One rifle to do it all

[Gargoyle]

Two is one, one is none...I suggest two guns. I take two guns on a hunting trip minimum. Murphy is at his best when you hunt. Murphy protects the game and he might tickle your gun to break, or you forget/lose ammo. I would select two guns that could overlap a bit in the use category. Imagine a graph, "Circles of Use" with two shaded circles covering the spectrum of game animals. In the middle they eclipse and each could do the job, until you start getting further towards one end of the spectrum. (Varmint - brown bear)

With that said, I say these cartridges:

In the left side circle:

7mm-08
Can kill coyote to Elk "effectively" to 400yds. You can hit steel at 1000 no problems for fun shooting. (I make all my 7-08 brass from .308 WIN brass run through the FL sizer. Be sure to use one brand for the 7-08 for easier sorting out of the tumbler.

(Honorable mention to the 6mm cartridges, but I think they stay in the varmint/whitetail circle.)

In the right side circle:

300 WM
With a muzzle break and decent recoil pad the 300WM with even 200gr bullets has felt recoil of a 308WIN.
Bullet weight variance is plenty.

Now, we have two guns and lets not skimp on the quality & performance. I guess we sold off all our other guns that are too specialized at each end of the "Circle of Use". (.224-.375+) We have money to do it right!
Both guns set up identical as possible. Same cope, stock, actions, etc.

CRF actions: ARC Nucleus/Coup de Grace, Zermatt TL3, Defiance, Impact etc.
Carbon stocks: Manners, MDT, Magpul Pro, adjustable LOP & cheek riser.
Carbon barrels: Savage small shank & nut style for easy barrel swaps (Maybe we want stainless if CF prove to move POI too much...)

Optics

Same scope & reticle. Quality scope with cost as much as the gun. Very subjective here so I'll leave this open.

Ammunition

Hammer Bullets, Hammer Hunter line. 120gr for 7-08 & 166gr 300WM

 

[NSI]

The most prolific global big game hunter I know, owns two rifles. A carbon 6.5CM and a 300 RUM. Owning both ends of the barbell is always better than trying to balance from the middle.

If I were attacking the concept from scratch I'd have a 6CM and a 7PRC. For Africa you can borrow the PH's rifle. If you didn't want to, I suppose the third rifle would be a fixed sight 375 ruger.

But to answer your original question, the single rifle should probably be a 7PRC from the standpoints of controllability, ballistics and terminal performance at long range, and commercial support into the future. 280AI is the bandleader's 7PRC if that's your jam.

-J

 

[Fetty Wapiti]

In what states are 6.5’s illegal for moose?

I just double checked and I am wrong. I was thinking Wyoming, but the .27 cal minimum in for wild bison only.

 

[NSI]

One more corollary: If you are fair weather hunting, I suppose any standard Remington-esque build would be fine. If you will be hunting in freezing conditions, or there is a chance your rifle will freeze overnight, and you do not enjoy slam-fires, a Tikka or Sako would be a prudent choice.

-J

 

[JoSwan]

Get the Ruger African in 300 or 338 WM. They usually come with a beautiful stock and express sights for tight timber or brush. That is what I would buy if I could only have one.

 

[wind gypsy]

A modest sized case in 6.5 or 7mm is where my head goes.

The G-bear conversation is funny. Vast majority of people aren't going to be hunting griz or browns. I wouldn't hesitate to hunt griz with a 6.5 anyway.

 

[Miflatlander91]

Short of shooting a crazy long ways anything posted will work. It's amazing we have all these choices today and you can get paralysis by analysis when your splitting hairs. I'd be honest with your self how much recoil do you tolerate and pick accordingly. Man has been killing animals for a very long time with stick string and a sharp rock.

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[william schmaltz]

I'm in the process of putting together a rifle for my wife that is a "do it all." Mostly moose in mind as the primary. She dropped a moose in it's tracks in December with my 7mm-08 pushing a 120 grain TTSX but I'd like to go a little heavier for likely the only rifle she will ever own and hunt with.

I'm a two rifle guy as described above. I have my 7-08 for everything up to moose and then take my 375 moose/grizzly hunting. Those are the only two rifles I feel that I need and I can shoot them very well.

I kept on landing on a 7mm as a single gun to fit my wife's needs. I'll probably go with the 7 PRC now that it's been released. My wife has zero intention of ever shooting a grizzly unless it was close to camp and we wanted it gone for peace of mine (even then she'd probably make me shoot it). But I would have no problem giving her the green light with a 7 PRC with some of the loads I've seen for it.

With that said, my oldest boy is 4. When I build a rifle for my boys to start shooting moose in a couple of years, I'll likely go with a 6.5. My wife's boss' son is 8 and has killed moose, grizzly, black bear, and caribou with one shot kill from his 6.5.

I'm not a gun guy by any means with the spread sheets and calculations. I mostly made my decisions based on real-world experience from myself and people I trust that have actual results. And I'm open minded enough to change at any time.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

My wife's boss' son is 8 and has killed moose, grizzly, black bear, and caribou with one shot kill from his 6.5.

very impressive - and informative for those with an open mind.

 

[Leaf Litter]

To answer a few questions. I live in Ohio so the gun wouldn’t be used regularly, I have a Savage 110 in 350 legend I use for deer. I have a Savage 110 in 308 also. Both guns shoot ok but I want a nice gun. My son just finished Med school and we are going to start taking out of state hunting trips. The first trip is scheduled for 2025, Alaskan Caribou. We want to go on a moose hunt, elk, mule deer, antelope and black bear. He will be getting a new gun also in the same caliber but his will be right handed.


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With that information, I'd go with something stout to knock down larger game but recoil friendly enough to shoot regularly. I bought a Browning X-Bolt in 6.8 western for that exact purpose, but 270, 6.5 PRC, 7 RM, 300 WM, 300 WSM or 30-06 would all work as well.

Of the cartridges I listed, 270, 7RM, 30-06 and 300 WM give you the best options for factory ammunition that is attainable and reasonably priced

 

[madcalfe]

300wsm

 

[Nhenry]

go buy that guy's 280 Ackley mauser from the classifieds. It'll do everything.

 

[NilsBackstrom]

I'm no expert. But went thru the same thing this last spring. I have a kimber montana 300 wsm and was thinking if I should sell it and buy one gun to do it all, which after research I had my eyes on the mountain ascent in 280AI. Well I ended up not going down that route. I bought a kimber hunter in 6.5 creed for smaller game, mainly blacktail in SE AK

To answer a few questions. I live in Ohio so the gun wouldn’t be used regularly, I have a Savage 110 in 350 legend I use for deer. I have a Savage 110 in 308 also. Both guns shoot ok but I want a nice gun. My son just finished Med school and we are going to start taking out of state hunting trips. The first trip is scheduled for 2025, Alaskan Caribou. We want to go on a moose hunt, elk, mule deer, antelope and black bear. He will be getting a new gun also in the same caliber but his will be right handed.


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I'm no expert. But went thru the same thing this last spring. I have a kimber montana 300 wsm and was thinking if I should sell it and buy one gun to do it all, which after research I had my eyes on the mountain ascent in 280AI. Well I ended up not going down that route. I kept the 300 wsm and bought a kimber hunter in 6.5 creed for smaller game, mainly blacktail in SE AK.

In my opinion the game that you are describing, at least the ones I have hunted there are plenty of calibers too choose between. Like many other said it depends if you handload or not. I've seen caribou taken down with a 25-06 as well as moose taken down with a 270.

I am a firm believer that some calibers on certain game are overkill. I did use my 300 wsm on a blacktail once and I was not to happy how it turned out.

 

[BigSky]

If I were to go the one and done rifle for all of my remaining hunts which will probably never go outside of the borders of the continental U.S., I would probably choose a 6MM Creedmoor in either a Seekins Havak PH2 (maybe Element) or a Springfield Waypoint. Right now that rifle is a semi-custom Tikka 280 AI. Two years ago my answer to the same question would have been a Fieldcraft 7/08. We are in the best days ever for making such decisions. Components and firearms are better than they've ever been.

 

[6mm Remington]

280AI

30-06

300 WSM

 

[rootacres]

Truth be told, a 308 is just fine. That said I could make a strong case for the 300 WSM if you wanted to stick with a 30 cal mag. Its a pretty mild magnum and you can get one weighted out to were to is decent to carry in the mountains but not so light its hard to shoot well.

Some calibers above 308 lend you more forgiveness. They buck the wind better and bring more thump to the table. Some value that more than others.

I ended up landing on a 7 SAUM. It has marginally more recoil than a 308. With the load Im currently running I have slightly less horsepower sub 400 yds than the 300 WSM shooting 180s. Once you get passed 400 yds my 7 SAUM overtakes the 30. Seems to work for me, it's serious elk and deer medicine for sure.

 

[z987k]

To answer a few questions. I live in Ohio so the gun wouldn’t be used regularly, I have a Savage 110 in 350 legend I use for deer. I have a Savage 110 in 308 also. Both guns shoot ok but I want a nice gun. My son just finished Med school and we are going to start taking out of state hunting trips. The first trip is scheduled for 2025, Alaskan Caribou. We want to go on a moose hunt, elk, mule deer, antelope and black bear. He will be getting a new gun also in the same caliber but his will be right handed.


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I've killed moose, piles of caribou & blacktails with a 6.5cm. I probably wouldn't take it brown bear hunting, but I don't hunt them so it's irrelevant.

Turns out a .264 diameter bullet through the lungs or heart at any velocity is wildly more lethal than a .338 or .375 diameter bullet anywhere outside the vitals at 4x the energy.

The cartridge power doesn't matter. What matters is delivering the bullet into the vitals. There's not a person out there that doesn't shoot a lower recoiling rifle better. Most the short action stuff is plenty inside 500yards.
For all game animals in NA, I say go with whatever you personally can shoot the best. Can you spot your own shots with the 30-06, 280AI, 270win?
A brake or suppressor obviously changes this.

Honestly, my recommendation would be to hand load the 308 you have before you go off and get another rifle in another caliber. There's nothing that 308 won't do that a 300 mag will within distance you're going to hunt at give your stated goals and range time. In fact, I'd argue give the stated lack of range time, the 308 will do things the 300 mag will not. Which is have a wildly higher hit probability.

I think you would be more successful on a hunt with a 308 than any magnum.(or a 7-08 or a 260rem/6.5cm)
Something with a little higher BC might make you just a bit more successful yet because of wind calls at long range, but until you start shooting a lot more I don't think you'll be shooting at a distance that even matters.

 

[BigK421]

I've always been a .30 caliber guy, so I'll say .308 or 30-06. Lately it seems the .308 ammo is much easier to find at all the local places.

 

[journeyman713]

X-bolt Pro 300wsm

 

[roosiebull]

I always thought a 257wby sighted in for mpbr would cover anything I would want to do with a rifle.

I have always been a one primary rifle guy, currently have a.308 I plan on keeping for awhile. Anything 6mm and up I would be perfectly content with. I have never rifle hunted elk personally, but they wouldn’t change my decision… I have seen a lot of elk handily killed with .243 and up