Best multiple species big game rifle??? Help!!!!!!!!!!!

[jcpmn82]

I need help choosing the best rifle to get for multiple big game, you know like an all in one rifle for deer, bear, elk, moose, etc. etc. Either a .270, .308, 7MM, or 30-06. Which one is best all around and why??? I know it's probably more of a personal choice and I'll get a hundred different answers but any help is appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!!!

[JBL21]

If you are going with one of the calibers listed, 30-06 in my book. i would personally get a 300 Win. mag. A little big for deer but great on little bigger game.

[vister]

7mm rem mag, hands down! just look at their ballistics. fast and flat. we have 5 in our household! we use them deer and elk hunting. the only complaint i have is you cant get heavier than 175 grain bullets. i shoot federal 165 grain sierra gameking btsp's, and man do they pattern!

if i were to buy another rifle, id be getting a .325 wsm

[harvey lee]

I have both the 300 mag and a 7mm. I just checked my scope on the 7mm yesterday and at 240 yards, she hitting a 1.5 inch circle and thats the best she has ever done for me.

I believe the 7mm will do the job for most all big game we have in the US. Note quite the kick of my 300mag and she shoots very flat.

I will say my 300 is very good at long range shots also as I have shot deer at up to 356 yards with a 175 grain bullet. She is a hard hitting gun for anything that walks. She kicked like a mule so I had a muzzle break put on it knowing it would get loud. Not much at all for a kick now but boy, she is loud.

A well placed bullet from either will get the job done.

[Chef]

I think it would serve you well to think about the kind of terrain you'll be hunting in. A 7mm is not a good gun in heavy cover, like the MN northwoods as opposed to a .308 or /06. If you hit a twig or leaf with a 7mm it can ricochet off target. A heavier hitting snub-nosed bullet like a /06 will drive through a twig or cover and reach your target.

Now, if your'e shooting across open terrain like Wyoming, SD, ND, CO, etc. and want a long, flat-shooting gun, then a 7mm or 300WM ,are great.

You'll be getting a lot more responses as the day goes on.

[Realtor Boy]

300 wsm ( Short mag)

[RBuker]

As mentioned before, check ballistics. I've got the 7mm ultra mag. Wow. What a caliber. It does it all.

No offense meant to the above posters but I always get a kick out of those who say such and such a caliber is "too big" for something. I've always wondered... Does it kill them too dead?

[SM1]

Dido on what Chef said.

I use a 7mm rem mag for my main deer rifle. It is not the ideal heavy cover gun, if feel, because of the overall lenght of the gun. (plenty of power though)I use a browning A-bolt and the 30-06 in that model is about 4 inches shorter than the 7mm! That would be much easier to swing in the sticks.

So it comes down to where you will be hunting most; open country or heavy cover. I have used my 7mm in heavy cover a bunch...so it can be done, but an -06 would be more versitile IMO. I think you would get a little more on the distance with the 7mm though. Just a couple things to consider.

[harvey lee]

I can say I have never had much for issues with the length of my 7mm in the woods.

[fishuhalik]

Let's see, best all-around rifle...I'll list what I have heard from reading different articles and discussions around a campfire, in no particular order

270

280

30-06

25-06 (my personal choice)

7mm

7mm-08

308

300 (all different varieties)

30-30

I hope that narrows it down! My recommendation would be something that you feel comfortable with, and buy a gun that's gonna fit what you hunt most. For instance, if you're a deer hunter that might go elk hunting a half-dozen times in your life, don't buy a 300, maybe a 30-06 or 270. If you're out in Colorado every year and also up in deer country, maybe the 300 is a good gun.

I got the 25-06 because it's extremely flat, almost no recoil, I may hunt elk once or twice in my life, and shoots 1" groups at 174 paces (just shot it this weekend). I'd be perfectly confident taking it after elk, I'm just not going to expect it to break through a shoulder.

[SORNO]

There isn't anything in north america that can't be hunted with a .30-06.

[vister]

from talking to the locals out in wyoming elk hunting, their gun of choice is a plain jane 30-30. they find it funny us flatlanders come out there with such big bore, high powered calibers. but, then again, they dont shoot mountain top to mountain top. just ride their horse up to the elk, and BOOM! another popular caliber weve seen out there is the 416 rigby. why, i have no idea. must want to shoot through the mountain.

i personally think if your shooting in brush, your target cant be more than 40-50 yards away, otherwise you would be taking lower percentage shot. and with a 7mm shooting over 3000 ft/sec, it would take more than a twig to deflect your bullet off course in 40 yards. the 7mm would definetly be a more versatile caliber in the brush if they offered it in 225 grain like an .06, like i mentioned earlier, but the point of it is to be fast and flat.

good luck hunting, i wish i was able to go rifle shopping let us know what ya get

[crothmeier]

i have the odd .280 and really like it, although there is only 3 grain weight options it shoots faster and flatter than a 30-06.

the 7mm Rem Mag would be a great all around choice

[Swap Buck]

I have three different rifles .308, 30-06 and the 7mm. The 7mm has been the onlt rifle I have shot for the past few years. Hands down, the 7mm wins in my book. But the other two are also great rifles. Good luck with what ever you buy. It does not matter what you buy as long as you are comfortable with it and you can shoot well with it.

[JeffB]

If you want one gun that will do every thing I would go with the .270 or the 30.06 simply because there are so many different factory load available. I have a .223, .270, .284 win, .308, 30.06, and a 300wsm, but the gun I shoot the most is the .270 mostly because its the nicest flatest shooting gun I have. This isn't because it a better cartige its simply a better gun than the rest. You should narrow down your cartige choices by the type of hunting you will do, then look for the best gun in your price range. If you get a good gun it will make you like the cartrige you choose.

[BucksnDucks]

The old wifes tale that one certain caliber versus the other is better for shooting through brush is nothing more than just that! It actually has been proven that some of the smaller diameter bullets that were always thought to not "bust brush" as well as others actually had less deflection than some snub nosed big bore calibers. With that being said I'll say all of the choices mentioned are great "all around" calibers. I own many of them stated, and think most of the game that north america has to offer can be cleanly harvested with the ole' reliable -06. Bullet choices are endless and you can find ammo at almost any store that has some sort of sporting goods section! My personal choice is either the 300 WSM or the 280 Rem. Good luck on whichever you choose!

[gunmunky]

My first choice is a 460 Weatherby and a close second is a 458 Lott. No such thing as to much gun. I've shot prairie dogs to deer with a 460. No need to worry about brush and with good hand loads you'd be surprised how far they will shoot.

[paul pachowicz]

there is no such thing as the refered to "brush guns". Deflection is deflection, period. As far as what caliber? The best caliber in the world is the one a guys uses. Preferences differ. But, as said above the .06 will take anything on the north American continent. I shoot .243, 06 & .270. My daily choice depends on the terrain I'm gonna be in that day. I'm not a fan of belted ammo. It boils down to marksmanship. A suitable weight bullet for particular game and a well placed shot will win over one that is ill placed regardless of the caliber or bullet weight. How does one decide on a caliber? Read, read, and read not only on the caliber but, as important, exterior ballistics. Knowing what your bullet does after combustion is as important as well. (Liken that to driving a vehicle. Ya put in gas, ya press on the pedal and you move forward but, was causes it to run)? How do ya get good with it? Range time, range time and more range time. Educate yourself before a salesman talks you in to something unsuited for your intended use. Good luck with your choice.

[slabchaser]

30-06 great caliber. Also when your out in the middle of no where and you happen to need rounds for whatever reason a mom and pop sporting goods store they are more likely to have a 30-6 round. And before anyone says how unlikely this is, I know but crazier things have happened.

[TrophyEyes]

I have a 7mm Rem Mag and love it, but if you are going to do what you originally stated I would go with the 300WSM.

[BlueLundFishrman]

the 30-30 has probably taken more big game in North America than any other caliber.

[SM1]

Also when your out in the middle of no where and you happen to need rounds for whatever reason a mom and pop sporting goods store they are more likely to have a 30-6 round.

This is a good point, but its one that I have never really bought into.

If I am planning on going somplace remote, I bring plenty of ammo. I usually bring 3 boxes for my antelope and deer hunts and that usually ends up being at least 55 more rounds than I need.

If I cant get the job done with 60 rounds...I might as well break the gun over my knee and walk home!

[Esox_Magnum]

Got a 270 at age 16 while a nice gun when I was 18 my uncle left me a 300 win mag. I owned a 300 RUM for awhile but the old 300 WM is the rifle I carry for anything I need a rifle for. 3 shot groups at 300 yards you can cover with a quarter, gun will shoot better than that but it's the best I can do. I have dropped elk in their tracks with it from 42 yards to 175, brothers dropped them out to 460+ with his 300. Surpisingly the only rifle we own that took 3 shots to the boiler room to drop an elk was the 300 RUM, and it still ran 300+ yards. I have shot yotes and elk with mine and even on a yote at 135 yards all the bigger the hole was size of the bullet. Now that poor grouse in Idaho is another story, 180 grn Hornady at 20' does a number on them.

125 yards or less shots on deer in timber or brush I'll take my 870 slug gun any day over a rifle.

My 2nd choice of rounds if I had to buy a different caliber for deer or bigger wuold be the 7MM RUM. I may be little at 5' 10 and 140 pounds but I love my magnums. But when you grow up shooting 12 ga slugs, high powers aren't bad at all.

[Rost]

As mentioned before, check ballistics. I've got the 7mm ultra mag. Wow. What a caliber. It does it all.

No offense meant to the above posters but I always get a kick out of those who say such and such a caliber is "too big" for something. I've always wondered... Does it kill them too dead?

I agree with Randy. If you hit a deer in the hind quarter, it doesn't matter if you are shooting a .25-06 or a .338. Either way, the meat is going to be mangled.

I shoot a 25-06 at deer and coyotes.

[Steve Foss]

There isn't anything in north america that can't be hunted with a .30-06.

Dead on.

Best all-around caliber ever developed and widely disseminated for North American big game, IMO.

Calibers come and calibers go. Seems like there's always some fashionable reinvention of the wheel in gun circles, just like in most circles, but why fix what ain't broke?

If you can't kill it with one well placed shot into the breadbox from an ought-six (bullet weight depending on game size/toughness and shooting conditions), you need to look at your own shooting, not the round. You want it flat? Shoot the 165 grains. You want to punch through bone and tough hide? Shoot the 220 grains.

It ain't perfect as bullets go, but dang if it ain't perfect enough.

Perfect white-tailed deer rifle is the .308. Perfect timber round for deer, boars or bears over bait is the 12 gauge slug (it'll stop darn near anything). Perfect for long-range mountain shooting of mulies, elk, sheep is the 7mm mag. Perfect saddle gun is the Savage Model 99 in .300 Savage (no external hammer, easy to push into/take out of the scabbard, though the Marlin .444 has to get a look there, too, because of its stopping power in an emergency). Yeah, you'll see here I'm old school.

And there's an awful lot of fun in shooting tons of differen guns/cartridges and stacking them up against each other. We love to shoot, so we love to compare. But if you gotta put 'em all together and pull a SINGLE cartridge out of those listed by the OP, it's the ought-six.

All that being said, the most important things to remember are to pick a caliber and get REALLY familiar with what it can do, not only with ballistic charts but on the range and in the field. You can kill most any big game with most any of a wide variety of cartridges, but when you are limiting yourself to one, you've got to choose wisely and then put in the time to become an excellent and cool shot. It's knowledge and shooting skill that kill game, not the difference between big game cartridge X and big game cartridge Y.

Just my, uh, $.02.