RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

.223, and .338 Win Mag;)

RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

243

7mm Mag

375 H&H

that should cover any situation

RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

.243WIN for varmints and deer/antelope sized game
7mm rem mag for elk/moose/caribou/smaller bear sized game
338 rum for the big brownies and polar bears.........should cover the whole range.

RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

All the combinations suggested here would work for sure. But just for the hell of it I'll toss out the notion that the 30/06 is so versatile it could be the one gun to do all this...including even small game and turkey and such. The trick is selective loading and the 30/06 has legendary versatility. I've even taken it to the extreme of loading cast bullets over 1.5 grs of bullseye and shooting in my backyard with deadly accuracy. The load drove 170 gr cast bullet about 2/3rds of the way into my 2x8 backstop which I reckon would drop a turkey with about the same meat damage as a 22LR.

As for the big bears etc., the old 06 was killing them before I could spell firearm.

RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

Goatbrother - you sure make it seem simple.
Pavomesa I think might have you beat.
jeepkid - I'm thinking the 243 can handle my lite work and the 7MM can cover the middle ground.
Rammer - I always want to hear from you; so, 375 Ruger more so than the 338 win mag??

RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

Yeah, the .243 can handle the light work, but so can the 7mm... I say, just buy as many rifles as you can before the Dems take office. ;)

RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

338 Win Mag would be alot more shoulder friendly, and alot cheaper to shoot. I just want a real big bore, so it'd be a 375 Ruger for me.

RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

.243win my fav i dont need another rifle to do all big game


know your rifle know your limits know the game your persuing

.243win

RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

Don't get me wrong... I LOVE my .243 Win., as a deer and smaller rifle. But, this thread is about ALL North American game, and I suspect you're not carrying enough rifle if you take your .243 on an Alaskan coastal Brown Bear hunt...

One gun: .30-06

Three guns: .243 Win. Varmints to Deer/Antelope
7mm-08 Rem. or .308 Win. Deer/Antelope to Elk/Caribou/Moose
.338 Fed. Moose/Elk to Big Bears

I like short action rifles...:)

RE: 3 rifles for all North American game
 

For sure this is the best advice here!