RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

I just went through the exercise of picking a new caliber and new rifle. I wanted something that could handle anything from varmints to whitetails...up to elk, moose, bear, etc. Basically I wanted a round that could handle anything on North American continent, yet not have so much recoil that it would rattle your teeth every time you pulled the trigger. With that in mind, it also needed to have an effective range out to 300-400 yds; however, most of the time it would be used on whitetails / hogs at ranges under 200 yds. I also wanted a popular caliber with a wide selection of easy to find factory ammo. I want to be able to walk into any sporting goods store in the US and know that they would have this caliber ammo in stock. I also wanted a large selection of reloading options (bullets, bullet weights, powders, etc.) because I plan to get to know this gun "very well" and reloading will not only allow me to shoot it a lot, it will also allow me to make the most of the versitility.

I picked the .30-06 for all the reasons described above and got it in a Browning BAR (absoutely beautiful by the way)......well, just cause their fun to shoot and I've wonted one since I was a kid..........and the icing on the cake.....my new BAR turned out to be very, very accurate. Here is a .35" CTC 3 shot group I shot with it this past weekend.



Suppose I better add "Very Accurate" to the list of reasons why.....LOL :D

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

It used to be the 7 rem mag but it has evolved to the 300 win mag. It's a reloaders dream. Many have said they like the 30-06 because of it versatility, well the 300 is all that and more. I can load hot loads or mild loads, heavy bullets or light. I was suprised to find a 130 gr hot load that shot quite well. I can load 220 gr grizzly bear killers or the 168gr hornady match bullets for accuracy. This cal will be hard to beat in any circumstance.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

I love my Ruger MK77II in the 7MM MAG. I have not lost a deer yet. Dropped them all in the tracks so far. Very accurate and enough for most big-game. (Don't worry about myths of it having bad "recoil" if a 19 year old like me can take it, so can you).

Good luck.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

300 RUM Where I live you never just go deer hunting as your pretty much in elk country also. Under the right conditions shots out to 500 Yards are possible. To date 9 Elk and lost count on Mulies and Whitetails have fallen. Nothing has gone over 50 yards.:)

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

300WSM. wide range of choices on bullets and plenty of power.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

Caliber wise it's a tie between .257R and 7mm-08. I like them both a lot. I aslo like the rifles I have in these two calibers, so that has a lot to do with it.
If I had to choose one rifle, though, it would be my Ruger 77 MKI 30/06. It is a consistent top notch shooter with almost anything and I trust it completely.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

Favorite caliber for plinking is 22 due to low cost.

For deer hunting 12 gauge with slugs.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

My favorite is .308. Easy availibility of ammo, good selection of ammo (and rifles to shoot it), low recoil, good ballistics, accuracy, good for any big game in North America (with the possible
exception of Brown Bear), etc., etc. In NO way am I arguing that it is the best all 'round
cartridge.... but it works well for me.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

I bought a 300wsm several years ago and fell in love with it. it is my baby. bought a 25-06 last year it is my step baby. if i had to chose i would chose the 300 wsm just because i can hunt anything i have an interest in hunting.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

If I could only choose one, it would be my .308. Very versatile and availability of ammo everywhere. Next up would be my 25-06. Both are mild recoilers and accurate out of the box. I also like the 6.5x55. The sectional density of the bullets make this an excellent deer to medium/large game rifle.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

Right now my favorite caliber is the 243 especially for deer, its nice and flat shooting and you can do a wide variety of hunting with it.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

Back when I was a kid and only had 2 or 3 irons to choose from, "favorite" probably would have been easy. Since I now have a rack that is fairly well spaced out from small to large it is a case of "favorite according to task"....

Little cartridges for little jobs.
Bigger cartridges for bigger jobs.

Any one of them is the "favorite" according to the task at hand:
.20 air rifle for backyard-in-town plinking
22LR for out of town plinking
223 for prairie dogs (close)
6MM for prairie dogs (far),
270 for coyotes/antelope
308 for bench targets
338 for deer
375 for elk,
416 for something new

It all depends on what the quarry/task is when I'm heading out for fun or for a hunt, but that is just me.

Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

I like my .22-250 chambered in Win M70 VHB. My favorite hunting rifle is my M70 Featherweight .308. Also a .444 marlin in a 1895 outfitter lever gun.

NBH

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

.375 H&H Magnum. Plenty accurate, very flexible, adequate for all game from Prudhoe Bay to Tierra del Fuego, plus most stuff from Capetown to Cairo. Plus, on edible game from wascally wabbits to deer size, you can "eat right up to the bullet hole", as Elmer used to say.

RE: Favorite caliber and why
 

Mine is my .220 swift, it gets there in a hurry and is fun to shoot oh its a ruger m77mkIIvt . I also like my nef .243 bull barrel, and my h&r 45/70 buffalo classic. And my browing a-bolt .270wsm, savage 116fss .300 win mag. dam i like them all