Looking for an all around good rifle and caliber to purchase. It would be primarily used White Tailed Deer however it must be capable of also taking a Moose.

I have looked at Remington's model 700, series, Thompson Center Encore Rifles, and Rugers No #1 series.

Any thoughts or suggestions on the above rifles?

From the Ballistics I have reviewed.. it appears that from my thinking that a 7mm mag will do fine. With the new WSM and ultra Mag's.. their just too much power, or the various loads you can purchase off the shelf are limited. I have looked at other calibers such as 308 win 30-06 springfield 300 win and 338 win

Any thoughts or suggestions on the above Calibers?

Thanks,

Good list.....

Get the brand that fits best and feels right in your hands. Naturally, there are decisions to be made about action style, light/heavy, stainless/blued, etc. Then a whole 'nother mess of questions on sights, the best advice I can give in that respect is buy the best you can afford.

Cartridges - 7mag will do it, as will a host of other stuff. My list would go from lightest to heaviest:

.308
.30-06
.338 Win Mag

Those 3 are popular, ammo is plentiful and cheap, and a good selection of premium bullets too. .308 & .30-06 have the added advantage of cheap military surplus ammo for practice. I'd go up the ladder until you run out of recoil tolerance. The 7 mag probably fits in between the .308 and .30-06 as far as recoil, depending on bullet weight of course.

The only reason I've not considered a 7mag for myself is that I already have a .30-06 and a .338.

Sounds like you have a reasonable outlook on the whole thing.... best of luck.

If you are going to be a "one-rifle-for-all-hunting" person and not going to handload, then the most obvious answer would be:

A bolt action rifle

30-06 chambering

a nice 3x9 power scope.

The bolt action (Ruger, Savage, Remington, Winchester) is more inherently accurate out of the box than MOST other types of actions.

The old, but time proven 30-06 is a very versatile cartridge with bullets weighing from 110 to 220 grains. Is made by dozens of ammo manufacturers and in a wealth of bullet types, plus can be found anywhere. It can be used for varmits to moose with no problems. Has moderate recoil.

A good veriable scope on good solid mounts will add to the ability of the rifle, no matter if woods hunting or plains hunting.

That's my take on the issue, anyway!

As kdub and MikeG stated, it's awfully hard to beat the 30-06 as an all around cartridge. The .308 is a great cartridge, but won't hurl the heavy bullets as well as an '06 when your persue bigger game. A 30-06 with a decent scope in a bolt rifle usually weight about 7-8lbs when ready to shoot and provides about all the recoil most shooters can comfortably handle. If you're a newbie, don't buy into the hype that you need a magnum cartridge....it's not true....and the new short mags in .30 cal are going to kick harder than a 30-06 no matter what any gun writer tries to say otherwise.

Thanks for the info... I think I'm down to the 7mm Mag and the .308 as far as calibers to choose between. Others such as the 300 win and higher, I don't think would be fun to shoot. Looking for that happy medium of power, less the recoil. I'm kinda leaning toward the 7mm just becuase it has a little more added umph. I know that extra umph is not required, and is a tad on the fierce side for white tail. But I do plan on going out west to do some hunting with this rifle as well, which should fit right in.

As far as reloading goes,, I'm still undecided. I have a lee loader that I use for my 20 guage. I have thought about trying to load my own for rifle.. just for some reason I have not followed through.

And lastly as far as Brand of Rifle to go with... it is going to be a tough decision. I currently have a Rem 700 VLS Stainless in 22-250.. it is awsome. Possible leaning towards the Rem 700 LSS for the new rifle?? Thompson and Ruger..I'm giong to have to go and check out.. Both look great, especially the Ruger in Stainless..

Thanks again.

This is a common topic, at least in our crowd. My hunting partner and I were just talking about it this evening. This elk season has been hampered by worthless pursuits like going to work but little time to hunt. We were out this past weekend hunting in a mix of great wide open and thick aspen/conifer groves. I was carrying my BDL in 7Mag. I don't know how many times I wacked the end of the barrel on a tree in the thick stuff. Most 7Mags will come with a 24" spout. Looks like I'll get Friday (the last day of the season) off so we were discussing what to carry. We both have lever guns and bolt guns. Either is good for a somewhat specific task but not ideal for either. Given the terrain we decided that he would bring his 444 Marlin and I my 7Mag. Should cover the bases, whether it'll work out or not. However, barrel length is something to consider depending on your expected hunting terrain. I don't think there is an ideal rifle for all around hunting...only better compromises.

This could send your thread down a rathole but there are other cartridges that might fit the role of all around for big game. Unfortunately some are not as common as the good ole '06. I personally am leaning heavily towards the Remington 673 in 350 Rem Mag. Loaded up with 180 gr bullets it would do a number on whitetails at any range that they are hunted. For heavier stuff the 220 - 250 gr bullets would work best, and all can be sent downrange with velocity enough to make them work well at longer ranges. You won't be able to buy a box of cartridges at any old store, let alone the truely useful stuff for heavy game. It is a handloader's cartridge. Another one that fits into this class is the 358 Winchester.

Just thought I'd share my recent thoughts on this topic since they are so fresh on my mind. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

I've had an "all-around" rifle for 30 years, the .270. I've recently discovered, though, that the concept really isn't for me. I like rifles, so I asked myself, why have I limited my purchase to just one? So, I just bought a .300 Win Mag, and expect to add a .260 or 7mm-08 soon. Two rifles, fewer compromises. I doubt if that'll be the end of it, though. Once you get past one rifle, there's really no reason to stop at two...

Jaywalker

The .270 is a great all around rifle, especially in light of the fact that we have good bullets today, but make no mistake..the 30-06 beats it hands down with factory loaded rounds for true versatility.
Yeah, the .270 will shoot flatter with a bit less recoil than the '06, but it can't even begin to match the versatility with factory loads, let alone handloads.

Beware the man with one rifle, as he likely know how to use it. That pretty much says it all in favor of the 30-06. I have a couple rifles, some specialized, but none will match the versatility of the '06, the next closest is the .375 H&H....another great round, but not a pleasure to shoot on a regular basis, but far more pleasant than the new super mags.

As for rifles, make mine a M70 or a CZ550, but that's just personal preference.

Hulk, you seem to be set on either the .308 or the 7mm Mag. Both are great deer calibers, I happen to think the .308 is the best out there for that purpose. But since you've thrown moose into the mix, I would definately consider the .30-06. I rank the 7mm Mag and the .30-06 about equal in the power department. My choice for heavier game would be the .30-06 because of it's ability to handle heavier bullets. IMHO a 200gr Partition at about 2700 fps from a .30-06 edges out the 7mm Mag. This of course is a handload, but there are some excellent factory loads now available for the .30-06

As for rifles, I have Remington 700's and Winchester M70's My favorite rifle is a Winchester. I love the claw extraction and the three position safety. My most accurate rifle is a Remington, but deer don't have targets painted on them. I like to carry the Winnie.

They're all good ..... you need one of everything!!!

If my wife ever finds out that one gun will do it all in North America then I'm in serious trouble....

Looking for an all around good rifle and caliber to purchase. It would be primarily used White Tailed Deer however it must be capable of also taking a Moose.

From the Ballistics I have reviewed.. it appears that from my thinking that a 7mm mag will do fine. With the new WSM and ultra Mag's.. their just too much power, or the various loads you can purchase off the shelf are limited. I have looked at other calibers such as 308 win 30-06 springfield 300 win and 338 win

Any thoughts or suggestions on the above Calibers?

Thanks,


I personally don't think you can do better for an all 'round rifle than a 30-06 in a modern, strong bolt action rifle. Part of my reason for the suggestion, is the newer factory "Light Magnum" loadings that are showing up on store shelves. These are high intensity cartridges, and some manufacturers refer to them as "Safari Loads" too. We're talkin' over 3000fps with a 165gr bullet, arguably the best all 'round 30-06 bullet that's available. The old '06 can also deliver a very heavy 30 caliber bullet into the vitals of a big moose and drop it in its tracks if you do your part. You're gonna' need to practice, and the 30-06 is at that level of recoil most shooters can tolerate long enough to become really good marksmen. Please read:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/30-06.htm

http://www.chuckhawks.com/7mmRemMag.htm

When you really get down to a comparison of the 7mm and the 30-06, there's not a whole lotta' difference between them. The 7mm offers a little better Ballistic Coefficient and Sectional Density in bullets of the same weight, but the 6.5mm (260) does the same thing to the 7mm, so you simply have to decide on which weight bullet you wanta' use and what can the cartridge deliver with that weight... The 7mm can't send a huge bullet downrange like the 30 caliber cartridges, no matter how much powder you stuff inside the case.

Then, we have the 338-06 to consider. A few manufacturers are now offering this formerly Wildcat round in their rifles. It's a little over the top for whitetail, but sure does a job on Elk and Moose! ;)

http://www.chuckhawks.com/338-06.htm

It recoils a little more than a 30-06, simply 'cos it typically uses a larger & heavier bullet.

If you look around for a nice used rifle, there's a ton of them in available 30-06 and it's hard to beat it with any of the new factory (off the shelf) rounds. You might even find a deal on a classic rifle in 30-06 that's simply not available in the magnums or other calibers. More options!

GOOD LUCK!

I have owned and used exclusively for 4 years a remington model 700 in 30.06 and It does the job great. I've taken white-tail, mulies, elk and black bear. also it's kinda fun on ground hogs. Ammo is reasonably cheap and you have a huge variety in rounds. I think a .270 is good to but some argue it's too light for moose.
remember, shot placement is as important as caliber

30-06, for almost 100 years it has been the choice. No need to change now. Sean

the .270,.308,30-06 kill brown bear.and people will use these cartridges for all game on earth.BUT! your magnum cal. such as 7mm rem., 300 win. 338win., WILL JUST DO A BETTER JOB!!

Don't forget the 35 Whelen. It has a range of about 250 yds and will drop (not just kill) any animal outside a very large bear. The 338 win mag will do the same. The 30-06 and 300 win mag will kill very effectively. Deer will drop, moose will have to be tracked.

Zac

Well, bears (large or otherwise) weren't mentioned, but deer and moose were. Having killed lots of deer, a few bear, a couple of moose and one caribou and elk each with a .270 I can heartily recommend this caliber. Another obvious choice would be the .30-06. If you're interested in a magnum caliber (though unnecessary in my opinion), I'd recommend the one I have the most experience with, the .257 Weatherby Magnum. This was Roy Weatherby's favorite and it's an impressive killer.

Good luck with your decision. :)

Hulkmason
If it was me I'd get me a 700 CDL in 30-06 and never look back. Most 180 grain bullets are more than adequate for anything from deer to moose. If'n you reload you can start to work on different loads with differefent wieght bullets. I personaly use a 35 Whelen in a 700 BDL for stuff bigger than elk but if you are only going to get one gun (HAHAHAHAHAHA try stopping with just one, they're like lays potatoe chips buddy) I'd get me an 06 and practice, practice, practice.

I'm gonna speak from opinion and not from experience here (never shot a moose, and I don't own a rifle in the caliber I'm about to recomend).

That said...if I were going to buy an all-around rifle for every purpose, that would last a lifetime...I would get a Sako 75 in 300 Win. Mag.; one of the best rifles made, and you could kill anything from a coyote to a grizzly. just my opinion.

If you are looking for truely one gun to "do it all" I'd be hard pressed not to suggest getting a 30-06 in a quality bolt aciton (your brand of choice) or a 30-06 BLR. That round will kill it all from mice to moose, and not beat you to death trying. To say that factory ammo for the 30-06 is abundant would be the understatement of the century. I myselfe like short actions, so I choose the .308, while not quite as versitile as the 30-06, it will still do everything I need and then some. My platform of choice was a Browning BLR, I just like 'em.

[QUOTE=zcostilla]Don't forget the 35 Whelen. It has a range of about 250 yds and will drop (not just kill) any animal outside a very large bear. The 338 win mag will do the same. The 30-06 and 300 win mag will kill very effectively. Deer will drop, moose will have to be tracked.


I think that it is awfully hard to beat a .30-06 as a general purpose cartridge. Personally, and this is just opinion, I think the 7mm is less well suited for moose than a .30-06. You are starting off with a smaller frontal area, and bullet weights aren't as heavy as some would like for moose. Any time I see the word "magnum" in a cartridge's name I like to remind myself of what Jeff Cooper said. "Velocity is evanescent, but weight is constant". I'd rather hit a big, tough animal with a heavier bullet even if it is going a bit slower because it's less apt to having things go wrong. The 7mm mag carries about 1200 ftlbs out to 500 yards with it's heaviest available bullet (this is a pretty standard energy figure although there are a few that offer a bit more) which is 175 grains. You can match this with a .30-06/180 grain bullet pretty easily.

The other thing to bear in mind is that bullet velocity plays a more significant role in recoil. The faster bullets of the 7mm will amount to having a rifle that seems to kick a little harder, and a little sharper than the 06.
This again is a subjective matter and what bothers me may not bother you or vice versa.
Generally speaking, a shooter can usually tolerate about 20 lbs recoil without deeming it troublesome. By coincidence, a 150 grain bullet at 2910 fps in a 7 pound rifle generates just about exactly that. speed that bullet up 3130, pretty standard for the 7mm and you jump up to 28 pounds recoil.
whats more the recoil velocity jumps from 13 fps to 16.

If I had to do it all with one rifle, I'd definitely opt for the .30-06 over the 7mm rem mag.
I happen to own both cartridges and see that they each play their own roles very well, it's just that the 06 plays all roles a bit more efficiently and handily.

Sorry so long winded!
Al

30-06, Rem. 700 model of your choice, and a top-of-the-line 4X scope. Okay, a 2-7X or 3-9X scope if you must have a variable.

I could live with a .308 Win. without feeling handicapped. Let's face it: most of us shoot .270, '06, and .308 -class rifles much more accurately than more "powerful" guns.

I shoot my '06 better than I do my 35 Whelen. Period. I am competent with Whelen and use it for elk. But...

It is my practice with the '06 that allows me to maintain proficiency with the Whelen. Truth is I can shoot the '06 more accurately.

I hate to throw a wet blanket on things, but, I got to disagree with the versitility of the 30-06 or any calibre that can shoot a large variety of bullet weights.

I've been hunting and reloading for a lot of years and have found generally that most hunters and even target shooters, though they may do some testing, settle down for one or two different bullet weights for a given calibre. Be it the 06 or the 7 mag or the .224 varmit rifles.

I think the versatility argument really does not mean much. Now I'm not disputing that the 06 isn't one of the great cartridges of the world, but for North American game excluding Alaska most any calibre from 260 to 35 works well here.

I would base my decision more on how far you can effectively shoot and how much recoil tolerance you have rather than which particulary cartridge is the best. By the way the 308 and the 7mm Mag are both great cartridges along with the 30-06.

30-06 has been used to hunt game where ever animals are hunted. Still a good choice and modern Premium bullets expand its versatility even more so. Same is true for the .308 Winchester cartridge. Their performance on big game is the same. But for the hunter who chooses a 220 grain bullet, 30-06 is the better of the two.

7mm-08, 280, 7mm MAG, 6.5mm Swede, 270, and 7X57 all topple big game quite well also. With exception of the 7mm magnum, recoil is far less noticeable than 30-06 in light rifles. These cartridges are worthy of consideration.

You might be better off with a short carbine. Tough to be happy with a bolt action rifle with 22 inch barrel when hunting whitetails at forest distances. Carbines are still the top choice for most deer hunters. Remington pump action is a favorite among many experianced hunters. Remington offers a carbine in 30-06 but their other rifles are easily shortened by a smith. You should research what Larry Benoit has to say about big game rifles.

Hope this is helpful.
TR

Sounds like good reasoning to me! :D

The bullet weight variety is mostly answered by the individual firearm/shooter accuracy and what the shooter feels is adequate in weight for the game selected to hunt. Guess that's why there's varmit rifles, "big" game rifles, "bigger" game rifles and manstomper rifles.

My quandry is I never found one particular rifle to handle all my needs, so there's two vaults full of them! :p

When I started out the 3006 was by far the best way to go as a over-all rifle.
How ever in fact the recoil with an 180 gr. bullet was just a bit more than I could handle.
I went down to a 308.
My wife had a problem with the 30 calipier bolt actions , and I started her on the 6.5x 55 and she learned to shoot and shoot this well.
Well the 308 makes a good target gun , but it has it's problems in heavy bush, so we went multity guns and got into the levers starting with the 45/70 , then adding the 35 Rem, 30/30 and the 358 W in a browning BLR.
Oh yes we finally did retire the 308 in favour of the 3006.
You need to ask yourself what style of hunting your going to do. Open country or heavy bush? how far will the shots be? How big will the game be , and important how much recoil are you comfortable with ?
Now we like the levers for fast follow up shots in heavy cover , but Pumps and Auto's are fine and have a place.
If I had to go back to just one do every thing rifle , It still favours the 3006 Bolt action with the 3x9 Scope, which we both have mastered .
Second would be the 6.sx55 and the best overall lever would be the 358W.
Then for just deer in heavy bush, it is a toss for the 30/30 and or the 35 Remington.

So if the votes add up for the 3006, are you still with the 7MM mag?

35 Whelen and the 338-06 are the best. Put them down now with the bullets that make it happen. 35 cal. bullets from the bullet companies are great. Forget the small stuff: use the larger size and put them down rather than track. If you have to track, bigger holes leave more blood. Bigger bullets do more damage.
the 35 Whelen can shoot 357 pistol bullets if you relaod for other game.
.338 Win Mag mentioned a lot, the reason is that the bullets like the 35 Whelen perform.
If you can take you time and get the nice broadside shot anything can do it if in range and in the right place. All my hunting shots wheather near or far needs to happen in very little time.
lc

The .30-06Springfield can be loaded or had in every bullet configuration from 125-220grns. It is capable of harvesting everything that walks on four legs [-and two] on this continent and many others. The .30-06 is nearly 100yrs old, and is still going as strong as it did decades ago. In fact...with some of the modern ballistic components being used today, it is even better - than it's ever been. There have been some excellent points made in prior responses, but the bottom line is: The .30-06 is far superior to most of it's younger "competitors" for many reasons...and if you do your homework, you'll find out why soon enough.

[...BTW: It's the most popular centerfire cartridge sold in Africa too.]merc.

I certainly agree on the 30-06. But I do think 7mag can fit the bill. Many a moose have met their end to a 7mag. Practicing skill and placement is still a very big factor.

I use the 270 Winchester for everything. You don't need a magnum to kill a moose or an elk. Get what you like or what someone tells you to. In the end it's woodsmanship and patients, but what do I know.

Super size the the cartridge make it at least .338 like the .338-06. Hear from family that the 35 Whelen and the new 338-06 is doing the job better in Northern Wisconsin. Trouble this year no deer. Some of the White tails were dressing over 200lbs.
Want to see Dramatic , .444 marlin and a 265gr Hornaday .44 bullet hitting a big Mulie at 150yrds right behind the front shoulder. Down Bigtime.
Elk end up the same way.
Get on board with the big bores. .338, .35, 444. Even the .375 Whelen(Wildcat) is a good round. Even with good shots with calibers .308 and under there needs to be certian conditions.
Read Elmer Kieths book "**** I was There". He found the 30-06 consistently light for Elk. He also said that the bullets of the time were not up to bullets of present but hunting with a large caliber is putting more in your favor and hope fully a better kill.
.270's with that 130gr bullet, again waste a lot of meat sometimes.

Love this particular discussion, HOWEVER, for North America you cannot beat the .30-06 for versatility, with the .270 running right behind it. And just to be a little off beat, the 7x57mm and 7mm-08 are great too. Nevertherless, for ammo availability, the .30-06 has to be the hands down winner. Look at the choices available on the web or in your sporting goods store, nothing else compares with the .30-06!

LLs