For me it is easily 375 bore in bigger bores. Just in the 378 I have had 7 of them. One 375 H&H Imp and countless 375 H&Hs.

270 at the smaller end. The 270 Winchester in all configurations including bench rest style rifles. 270 Wby and 270/308/Norma.


Leaving rebarrels aside and just taking complete rifles I have owned more 270 Winchester and 375 H&H rifles than any other calibres.

I will be interested to see RIPs

.416

.510

35 Caliber works for me!

Another admirer of the 35's.

I like 358. 7mm is a close 2nd.

.375 H&H! If I could only have one centerfire rifle, the venerable.375 Ouch & Ouch would be it.

quote:

Originally posted by Cougarz:
Another admirer of the 35's.

I have often wondered what would have happened if Winchester would have introduced a 358 Winchester Magnum instead of the 338 Winchester Magnum.

338 was an odd bullet. I think the old lever calibre the 33 Winchester is 338 but the 358 bore size was up and running for a long time with the 35 Whelen. Then of course the 358 Norma Magnum. Perhaps they wanted a slightly higher velocity for a given SD so went 338 in the same was as they did the 325 WSM instead of a 338 WSM as the WSM case would have been a touch small for the 338 bore.

375 H&H, one gun to hunt the world.

Too many to chose from for a gun whore.

Dave

358 caliber lover here!

35 Whelen, 358 Norma, 358 STA,...

I guess the question begs for what animals in general, but the spirit of the OP's question, is one bore size that is dear to one's heart and lights his passion.

It varies but usually wanders back to a 45ish something.

For me it would be the 338 caliber. Brought a 338 WM to AK when I moved there in '82 and it impressed me about everytime I used it. Since that initial Win Mag I've had two more Win Mags, a 330 Dakota, 340 WBY, 338 Ultra and now a 338-06 that I'm liking more and more.

Mark

For me it’s the 416 and 9.3 in bigger votes and 257, 6.5 & 8mm.

I have two. The .416 Rigby and the 30.06.

My .416 Rem. works for everything from dik dik to elephant in Africa and from turkey to whitetail and nilgai here in Texas. If limited to one caliber and rifle, that would be it.

Wow, guess I have several at this time. Also somewhat warming up to the .458.
.224
7mm
8mm
.338
.375
.416

Right now my .505. Behind that my .500 NE. Just because

Getting good at them takes practice

"and now a .338-06 that I'm liking more and more" - I think Mark is showing his age "more and more"

Me? So far I've owned eight .45-70s and three .458 Win Mags; still owning one of those eleven being the Ruger #1 in .458. So, as my handle says it: .458 Only.

But actually I've owned about the same number of .300 Magnums, eight of those being the .300 Win Mag. Interestingly, I came to life this morning thinking about another .300 Win Mag -- should I get one? That won't happen at this stage, but obviously I have GREAT appreciation for that number.

In all honesty, however, my 9.3 x 62 has replaced all mediums from .338s to .375s (and including the .300 magnums). And I'll never look back!

But as everyone here already knows, nothing will replace a .458 Win Mag. It can do it all, including what might be done with the 9.3 x 62! (Check the .458 Winchester Magnum thread!)

And I'm within a year or so of R.A., and he's ancient!

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

quote:

375 H&H, one gun to hunt the world.

This. Was my all around caliber in AK, from caribou to moose and bears. I've got two, a nice blued walnut stocked gun and a light weight stainless/fiberglass one for wet weather and packing. They do it all well.

Bob,

I don't know if it's my age but it seems it's taken me a lot of years to come to the realization that cartridges like the 338-06, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, 9.3x66 etc. come so close to the magnums that I don't need the extra recoil, blast etc. to achieve my personal hunting goals.

Mark

I don't have a favorite bore size, I do have a couple of favorite calibers..Too many variations to get tech over bore size..

Mark;

Seriously, just speaking for myself: I've toned-down my .458 Win hunting loads to mimic some .45-70 loads used in the past. It's easy to build heavy loads for the .458 Win, as you would know, but it takes a bit more work (for several reasons) to build satisfactory mild loads. My hunting load now is a 405 Rem at around 2000 fps. That worked well in a couple of .45-70s. But the main thing is LESS recoil than in those .45-70s!

So, yeah, I like LESS as MORE in my eighties!

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Bob,

I don't know if it's my age but it seems it's taken me a lot of years to come to the realization that cartridges like the 338-06, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, 9.3x66 etc. come so close to the magnums that I don't need the extra recoil, blast etc. to achieve my personal hunting goals.

Mark

A lot of age, wisdom and experience being spoken here.

I think Ray and 458 Only are speaking the same sentiments.

I will stand by my first response on the 458 Lott and 375 H&H for the reasons I gave.

However, I will be 70 on my next birthday, and I think I will be singing the same tune as I drift into my 70s, 80s & 90s (if I am lucky enough to reach that age, as my father and grandfather did).

I could eventually see myself trading in my Lott & H&H for a 9.3x62 (or 66) & a 275 Rigby some day as father time leans on me more. I'm good with that! ⏳

For me there is a tie for favorite bore size because I have taken much game with both. .358 as in .358 STA with two rifles. The second is .338 as in .340 Wby and .338 Lapua. Myself and son and grandsons all shoot them for Deer and Elk and Bear as well as some African game. Looks like we will do so for many years with the accumulation of premium bullets I have got for prices we will never ever see again. Good Shooting.

My favored big one is the .577 NE I owned a Jules Bury 600 NE for a while (now being enjoying by a Dr in Florida) and I got better penetration with my Searcy .577 then the 600. My rifle tips the scale at about 13 pounds loaded and it’s really not too bad with recoil. I was planning to take it to Africa this passed summer but the virus had other plans. Hopefully 2021 will be different.

To .458 only, have you tried Trail Boss powder ? You can safely fill the brass to the bottom of the bullet and it will reduce the load by about 40% Without worrying about fillers. I use it with my .550 Magnum (460 Weatherby blown out and neck down to .550) with a 500 grain bullet at 1650 FPS to hunt pigs.

my favs?
7x64, 358 win, 470 accrel.
but i LOVE them all

375 Ruger today in my light 2008 Ruger...but Id have to have a 30-06 to justify two rifles, one rifle would never suit me 100%..and who would give up their 30-30 Win..not me

Horses for courses...

.224
.257
.264
.284
.308
.338
.423

This is in the Big Bore section, maybe a few missed that ?

.45 Caliber for me .

quote:

Originally posted by Sarg:
This is in the Big Bore section, maybe a few missed that ?

.45 Caliber for me .

Well, OK. That puts things in a different light, even though the OP mentioned the 270 Win., 270 Weatherby and the 308 in his opening post.

But, you're right, this is the Big Bore subforum.

So, I'd agree with the 45 caliber for my most serious work, like my 458 Lott.

But my heart belongs to my 404 Jeffery. ❤️

Since my African hunting is over I suspect, my big bore is the .375, its a great elk rifle, and the 338 fits me well also...I liked the 416 Rem and the 404 for Africa, and the 450-400 in a double..

In lighter rifles I have a fondness for the .284 bore in that I like the 7x57 best of all, but the 7-08, 284, 7mm/06 are all great calibers.

Like I said bore size means nothing to me, I go by caliber..

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
.510

+1

Bore diameter is actually .500" in my favorite. Groove (and bullet) diameter is .510".

Love those big 570 and 600 grain bullets at 2,500 fps in my .500 A-Square.

quote:

Originally posted by surefire7:

quote:

Originally posted by Sarg:
This is in the Big Bore section, maybe a few missed that ?

.45 Caliber for me .

Well, OK. That puts things in a different light, even though the OP mentioned the 270 Win., 270 Weatherby and the 308 in his opening post.

No way was a 308 mentioned

I stuck it in Big Bores as can do in single post as everyone here has smaller stuff but the blokes on Medium or Small Bores only are not likely to have big stuff, well at least not as favourite bore size.

If I'm reading the question correctly, the OP is asking what "bore" has become a favorite.

I've gone through many, one or another being the flavor of the year, but have settled on three.

First, it's hard to argue with a .458" projectile.
My first being a Siamese Mauser in 45-70, then a succession of 500/450s (No.1 Express, No.2 Muskets, H&H 500-450, even a couple 577-450s) as well as a few 450 3-1/4" rifles in black powder and nitro versions and of course, 45-70s.
.458 Winchester and .458 Lott in the mix as well.
Even have a couple muzzle loaders in the .450ish bore.

Secondly, I'm also a dedicated .366 or 9.3mm fan!
First one was a double rifle in the 360No.2 then a string of other 360s.
Some falling blocks - Manton Farquharson in 400-360, a Webley 1897 and a Fraser side lever, both in 400-360 Purdey as well as a Ruger No.1 9.3X74R.
The .360 bore also covers a range of Rook Rifles in 360No.5 and a small game hammer gun by Leeson in 360 2-1/4" express.
Can't forget my Mahillon Mauser 9.3X62 as well as a TypeB I just bought also in 9.3X62!

Last, the venerable .500 bore!
Believe it or not, my first (son's) .500 was a .500 Schuler Jumbo (very close to 500 Jeffery).
I've only got one other 500 nitro rifle, an Army & Navy Webley falling block.
The others range from a Ruger No.1 in 50-110 to a few 577-500No.2s, Westley Richards 1869s & 71s, a Field falling block and a Turner hammer double.
Regrettably, my only straight 500 BPE rifle right now is my A. Henry double but with any luck, that could change soon as I have my eye on a particular rifle in the same chambering.

So yeah, my favorite bore size is any of these three!

quote:

Originally posted by Poc4u:
My favored big one is the .577 NE I owned a Jules Bury 600 NE for a while (now being enjoying by a Dr in Florida) and I got better penetration with my Searcy .577 then the 600. .

That's pretty much the reports from the great hunters of the early '20th Century.
The real workhorse was the 577.
The factory loading of the 600 has such a blunt bullet, it's no surprise!

I definitely own more 375’s, 338’s, and 416’s than anything else. That is in the order of the numbers.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike McGuire:
For me it is easily 375 bore in bigger bores. Just in the 378 I have had 7 of them. One 375 H&H Imp and countless 375 H&Hs.

270 at the smaller end. The 270 Winchester in all configurations including bench rest style rifles. 270 Wby and 270/308/Norma.


Leaving rebarrels aside and just taking complete rifles I have owned more 270 Winchester and 375 H&H rifles than any other calibres.

I will be interested to see RIPs

[/QUOTE]

No way was a 308 mentioned

I stuck it in Big Bores as can do in single post as everyone here has smaller stuff but the blokes on Medium or Small Bores only are not likely to have big stuff, well at least not as favourite bore size.[/QUOTE]


Oh Ok, in that case .30 & .45 .

But Hell I like the 338 in my 338/06 & 9.3 in my 9.3X62, um & .50 in the 500NE - 500 Jeff, but to keep it clean & easy those two .

quote:

Originally posted by Sarg:

But Hell I like the 338 in my 338/06 & 9.3 in my 9.3X62, um & .50 in the 500NE - 500 Jeff, but to keep it clean & easy those two .

[/QUOTE]

It's funny thing with different calibres. With the 338 bore I have never been able to warm to them. Have had 338, 340, very direct involvement with 338 RUM and has Mark V 338/378.

A mate of mine who is guns/ammo nut went to Africa I think times. Only shot the plains game but many hundreds. He did not bother with Buffalo simply because the money could buy a lot more animals to try calibre/projectile plus he had big animals with Eland and Giraffe.

He has had over there 257 Wby, 7mm STW, 300 RUM, 338 RUM and 358 STA. The combo he found the est was the 338 RUM with the Lapua Naturalis bullet. He went with the same PH a few times and the PH wa guns/ammo minded and the PH said these best calibre he had seen was the 30/378 with Wby factory loads and the Barnes. By the way, they won't necessarily be the Barnes we buy. There is a large Wby forum that is based in Denmark but with heaps of Americans and of course Europeans and I have seen it mentioned there about the 30/378 and Wby factory ammo.

In my opinion nd in the same weight/style rifle the 375 bore kicks quite a bit more than the 338 and doubly so with the RUM and 378 case. The 378 has heaps more recoil than the 338/378.