This has probably been done a few times, but. For what YOU hunt or hope to hunt, have you found your be all end all perfect cartridge? Over the past 30 years I have tried to find IT, the perfect cartridge. I have gone through most everything from 17 Rem. to 338 Ultra. I have almost had it a couple of times. I thought it was the 257 Wby, then shifted to the 270 Wby. I love the 243 and the 240Wby. I will always own a 300 Wby and it's hard to argue against the 338 win or 7mm Rem.
After carrying, shooting, hunting, and loading for scores of rifles, I believe for what I hunt, white tail, muley, antelope, elk, and moose the 6.5-06 has become my personal favorite. Mild mannered, easy on powder, portable, flat, hard hitting and deep penetrating if need be. Multiple sources of affordable components, reliable to feed, and with a touch of cool. My nirvana. Anyone else have one they choose above the rest? Not the one that necessarily does it all, but does it all for you.

if i could only have one the 6.5-06 would be it also. kind of funny that i ended up there considering that my father started me with a 6.5 rem mag(700 bdl 24"..same performance) a long time ago

Me 2 if long throated and the same goes for the 6.5 X .284. roger

When I was younger and broke I thought the 30/06 was the end all for anything. I killed Deer, Elk, Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, coyotes and marmots with that rifle and one handload.
As I've invested more money and more time in more rifles I've come away confused. I still own the 30/06 and we will never part but I developed a new love in a .257 Roberts for Deer and Antelope. I took a .338 Win Mag to Africa on a plains game hunt and can't imagine not owning a .338 now.
I am very enamored with my .400 Whelen even though I have yet to hunt with it. Several others have my attention.
You see my confusion?

Agreed!

It is tough to narrow it down. Then you throw in the vehicle, those rifles that are what "Billy" was to judge Smells in Caddy shack and it gets even more challenging. I love this country.

Short of dangerous game, the 338 Win. Mag. has been my main caliber.

But I am now finding myself drifting to the 35 Whelen.

My 6.5x284 is my workhorse gun here in the states. In Africa it's my 375 HH&H.

257R for me.

For hunting where I live, with mixed game from pronghorn, mule deer, whitetail, elk, moose and black bear and terrain varying from open to wooded I can't find one caliber that suits everything better than the 7mm STW. I never wish I was carrying something else when I have one of my STWs in hand. Travelling is different, I am more apt to take a .300 Win just for the commonality of ammo.

30-06 says it all

My perfect cartridge is the next one ...

Would have to say 280 Rem. It will handle 95 % of NA hunting without being over or under gunned.

My perfect is a 358 Winchester...mild, compact,with punch on the bullet end...

Ed

I agree with others, the 30-06. It was my first and I took deer, antelope, moose, caribou--you name it. Then I started getting other rifles. Stepped down to a .243 for deer hunting past several years. Then I started taking grandson and other youngsters and saw what they were doing with .222 and .223. Have decided the .222 or .223 with a well placed shot does as good as any.

I'm growing quite fond of my .300 WSM, which has worked wonderfully on everything here from pronghorn to oryx (gemsbok). I love my little 6.5x55, which I'd probably keep over the .300 if push came to shove, but that's because of the rifle itself more than the cartridge.

For the last 16 years i have been having a love affair with the 260 rem. It exceeded my expectations when i first shot it,and it has done its part every time asked.I have taken WT and mule deer,antelope,coyote and bear.I would not hesitate to shoot an elk at a reasonable distance with the right bullet.

Ok, so this is of course a purely subjective topic. The answer need not be logical since perfection is such an individual concept.

For me, the .257 Roberts is the Grail. It is my name (Robert), the year I bought my Roberts was the year I was the Top performer in my company. The rifle was the best vision of what I thought perfection was at that exact time: the Remington Custom Shop M7MS Mannlicher.

Taken as a whole, right at that moment in time the Bob was...and still is...the Grail for Me.

The Bob may be a bit light for Elk and Moose...and much African game. A big 7 or 30 may be better and I did use both 7mm RM and 300 H&H in Africa.

But for North America I still have to give it to the Bob.

270 is mine

I have hunted enough for me to realize there is no such animal.

Some have more general application that others, but nothing does everything.

I've been through several favorites. My first favorite was the 6mm Remington but then it was the only rifle I had or could afford at the time. Though I never took a deer with the 6mm, it taught me how to reload and how to shoot coyotes, sometimes at some incredible ranges. Next was a 257 Roberts and as a deer round it won my heart. Still has a spot there.

But being young and impressionable I was mistakenly convinced the 257 Roberts was not an elk round and moved on to the 300 H&H and once again my heart was stolen. I loved the 300 H&H so much, my first semi-custom rifle was a left handed Remington KS Mountain rifle in 300 H&H, to my knowledge the only one in existence. I piled up some serious game with that rifle and it still goes afield often.

Next, my favorite became the 35 Whelen. Old chamberings have always moved me. Coupled with a 1942 model 70, converted to left hand, it became the favorite. But only until it's big brother showed up and now the 400 Whelen rules the safe as the current favorite. Of the last four listed I would be hard pressed to pick on as the hands down, all time favorite. Many others have come and gone but none have stayed and kept my attention like the previous four. Pragmatically it would probably come down to a neck and neck race between the 300 and the 35. But I would despair over the loss of the other two.

In the realm of varmint rifles it would come to a three way race between the 17 Remington, the 222 and the 220 Swift. The edge would most likely go to the 17. It does everything I need it to do, very well. I no longer snipe problem coyotes for ranchers with the Swift and my primary use of of a varmint gun is fur calling. The 17 fits that bill wonderfully. Of course that doesn't keep me from experimenting and my little 6mmx222 may soon displace the 17 as the perfect fur rifle.

I like interesting rifles over a particular cartridge. I found a well made rifle chambered for the 30-06 Springfield and I want to hunt with it.

Having started handloading 62 years ago I have enjoyed competition with the 6mm Rem. Intl. and varmints with the .219 Improved in a high wall!

However that famous 30-06 that won the two world wars has proven to really please me on both varmints and game.

This is a fine rifle on a mauser action with an octagon barrel and well done stock.

With this question, I have been going back and forth, up and down, and inside out. Like so many of you, I have gone through a number of favorites starting with the 7mmRem Mag. My last favorite has been my .25-06. Now, a wildcat has stolen my heart. It is the 6.5 on a WSM case used in a Rem 700 short action with a slightly stretched magazine. Oh and it has an extra bbl in .338 WSM. The 6.5 barrel is on most of the time. Recoil is mild enough without all the barrel wear of the .264 Win Mag.
Might there be something new in the future? Who knows. But right now, that 6.5 WSM does what I need.

Well, years ago I used to take two rifles on safari to Africa.

I started off with a 25-06 Remington and a 375 H&H.

Both worked great, but I discovered that anything bigger than impala it was no legal to use the 25-06.

Next came a custom made 270 Ackley, and a 416 Weatherby Magnum.

Again, both worked great.

I shot practically everything with the 270 Ackley, and the big stuff like buffalo, lion and elephants with the 416 Weatherby.

I continued taking two rifles to hunt with, including 7mm and 338 in addition to a bigger caliber for dangerous game.

Then one year I had a 7mm Lazzeroni, and a 375/404.

First day hunt we were shooting impala for leopard bait.

I was using the 7mm Lazzeroni, which is a very accurate rifle.

After several shots - all misses!!??

My PH who I have been hunting with for many years, kept saying "what is going on?"

Walking back to the truck after another miss, I heard some clicking sound as I carried the rifle on my shoulder.

We discovered that the action screws were loose!!

And we did not have an Allen key to tighten it in the truck!

I took the 375/404, and proceeded to shoot several impalas, all one shot kills.

This included one which was a measured 430 yards!!

As soon as I got back home, I built myself another 375/404.

Now I take both rifles whenever we go on safari.

All of us use these two to hunt everything with.

I have shot animals at over 500 yards with them.

They have accounted for hundreds of buffalo, several lions, leopards and about 20 elephants.

So you might say the 375/404 is my perfect rifle.

I started deer hunting as a kid with a 30 carbine. Graduated to a 222 the next year then finally got my 'first' deer rifle - Savage 99 243. 2 years later, Dad brought home a Rem. 600 in 243 since I hadn't 'grown' into the Savage (I was only 2" taller than the 99!)

I hunted with that for a few years and then the magic rifle showed up! First year production 700 ADL in 25-06! It was DEATH on the whitetails! I hunted with that rifle and the 2 243's until I was old enough to buy my own firearms. First one I bought was a 788 in 223 (thanks to the 10k rounds on stripper clips my Dad brought home) Never could wear out that rifle even though I put 6000 of those military ball rounds through it, it never lost it's accuracy.
I didn't go for a larger bore until after my first elk hunt. Though the 25-06 w/ the partitions accounted for my elk, I knew it wasn't quite big enough.
Since that time I've been through: 270, 280, 30-06, 7mm-08, another 25-06, another 243, 358 Win, 7mm Mag and several others. I STILL haven't found the 'perfect' rifle.

For just hunting here in Texas and maybe for the Mulies, the 25-06 and the 7mm-08 would be about it. Though the 243's aren't to be left out either.

Now I'm waiting on my 264 WM to be delivered so I can have another magnum in my stable!

Adding to my previous post, I've thought about why I am drifting to the 35 Whelen.

Living in Colorado, I want a rifle that has the power I want for elk and moose, but is also light enough to carry all day long with little effort.

I have a Ruger Mark II (wood/blue) and also a Hawkeye (SS/syn), both in 35 Whelen, that weigh 7 lb. 14 oz. with Leupold 2.5-8 scopes and rings all in. Both stocks are slim and trim. What a joy to carry. It's hard to not like a rifle like that.

Such rifles can be found elsewhere as well in smaller calibers. What attracts me so much, however, is a light, trim and powerful rifle.

I've owned some big bore rifles that were over the 10 lb. mark. They are too heavy for my taste these days. Great on recoil. Not so great to carry.

I own a 458 Lott and a 404 Jeffery that both weigh 8.5 lbs. Just perfect weight for me.

I want a medium bore to weigh a pound less. These 35 Whelens are as close as I have been able to come up with, with scope and rings added.

I have also come to realize the 35 Whelen is a 300+ yard cartridge, which for me, is plenty far enough with enough retained power for the big boys here in CO.

Others will rightly claim that a 30.06 (or smaller) is plenty for elk/moose and can be had in smaller rifles as well. I just happen to like medium bores.

Since I have realized that this is the small bore forum, I should state that I hunt antelope and deer with my 25.06 mostly.

But if forced to pick one that does it all for NA, I would abandon my beloved 25.06 and carry my 35 Whelen. The 338 Win. Mag. would be a good choice as well, but I like the lighter weight and less recoil of the 35 Whelen.

I loves me a 308. But just like last year on my elk hand me a 30-06 and I am just as content.

I find the 25-06 a pleasure to shoot and effective for deer/antelope.

Anything easy to shoot/load for is good for me.