I live in South Oregon. I have been shooting my whole life and now have decided to start hunting. I have a few calibers and rifles in mind and was wanting opinions from some hunters. Please remember I am a shooter not a hunter.
1. 223 (Stag Super Varminter)
2. 270 (Remington 770 22")
3. 30-30 (Marlin 336W 30-30)
4. 30-06 (Remington 700)

I will be hunting in both cover and open fields.

F_O_R_E_S_T

Awful hard to beat a 270... from varmints to elk...

L'd like the .270 also, but it's a short barreled rifle.



In terms of flexability, the .30-06 might be the best choice.

Gotta go with the .270 or the 30-06. If you reload the 30-06 is a very versatile rifle. The .270 just shoots so darned flat for those long open field shots and the 30-06 can shoot such a wide variety of bullets.

What are you going to hunt?

I will be hunting for deer and elk. When I do decide to start bear hunting I figured on using a 300 Win.
I like the 270 and the 30-06 rounds very much. I recently was reading about the 300 Win, There are 3 power ranges now offered by remington. From deer to elk they offer a cartridge for each size of big game. The prices of these rifles are much more that the 30-06 or the 270 though. I will not be reloading but as a shooter I want a gun I can use for recreation as well as hunting. I will probably be choosing the 270 for the flat shooting and still a capable range.

Thank you very much for your help. I am new to this site and will be talking to many of you asking advice. I am planning for next years hunt now so I will be prepared and get a good buck for my 1st kill.

I'd go '06 simply because of the platform...

And by the way, elk are a hell of a lot tougher then a black bear IMO

Off topic a little. I think the best way to prepare for next years hunt is to find a buddy who is willing to have you ruin his hunt and go screw it all up this year if you can.

Seriously. You're gonna have a hard time preparing for something you don't know much about. At least if you've tried it, and had someone there to kinda point you in the right direction, you have something to build off of. And you might just get lucky. It happens all the freakin time.

As for which rifle. It sounds like you shoot a lot already. So pick the one you are already most comfortable with and forget about nit picking. .270, 30-06... Toss up. Don't tell anyone else I said this, but those cartridges are about the same in effectiveness and popularity. Flip a coin if you don't have one or the other already. If you do, pick a very comfortable sling and go. You could read and prepare yourself to death here!! It's a great place to find info, don't get me wrong. But "Boots Dirty" is the only way you'll figure out what the hell you're doing. Trust me.

Any of the above calibers will do just fine for ANYTHING you wish to hunt in this area. You might also look at the 7mm-08 as a good jack of all trades caliber in a short action.

I carried a 270 for 20 years, then I tried 7mm-08 and fell in love with the group and the recoil. I retired my BDL and got a SAVAGE 10 GPX with accu-trigger. Find somebody with one and give it a try!