30.06 for sure. Take anything in the lower 48 if you do your part, you can get ammo anywhere for under $20. I am sure the WSM's are great, but i don't wish to pay $57 for 20 rounds.

7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win mag. Excellent long range calibers with ammo available world wide in a great selection of bullets.

I have a .257 Weatherby and I just love it to death. I have taken everything from coyotes to antelope to whitetails with it. It is very flat-shooting and nothing I hit gets back up.

That being said, however, it is RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE to shoot.

Just something to keep in mind. I don't know what your financial situation is.

this is a long thread.......2005....and he did chose the 7mm......2008......2009.....2010.....and 2011. The topic just doesn't doe. Too bad he wasn't still around six years later now that he is 20yrs old

The weatherby brass is the same as 7 mag or 264 mag.
If you reload get a 25-06 Ackley. Plenty of cheap brass & shoots within 50 FPS of the 25 wby. 87 grainers at 3920 fps. You can use 25-06, 30-06 & 270 win brass.

7mm08 and 270 are the best choices, and if you get a rifle get a weatherby.They perform the best.

IMO if you are a handloader a 280 is a much better choice than the 270. Bullet selection is a heck of a lot better. The 7-08 is a fine cartridge but just dont stand up to the 280 especially when we are talking long range deer cartridge. The 280 is down loaded from the factory and even in the loading manuals, because it was originaly designed for auto and pump rifles that cannot handle the pressures the bolt guns can, so the pressures that the factory loads and even the loading manuals list are very low. Loaded to bolt gun pressures it will pretty much do anything a 7mm mag will do while using less powder, having a shorter barrel, and better barrel life. A much better design!

270 WSM 130 accubond
30-06 150 or 165gr accubond, sst's, ttsx,ttbc

We like talking about ammo, man, what can I say? lol
That being said, if a 30.06 doesn't get the job done, the problem more likely rests with the shooter, not the shootin'.

I going to chime in supporting the .260 Rem or 6.5x55 Swede. If I was forced to own just one rifle it would be in one of these. Just some random thoughts . . . The comments ( a few posts above this one) about the .280 are right on the money. The 257 Bob hand loaded can do anything the 25-06 can do with lots less powder.