Small mid size game, all around caliber?

[JRuby]

I have ate raccoon once and it was not good. I do not wish to eat another one. Very stringy and tough. Better than starving i guess.

 

[156256Hunter]

My granddaughter chose a 25-06. That gives her a wide range of loads for a wide range of game. And "Goober Girl" can nail it every time!

I've shot a lot of mule deer using .25-.06 (100 gr, 115 gr. and 120 gr) .243 (100 gr.) .308 (150 gr.) and .30-06 (150 gr). All died but I greatly prefer .243 or .25-06. Some people use those for elk too, but at that point you have to be super careful with shot placement.

 

[Grizzly_A]

6.5 Grendel will just make you cry cause ammo is non existent(ask me how I know)

It's in stock at Bimart....or at least was. Everyone else was taking the 5.56 and 22LR.

Anything in 6mm-7mm. Imperial or metric, your choice.

 

[The Heretic]

@The Heretic , 223/5.56 would excel in this class, I have to admit.

With the right ammo and proper placement of the bullet, it has been shown to be effective on deer, and the same load would at least discourage a black bear or cougar. It would not be my first choice for deer/bear/cougar, but I would prefer it for small game and prefer .30-30 for hunting (I have a nice 16" Marlin 336 carbine with a Scout scope that would be great for deer on my property). I have almost 11K rounds of 5.7x28 and I still want to get a machinist to make a 5.56x45 adapter to shoot 5.7x28 in a .223 rifle - but once I get back into reloading I know I can load down .223 to .22 LR velocities.

There are elk around here I am told and I have seen tracks that are either small elk or large deer. I would not hunt elk with .223 unless desperate and had a heavy deep penetrating load. Fortunately I have BLR in .308, my dad's .30-06 sporterized Springfield which my dad used to take more elk and deer than I ever will, and a .30-30 - so not problems there.

 

[Ura-Ki]

For a reloader, I would be very tempted to go with a .300 Blackout, seems to me that for most practical hunting needs, that one would be tits! Good power, decent hunting range, and the advantages of being able to use any .308 diameter bullets out there, makes for a compelling argument toward that one! And, being able to shoot subsonic through a suppressor takes the cake!

 

[DLS]

There has been some very good info in this thread, without the usual hype that can crop up in these discussions! I like it!

To muddy the waters a bit more I'd throw out a cartridge that was mentioned in passing by @JRuby in post #19.

That would be the .257 Roberts. The down side is you will have to find a used rifle and those that have this chambering are loathe to part with them because it is so good at what it does. I'm squarely in that camp.

The .257 Roberts betters everything the .243 Winchester does with the same amount of recoil. It has energy enough for big bodied deer, where the .243 is really starting to strain, especially with poor shot placement or longer ranges.

Better bullet weights, better sectional density, as good or better accuracy in comparable rifles continues the list. The higher ballistic coefficeints make for easier time in the wind and are a little more forgiving in range estimation.

It really was the first dual-use round to do well in the market. Load it in th 80ish range of bullet weights and you have the perfect long range varmint rig. Load it in the 117ish range and you have a very capable big game rifle up to the level of heavy mule deer. Go a bit lighter and you have a great pronghorn gun.

This round was eclipsed by the .243 Winchester primarily due to massive marketing both from the manufacture and in the writings of the gun magazine writers of the time, coupled with the fact that factory ammo was always loaded very light and only offered round nose bullets.

If you reload you can make this round really sing. If you don't you do have to recognize that the .243 Winchester has a lot more load choices from the manufactures, but having said that, the .257 Roberts has enough offerings that you will never have to compromise whether shooting varmints, longer-range game like sheep or pronghorn, or that big muley you are after in a high range hunt in the Idaho mountains.

I dunna no ... ya tink I like dis round

Cheers

 

[Grizzly_A]

For a reloader, I would be very tempted to go with a .300 Blackout, seems to me that for most practical hunting needs, that one would be tits! Good power, decent hunting range, and the advantages of being able to use any .308 diameter bullets out there, makes for a compelling argument toward that one! And, being able to shoot subsonic through a suppressor takes the cake!

Not every .308 bullet will work, or feed correctly. Due to the feed angle, and ogive, there are certain profiles that work better than others. In it's intended platform, it does great in the 110-130gr bullets for medium game at ranges to 200yds. In a bolt action, you can get away with a bit more flexibility on bullets.

Not in disagreement. Like many calibers, the 300BLK will put them down if the shooter does their part.

.257 Roberts is a great cartridge. The quarterbore doesn't get any love.

 

[The Heretic]

.257 Roberts is a great cartridge. The quarterbore doesn't get any love.

6.5mm is getting a lot of attention - just a different designation.

I tend to stick with the standards that have been around for quite a while due to ammo and gun availability. I have enough guns in different calibers that I don't need to get another caliber, especially one that isn't what I consider "standard" - the exceptions in my "arsenal" are 5.7x28 (a niche caliber in niche guns for a niche purpose - a niche I happen to need filled), .40 S&W (kind of a standard) and .460 mag (which I have only a few boxes of, but the gun will also shoot .45 LC).

 

[kenboy]

I second the 243 or 25-06 choice. The 25-06 in 117 cal bullit is my currently used meat stick and oddly enough yesterday on the shelf at Keizer Cascade store, about the only ammo they had.
I brew my own so don't need it.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

For the firearms that I am most noted for :

.45 caliber round ball , is very useful for small to mid size game...historically it was used for large game as well.
I think that it still could be used for large game....if one knows one's rifle and respects one's shooting skill.
Many game regulations however disagree....Be sure to check your state's hunting regulations.

.50 caliber round ball , see comments above.

.54 caliber round ball is my favorite for any shooting or hunting...
Also it is legal in most states for all game..small , medium , or large.

As far as cartridge guns go I like :
.257 Roberts...
7mm Mauser...
.270 Winchester...
.30-30 WCF
.300 Savage...
.308
And .30-06
With the proper bullet style / loading any of the above will work fine in regards to the OP topic.

I'd suggest others...
But the all of the above are cartridges / calibers that I have actual hunting experience with ...I'm hesitant to suggest something I have no "real world" experience with.
Andy

 

[The Heretic]

Round ball, shot, etc., can be swaged into various diameters that make decent light bullets for a number of standard calibers.

 

[orygun]

I see bear, deer, elk and even cougar talked about here. None of those are what I would call small or medium game.
Well, maybe a very small cougar.

 

[DLS]

I'd call the typical Blacktail medium game, as would I a pronghorn.

I guess it's all in your interpretation. I don't think the OP has ventured back to this thread to answer the question as to his thinking on the subject.

 

[Retired Guy]

There has been some very good info in this thread, without the usual hype that can crop up in these discussions! I like it!

To muddy the waters a bit more I'd throw out a cartridge that was mentioned in passing by @JRuby in post #19.

That would be the .257 Roberts. The down side is you will have to find a used rifle and those that have this chambering are loathe to part with them because it is so good at what it does. I'm squarely in that camp.

The .257 Roberts betters everything the .243 Winchester does with the same amount of recoil. It has energy enough for big bodied deer, where the .243 is really starting to strain, especially with poor shot placement or longer ranges.

Better bullet weights, better sectional density, as good or better accuracy in comparable rifles continues the list. The higher ballistic coefficeints make for easier time in the wind and are a little more forgiving in range estimation.

It really was the first dual-use round to do well in the market. Load it in th 80ish range of bullet weights and you have the perfect long range varmint rig. Load it in the 117ish range and you have a very capable big game rifle up to the level of heavy mule deer. Go a bit lighter and you have a great pronghorn gun.

I completely agree! I have a Ruger M77 in .257 Roberts and it is my favorite hunting rifle. I have taken coyotes, deer, antelope and a spike elk with it. The spike did need a follow up shot to finish it but it wasn't going anywhere.

I do reload for it and it's very pleasant shooting. Now that I'm getting older and develop arthritis in my shoulders, I've been hunting with the .257 more. I sold my .338 Win Mag a few years ago and have been thinking about cutting the 30-06 loose too. When I can't shoot the .257 anymore, then it will definitely be time to hunt with a camera.

But I felt the OP was looking for one "all around" rifle and if that was the case, I would still point to the 30-06.

 

[bbbass]

I define small game as varmints and rabbits. For squirrel, use a .22lr or a .36BP.

The .223/556 excels at small game and varmints, but you won't find any ammo on the shelf right now, and I'm not willing to share my cases, etc. It will also take medium size game at reasonable distances but I prefer other cartridges for that.

I define medium size game as small deer, pronghorn.

Would highly recommend .243 for such game. It is flat shooting and has low recoil. With smaller boolitts, one can take varmints out to good distances because of the flat trajectory. BTW, the 6mm Remington has similar characteristics, but I doubt you will find ammo for it. I have owned both. Factory ammo:

The.243 produces a velocity of 2,960 feet (902.21 m) per second with a 100-grain (6.6 gram) projectile from a 24-inch (610 mm) barrel. Commercially loaded.243 ammunition is available with bullet weights ranging from 55 grains (3.6 g) up to 115 grains (6.8 g).

I handloaded 100gr Sierra HPBT to 3100fps, and they were deadly accurate in my Rem700ADL.

.257Bob, great on deer sized game and soft shooting. A .257Roberts Ackley Improved is even better. One of my favorite deer rifles tho I didn't own one, my best shooting buddy did... it was SWEET!!

(not a fan of large cal/bore but I do own a .308 that I use for Mule Deer and Elk. And I even have some 55gr .22 sabots kicking out at 4000fps for varmints... problem is they are not very accurate, but would work on yotes up to 200yds just fine)

 

[kbf64]

Yeah proghorn look like fun, though I have no idea of the tagging system in OR and how long it would take to do the "right" way...

 

[BigDog67]

Round ball, shot, etc., can be swaged into various diameters that make decent light bullets for a number of standard calibers.

I thought we were supposed to melt down those bullets so we could cast round balls. It takes almost three 9mm bullets to cast one of my .58s.

 

[No_Regerts]

I see bear, deer, elk and even cougar talked about here. None of those are what I would call small or medium game.
Well, maybe a very small cougar.

For me, that ends at deer. I'd really need to know what that spectrum entails though. I don't like changing loads AT ALL once I'm zeroed. So, it would have to be something that would either destroy something small or be marginal on something "medium".

When I lived in E. WA, I hunted for rockchucks and coyotes when I wasn't hunting deer. I was using a 30-06 and 150gr bullets pushed fast (3000 fps). A 25-06 with 100 or 110gr bullets would have been great. Same as 95gr ballistic tips in a 243. 120gr bullets in a 260 or 7mm-08. Maybe 130gr bullets in a 270 on the top end.

 

[RVTECH]

Round ball, shot, etc., can be swaged into various diameters that make decent light bullets for a number of standard calibers.

I doubt many have the ability to 'swage' lead into useable bullets.

Perhaps you meant casting possibly?

 

[Twodogs]

For small to medium sized game my vote is a .22 mag .