Best rifle caliber

[Servo77 0]

I am trying to decide which rifle to buy as a general all around huntinmg weapon. I am leaning towards a .270 as it shoots flatter then a .30-06, still hits hard, can get some lighter bullets for varmints (coyotes mainly)(95 - 115 grain) and is widely available. Second choice was the .308, which is also VERY common (especially in surplus stuff) but the .270 seems to have better ballistics and the smaller .270 diameter means more versatility in varmint type bullets. Next choise would either be the .308 or .25-06

 

What do you think and why?

Edited May 3, 2005 by Servo77

[asinner1979 0]

are you just planning on hunting varmits, or what ranges of game?

[Servo77 0]

are you just planning on hunting varmits, or what ranges of game?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Deer, etc. North American animals with the exception of grizzlies.

 

Just varmints would probably be a 22-250.....

[asinner1979 0]

i always love using my 30-06, there is such a wide variety of bullets and loads availiable, and luckily my friends and gunsmith have been willing to make up custom loads for it. To be honest for deer i do prefer my mauser (8mm) but unless you relaod you cant get the true potential of the mauser fromt he anemic loads that are found in north america. for an affordable range of bullet loads, i really think 30-06 will serve you well. I also have many other caliber on and not on your list but, 30-06 does allow a versatilitly not found in many others, just my opinion and experience

Edited May 3, 2005 by asinner1979

[Onepoint 0]

Well its a tough choice but I voted 308. I dont even have a hunting 308. I do have an 06 and a 270. The 06 is tried and true, makes a great game round and isn't obsolete to the point in need replaced IMO. My 270 has taken a few elk, have used it on coyotes too, so its a good round It does shoot flat and is fast.

 

The 308 has a little more energy at distance than the 270 and has a heck of a lot more off the shelf ammo choice from accuracy to cost than any of the others listed. The calibers accuracy potential is well documented, though an off the shelf hunting rifle wont be that impressive I imagine.

 

Another good compromise is the 243. If you are not going after anything bigger than deer it is a heck of a medium caliber, for both game hunting and varminting. I had one in bolt action for a while, but since I have a so many .223s along with the larger calibers, it never got used enough so I traded it. Ammo was high was the only thing that I could complain about, which would not be an issue if I reloaded.

[Servo77 0]

BTW....if you look at the "numbers" a .308 is much better ballistically then a .30-06 and retains energy better. Why? Logically, the larger .30-06 case has more powder and should give better punch and range (considering they are the same bullet)....but that doesn't seem to be the case. Why? I am just not that knowledgeable about these sort of things.

[IndyArms 10,186]

Aww... HELL.... GO with the remington 7MM Ultra-Mag... any rifle that takes shells that cost like $65.00 a box MUST Be good. LOL!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

(By the way... YAY ME... 1500th post! )

Edited May 3, 2005 by IndyArms

[ivrfrkbrd 0]

I voted the .308. I don't own any of the main contenders in my mind, the .270,.308 or 30-06 but have shot all three and if I could choose just one it would be the .308. 1-Ammo selection, lots of surplus. 2-Good hard knock-down power and accuracy.

 

I am interested in your survey for I am thinking along the same lines. I love my Swedish Mauser but would feel better hunting elk with a larger caliber. I also am a big fan of the Kalisnikov action so I'm kinda looking over these Saigas. Anyway this is how I arrived at my vote. Good Luck.

[G O B 3,516]

.30-06

 

The old '06 has more versatility than ALL other rounds combined. Commercially available ammo ranges from 55grain accelerators that will shoot groundhog or coyote with the best of them, all the way to 220 grain cast bullets that will take moose and bear. It may not be the BEST at groundhog or the BEST at bear and moose, but it is the ONLY calliber with that kind of versatility, and for anything inbetween it is among the TOP choices. Get yourself a good old 30-06 warbird and if circumstances stop you there, you will be OK. Sarco has 'sporterized' 30-06 husquavarnia's and usually mausers for $375 or less.

 

G O B

[Bvamp 604]

im with GOB on this one.

 

270 ammo will set you back prices of whole guns with seasonal practice. 30-06 is all over the place, and is in many many MANY top notch loadings. its really all about what it is that your gun likes in the end. it might shoot great with ammo that costs 25 cents a round, or it might want ammo that costs a dollar a round to do the same thing. ALL 270 ammo is expensive in my book, and if you dont have to work for a living, i guess that wouldnt be a problem.

 

the 30-06 won two world wars. i believe we were using it as far back as the spanish american war as well. its still in service too. how many wars has the 270 seen? none? 270 is a great round, but I just dont think one can go wrong with 30-06. there is a HUGE amount of tools, bullets, cases, etc etc etc for it. its just a logical choice to me.

 

plus EVERY little backwoods redneck and a half joint out there WILL GUARANTEED have a few kinds of 30-06 ammo.

[hoop762 0]

my vote went to the 308...but im a little partial. i have used both 308 and 30.06 for hunting and i tend to favor the 308. nothing ive ever come across in north america can withstand a hit from a 308 165 grain ballistic tip...its like throwing little hand grenades...whitetails or mule deer wouldnt stand a chance

 

 

HOORAAH for me for my hundredth post!!!!

Edited May 4, 2005 by hoop762

[jtoddellis 2]

I have owned .270, .30-06, 7 mag, and .308. From my experiance the .30-06 worked best for deer, the only .308 I have had is my saiga and I have only hunted with it one season. The 7 mag has too much power for me where I hunt (hill country). The .270 shoots fast and will go right throug a deer and leave you trailing him awhile. I have no complaints about my .308 but believe you would get a little more distance out of the .30-06. I'm sure the argument about .30-06 and .308 has come up many times before, so someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[IndyArms 10,186]

YAY HOOP!!!

 

( sorry to be a thread pirate, here...)

 

We can have the # of POSTS PARTY NOW!!! whos bringin the beer???

 

LOL

 

 

[k_dawg 0]

For hunting mostly, I would go 30-06. It just seems the most flexible with a wide range of commercial loads.

 

If you'll be having alot of range time, then the .308 can't be beat, with all the good milsurp stuff on the market.

 

I do not hunt, so that is why I went with the Panther .308

[Onepoint 0]

I need to shop where you guys do, because usually I see about 3 different types of ammo for the 06, but the 308 has a dozen or more, Cabelas has more for the 06 but the 308 still has more shelf space for selection, same with Sportmans warehouse, and when it come to the mom and pop shops you are looking at the choice of 180 or 150 grain sp usually.

 

I like the O6, but in my area you don't have the choices of off the shelf loads the 308 does.

[G O B 3,516]

The 30-06 is 100 years old, ammo is squirreled away everywhere. try looking at small town gas station convienence stores, old hardware stores, ect. Also for new ammo Midway has 30-06 Remmington in 55gr,125gr,150gr in fmj,psp core lokt, and accutip, 165gr in in psp and accutip, 168 gr psp,and 180 gr in express sp,and premier safari grade. Their remmington .308 is limited to 6 offerings. The same with their winchester. 30-06 13 offerings from 125 gr to180 gr. For .308 8 offerings from 147 to 180 gr.

Add to that 100 years of hand loads, and loading dies and info---

 

G O B

[krom32117 0]

My first vote goes to the 30.06 cause of the previous mentioned reasons.

 

The second vote would be for the .308. It's an all around good round and plenty of surplus to go around.

[Onepoint 0]

True, but there is 308 in S&B, Blackhills, Wolf etc I don't see those for .06 in stock in most places.

 

Hand loads are a different thing altogether anyway, and I would probably put the extreme end of that in the 308s favor.

[Rusty 0]

I guess I'm the odd man then. I'm a big believer in the .270, but then I hand load some rather nice 150gr loads that'll drill the same hole more than once at 150 yards. Typical factory loads are about $16/box either round down here.

 

My other favorite is the 25-06. 30-06 necked down to a 25 caliber lead. It's just freaking fun! Big boom, monster velocity, and nobody knows WTF you are shooting.

Edited May 7, 2005 by Rusty

[Unknown Poster 5]

I hunt with the 338win.mag. 225gr bullets for bears and my son uses a 30-06 with 180gr bullets. I have a 308win with 150gr bullets for deer. My 7mm mauser is loaded with 150gr bullets and my swede is loaded with 140gr bullets for hunting. The 7mm mauser and 6,5 swede are the best for using smaller weight bullets and their very accurate too. The 7mm mauser is one of the flatest shooters there is with 1/2" to 3/4"rise in the bullets path with a 125yd zero. The 30-06 was copied from the 7mm mauser round because of its flat shooting performance. My point is any gun will bring home deer meat. UKP

 

I built my 7mm mauser for a varmit gun because of its flat shooting round but with its decent power its makes a great deer gun too. You have so many great choices and each one will do the job. But i like the less recoil of the 6,5 swede and the 7mm mauser you can shoot the gun all day long with no pain.

Edited May 17, 2005 by Unknown Poster