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

Deer- 7MM rem mag with 150gr partition.

ELK- .300PRC with 212gr eldx's.
 
The most impressive/efficient cartridge, but you need to be a reloader is the 6 Dasher, 108 grain bullet at 3000fps with only 31 grains of powder. That will kill a lot of animals.
 
I would choose them ALL if I had discovered shooting for fun and loading for everything I shoot before I got too old to shoot and load for everything.
 
25-06.
Light recoil, fast, deadly accurate. And if you put the bullet in the right place it will keeel.
The right bullet in the right place from just about any cartridge will do the trick.
 
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With the possible exception of going after brown bear, a hunter in North America really only needs 3 guns.

30-06, bolt action with a 3-9x scope. (If one want's a little less recoil, can stand a little more recoil, wants something slightly flatter shooting, one could substitute a .270 or a .300 Win mag)

A 12 ga. shot gun. Action of your choice and a few interchangeable choke tubes.

.22 rimfire, Action and sights of your choice.

Getting any more exotic than that is a personal choice. Probably because you like guns or have some romantic attraction something else. But if we are just talking about hunting, that's all you need.

I know, I know... What fun is that. Just pointing out that if anybody is new to hunting and reading this tread, you don't need to over complicate things.
 
Just pointing out that if anybody is new to hunting and reading this tread, you don't need to over complicate things.

Yeah, save the over-complication for the reloading bench.
 
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.
 
Always believed that the best cartridge was the one that you have in your hands, a single shot 22lr beats a 44 mag left at home.
 
Discussion starter · #40 ·
In no particular order order

1)Energy
2)Trajectory PB
3)Availability ,factory loads,components for self stuffing,
4)Recoil
5)Efficiency,ie 300 win . Mag very popular lots more powder and recoil vs30-06 with maybe not enough advantage for some .

7 Rem mag very popular, but .280 Rem or 280 AI .All three can be separated 50fps-100 fps+-.

6)New Powders, longer Bullets,Dial Optics,fast twist barrels.

Grandpas 30-06 is coming back .

7)Confidence in you Equipment.

8)As long as shooter likes his/her setup ,is all that matters .

9)?

10)?

11)?


I help on my uncles Ranch for 3or 4 Deer Season.

The main Ranch goes back to his Gr.Gr.Grandfathers era.They have had Paid Hunters since the late 1930’s .

There are pictures on the wall in the kitchens and bunk house of hunters, rifles,bucks .

Early pictures lever guns,trombone actions, some autoloaders.30-30,30 Rem,35rem,250 , 300 savages.

A few pics of sporter Bolt Rifles(maybe military.

Then later moder day Bolt actions, autoloaders,few single shots like no.1 Rugers.

Seems 270, 7mag, 30-06 .,308,7mm-“8 etc most popular.

As time goes on original club members Kids,Gr. Kids aren’t using the lever guns much.A few have been using the popular cool kids stuff PRC’’s,Creedmore .

Just some observations,they all seem to work
 
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