Originally Posted by hardcastonly

I always have to smile a bit when I see these threads, if your asked to make a suggestion, regarding selection of any type of equipment,
its mandatory that the person asking for advise, provide the rather more experienced person(s) he is asking with ALL the perimeters and legal limitations,based
on the area and terrain being hunted, the game, being hunted, and likely range limitations.
obviously if the area your hunting is limited to a shot gun, or strait wall cartridge or if theres game department caliber or muzzle energy limits, caliber minimums etc.
those limits must be stated for the advise to be a reasonable match to the intended usage, and area.
most of us have several favorites in rifles and calibers, and/or must consider your recoil tolerance,
but I could no more select the rifle and caliber that best matches your anticipated needs best,
than I, or anyone else could anticipate your , choice in a wife.
yes there are dozens of well, proven combos, most are fully functional in most areas, under most common conditions and ranges.
and its the skill and confidence and experience of the guy using the rifle that tends to mater more than the rifle or caliber selected, in many cases.
I hunted with many guys than own and hunt with several different rifles, and two guys Ive hunted with for decades have stuck with two rather different rifles
(a 358 win BLR and a single shot ruger #1 in 270 win) both have long records of successful hunts
do any of the people reading this thread think their success or failure, on most hunts,
, would be greatly reduced if they were forced to use one of the more common rifle calibers ,
like a 270 win ,308 win, or 7mm mag or 30/06 vs what they currently use on deer hunts,