30.06 110-220g cant go wrong!!

To be on the safe side,,use a custombuilt .378 Weatherby Magnum(with recoil in mind).
You can use reduced loads and for the toughest game use max loads(of course),,aaaand with good bullets that stand the 6000+ ft/lbs of power.
Bullets ranging from 210 gr.(i think,,to 350 or even GS custom FN 380 gr. bullets.(i've heard someone told me he got 2800 fps with those 380 gr. bullets,,is that impressive or what(Maybe was it the .416 WbY). Anyway you can't go wrong in the world using this destructive force !

In my view the very best all around hunting rifle you can own is the great shooting 300 Winchester magnum round. The 300 Win mag will handle any big game animal from antelope with the 125 grain bullet to moose with the 220 grain bullet. No other cartridge can deliver such a wide range of game getting ability with so many different bullet weights than the 300 Win Mag. Just be sure your rifle a 26" barrel to get the most from the 300 Win mag cartridge.

Here is Nebraska's original statement:

I will be hunting deer 99% of the time so there will be no need for an "Ultra-anything". Antelope or a guided elk/bear hunt may be in the cards some day but it would definitely not be the norm. I'm leaning towards the a 257 Wby(like I've been hit with a Big Stick ) or 280 Rem but until I send in the action to Pac-Nor, everything's still fair game.

For this application I'd highly recommend a .270 Win or a good old 30-06 w/ .270 MY first choice.

Seeing as how Nebraka says he has the intention of getting a bigger rifle if the elk or bear hunt comes up , I would change my vote to the 25/06 .

I garuntee you it will take alot to beat this cartridge for a local hunter in one of the plains states . Plenty for deer , very flat , and many good varmint weight slugs to choose from .

True , it will not be quite as flat as the 257 Weatherby , but....... it will have better barrel life , use alot less powder , be more enjoyable if you want to shoot alot , in short , just easier to live with than a magnum capacity small bore. In my view , the 257 Weatherby and it's ilk are specialized tools to use when you feel you just have to have the last increment of flatness you can squeeze out of a rifle ............

One gun.....man that's tough. Since africa aint on my list as of yet. Too poor! I'd have to go with my 338 Win Mag. with my 225g Nosler partition handloads. It's big enough for anything I'll likely hunt and the bullet doesn't tear up much when going through a deer sized critter. It's flat enough and carries enough umphh to get any job done.


Here's a 'bou I took with it in northern Quebec.

I'm changing my advice to the same as that given by sdgunslinger -- a 25-06. Originally I too recommended a .270 Winchester, but if Nebraska is leaning toward a .257 Weatherby, then I think a 25-06 is the better way to go.

The .257 Weatherby will require a longer barrel for maximum efficency, and will give more noise and blast. It will require substantially more powder for a small gain in velocity, and brass for it will be difficult to obtain. Brass for the 25-06 is far more plentiful and available, and factory loads for it, although not as easily obtained as .270 loads, are still much more readily available than those for the .257 Weatherby. The trajectory for the 25-06 will be even flatter than that for the .270 Winchester. It will double as an excellent varmint and small-game rifle. All in all, an excellent choice for Nebraska's use.

The 25-06 in my opinion is the best caliber ever made for deer and small game. I have found a load for it that shoots a 115 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3300 fps, that is so close to the 257 Weaterby that there is almost no difference, except for the fatness of your wallet. It can kill elk if you have a broadside shot at a maximum range of 300 yards, i would select the 120 grain Nosler Partition for this work. For bears be extremely careful with your shots, and find a friend with a 338 to hunt with. This is just my opinion and i am a huge 25 caliber fan. The 280 is also a great cartridge. I am not a fan of the 257 Weatherby because the 25-06 is just as capable.

fellows,i think the 3006 or the 308 would do the job on anything on the nothern continent,leaning towards the 3006 and i believe thats a true statement...the 3006 will cover all of it ,cheap to shoot and practice(because confidence is the name of the game)and if a 3006 wont take it on the north american continent nothing will,true statement if you look at it in depth,or the 45/70 even in a marlin 1895,they both will take anything on this continent/half of the world....

"One world, one rifle."
375 H&H, with a 30-06 for varmits.

308 is the best value, due to cheap ammo.
s

If you really like the 257 Weatherby you should get it. If you change your mind later you can always trade it in.

I like the .270 Winchester. Soft on the shoulder, flat shooting, with enough ummph to get the job done out to just about any reasonable range.
If you don't mind a little increased recoil, go with the 7mm Remington Magnum. It isn't the U.S's most popular magnum for nothing. It offers nearly .30-magnumish energy with a flat trajectory and recoil that just about anybody can tolerate with a little practice. Furthermore, it can be loaded to take just about anything in North America, with the possible exception of big Alaskan Brownies--which you didn't include on your criteria.

Overall, I doubt if it matters too much what call you choose as long as you choose the right bullet and put it where it belongs. But if elk were on the menu at all, I'd stay above .277 cal and 150 grs.

Either the 30-06 or the 375. I have a few of each. The 375 makes one great deer round. I am like Elmer Keith. I prefer to hunt my game before shooting it. They don't run far. I asked a similar question of my local country gunsmith on selection of a deer cartridge some years ago. He scratched his beard a while and said "Just whadever you wawnt". He was exactly right. If you are just hunting deer with one or two other animals thrown in over a lifetime, just pick something you like. Most any legal cartridge will do. Good hunting with whadever you pick. I will be in a deer stand with a 375 H&H in a week or two. "D"

7mm REM Mag, accept No substitutes!

Lots of interesting comments here and lots of nonsense too. The topic here is "all around" and for all of you that disparage the 300s, I invite you to read the book "Trophy Hunter in Africa" by the late Elgin Gates. If you read that book, written by a man with more world wide hunting experience than all of us COMBINED, you will come to the conclusion that the 300 Weatherby ( or any 300) fits the bill quite nicely. Is it "perfect" for ALL situations? not hardly, but Mr. Gates took everything from elephants to duikers at ranges from shoe-lace close to over 500 yards--ALL WITH A 300 Weatherby-- If that doesn't get the nod for the "one gun" battery, maybe some of you just don't get it. jorge

[ 10-30-2002, 00:27: Message edited by: jorge ]

Make mine a 7mm Rem Mag...and call it a day!

I've got to go with the 300 Win., 150 & 165 gr. for the small stuff then use the 200 & 220's for the big ones

Take into consideration the game you plan to hunt, select the correct type bullet, use a caliber and gun you can shoot well. I see a lot of hunters buying the latest long/short/fat/skinny magnum to hit the market, come all the way up to Alaska to hunt, just to miss because they can't shoot it well or handle the recoil.

nebraska said he's ready to send his *action* off to Pac-nor(although it's likely there and back by now LOL). Now I'm no gunsmith, but doesn't the 257 Wby have a different size boltface than the 280 Rem? So doesn't the choice boil down to either a magnum or non-magnum? He didn't say which type action he had. Any decision has to revolve around the action. Right?

Also, it doesn't make sense to chamber an action that's long enough to accomodate the Wby with one of the short, fat mags.

I say the '06 because it does nicely in a 22 inch barrel for handiness; the mags can't do that and retain their velocity advantage. And again, '06 ammo is so very available everywhere.

I need to give an endorsement for the quarterbore .25-06. I was a one gun hunter for years and this was THE best rifle choice I've ever made! Here is a list of reasons why:

*Varmints or Deer, 1 bullet 100gr NBT
*Gentle Recoil with that given load
*Suitable for elk w/good bullets @ shorter ranges
*Flat shooting

Here are a few other recommendations that go beyond caliber and cartridge:

*Get a 24" heavy sporter/light varmint barrel. Plenty of legnth for efficient use of velocity plus good handling characteristics. Not long, but not short and balances well in the hand.
*100gr pills are hell-on-wheels on coyotes, pdogs, and DEER. I like BT's, others like partitions, but you can't go wrong.
*DON'T OVER SCOPE!!! It's very easy to do with varmintish deer rifles. I've had many, many scopes atop my 25 and have settled upon a fixed 6x Burris with FINE CROSSHAIRS. The fine crosshairs are key; the magnification is sufficient but the crosshairs won't obscure small targets at long range. Target acquisition is easy. Also the smaller fixed power saves on weight, thus helping balance and handling with the slightly heavier barrel.

As for the weatherby .257 mag, well I personally could never see it as a significant improvement. Especially, because you'd have 1-2 less shots in the magazine. Nevermind recoil and cost.

FWIW

[ 10-30-2002, 08:00: Message edited by: waldog ]

The answer is simple, the caliber that YOU have confidence in. They will all take deer sized game. If later you book your elk hunt and you feel it's too small, borrow a friends grand thumper express, or whatever. Or buy a good used gun in the appropriate caliber. If the round that floats your boat is 257 WBY go get it. For me it would be 30-06.

What about a 470NE? You will never be undergunned, unless you go after an Abrams tank, and then only by a little.

My .338WinMag is my only real hunting rifle. I've got a few others semiautos and heavy barreled rifles in .223, .308, and 30-06.

I reload and like the versatility of the .338WM. Bullets from 160gr Barnes to 300gr Woodleigh or Sierra.

My everyday load is a 250gr Hornady RN over 50gr RL-15. delivers 2200fps. Easy on the shoulder, plenty of power for deer, and flat to 200 yards with a 150yard zero.

A 180gr ballistic tip at 3200, or a Barnes 160gr at up to 3500fps make a flat shooting antelope rig. A 250gr Partition or Barnes X at 2750 fps is more than adequate for anything in North America.

338WinMag works for me. MM

[ 10-30-2002, 20:41: Message edited by: MontanaMarine ]

Personally, I find it hard to imagine a hunting task I am likely to encounter that can't be readily handled by my Rem M700 BDL 7mm Rem Mag. I use a handloaded 160 gr Partition for deer, black bear, and elk. Anything bigger, moose for example, would get a 160 gr Partition Gold (moly free). Long range Eastern Montana pronghorn and muleys would get a 140 gr Partition. I could theoritically hunt coyotes and varmints with a 120 gr BalTip and in a hitch could use a 175 gr Partition for Alaskan bear, though I would admittedly like something much larger. I like the 7 mag--trajectory of the .270, recoil of the 06, and downrange energy aproaching that of the 30 cal mags--what's not to like?

If I had to choose anything else, it would be a .30-06. Or if Africa was involved, a .375 H&H.

This "one gun for everything" fantasy is just that, a fantasy. Your too big for the little stuff and too small for the bigger game. A "light" and a "medium" makes better sense to me. A .257", .277" or .284" for a start, then a .338" or a .375 H&H for a "medium" .
I have used a .280 Rem and a .338-06 out here in the west and on a trip to RSA with very good results.

FN in MT

This is getting ridiculous. Nebraska has posted repeatedly that he wants a 'mild recoiling flat shooting rifle to shoot deer with'

That's it!!.............
No brown bears
No African game of any sort.
No Hippos, Oliphaunts, or Aliens
If he hunt's elk, he'll get a different gun!!!

Where does this request qualify a 300, 338, 378, or .495/super martian zapper caliber??

What is up with all these replies suggesting a cannon that he does not need or want and would not like shooting if he did get one???

Nebraska.....I know you are too smart for this....You know you don't need a cannon.

JimF

Gentlemen

14,5 sovjet will handle anything on this planet. Don't forget to swap ammo

A more serious option would be a 280 rem or ackley or a 270 win/ackley.

I'm thinking about getting a 280imp. Just looks to damn great and are close to 7 mmr rem mag with bullets between 140-150 grain.

/JOHAN

Winchester M70 classic rebarreled to 280 rem.

7mm Rem Mag.Shoots "deer" bullets, ie" 130's - 140's at very flat trajectories,shoots 175's at 3000 which will do anything you can do with a 30 cal magnum and a 180.All this just a bit more recoil than a 30-06.If I ever went to one rifle, this would be it.With two loads of course and probably detachable monts with 2 scopes.A 4.5-14 for deer/antelope and a 2.5-8 for the bigger stuff.

[ 11-03-2002, 18:20: Message edited by: rembo ]

I already told him, for deer, HE should get a .270 and for everything I like my 7mm Rem Mag.

I concur with many in this string that there have been a lot of dumb suggestions here. In fact, I have never read so many offbase suggestions from this group since a couple of gentlemen recommended that obsolete dino round called a .358 WIN a few months back.

Now, to answer the man's question, anything legal caliber up to a 30-06 would be fine. My personal choice for what you want is a 25-06. It is what I use almost exclusively because it works extremely well for everything I do. What "WALDOG" posted is absolutely correct....re-read his post. My second (and distant) choice would be a 270 WIN. It has more recoil and doesn't shoot quite as flat as a 25-06, but it sure will work. As for the .257 Wby, I would never buy (or reccommend) a Weatherby in any caliber for a whole lot of reasons, but that is for a another time.

I'll go with a Winchester M7 in .280 Remington and a Leupold Vari-X3 3-9 scope. Unless you hunt the big bears. Then you're going to need another rifle!

Now that deer season is well under way, I thought I'd put this thread out there again to see what new recommendations come in and what old opinions might have changed.

only one gun i dont think i could limit my self to one gun. od have a least 2 or maybe 3.

Nebraska - For what you have spec'd out, I would get whatever rifle turned my fancy starting with a 6.5X55 on the low end up to a 30/06 on the top.

I wouldn't get a magnum anything. You pay a hell of a premium (from several directions at once) for what little extra they squeeze out of a caliber and nothing you're going to hunt will appreciate it. I'm a firm believer in the KISS principal.

There are a LOT of really nifty cartridges within this bracket I've stipulated, including most of the LEGENDS of firearms and a flock of excellent wildcats.

My personal pick would be the 270, although I've been an /06 guy all my life. As someone complained recently, the 270 is just so "ordinary." I can't argue that. It and the /06 both are common as dirt. But for damn good reason. We've been trying to build a cartridge that will sweep these two old devils under the rug for the last 100 years and we haven't succeeded yet. That ought to speak volumes for what they can do.

[ 11-27-2002, 10:07: Message edited by: Pecos45 ]