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

280ackimp

Active Member
Jul 4, 2017
166
28
New Hampshire
I have always had a 280 AI since I started hunting the west, back in the late 80s i formed my own brass like everyone else did. This is to say the loads were not available over the counter. The 160 Partition was what I started with and as ususal looked around for a better bullet. I had a few performance failures with the old 162 gr Nosler solid base, they fell apart, shattered or just didnt penetrate very well.
This year I went back to the 160 gr partition for elk and got a bang-flop at 25 yards. End of story.

As a side note my hunting buddy went looking for 280 rem ammo in Jackson WY, we did not find any ...lots of 280 AI ! How times have changed !
 

OldGuy123

New Member
Oct 22, 2018
12
2
I've messed around with a good many rifles and cartridges, through the years. What with old age, weight seems to be more important than most other factors.

The majority of my hunting has ranged from prairie dogs to mule deer. No elk or moose.

I have an old L579 Sako Forester carbine in .243. Works fine for everything from prairie dogs to deer. Weighs seven pounds. I also have a Remington 700 Ti in 7mm08. Great for deer and maybe elk, but a bit of "a bit much" for prairie dogs. But, it's only 6.5 pounds with a Leupold 3x9 on top. Both rifles are reliably sub-MOA.

So if I decide to cut back to just one hunting rifle, I'd keep the .243. I see it as generally better as a varmint rifle but also plenty good for deer.
 

Dave S

New Member
Nov 27, 2018
1
0
I have hunted with my Remington Model 725 in .270 Winchester since 1960, and have taken everything thing from rabbits to Elk with it.. Everything that I have shot only required one shot, except for a big Mule Deer in Colorado, that didn't know he was dead, so I shot him a second time.. Have shot three Elk with it from 75 to 200 yards, all with one shot.. My loads consist of a Speer 130 gr Hot-Cor or a Speer 150 gr Hot- Cor and H4831 powder. I am 76 years old and closing in my last hunt, so I will just stick with my .270, as I see no need to change...
 

Bonecollector

Veteran member
Mar 9, 2014
5,852
3,656
Ohio
Dave, if it ain't broke, no need to try and fix it. Some folks like to tinker with change, but you've got a good one there.
Enjoy your hunting. As long as you can walk, you can hunt somewhere.
 

270whiz

New Member
Dec 5, 2013
14
0
Sparta , Michigan
My wife loves here ruger#1b 25-06. I keep asking her if she would like a semi custom gun . The answer is always the same NO !
For me its the 270 win. I guess we are a boring couple.
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,103
4,329
82
Dolores, Colorado
Do any of you all use a .270 Weatherby? Pros or cons??
I have 2 Wbys, a .257 Mag & a .300 Mag. If I was going to have one rifle only, I would really give the .270 Wby a close look. The only thing I've found is that the Wby calibers are a little hard to reload for. They are designed with lots of freebore and you really have to noodle around looking for the right load. I really love my .300, but don't shoot the ,257 much as I prefer my 25-06.
 

AKaviator

Veteran member
Jul 26, 2012
1,819
1,082
I have 2 Wbys, a .257 Mag & a .300 Mag. If I was going to have one rifle only, I would really give the .270 Wby a close look. The only thing I've found is that the Wby calibers are a little hard to reload for. They are designed with lots of freebore and you really have to noodle around looking for the right load. I really love my .300, but don't shoot the ,257 much as I prefer my 25-06.
I have a .300 Weatherby for a long while. Somewhere I inherited a bunch of .270 Wby brass and dies. Not sure what to do with it. Interesting caliber though.
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
7,107
8,392
70
Gypsum, Co
Do any of you all use a .270 Weatherby? Pros or cons??
I have one in a Ruger #1 that I won at a RMEF banquet.

I've done some reading on it and need to get loading it up. It sounds like a fantastic round and would be a killer on anything that I hunt from coyotes up to elk.

It was Roy Weatherby's favorite round.
 

280ackimp

Active Member
Jul 4, 2017
166
28
New Hampshire
AKaviator .... Could you neck up the 270 WTBY brass to 300 WTBY ?? Redding must make a die/expander mandrel for that ?

300 WTBY has become very expensive and hard to find at a decent price....

I have always had a running battle with some buddies about the .277 caliber rounds.....they work, it is as simple as that. I have always said the 270's didnt grow up to be the 7mm's just to poke the hornets nest and make the card game more interesting.

So for the purposes of poking the hornets nest in good fun ...7mm's have it all over the 270's!!
 

AKaviator

Veteran member
Jul 26, 2012
1,819
1,082
AKaviator .... Could you neck up the 270 WTBY brass to 300 WTBY ?? Redding must make a die/expander mandrel for that ?

300 WTBY has become very expensive and hard to find at a decent price....

I have always had a running battle with some buddies about the .277 caliber rounds.....they work, it is as simple as that. I have always said the 270's didnt grow up to be the 7mm's just to poke the hornets nest and make the card game more interesting.

So for the purposes of poking the hornets nest in good fun ...7mm's have it all over the 270's!!
I've never looked into necking them up. I have a Ruger #1 in 270 winchester and had considered turning it into the weatherby. Right now, I'm thinking I may just get the brass to someone who already has a weatherby.
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
7,107
8,392
70
Gypsum, Co
You can neck up the 270 Weatherby to 300 Weatherby. 90% of the Weatherby line of cartridges are based on the 375 HH with a blown out shoulder and necked down.

On the 6.5-300 I wish that it had came out before I picked up my 25-06 and I would of bought one of them
 

manitou1

Member
Mar 21, 2017
110
122
United States
.280 Rem. 3040 fps 140 gr. accubonds. Mild recoil, scary accurate. Enough gun for anything I hunt, meaning anything in North America sans brown bears.
 

dan maule

Very Active Member
Jan 3, 2015
989
1,215
Upper Michigan
My favorite is the 300wby, if I had to choose just one but thank God I live in America and I can have as many as my budget and my wife allow me to have. I love reading everyone’s opinion on this question. Truth is I haven’t found very many guns that I don’t like, I guess I am a little obsessed.
 

Timr245

Very Active Member
Jul 21, 2016
586
400
Northcentral PA
Anyone handled or shot the 6.5-300 ?
Have one sitting in my office, unfired. Its the Vanguard First Lite edition. Waiting for my Talley rings to come back from the Hydrographics place. If I can push my handloads to what I believe I can, It will drive a 140gr Accu-Bond with far more energy than a 7mm mag pushing the same pill so I feel like it will be a great big game cartridge. Yes, its an overbore barrel burner but it will still likely last an average hunter a lifetime. I?ll report once I get my handloads through a chrony.
 

Bonecollector

Veteran member
Mar 9, 2014
5,852
3,656
Ohio
Have one sitting in my office, unfired. Its the Vanguard First Lite edition. Waiting for my Talley rings to come back from the Hydrographics place. If I can push my handloads to what I believe I can, It will drive a 140gr Accu-Bond with far more energy than a 7mm mag pushing the same pill so I feel like it will be a great big game cartridge. Yes, its an overbore barrel burner but it will still likely last an average hunter a lifetime. I?ll report once I get my handloads through a chrony.
Please be sure to post back your results as I am extremely interested in this. Congratulations!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk