Author Topic: The best hunting cartridges (Read 4897 times)

lilabner · « **on:** January 28, 2006, 05:23:44 AM »

Here's my choice of perfect cartridges for several big game species:

Pronghorn antelope - Easy choice - .257 Weatherby Magnum

Mule and whitetail deer - .270 Weatherby Magnum or .270 WSM

Elk - .338 Winchester Magnum

Big Bears - Two choices here: for me, .375 Weatherby Magnum or .375 H&H. For the guide, .416 Rigby or .458 Winchester Magnum. I would select the .50 BMG for the guide but I don't think it comes in a carry rifle.

I made these picks from ballistics tables. I don't own and haven't owned any of them, so my picks don't really count for much. I presently use a 25-06 or .243 for pronghorn, a .270 Winchester for deer and a 30-06 for elk. I handload for all of them. I have no desire to hunt the big bears but if I did go I'd want something with more authority than my '06. What would you pick?

poncaguy · « **Reply #1 on:** January 28, 2006, 05:27:20 AM »

260 Rem................270WSM..............Federal 338

Savage .250 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 28, 2006, 05:59:30 AM »

Can`t go wrong with an opinion:

30-06..............300Sav..........243/ .250Sav (tie)

STexhunter · « **Reply #3 on:** January 28, 2006, 07:33:59 AM »

Can't go wrong here in Texas with a 270, 308 or 30/06

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #4 on:** January 28, 2006, 09:20:12 AM »

lilabner

You chose, based on ballistic tables:
.257 WBY for antelope
.270 WBY or WSM for mulies and whitetail
.338 Win Mag for elk
.375 WBY or H&H for Big Bears

You own:
.243Win & .25-06 for antelope
.270Win for deer
.30-06 for elk
Nothing specific for Big Bears

There is certainly nothing wrong with your choices, or with what you own for that matter. I consider the .25-06 a much better choice for antelope than the .243Win, but only because I like the heavier bullets it throws. The .270Win is an outstanding choice for deer and antelope both. The .30-06 is perfectly adequate for elk. I don’t have a Big Bear gun either, although my .45-70 Marlin and my handloads would certainly suffice for ranges out to 250 yards.

One thing about the big boomers is the recoil. I would like to get a .338 or .375 but really don’t need one. Have to say I really enjoy low recoil cartridges. Been hunting elk with a 7mm Mag for over 20 years and never had a problem. Here’s my lineup:

.257 Roberts (Ruger M77, 4.5-14x scope)
7mm Rem Mag (Ruger M77, 2.8-10x scope)
.30-30 Win (Marlin 336, 4x scope in QD rings)
.308 Win (Remington BDL, 3x9x scope)
.300 Win Mag (Ruger M77 MKII, 3-9x scope)
.375 Win (Marlin 375, 4x scope in QD rings)
.45-70 (Marlin 1895, 2-7x scope in QD rings)

Although I’m hesitant to use the .257 Roberts on elk, even with 120g A-Frames at 2900fps or better, I know it would do the job. The Marlins limit my range a bit but all are capable enough at 200 yards. The last elk I took was at 213 lasered yards with the .45-70 and a 2183fps 350g North Fork. (Nothing low recoil about that!) They don’t drop any more straight down than that one.

What would I pick? I guess that list is what I DID pick.

alsatian · « **Reply #5 on:** January 28, 2006, 10:28:52 AM »

I assume you posted this to stimulate discussion and hear other opinions.

I think the .25-06 is better for pronghorn than the .257 WB Mag. Sure the .257 WB Mag has better ballistics, but the ballistics of the .25-06 are entirely adequate, the shells are more commonly available (in case you forget your Weatherby or handloaded cartridges on the coffee table at home), and the commercial loadings are cheaper in .25-06. Hey, I assume you want some push back and not just "Yup, that'll work!" Having said this, I am attracted by the idea of having a .257 WB Mag too! I probably will never get one and am more likely to get a second .25-06, but I acknowledge the quality of the .257 WB Mag. I would also note that either the .25-06 or the .257 WB Mag are entirely adequate to whitetail and mule deer hunting, at least in my opinion. I hear some people saying they are entirely adequate to Elk.

I too am attracted to having a .338 Winchester Magnum for Elk. I have a couple of .30-06 and hope to use them to hunt Elk, probably cow Elk, this October. From what I read the .30-06 is plenty for Elk, but I like the idea of having something more powerful, particularly if I should ever happen to hunt Elk in grizzly country.

I have a .243 and like it. I used this to take my only pronghorn. I've take a couple of deer with it.

mitchell · « **Reply #6 on:** January 28, 2006, 10:47:29 AM »

your all wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the correct answer is you can never have enough!!

Don Fischer · « **Reply #7 on:** January 28, 2006, 12:50:29 PM »

A man's man agrees with "mitchel".

There's no guide lines here really so;

Ready avaliable factory ammo:

7x57/7mm-08 Not a lot of antelope hunting going on compared to deer so I'd make due for antelope. Would rather the 280 Rem but ammo might be a concideration. Actually I could live nicely with these for elk also.

I also have no desire to hunt big bears, actually not even small one's but I might go after moose again someday. I could work quite nicely with those above also but hell a guy really ought to have more than one rifle.
Huh! I could get one of each of the above and do well!

But where am I now? Well 243Win, 25-06Rem, 6.5x55, 6.5x06, 7mmRem Mag, 280 Rem, 308 Win, 30-06. I also have an ex-wife and she has some of my ex-rifles!

lilabner · « **Reply #8 on:** January 28, 2006, 02:11:14 PM »

I'll probably not own any of my "dream" rifles, but it is fun to think about on a weekend when the NFL isn't on the tube. The standard cartridges I shoot all perform well enough. I can handload the old Springfield to 2800 fps with 180s and 2600 with 200 gr. bullets and it kills elk. I could actually make do with it as my only rifle but I enjoy rifles too much to do that.The .243 and 25-06 are accurate and flat shooting and the .270 is no slouch. If I didn't have ballistics tables to read, I'd probably never think about other cartridges. Did you know you can zero a .257 Weatherby for a point blank range of 330 yards?

PEPAW · « **Reply #9 on:** January 30, 2006, 02:28:05 AM »

You and I agree on the bullets, but not the magnum part! I prefer to shoot my .257 Roberts, and .270 regular. :grin: And I have no plans for the big bears, so I will stay out of that discussion.
In my first life, I wanted to reach out further. In my second life, I prefer to hunt closer and practice more at the range. Those .257 Mags are lethel, but so is the .25-06 and a with less recoil and a lot cheaper for factories. I have used both and the Weatherby kills deer no deader, just with a little less hold-over.
The do-all, of course, is the .260. 120' and 140's. Anybody getting tired of my .260 bandwagon yet?

pepaw

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 30, 2006, 03:15:53 AM »

22-250 through 416 Rigby. :-D

NONYA · « **Reply #11 on:** January 30, 2006, 04:57:10 AM »

I use my 7mm Rem Mag on everything,deer,elk,antelope,bear,yote,ect ect.Its a great open country shooter for Montana.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #12 on:** January 30, 2006, 05:39:16 AM »

Perfect? Depends on where your hunting.........the .35 Remington might be the perfect cartridge for the hardwoods....along with the 45.70..........

The 30.06, 308 along with the 7X57mm and .270 could also be included for more open hunting......

Zachary · « **Reply #13 on:** January 30, 2006, 05:41:48 AM »

If I had to pick 1 gun for each of the 3 categories, then it would be as follows:

.25-06,
.30-06,
.338 Win Mag.

That is not to say that you can't use a .338 on an antelope, or a .25-06 on elk, but they are not the most proper choices.

Zachary

oso45-70 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 30, 2006, 07:14:50 AM »

My choice would be, 6mm. rem. for antelope, 280 for deer and 338 for elk or black bear, 375wby. or 416rem. for griz.

jro45 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 30, 2006, 11:05:10 AM »

The 257 Wby Thru the 416 Rem. The best of the best.

razmuz · « **Reply #16 on:** January 30, 2006, 02:05:51 PM »

When I see a nimrod at the 7-11 in a high rise pickup wearing camouflage I know he shoots a magnum. In these United States there in no rational for magnums. For the far away stuff a 25-06 will get the job done. For every thing else a 6.5X55 is the ticket.

TNrifleman · « **Reply #17 on:** January 30, 2006, 02:18:05 PM »

Deer/ antelope- 7X57, 6.5x55, 257 Roberts
Elk- 35 Whelen, 300 H&H
Big Bears- 375 H&H

Slamfire · « **Reply #18 on:** January 30, 2006, 06:40:41 PM »

I've got a pair of .260s, one for open country and one for the black timber. I cured myself of magnumitis years ago. :-D

mangulator · « **Reply #19 on:** January 31, 2006, 06:42:04 AM »

Well, my choices would be 30-06, 7mm-08, 308, and .270 win.

lilabner · « **Reply #20 on:** January 31, 2006, 08:11:01 AM »

I've got to make an admission here. The reason I never owned any of my ideal calibers is I'm too cheap. My last rifle purchase, a new Weatherby Vanguard stainless, set me back $380 and that's the most I've ever paid for a rifle. Most I've spent on scopes is $180 for Bushnell 3200s. I've either purchased used guns or the moderately priced stuff. I've reasoned that standard calibers based on the '06 case are cheaper to own, cheaper to shoot and work OK for what I hunt.

nasem · « **Reply #21 on:** January 31, 2006, 09:33:36 AM »

for north america, I think you can get away with one 30-06; cheap ammo, good accuracy, good knock down power for mostly all (except maybe 1000 lbs bears)

now if your pocket book is a little better and you enjoy recoil (not sure if that even makes sense), 338 win mag or 375 h&h

if I have to choose ONLY 1 rifle to do it all, I'd go with my 375 h&h, but of course the cost of that is recoil and expensive ammo, the advantage of that is, you can hunt anything that walks this earth.... 210 or 235 gr for the super long shots, or 270 gr swift-a-frame (Never used those, but JJhack from africa form swears by these)

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #22 on:** February 01, 2006, 04:14:25 AM »

Quote from: razmuz

When I see a nimrod at the 7-11 in a high rise pickup wearing camouflage I know he shoots a magnum. In these United States there in no rational for magnums. For the far away stuff a 25-06 will get the job done. For every thing else a 6.5X55 is the ticket.

That “nimrod” sounds like a friend of mine who likes to spend his money on his vehicles instead of guns and his time 4-wheeling in places I refuse to go. Its only natural that he takes his 4-wheeler when he goes hunting. If there is a reason for him not to shoot a magnum like I do, I can’t think what it is.

The 7mm Mag I started out with as an elk rifle served me well for 24 years and continues to do so. It was a fine choice but if it was to do over, knowing what I know now, I might well choose a different rifle this time - a .300 Win Mag, an itch I scratched a year ago. While I enjoy hunting with my non-magnums (Marlins in .30-30, .375Win, .45-70, .257 Roberts with +P loads, and my .308 Win after I get hunting loads developed), when the freezer is empty I’m likely to reach for the 7mm or .300 magnums.

I’m guessing you don’t spend much time hunting the big stuff like elk, moose, big bears, buffalo, caribou. While both are fine cartridges, neither a .25-06 or 6.5x55 would be my first choice for a distant shot at elk, or on anything bigger for that matter. And when Brother Grizz decides I’m in his personal space I’d feel a lot more comfortable with a bigger bullet than either of those two cartridges can throw.

lilabner · « **Reply #23 on:** February 01, 2006, 06:35:52 AM »

The 7mm Remington Magnum is the only magnum caliber I've owned. I had a Rem. 700 Classic and it was a very nice rifle. Flat shooting and accurate and I hunted elk with it instead of my '06 several seasons. That probably isn't long enough to get a bead on killing power but near as I could tell, elk didn't react any differently when hit by the big 7 than they did to an '06 bullet. It did shoot flatter and that was a plus. Brass was more expensive and it burned more powder and seemed to kick a little harder. My dad died, I inherited his Springfield and I wanted to hunt with it for old times sake so I went back to the '06. I don't feel undergunned with it but I'm sure a .338 packs more punch.

animal · « **Reply #24 on:** February 21, 2006, 08:48:07 AM »

280-------------280----------------280

Lead Poison · « **Reply #25 on:** February 21, 2006, 01:32:08 PM »

Pronghorn...25-06

Whitetail/Mule deer....30-06 Spfd, 280 Rem, 270 Win. (You can't beat the classics and most people shoot them well.)

Elk...338 Win. Mag, 300 Win. Mag, 7mm Rem. Mag.

My top five for Whitetail deer hunting:
1. 30-06 Spfd.
2. 280 Rem.
3. 270 Win.
4. 308 Win.
5. 7mm-08

black powder · « **Reply #26 on:** February 22, 2006, 10:42:01 AM »

180 gr.winchester supreme accubond ...300 wsm ...for all game ...

[URL=http://imageshack.us][img]http://img311.imageshack.us/img311/8928/p1010005copy21xd.jpg[/img][/url]

RaySendero · « **Reply #27 on:** February 22, 2006, 11:23:25 AM »

Quote from: lilabner

Here's my choice of perfect cartridges for several big game species:

Pronghorn antelope - Easy choice - .257 Weatherby Magnum

Mule and whitetail deer - .270 Weatherby Magnum or .270 WSM

Elk - .338 Winchester Magnum

Big Bears - Two choices here: for me, .375 Weatherby Magnum or .375 H&H. For the guide, .416 Rigby or .458 Winchester Magnum. I would select the .50 BMG for the guide but I don't think it comes in a carry rifle.

...

I would feel comfortable covering all with -
a 270 win. and a 375 H&H!

358Win · « **Reply #28 on:** March 03, 2006, 11:47:20 AM »

If I had to do it all with one gun the 358 Winchester would be my first choice and the 35 Whelen would be my second. Not much difference in ballistics and the 358 can be made up in a short action. With a max. load of 48.0 grains of AA2520 a 250 grain bullet can be driven at 2,400 fps and a 225 can go 2550, a 200 zips along at 2,700 fps. If your really worried about big bears at close range the 310 Woodleigh can reach 2,100.

310 Woodleigh or 280 Swift Big Bears
250 Normal Bear Moose load
225 Great Elk, Moose, Black Bear load
200 Fabulous on Deer and Antelope

Note the 358 Win drives a 200 grain at the same speed a 308 drives a 180.

358Win · « **Reply #29 on:** March 03, 2006, 11:49:37 AM »

If I had to do it all with one gun the 358 Winchester would be my first choice and the 35 Whelen would be my second. Not much difference in ballistics and the 358 can be made up in a short action. With a max. load of 48.0 grains of AA2520 a 250 grain bullet can be driven at 2,400 fps and a 225 can go 2550, a 200 zips along at 2,700 fps. If your really worried about big bears at close range the 310 Woodleigh can reach 2,100.

310 Woodleigh or 280 Swift Big Bears
250 Normal Bear Moose load
225 Great Elk, Moose, Black Bear load
200 Fabulous on Deer and Antelope

Note the 358 Win drives a 200 grain at the same speed a 308 drives a 180.