Best All Around Hunting Caliber
- Thread starter fighter31
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for the last 15 years i have been hunting with a Ruger #1 in 300 weatherby. i've killed whitetail to elk with 1 shot kills.
the bullet went thru the whitetail, bounced off a squirrel, and hit a elk in colo. did i say it was also a good long range rifle?
No doubt, but the OP said best, not adequate. The big .30s with heavy bullets are very hard to beat.
The reality is that bullet selection and placement are paramount. A good bullet, well placed will usually do the job.
Cajun_arShooter
Well-Known Member
Praesul Presul
On Target.....Sometimes
.308 is really hard to beat. Easy to find rounds with every bullet under the sun and you can hunt many different things with it. I think starting with a Magnum is a mistake as that is what I did before I discovered .308
Get a .300, or .338 Magnum later when you have the abilities.
Get a .300, or .338 Magnum later when you have the abilities.
If deer is your primary game and you would be open to the possibility of buying a second rifle should you end up hunting elk and moose, the no brainer choice would be a .270 for the non-handloader or the .280 for the handloader. Either of these are accurate and flat shooting with high BC bullets that hold the wind fairly well. Bullets of a reasonable weight have adequate sectional density for deep penetration. They also have the bonus of recoiling less than the magnums or even the standard .30s which will encourage practice and develop proficiency. The ability to place a deep penetrating bullet in the right spot makes up for a lot of power. Conversely, having a rifle with an overabundance of power does little good it you cannot place the shot in the right place. In general most hunters are pretty lousy shots and it is only the ability to hunt out of a stand with a rest or by having the quarry appear at short range (under 200 yards) or by shear luck that so many deer are killed. Therefore, choose something that will shoot often and learn to shoot it from positions not involving a rest. Then when you hunt and are using any available rest, you are more likely to place your shot on the money.
Dan
Dan
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bayoupirate
God of Thunder
Agree, I love 308, perfect for deer, but marginal for elk and moose at range. 30-06 Sprg would be the best All-Round, and offers the widest range of available ammo.
IMO, I'd have to say 270. I am female, older that dirt, and have only been hunting for the past 5 seasons. My Remington 270 was very inexpensive, but I love it. Due to club restrictions and MS. rules, I've taken only 3 deer in my 5 seasons. One was a 9 point, one was an 8 point and my very first was a doe. All with my cheap little 270. It's the best cal. for me, but maybe not for everyone.
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Barney88PDC
SEND IT
I say buy the caliber you are going to practice with the most.
12ga
Slugs for medium/large game
Birdshot for birds, rodents, etc.
Buckshot if you're into that kind of thing.
If you want a hunting firearm that will be the only thing you ever again use for killing animals, this is it. It does everything pretty well, most things marginally well. 308 is what I choose as the best RIFLE round but it only does a few things - though it does them DAMN WELL.
However you asked for "all around", which is why I went with 12ga.
If I -stop- nitpicking over word choice :P
Buy a .308 rifle. Most variety of cartridges and bullets available in a wide range of weights. It's also extremely affordable. (comparably)
Slugs for medium/large game
Birdshot for birds, rodents, etc.
Buckshot if you're into that kind of thing.
If you want a hunting firearm that will be the only thing you ever again use for killing animals, this is it. It does everything pretty well, most things marginally well. 308 is what I choose as the best RIFLE round but it only does a few things - though it does them DAMN WELL.
However you asked for "all around", which is why I went with 12ga.
If I -stop- nitpicking over word choice :P
Buy a .308 rifle. Most variety of cartridges and bullets available in a wide range of weights. It's also extremely affordable. (comparably)
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Hubby bought me a Browning 25cal. WSSM to hunt with this last season. Very nice rifle. The first time I took it out on a hunt, I shot at a buck, hit him, he ran off and we never found him. This was not my finest hour. The rifle has such a hair trigger and I think I actually touched it before I was set and ready. Notice, I didn't say it just went off. My finger was on the trigger. My bad. I hate leaving a hurt deer in the woods. It goes against everything that makes this sport enjoyable for me, but honestly, I might have to have that trigger worked on so that I have a little more working room.
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profiler999
Member
300wsm
angrycookieman
Well-Known Member
I like my .308. If I could only have one, that would be it.
Alternatively, I don't think that matters at all in a hunting rifle. Do people seriously practice with their hunting rifles?
I sure as heck don't. Hunting guns are picked up before hunting season to verify zero, ensure proper working, hunted with, cleaned after season, and put back in the safe.
You don't have to use -that- rifle to practice basic skills like trigger pull and what not. Practice is not essential in a hunting rifle. The gun works or it doesn't. You don't need to shoot it a lot for it to still kill things.
Barney88PDC
SEND IT
James I totally agree with your first two paragraphs and in lies the problem.
That pretty much sums it up for a hunting rifle. I can't see where practicing has anything to do with it. Either you have it, or, you don't. AND when you don't, it doesn't matter how much time you wasted practicing with that rifle. That's my opinion.
Barney88PDC
SEND IT
So if you do not "have it" how would you go about "getting it" or are you satisfied with missing or crippling targets?
Barney, you are doing good. If you need any back-up let me know. 
Remember that the original poster sounds like he doesn't have much rifle experience so start form there.
If you shoot other centerfire rifles that will provide you with practice and experience similar to your hunting rifle, then picking it up just before season to check the zero may work. There are some years when that is my M.O. It isn't ideal, but I feel fairly secure that my other shooting provides me with a modicum of practice. If you don't shoot other rifles (and AKs and M4orgeries barely count if at all), then you need to shoot your hunting rifle and do so at more then 100 yards and in more positions than sitting at a bench over a rest. YOu owe the game that much.
Dan
Remember that the original poster sounds like he doesn't have much rifle experience so start form there.
If you shoot other centerfire rifles that will provide you with practice and experience similar to your hunting rifle, then picking it up just before season to check the zero may work. There are some years when that is my M.O. It isn't ideal, but I feel fairly secure that my other shooting provides me with a modicum of practice. If you don't shoot other rifles (and AKs and M4orgeries barely count if at all), then you need to shoot your hunting rifle and do so at more then 100 yards and in more positions than sitting at a bench over a rest. YOu owe the game that much.
Dan
