What Is Your Favorite All Around Caliber...And Why????

[ScottR]

I am sure that a lot of you have already read this blog post, but I wanted to get it out and post the question from the title.
What say you? What is your favorite all around caliber for big game and why?

 

[AKaviator]

375h&h! It's accurate with any load I give it from 235 grain to 300. Will cleanly kill snowshoe hares to Brown bear! Great caliber!!

 

[6mm Remington]

My 30-06 or .280AI. Both are well balanced accurate cartridges that you can hunt everything in North America except maybe the larger brown bears. Even at that the 30-06 loaded with a 200 gr. Accubond or Partition would work.

 

[ScottR]

My 30-06 or .280AI. Both are well balanced accurate cartridges that you can hunt everything in North America except maybe the larger brown bears. Even at that the 30-06 loaded with a 200 gr. Accubond or Partition would work.

I will admit that the old .30-06 has a pretty special place in my heart.

 

[JimP]

I have quite a few different ones that I use for different animals.

But if I would pick just one it would be my .340 Weatherby. It is a fantastic long range round and will get the job done at any distance that I can shoot. All the animals that I have shot with it would of been one shot kills but I live by the motto that if the animal is still standing keep pumping rounds into it.

The smallest animal that I have shot with it was a spring buck in South Africa and I carried it with confidence on my grizzly hunt in British Colombia.

 

[sneakypete]

Mine is the 7mm, I really like the versatility of the round. Though I only shoot 175 grain rounds it's been a very accurate around and gun for me.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

If I had to pick just one, it would be hard for me to pick between my 30-06 and .300 Wby. I think it would be the .300 because of better performance with 180 gr and above bullets.

I shoot a 25-06 on deer, antelope and feral hogs and love the caliber, but I don't think it has enough oomph (shooting a 117 gr bullet) for elk or moose.

 

[Bruce Mc]

Make mine a .270 win. An all around for me would be a rifle mainly for deer that can stretch to elk. And this opinion has changed over the years. A decade ago I could go along with the 300 mag as the all around and my go to rifle was a model 70 7mm rem mag, but as time goes by I find the lighter less recoiling .270 win a bit more to my liking. A 130gr of any flavor for deer and such up to a 150 or 160 partition for Elk. But I'll temper my opinion with the fact that I've only been elk hunting twice and have not been successful.

 

[Work2hunt]

I like my 280. 140gr handloads with R19 powder and nosler partitions has been lethal on deer, elk, antelope, and bear. I also like a lighter recoil.

 

[Timberstalker]

I’m like CC. I love my 25-06 but not for elk. My favorite all around is the .300 win mag. Simple, capable, available.

 

[Alabama]

7mm Rem Mag: Good bullet selection and will cleanly kill anything North America has to offer except maybe brown bear/grizzly. Good caliber for my needs as I've never shot at an animal over 400 yards.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

300 Win Mag

Ammo is very available pretty much anywhere

Great ballistics

I have went to all 300 so I don't have multiple different brands and loads.

 

[labahertd]

I love my 7mm mag. I launch 180 grain Berger VLD bullets out of it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ikeepitcold]

I was a 7mm WSM nut for years. But the ammo is pretty much impossible to find.

 

[Timberstalker]

I really like my 280AI but I have to hand load for it. I wouldn’t consider any non standard caliber a good “all around” caliber.
.270, 30-06,7mm, .300 Win Mag. Anything else is ego or just plain wanting to be different.

 

[Tim McCoy]

My fav all around cartridge is the 280 Remington. Mine launches 145gr LRX's over 3,000fps, loves 175gr partitions too. Nothing in NA I can't effectively take with it. Lethal, moderate recoil, plenty of range, no magnum muzzle blast. Suits me well. Plenty of ammo available too, but if that's a concern, a 270 or 30-06 are similar stable mates.

My fav hunting round is a 25-06. Pole axes medium game and with the right pills is lethal on elk. If I was just starting out, I might very well develop a relationship with a svelte 6.5CM and keep a 30-06 around for anything mean or larger than an elk.

 

[ScottR]

I really like my 280AI but I have to hand load for it. I wouldn’t consider any non standard caliber a good “all around” caliber.
.270, 30-06,7mm, .300 Win Mag. Anything else is ego or just plain wanting to be different.

And because we love to shoot we will keep buying them and keep the industry looking for new options.

 

[xtreme]

I am set up for 168 go Berger for my 7mm. Looking back I wish I had done the 180, however I have enough RWS 177 to last me. I can and do use Remington Core-Lokt, mostly 150. The Berger has proven to 2nd most accurate, RWS beats it. I like reloading and my brother and I have a dedicated reloading room with everything we need. We did that for insurance when it looked like the government would make it impossible to find ammo. I love shooting the Bergers.
Shooting brown Bear is not going to happen so why go to a punishing caliber? Matter of fact with a do over I would probably be 25-06

 

[Timberstalker]

And because we love to shoot we will keep buying them and keep the industry looking for new options.

And there’s tahat too!

 

[ScottR]

And there’s tahat too!

Funny how our addictions/hobbies fuel whole industries.

That and giant military contracts...