Favorite Caliber (s)

[Steve_in_OR]

You have shot a lot, tested many, come to firm conclusions and are thinning out your gun herd to two only because your better half said so.
When it is all said and done what two rifles would you build? What two calibers would you choose? Is there one that you feel does both well?

CXP2 class game are generally light framed animals with relatively thin skin and light muscles and bones. These are primarily deer, antelope, sheep, goats and black bear. They typically range from about 51 pounds to perhaps 300 pounds.

CXP3 class game are large framed, heavy animals with tough skin, heavy muscle tissue and large bones. Would guess that these animals range from 301 to over 1000 pounds, and would be represented by such game as alg, elk, moose, zebra, kudu, eland, and brown bear.

I have from 25-06 to 375 Ruger in LH bolt rifles. I'm headed toward a 270Win and a 338-06, both in a Forbes 24B. More about the platform than the cartridge.

 

[Doc Holliday]

7mm-08 and 300 win mag

 

[roosiebull]

for the smaller cartridge (which fills my current rifle needs really) i know it's cliche' these days, but i like the "gender bender" (6.5creed)

for bigger, i like the boring but effective 338wm or 300wsm... it would be hard for me to decide between those 2 if i was in the market. as it is, my biggest rifle is a 7mm rem mag.... it was my answer to "one rifle" for a few years.

the rifle i cannot seem to kick the desire to have is a 257wby, and set it up as a mpbr rifle.... just seems like such a practical setup for blacktail and bear on the coast, especially if it shot 115gr partitions well, but if not, 110gr accubonds.... problem is, i don't love any factory rifles in that chambering

 

[KChunter71]

6.5 cm and 7mm Rem mag right now.

 

[AK Shane]

1st choices: 7mm-08 and 325 wsm
2nd choices: 6.5cm and 300 wsm

 

[Buck300]

7mm-08
300 wsm

 

[k80Titus]

What about 308 and 300wm combo. near and far. Light heavy and hard heavy. Cheap and expensive
If i got into reloading, easier as one caliber. Factory, well available.

 

[eightyeight mag]

My favorite trio, .308 win, .300wsm, and the classic .338 win mag.
Reloading makes for lots of versatility.

 

[MasterTimo]

If I could only have one, 270 Winchester.

 

[Tradchef]

25-06 and 35 whelen

 

[Mulga]

280AI would cover it all, but for the dangerous game I'd ad a 9.3x62 for good measure.

 

[jhm2023]

I don't think it's particularly a black and white answer. I live in Alaska so that changes my answer vs if I lived in the eastern or even the western lesser 48.

My living in Alaska answer is a good .338 for moose and brown bear. .338 win mag being the minimum and I am currently using a 33 Nosler with 250gr. Barnes LRX for this category.

For everything else that isn't moose and brown bear, I want a decently fast 7mm, 280ai up to 28 Nosler. 7mm rem mag has filled this category for me for the longest time with 140gr ttsx and 145gr lrx. I've recently upgraded to a 28 Nosler and 155gr Hammer hunters.

All that said my wife uses a 6.5 creedmoor with a 127gr lrx for everything up to moose and it has always impressed me every time she takes something with it.

My opinions will likely differ from others and would even change if I lived elsewhere. Just as important or even more so than the headstamp itself is the bullet selection to match your intended uses and the game you like to hunt.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[missiletester]

.308 and 300wm are my mains

 

[Aaronpaul14]

6.5 cm and 7mm Rem mag right now.

This ^^^ is mine too.

 

[NebraskaStickHunter]

Even though I don’t own a 280 ai would cover most everything and a 223 for cheap plinking ( used to be) and rifle makers I will give some love to the lesser mentioned CZ brand because my 308 is the best shooting rifle I have ever owned that everyone that shoots it says if you ever want to get rid of that think of me please and it shoots every factory load through it as good as I can shoot. I am amazed at how many people pick two cartridges that are heavily overlapped but it is just for fun I hope. And you have to tell that “ significant” other she can only have two pairs of shoes then .

 

[509]

.257 Roberts and .348 Win have worked well for me! A handy quarter-bore with low powered glass and a nice lever gun suits me just fine

 

[Rw1981]

6.5-284 and 300 win mag

 

[300 win mag]

257 bee and 300 win mag.

 

[Fivex475]

Up close and personal 45-70 gov
Far away 300 prc

 

[cruizer]

If I could only have two, I would choose:
250 Savage
358 Winchester