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

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Favorite caliber for plinking is 22 due to low cost.

For deer hunting 12 gauge with slugs.

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.

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.

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.