Jack of all trades rifle caliber?

DaemonAssassin · Jul 2, 2012

I'm going to have throw in on this one too. Go for the .30-06. If you place your shot properly, you can take down almost any kind of game in North America. Reloading it is a breeze and you can custom tailor loads to the area(s) you want to hunt in. My Ruger M77 Mark II in .30-06 has taken more deer in the woods of WV than I can count.

smokey · Jul 2, 2012

DaemonAssassin said:
I'm going to have throw in on this one too. Go for the .30-06. If you place your shot properly, you can take down ~~almost~~ any kind of game in North America. Reloading it is a breeze and you can custom tailor loads to the area(s) you want to hunt in. My Ruger M77 Mark II in .30-06 has taken more deer in the woods of WV than I can count.

take a look at what roosevelt(the one that didn't suck) took down in africa with an -06. There's nothing in north america that's off limits.

leroygibbs · Jul 2, 2012

rico903 said:
Is that a new "rifle caliber"?

Nah, that's just me being an asshat :asshat:

To seriously answer, I'd go .308 if you want a "tactical" package.

In full disclosure, I've got a crush on the .270 and the .25-06, but heck, even I will admit .308 is the way to go.

Duck · Jul 2, 2012

The "around caliber" 270 win. 3006, 308 if recoil does not bothered you try 7mm or 300 mags. The 300 Weatherby is a great round also. The question you have to answer yourself is weight. Do you wish to.carry a heavy tactical weapon or a lighter hunting rifle. Me I go with a REM 700 or Kimber light weight model in 270 or 06. These weigh about 6 lbs. add 2 lbs for scope, mounts and sling. You will not mind carrying that up and down the hills or across the fields. My mark v weatherby is heavy over 9 lbs but the 300 will reach out.

sgt23preston · Jul 2, 2012

Sgt Preston here...

I carried the M1 on 30-06 when I was in the USMC & JFK was our President...

So I have great respect for the 30-06 & the M1's ability to hit the target...

However part of the equation today should be AMMO price & availability...

When I decide on a new caliber, the first thing I do is to go to WalMart...

Then I check to see what Calibers they have on the shelf, the bullet weight they carry & the price...

There are probably better deals on ammo then WalMart, BUT...

When things start to get nasty, or the night before a range trip, I want quick access to American made brass cased ammo...

At that point I have enough info to go back & debate 270, 30-06 & 308..?

BTW...I went thru the same process last Fall & chose the 308...

I bought a T/C ICON Precision Hunter which has far exceeded my wildest hopes...

I hope this helps...

Duck · Jul 2, 2012

Good point sarg you can pick up those rounds anywhere. Thats one of the reasons I stayed away from the short mags.

smokey · Jul 2, 2012

sgt23preston said:
Sgt Preston here...

I carried the M1 on 30-06 when I was in the USMC & JFK was our President...

So I have great respect for the 30-06 & the M1's ability to hit the target...

However part of the equation today should be AMMO price & availability...

When I decide on a new caliber, the first thing I do is to go to WalMart...

Then I check to see what Calibers they have on the shelf, the bullet weight they carry & the price...

There are probably better deals on ammo then WalMart, BUT...

When things start to get nasty, or the night before a range trip, I want quick access to American made brass cased ammo...

At that point I have enough info to go back & debate 270, 30-06 & 308..?

BTW...I went thru the same process last Fall & chose the 308...

I bought a T/C ICON Precision Hunter which has far exceeded my wildest hopes...

I hope this helps...

The icon has a design that just makes sense in my head. I've been very interested in them since i first fondled one and took out the ginormous bolt with those nicely polished lugs. The 5r barrel is also a plus. What kind've MOA are you seeing from that with good ammo?

byf43 · Jul 2, 2012

sgt23preston said:
Sgt Preston here...

I carried the M1 on 30-06 when I was in the USMC & JFK was our President...

So I have great respect for the 30-06 & the M1's ability to hit the target...

However part of the equation today should be AMMO price & availability...

When I decide on a new caliber, the first thing I do is to go to WalMart...

Then I check to see what Calibers they have on the shelf, the bullet weight they carry & the price...

There are probably better deals on ammo then WalMart, BUT...

When things start to get nasty, or the night before a range trip, I want quick access to American made brass cased ammo...

At that point I have enough info to go back & debate 270, 30-06 & 308..?

BTW...I went thru the same process last Fall & chose the 308...

I bought a T/C ICON Precision Hunter which has far exceeded my wildest hopes...

I hope this helps...

Great post, Sgt.!!!!!!!!!

To the OP:
IF you want a rifle cartridge that can 'do it all'. . . .then your answer WILL BE .30-'06.

This cartridge has been around for over 100 years, doing the job on and off the battlefield and hunting fields/woods, and doing it incredibly well!!!!

The .308/7.62x51mm NATO round can do 'just about' the same, but, with bullets over 180 grains, the '06 walks away from it's little brother.

I own both. I shoot both.

What you have to ask yourself, is, "IF I am in 'BFE' and need 'catridges', what's gonna be available??"

99.999 times out of 100, .30-'06 Springfield 'catridges' are going to be on the shelf.

Remington 700
Savage bolt gun

browning guy · Jul 2, 2012

got to go with the 30/06 !!

the most widly loaded round on the planet. You can buy it in gas stations, walmart or some hardware stores. Its been around for a long time cause it does a good job.

NY Transplant · Jul 2, 2012

leroygibbs said:
12ga.

rico903 said:
Is that a new "rifle caliber"?

Only if you use a rifled slug.

BlackBart · Jul 2, 2012

Short Mags.......... just another thing we don't need and will fall along the wayside. Go ahead, price them and look for availability. I made a similar mistake when the .375 Big Bore Winchester came out, I wonder how it worked out to the guy I sold it to years ago?

Again, too many cartridges that we don't need unless one is into making his own wildcat for something to do.

Shame the first true short mag didn't catch on......... .284 Winchester, a beautiful round BUT with the 7mm-08 why bother?

Redcobra · Jul 2, 2012

Hard to beat .30-06 but I want a M1A1 too to go with my Garand and 1903A3.
My Savage FCP-K in .308 is a serious tack driver.

booker · Jul 2, 2012

I'm going to take you in a totally different direction...

Consider, if you will, the .45/70 Government cartridge. One of the most versatile rifle cartridges out there, you can load it all the way down to Cowboy Action and target shooting, on up through any medium and large game. It'll take down a Grizzly or a Cape Buffalo if you need it to.

Load it up into a Marlin 1895 (under $600 for the base gun) or Winchester 1886 lever-action rifle and you are hot to trot. Oh by the way, you can rapid-fire a lever action a lot faster than a bolt action, for that tactical niche.

Handy and extremely useful chambering, with barrel lengths from 16" to 18" ported and I believe they go all the way up to 26" as well. You can make it a scout rifle, a guide gun, or a big game wrecking ball.

BlackBart · Jul 2, 2012

booker said:
I'm going to take you in a totally different direction...

Consider, if you will, the .45/70 Government cartridge. Perhaps the most versatile rifle cartridge out there, you can load it all the way down to Cowboy Action and target shooting, on up through any medium and large game. It'll take down a Grizzly or a Cape Buffalo if you need it to.

Load it up into a Marlin 1895 (under $600 for the base gun) or Winchester 1886 lever-action rifle and you are hot to trot. Oh by the way, you can rapid-fire a lever action a lot faster than a bolt action, for that tactical niche.

Handy and extremely useful chambering, with barrel lengths from 16" to 18" ported and I believe they go all the way up to 26" as well. You can make it a scout rifle, a guide gun, or a big game wrecking ball.

Oh Please, loaded down it's trajectory would be akin to some lowly QB for the Redskins. It has it's place but for the OP needs, that's laughable.

byf43 · Jul 2, 2012

BlackBart said:
Oh Please, loaded down it's trajectory would be akin to some lowly QB for the Redskins. It has it's place but for the OP needs, that's laughable.

The only thing is, the accuracy is as good as Sonny J's used to be!!

plus 405 grain handload (not bunny-fart, and not a mastedon killer, either) =

wild hog in the freezer!! (320+ lbs!)

"I likes me some .45-70 Gummint! It's the only Gummint that I really trust!"

I'd still opt for the .30-'06 if you wanted one gun to do it all.

Kais · Jul 2, 2012

Either a .308 or a .30-06 would fit the bill IMO

Lou45 · Jul 2, 2012

rico903 said:
It would have to be a .308 or 30-06. Both are available anywhere and can be hand loaded for all purposes from varmint to big game.

THIS ^^^^^

BerBer5985 · Jul 2, 2012

This is great info guys! I'm leaning towards a 308 for a lot of the reasons mentioned above in either savage or Remington. I like the fact that they are available with threaded barrels so down the road I could add a suppressor as well. Not hugely important but a nice feature. I would like a .45-70 in lever action down the road for sure. I know my .30-30 could handle a fair amount if these tasks too but I'd really like to add a bolt action tactical sniper type rifle that's very accurate and capable of multiple things and ammo availability and cost, although not the most important part, does certainly come into play as I don't reload yet. But I know that I will want to hunt other game other than deer down the road and I want to have a tack driver capable of taking multiple type game if needed from a variety of ranges. So in other words, I doubt I'll be taking Canadian moose from 1000 yards, so the magnums are out plus at over a dollar a round for most of those, it wouldn't go to the range ever. But it's interesting to see so many different effective rounds that I wanted to make sure that a .308 was a good all around performer for most game while having the ability to be very accurate. Hence the "jack of all trades". Just wanted to make sure I shouldn't be checking out a newer cartridge that might be the bees knees that takes over the world that I'm not aware of yet.

smokey · Jul 2, 2012

hope this helps. That 180 gr mrx in the -06 looks rather good at just about everything.

BlackBart · Jul 2, 2012

smokey0118 said:
View attachment 60989

hope this helps. That 180 gr mrx in the -06 looks rather good at just about everything.

Graph is too much eye strain for me BUT the 180 gr. 06 is a brute of a loaded cartridge.....the 200 and 220 even more closer in. :thumbsup:

Jack of all trades rifle caliber?

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