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I was honestly leaning to getting 2 rifles. Maybe a 17hmr and either a 7mm mag or 06. I have also looked into the 7mm stw. Be nice to be-able to reach out and touch something at 1,000 yards although I dont know how much use it would be.

That would be the way to go a 7mm mag will take down the biggest north american animals... just bought my 2nd one Browning X bolt
 
That would be the way to go a 7mm mag will take down the biggest north american animals... just bought my 2nd one Browning X bolt

I've nothing against the .7mm mag and own a couple myself. That said, a .28 caliber bullet moving at over 3 grand per second at close range leaves a .28 caliber hole on both sides, unless it hits a good bone, then all hell breaks loose. It's better suited for ranges beyond 100yrds. That's just my humble opinion mind you, and based on more deer, elk and bear that I can remember. I own a bunch from very large, over sized double rifles to .22 hornets, yet I've found the old venerable .06 to be the best choice a person looking for that "one rifle" could ask for. Sure, I wont take mine rat shooting, but for that I have plenty of other choices. I'm just saying that it, as a single rifle caliber stands out after over 100 years as a cartridge that still is one of the very best ever produced, the yard stick that many are measured by, and the cartridge that many are based upon.
 
You are right about ammo availability on the 7-STW. Even the brass is hard to find.

If you are just getting back into hunting, even your M-4 is legal for deer if you can put a 5 round magazine in it. Not legal for elk unless you can put a 6MM or larger upper on it.

You can pick up a 308 or 06 at any gun show, and if you check out the ballistic charts, they have pretty much identical charts with pretty much identical recoil when shooting the same weight bullet.
 
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To me.......the 308 is so close to the 30-06 they are interchangeable for this conversation, except the 308 has short actions and surplus ammo available. I hunt deer with a 6.5X55 or a 7mm mag but I feel the bullets are light for ethical kills on elk or moose without perfect shot placement.
 
Old thread...I know...but I still want to play...:D
Tough to beat a .30-06 in a cartridge rifle for most any game...same goes for a . 54 round ball in a muzzleloading rifle...
Both seem to be a good balance of "power" ( however that is measured...:D ) , felt recoil and can handle a wide array of game animals provided you:
Practice hunting...not just shooting...
Know your rifle...and your range...

There are of course many , many other rifle cartridges that are newer , older, faster , heavier , lighter , "better" etc...and as always what works for what , where and how I hunt may not work for others...
But these two calibers have been around for many years 'cause they work for what most of us use a hunting rifle for.
Andy
 
Old thread...I know...but I still want to play...:D
Tough to beat a .30-06 in a cartridge rifle for most any game...same goes for a . 54 round ball in a muzzleloading rifle...
Both seem to be a good balance of "power" ( however that is measured...:D ) , felt recoil and can handle a wide array of game animals provided you:
Practice hunting...not just shooting...
Know your rifle...and your range...

There are of course many , many other rifle cartridges that are newer , older, faster , heavier , lighter , "better" etc...and as always what works for what , where and how I hunt may not work for others...
But these two calibers have been around for many years 'cause they work for what most of us use a hunting rifle for.
Andy

We "old codgers" have been around long enough to know what works and what doesn't. When It comes to "heavy field work" the .308 and .30-'06 seem to have everything I will possibly need.
 
.30-06. It's what most of the rest were aspiring to be. You can find ammo just about anywhere, and it will take any animal on the continent.

This.

Wide range of ammo types/loads and reloading components. Wide range of rifle types. Decent selection in almost any store that carries ammo - if they have ammo, they will have .30-06. Easy to reload (i.e., not a belted magnum). Can do well with light loads and hot heavy bullet loads.

"Best All Around" is what many people use to describe .30-06

Some other cartridges do some things better, but few, if any, do "all around" as well as .30-06
 
RIP Salmonriverjohn....

Weird to see someone quoted you know passed some time ago.

Clearly the best all around caliber is..... Whatever you have. You are far more likely to utilize effectively what you possess opposed to what you don't be it a .50 BMG or a .22 LR or anything in between.

If you have nothing and are setting out to buy one cartridge to do it all you first have to define what "all" is. Does all include taking big game? Is all only about self defense? What is best for small game harvest will not do you much good for elk and vice versa and chances are "all" does not really mean "all"

So for some the best choice might be a .22LR, for others a .308 or -06. Trying to decide what is best for someone else is always a fools game because it involves putting your own ideas and bias into their needs and requirements.
 
RIP Salmonriverjohn....


So for some the best choice might be a .22LR, for others a .308 or -06. Trying to decide what is best for someone else is always a fools game because it involves putting your own ideas and bias into their needs and requirements.

Well, since this is a hunting thread, it's pretty safe to assume the question has to do with hunting. And it's also an old one. :) I'm not one to thrash thread revivalists.

I looked back at my previous post and gather that I must have pounded out some long winded reply, then changed my mind, which is rather curious because I usually have an opinion on subjects like this.

While many cartridges are good "all arounders", my choice has always been the 30-06. Mine is now an Ackley Improved, but it surely doesn't need to be.
The group of 270, 280 and AI, 308, 30-06 & 7mm Mag all work about the same with each cartridge having it's own characteristics. Pick one of these and you have "your best".
The 30-06 has the widest range of bullet weights available in production ammo, can be found in "high performance" loads if desired and is still very popular so ammo and components are easy to come by. It will push a heavy bullet better than a 308 and is less expensive to shoot than a 7 Mag with a bit less recoil. The 270, 280AI and 7mm are a bit flatter shooting but even at 400 yards the difference isn't much. The 30-06 was designed to kill horses at long distances (think WWI and before). Elk and bear aren't much different. :D
 
I am a big fan of anything 7mm but anything in the range of what Orygun mentioned I can get behind. When Nosler started offering factory brass for the 280 AI, I knew I was destined to own another rifle in that chambering after a prior affair with it. It is the one I will take to my grave. With the combo of speed, high sd, great bullet bc and very manageable recoil, it has been a very efficient critter gitter for me.
 
I'm going to vote on 30/06 or the 270. There is nothing it can't do in Oregon or anywhere. with todays bullets, scopes/dials. You'll be fine if you put the time in.
I have both, My personal preference is to shoot 270 longer range. But the 06 is my main hunting rifle.
I just got to shoot my new 9.3x62 and a week later, I still have a soore shoulder and the itch for a thumper is no longer there.....its just sore now.
Im not recoil shy, but More mild recoiling cartridges from here on out.
 
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Anyone mention 30-30? Lever gun love? I have taken coyote, deer, antelope and elk with this humble round not to mention innumerable rabbits. I was tempted to shoot a black bear once with the 30-30. Decided not to as I did not have a file handy. A file you say? Yes, always a good practice in case of a miss and the bear wants to stick your rifle "where the sun don't shine". With a file you can quickly file down the sights so it doesn't hurt so much. [with apologies to Andy- its an old mountainman story] Happy New Year to All.
 
The .30-30 is a grand old and very capable cartridge...I would use it for most everything I'd care to hunt.
Rifles I have owned in this caliber :
Various rifles and carbines in the Winchester 94 guise...And Marlin 36 and 336 ...both Winchesters and Marlins have been in various vintages as well...
A pre-war Savage 219 and a pre-war Husqvarna model 35
A older Savage 340 ...

Many of these make for a light handy rifle...not to overlooked...but sadly are in today's hunting circles...
Andy
 

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