Best all-around rifle for big game?

[biggamejames]

I was told the .300 Win Mag is the best all-around rifle, does anyone have an opinion?
I cuurently have an 30.06, but was looking for a little more power, any suggestions?
What's the difference between the .300 WIN mag to a .300 Ultra Mag?

[ELKampMaster]

BGJ,

Contrary to what is sure to follow, there is no such thing as a single "best all around big game rifle" --- just isn't --- all you can do is build a group of rifles (one by one) that intelligently covers the spectrum of big game hunting and hunting in general, i.e. don't get them all bunched up around one caliber with essentially equivalent cartridges.

30-06 is a great cartridge. IMHO, getting another .30 caliber anything is redundant. I'd either move up in caliber a notch or just buy Federal High Energy rounds for the 30-06.

Get a 338WinMag/338UM/340Wthby and you have a 2 rifle "battery" that covers medium and heavy big game hunting for all the North American continent. Now all you need is a varmit/light game rifle [includes deer] rifle (like a 243 or 260) and a 22LR (for practice) and you are done with the basics. Now you can "fill in" the gaps as the "need to buy something" comes along.

Watch out for the "Beware of the man with only one rifle" adage. He typically worships it in excess of what it deserves, believing it is "all things to all game species and all hunting terrains."

EKM

[John Bear]

If you get .300 win mag and you reload your own ammos you have a gun that you can hunt animals from bird to bear. I often use my .308 to hunt birds, rabbits, foxses, deers and mooses. I just reload my ammos with different bulleds. Only time that I would like to have more power is long distance(to me. more than 200 meters ) hunting , like deers in the feeld. And that is so rare that I can borrow my friends rifle.

Only bad thing is that when you have rifle that weights enought to shoot heavy ammos you have to carry that same rifle when your hunting birds. Or if you have light weigth rifle it is not fun to shoot 16g bullet.

[handloader1]

.300 Wby. Mag., or .340 Wby. Mag. Good luck.