Good all round caliber
 

Im lookin to buy a good all round caliber that would be good for deer, elk,moose, bear etc. Ishot a muke deer buckwith a 7MM wsm this year. Im kinda look towards 270WSM, 7mm WSM or 300 WSM. How much more recoil is the 300WSM gonna have compared to the 7mm WSM. Any negative problems with a varmint model besides extra weight? Really like the tikka t3 varmint and the winchestor coyote, but want a comp stock.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

Any of those caliber choices would be pretty good all around big game cartridges. I wouldn't consider any of them good varmit choice if many rounds will be fired per outing. Such a Prairie dog hunting. Of course the 30 caliber is going to be the most versitile of the bunch because of the wide range of available bullets. I wouldn't consider any of the WSM's unless you intend to reload for them to take advantage of all the available bullet weights. I don't think the 7MM WSM will survive in the market place so I wouldn't consider it for MYSELF. However thats just my opinion from watching the sales of these calibers. Up here the 270 and 300 WSM's are selling well but almost no-one is buying the Seven WSM. Of course there can be no talk of ALL AROUND rifles without including the 30-06 which has filled that niche for over a hundred years. Since 1903.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

I would agree with the .300 WSM as a good choice.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

You might consider the 30-06 or the 7mmRemMag. They have and will continue to kill the animals you mentioned,they are available in many configurations from every reputablegun maker, they will probably still be going strong for another 50+ years, and you can find ammo about anywhere it is sold. Or, you could get one of the WSMs!

RE: Good all round caliber
 

I'd opt for the 30-06. I've never been a big fan of the 7MM mag...but that's just me. The 30-06 is just so dang versatile.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

I prefer the 7mm remmag myself.Extremely versatile with a flat trajectory.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

30-06 cheap ammo---try the savage accu-trigger

RE: Good all round caliber
 

.300 WSM sounds like your best bet. Good luck.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

hard to beat 30-06 one hundred years and still going strong, ive personly see a 7mm in action on caribou was not impressed

RE: Good all round caliber
 

A Caribou is mere childsplay for a 7mm rem mag my friend. The wrong bullet selection, and crappy shooters is what 80%of peoples opinions are based on in this forum. I mean seriously, do you really think a 150-160 grPartition, or Accubondtravelingat 3100 fps is not enough to kill a Caribou???

RE: Good all round caliber
 

You said a mouth full there!!!!!

I've used a 7mm Rem. mag. a LOT, also a 30-06. I've seen 7 mags do a number on brown bear useing 175 NP's, it's more than is really needed for caribou. Works really well on big bears with above bullet!

The 7 mag. is about the only magnum i like these days, and i don't even own one. I do have a 7 Express Rem. (280 Rem.) that flattens caribou, no problem at all!!

Best all around cal. i've ever had in my hands or laid eyes on is the tried and true 30-06!! IMHO it's the best round cartridge ever invented for all around big game hunting in north america!

Drilling Man

RE: Good all round caliber
 

Seriously.....the old .30-06 fits your needs well. There are a few others also and they include the .280 Remington and the 7 MM Rem Mag.

You could also look to the 7-08 Rem and the .338-06 but as previously stated.....once you have a .30-06 you're set for all the worlds big game less the dangerous stuff like elephants, cape buffalo and Rhino.

The .30-06 (and if you're a handloader it don't get any better than the .30-06) is still the one that gets it done. It's that good!!!!

RE: Good all round caliber
 

There are mant new calibers out there right now but when all is said and done and many of the new ones have faded, the 30-06 will still be going strong. It has to many things going for it. Its about the max recoil that is acceptable to the AVERAGE rifleman, Its ammo is everywhere, Every action is chambered in it, It will kill all NA american big game with power to spare. It has a bullet made for every purpose and it just plain near perfect. Out to 400 yards it shoots plenty fast and plenty flat for shots that most hunters would or should take. It takes one of the Magnum cartridges to out pace it at the cost of to much recoil for the average shooter to enjoy shooting. I know quite a few hunters here that will not practice with the big kickers and end up shooting them two or three shots before season to see if they are still on. Thats it for thge year. They go back in the safe until next year. Thats not all magnum shooters but thats a good percentage of them. I have retired my 30-06 for now as its just way more gun than I need for Mule deer. Perhaps I will have a chance to bring it our for one more elk hunt.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

three oohhhhhh eighttttttt

RE: Good all round caliber
 

Hmmm. Would have to go with 30-06. Highly popular. Will do almost anything, except small game. Pretty much every rifle maker designs a rifle around it. Every ammunition maker has numerous loads and bullet tipsfor it, and at reasonable prices. Also for reloading it's such a popular round that supplies are made in numbers bringing reloading costs down.:D

Hey fordfixer
 

Hey fordfixerTheres a guy on rimfire centrel thats called gmfixer!

RE: Hey fordfixer
 

Hate to say it but i feel sorry for him.:DJust kidding. All makes of vehicles have their problems. I'm sure he cusses just as much as I do.:D

RE: Good all round caliber
 

ditto.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

30-06 all the way its just a great gun

RE: Good all round caliber
 

I use to have a pretty good friend that worked as a tech. at a Ford dealership. I use to say to him: "have you driven a ford lately??" He's always answer: "Every day. It's called job security"... hahahahahaa

Drilling Man

RE: Good all round caliber
 

Get the .30-06. Here are my reasons.

If you later get more rifles that may be suited to special purposes, the .30-06 will be a suitable back-up gun for anything you hunt in North America. If you are driving from Texas to Wyoming, for example, to hunt pronghorn antelope it might be a good idea to carry a second rifle in case your first rifle breaks or is otherwise incapacitated. Otherwise you may have wasted money on a tag, a long drive, hotel stays along the drive, and vacation time and not get a chance to actually hunt.

If you foolishly forget your ammunition on the coffee table at home, you should be able to buy .30-06 ammunition ANYWHERE that sells ammunition, maybe even a feed store in Lone Wolf, Wyoming. Will you find the WSM loadings in a feed store in Lone Wolf, Wyoming? Will you find the WSM loadings in a feed store in Lone Wolf, Wyoming in the year 2015??? If the feed store sells centerfire ammunition, I would bet good money they carry .30-06 cartridges.

The .30-06 is good on coyotes, deer, pronghorn, sheep, mountain goats, elk, moose, hogs, and black bear. Most prefer something heavier for Grizzly Bear and Brown Bear, but many Grizzlies and Brown Bears have in fact been taken with the .30-06. Thus, I argue that the .30-06 is suitable for taking any North American game (however if it were me I would obtain something heavier before going on an expensive Grizzly or Brown Bear hunt, the cost of the rifle would be a small fraction of the remaining cost of the hunt anyway).

Most people can shoot the .30-06 without any flinching problem. Some people develop a flinch with heavier cartridges, such as the .300 Winchester Magnum. A rifle you shoot accurately is better than a more powerful rifle which you shoot INaccurately.

Out to 300 yards, there isn't any significant difference in the flatness of the .30-06 versus the other higher velocity cartridges. Most of us, myself included, don't shoot well enough to justify shooting past 300 yards on pronghorn sized game anyway. Most shots are, in fact, at less than 300 yards. When you have advanced in the art of marksmanship to the point where you can hit consistently in the vitals in real-life hunting situations, from field positions at 400 yards, that might be a good time to relegate the .30-06 to a "back-up" role and purchase a real long range rifle, if you find yourself needing the extra distance in the hunting situations that you encounter.

Just my $0.02 . . . or maybe my $0.04.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

As far as developing a 300 Win Mag flinch, just remember "better to have a .22 in the eye then a .50 cal flying by..."

When I was shopping around for my hunting rifle I came to the conclusion that I needed a 30/06 or a 270 or a 308for what hunting I do (deer, moose, elk)and would be more than happy with either.. Since I didn't want a special order I ended up finding a 270 model 70 Custom Sporterin a local shop.. Love the rifle and caliber and have never felt undergunned..

So my 2cents is either 3 would be a good all round caliber and the 270 and 308 is will be close to the 06 for ammo popularity... One thing to consider is thatthe 270can be loaded up with a 90 grain hollow point for varmits.

RE: Good all round caliber
 

I have found a 7mm08 to be a very good round!

dd

RE: Good all round caliber
 

I would have to say the 7mm Rem mag. would be my choice for best all around use with 7mm-08 rem in a very close second. just my opinion chad

RE: Good all round caliber
 

.22LR AHHH just kidding 30-06!

RE: Good all round caliber
 

30-06 or 300 RUM