Caliber Battle

The 30-06 is plenty capable of taking any big game in the USA and then some especially with the amount of premium bullets available nowadays.
 
The best gun and therefor the best caliber, is the one you like to shoot, if you like to shoot it, you'll practice enough to achieve great things. Unless of course it's anything but a .270. Then you're dumb and wasting your time on a worthless gun. :D
Now you've done it.
 
The 30-06 is plenty capable of taking any big game in the USA and then some especially with the amount of premium bullets available nowadays.
This is the thing lost on shooters that don't know. The new powders and bullets available now make a new rifle out of the .06. But, I do have a .270 there Cubber. And I use new powders and bullets in it too. My favorite is my RUM though. Pretty scary cartridge. mtmuley
 
I've shot more than few dozen critters with a 30/06 and would be fine hunting with one the rest of the my life...of course, I'd also be fine with a .243, .260, 25/06, .270, 280 AI, 7-08, 300 win, 338, etc. etc. and yes, big bears, moose, and elk with any as well.

I agree with others, bullets and powders have leveled a lot of playing fields.
 
I've shot more than few dozen critters with a 30/06 and would be fine hunting with one the rest of the my life...of course, I'd also be fine with a .243, .260, 25/06, .270, 280 AI, 7-08, 300 win, 338, etc. etc. and yes, big bears, moose, and elk with any as well.

I agree with others, bullets and powders have leveled a lot of playing fields.

Yeah Buzz, but we've all seen your season updates this fall, it seemed like you were only in on approximately 100 kills (by my rough count). Is that really enough to have an opinion here?
 
This all leads me to ask another question of the HT Hive-mind: Does anyone else have a sentimental/emotional reason they shoot the cartridge they shoot? I certainly do.
 
This all leads me to ask another question of the HT Hive-mind: Does anyone else have a sentimental/emotional reason they shoot the cartridge they shoot? I certainly do.
I bought the .270 Win in the 1980s when I lived in Utah and
when I moved to Alaska in 1993, my hunting mentor used the
300 H & H exclusively, so I followed his lead.

Both old Remington 700s with the same trigger pull, same old 3X9 Leupold scope.
~3000fps 130 gr bullet in .270 and 180 gr bullet in .300 H & H.
They both shoot 3 inches high at 100 yards, -3 inches at 300 yards.
 
I'm not sure they are done beating up on cub yet... My families deer camp had nothing but an array of (mostly old) Savage 99's in .250-3000. The builder of the camp, my grandfather was a true fanatic of it's magical power and killed lots of moose elk and bears with it in addition to medium game by the truckload. Any one who showed up with any other gun/caliber was welcome at camp but his gun had to stay in the car. I had to leave my BBR in 7 mag outside in the cold. I would love to handle some of those 99's today, all were pre-1950 when savage put out a quality lever gun.

Is Cub treed yet?
 
I'm not sure they are done beating up on cub yet... My families deer camp had nothing but an array of (mostly old) Savage 99's in .250-3000. The builder of the camp, my grandfather was a true fanatic of it's magical power and killed lots of moose elk and bears with it in addition to medium game by the truckload. Any one who showed up with any other gun/caliber was welcome at camp but his gun had to stay in the car. I had to leave my BBR in 7 mag outside in the cold. I would love to handle some of those 99's today, all were pre-1950 when savage put out a quality lever gun.

Is Cub treed yet?
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This all leads me to ask another question of the HT Hive-mind: Does anyone else have a sentimental/emotional reason they shoot the cartridge they shoot? I certainly do.

I finally just bought a .257wby because that's what I used to kill my first buck and I've always wanted one. Nobody in my immediate family hunted but my uncle loaned it to me for the hunt, it was a beautiful rifle, made just up the highway from were I grew up, so it was 'local' too. I looked at the newer rounds, 6.5RPM, 6.5PRC, 6.5-300, or a 26Nosler, they're great and all and I'll probably pick one of those up eventually, but there was no reason to buy one other than "New and Cool"...
 
This all leads me to ask another question of the HT Hive-mind: Does anyone else have a sentimental/emotional reason they shoot the cartridge they shoot? I certainly do.
This actually is a more interesting question to me.

my choice of the .300 win mag was from an article in Petersen's Hunting in the 90's. My father shot (and still shoots) a .264 Mag. My Grandfather shot a .270. I continued the generational one-upsmanship with the .300 WM.
 
This all leads me to ask another question of the HT Hive-mind: Does anyone else have a sentimental/emotional reason they shoot the cartridge they shoot? I certainly do.

This is definitely an interesting question! I tried reading everything I could of Jack O’Connor as a boy but for whatever reason I’m very biased away from the .270. Instead I’m fan of the .30-06 through and through. Even though it’s the rifle I shoot the least and, since I put together a .338-06, hunt with the least as well. It’s always going to be a favorite of mine and I’ll never be without one.

I came from a family of non-hunters and those that did own guns it was primarily shotguns. I guess I like the old .30-06 for all that’s been done with it over the last 100+ years.
 
This all leads me to ask another question of the HT Hive-mind: Does anyone else have a sentimental/emotional reason they shoot the cartridge they shoot? I certainly do.

The 35 Whelen was Dad's.

My first 30-06 was a gift from a dear friend who no longer hunted.

My 7mm AI started out as a 7mm Mauser that my father traded a Model 12 Winnie & 45-70 Remington Rolling Block for

The 8mm Mauser is a family heirloom, as is the 33 WCF.

The new 30-06 is the culmination of tinkering to develop my perfect all-around rifle

The 9.3x74R Ruger #1 was in case I found an Elephant in the Blackfoot Valley. Or if Ephraim wanted to dance.

The 338 because it was my first custom rifle and it packs some big medicine.

The 450 3 1/4 BPE because it's the 30-06 of the 1870's - 1890's & it's cooler than you.

It's all just personal choice. Arguing over what cartridge is better eliminates your plausible deniability for owning all of them.

Freaking amateur's.
 
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My decision was part research, part budget, and one piece of fatherly advice. I did not grow up deer hunting but when I expressed interest in big game hunting my dad told me "Buy a 30-06. You wont need anything else".

Oddly enough my decision to go with a 30-06 makes me the odd man out at deer camp, where the .270 is what everyone uses, save the occasional 300 savage.
 
cwitherow said:
This all leads me to ask another question of the HT Hive-mind: Does anyone else have a sentimental/emotional reason they shoot the cartridge they shoot? I certainly do.
I have a Remington mountain rifle in 280 Remington that I inherited from my father when he passed away. So I shoot this caliber because it was his.
 
I finally just bought a .257wby because that's what I used to kill my first buck and I've always wanted one. Nobody in my immediate family hunted but my uncle loaned it to me for the hunt, it was a beautiful rifle, made just up the highway from were I grew up, so it was 'local' too. I looked at the newer rounds, 6.5RPM, 6.5PRC, 6.5-300, or a 26Nosler, they're great and all and I'll probably pick one of those up eventually, but there was no reason to buy one other than "New and Cool"...
Made up the highway? Weatherby in Paso Robles?
 
I'm in the Ben Lamb camp.
Glenfield 30-30 my first rifle and accounted for my first 18 whitetails.
Rem 700 7mm Mag, first rifle I bought with my own money.
Browning 25-06, a gift from my first wife, destined to be reborn as a 338-06
Ruger M77 30-06 who now identifies as a 6.5-06, gift from my wife
Rem 700 7mm-08, a gift to myself, just cause.
Ruger 300 WM, another gift to myself and used almost exclusively for about 15 years. Now resting until I get around to having it rebarreled.
Marlin 45/70 guide gun. Don't hunt with it much but fun to shoot.
Ruger M77 375 Ruger, because why not?
 
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