All around, or for a specific species?
30-06 bolt gun - 180 grain at 2850fps.
12 ga.
.357 mag 5” bbl double action revolver
.22 rifle and pistol

 

.22 long rifle, I go thru a ton of them euthanizing with my business.

western Wildlife Services

 

444. Because two 4's in a 44 isn't enough.

 

12 gauge, #4 buck for nutria and larger, #4 lead for smaller game. I’m not a waterfowler.
45acp for self defense close in, then the 12 gauge again.

big game 8mm rem mag

 

308... Ruger American

150 gr. Norma soft point

Very easy on the meat with proper shoot placement

 

30/30 Winchester!
The history alone! Many story’s and memories in the family.

 

”Choices”, plural.

Bolt action .22, like a Winchester 69A.
.222, Sako Vixen.
.250 Savage.
.338-‘06.

 

7 Rsaum.
180 grain berger at 2950.... flat trajectory, hard hitting, wind drift resistant and only 61.5 grains of powder to get that. It's the best mild recoiling intermediate cartridge for big game.

6 creed for anything small. 109 at 3050 with 41.5 grains of powder. Hits hard for a little bullet, shoots flat and stupid accurate. Very mild recoil and supressed.... a joy to shoot

 

7 Rsaum.
180 grain berger at 2950.... flat trajectory, hard hitting, wind drift resistant and only 61.5 grains of powder to get that. It's the best mild recoiling intermediate cartridge for big game.

6 creed for anything small. 109 at 3050 with 41.5 grains of powder. Hits hard for a little bullet, shoots flat and stupid accurate. Very mild recoil and supressed.... a joy to shoot

That is crazy speed for that bullet,What powder is that and how long of a barrel?

 

22lr bolt rifle and revolver
9mm polymer compact
well worn 20ga auto
257 Roberts and/or 7 SAUM

No defense needed.



Owl

 

Talk it up
defend it

Why? It speaks for itself.

 

depends on the tag and terrain. deer 223-22-250, 243, 7mm rem mag, 6.5x55, 300savage, 300 in mag, 308win. this year 243win 100gr hornafy interlock btsp. elk 308, 300 win mag, 7mm rem mag.

 

I got a rifle, a shotgun, and a four wheel drive...

For my early adult life, I was limited in my choices.
Ruger 10-22
Winchester model 70 .270
Remington 870 12ga

Nothing fancy, just good old work horses. Never felt like I didn't have a gun that would cover anything i wanted to hunt. Had heavy and light loads for the 270 to cover anything from varmits to elk.

 

I ain’t defending diddly.

 

With an assortment of loads, I can have every North American big game animal covered quite well with a 270 WIN and a 300WM

 

9.3x62, 300 WSM, 6.5 PRC, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6 GT, 6 BRA all because some days I feel like a crunch, some days I don't.

 

30.06 rifle (JC Higgins Model 50)
303 British rifle (Enfield Carbine clone)
7.65 Mauser (1891 Argentine)
12 Ga pump (tactical type)
.40 S&W carbine rifle (shares mags with M&P pistol)
.22 semi auto rifle X 2
.40 S&W pistol X 2

Possibly incoming this fall/winter:
10mm pistol
.22 lr target pistol
590a1 12 Ga
SCSA Taipan in 223 Wylde (pump action AR...kinda... I'm really intrigued by them right now).

 

270 win
338 win mag
12 ga
40 S&W

That covers every bit of game, birds, home defense and concealed carry in my opinion but it’s fun to have a lot of others just for fun.

 

If I were an open country big game hunter my big game choices would be a bit different. For deer size critters, 7mm Rem Mag with 150 gr. Partitions. For other big game, the old .300 H&H with 180/200 gr. Partitions. All there is to hunt near podunk is deer and Pronghorns. The only time I see anything under about 200 yards is when the dog jumps a deer out of a cattail swamp or when driving early in the morning.

 

Always going to put my vote behind the .25-06!

Drawback is you can't just walk into any ol' True Value and grab a box of ammo

 

.270 130g
30-06 180g
30-30 150g
Daisy 6 pumps

 

Good thing a Grizzly Bear was spotted at Pulaski’s Candy Store

 

Cartridge alone does not work for me. A combination of choices does. For example. I am now on my fourth .308. The first was a National Match M1A, the second a pre-64 model 70 featherweight, and the third a Savage 99 Featherweight. All came and went. Then 18 years ago I bought an almost new Sako Model 75 SS Finn light carbine in .308 with a super tight, extremely accurate 20 1/4"match grade barrel.

What came next was AA2520, The Camp Perry Powder designed for the .308.

Next was the Barnes 165 grain TTSX. Going right to but not exceeding max by the book loads i get 2,900'/sec and this load will cloverleaf at 100 yards. BC is .439.

Also, I can cheaply shoot lead cast bullets, 1,000'/sec for practice and small game. Getting close to the end, with a reduced load powder, I can use Barnes copper 30-30 FN as a close-range deer load.

Lastly, for off season field course and range shooting i use Hornady 165 grain Spire points.

It also helps that a few times a year the Sheriff Dept uses the range for practice and leaves behind many hundreds of once fired premium brass.

Thus my choice is .308.

 

Cartridge alone does not work for me. A combination of choices does. For example. I am now on my fourth .308. The first was a National Match M1A, the second a pre-64 model 70 featherweight, and the third a Savage 99 Featherweight. All came and went. Then 18 years ago I bought an almost new Sako Model 75 SS Finn light carbine in .308 with a super tight, extremely accurate 20 1/4"match grade barrel.

What came next was AA2520, The Camp Perry Powder designed for the .308.

Next was the Barnes 165 grain TTSX. Going right to but not exceeding max by the book loads i get 2,900'/sec and this load will cloverleaf at 100 yards. BC is .439.

Also, I can cheaply shoot lead cast bullets, 1,000'/sec for practice and small game. Getting close to the end, with a reduced load powder, I can use Barnes copper 30-30 FN as a close-range deer load.

Lastly, for off season field course and range shooting i use Hornady 165 grain Spire points.

It also helps that a few times a year the Sheriff Dept uses the range for practice and leaves behind many hundreds of once fired premium brass.

Thus my choice is .308.

Continuing with my choices,

Fora handgun I have a 357/38 S & W model 64, 6 shot K frame, the stainless version of the model 13, in a three-inch barrel, that extra 1/2 inch over a 2 1/2 offers proportionally a lot more velocity. This is basically the old FBI issue in stainless.

For a .22 I have a Remington 511 Beehive bolt action with the sweet original aperture sights. This is my Forest Grouse rifle for winter snowshoe hunting, A Tack driver.

Lastly I i have an Ithaca SKB side by side modified and full choke 20, gauge with 3 " chambers. I had to have the comb dropped down, and after that the birds fall out of the sky. I have taken most of my wild turkeys with it

On a side note, while i love a model 94 30-30, The above mentioned Sako Finnlight when scoped and loaded weighs the same as a model 94 carbine. And I did get the hard-to-find Sako peep sights so i can go that open site route which is pretty cool.

This Finnlight has two scopes, a 2.5x 8 leupold, and a Japanese weaver fixed 2.5. Both are mounted on Original Sako Opti lock rings and both scopes and the peep sites can go on and off with maybe a 1/4" change of POI.
For most of my life I always thought my one rifle would be a 30-06 but the velocity i get from my higher pressure rated 308 carbine in a 20 inch rifle exceeds my 30-06 with a 22 inch barrel.

 

If I were to pick a one that is close to "universal" center fire round it would be either the .270 or the 7 mm mag. But I don't hunt Grizzlies or Moose which may need a bit more punch. But I do have a Weatherby .300 mag if needed.
The .22 has to be included in anyones choice along with a 12 gauge shotgun.

 

.223 REM, 77 TMK and 6mm Creed, 108 ELD-M. No reason to go any bigger for anything in NA unless you're in a copper only state. Can see trace before impact past 500 yards with both of these.

 

.223 REM, 77 TMK and 6mm Creed, 108 ELD-M. No reason to go any bigger for anything in NA unless you're in a copper only state. Can see trace before impact past 500 yards with both of these.

View attachment 1075167

Tikkas, Rokstocks, mavens, suppressors, hand tied fishing rod. Did we just become best friends?

Yep

 

If I had to pick one, it would be a .223 Rem.

 

Speed vs powder charge. 3216 fps with 42 grains.