted by rnovi:
Given those choices I'd have to pick the 270 Roy and 375 H&H combo.

Truth be told, I'd more likely pick a 270 win/375 H&H combo.

I voted for 7mm/08 and 35 whelan, but I'd prefer .358 Winchester for my 35

I too voted for the .270/.338 WM choice. I realize that most of you guys in the Lower-48 don't need a .338 I from experience, I know both chamberings work here in the Yuke.
Been using both for years succesfully.
Bear in Fairbanks

I could not possible get by with fewer than 15 or 20 choices. Two would be boring.

If your spouses find out you can get by with just 2 it is bad news.

I prefer the following story

Rifles wear out quickly so it is bad practice to take a used rifle on a hunt. It might break at the wrong time. In order to hunt I must have a couple of new rifles each year.

But back to the stuff above I can get by with a .257 Roberts and a .35 Whelen.
If people can say a .223 is good for deer surely I can shoot something with a Whelen.

I would go with 22LR and 300 H&H and if bear is on the list then 300 H&H and 375H&H.
CZ

.257 Roberts and 300 Winchester Mag.