"the all around caliber" ?

[buckmaster_kp]

Best round for game mentioned is the .243 with 100 grain bullets.  Killed many moose, elk and grizzlies with it!  Can't be beat!!

LMAO! 
I'm sure everyone was just ignoring that one, I had to laugh at it.

.30-06 has always been my t-total favorite. A newer toy of mine is a .35 whelen. Haven't seen it mentioned on this thread yet but i coulda missed it. Great all around choice.

[no guns here]

Yep... everybody oughta know by now that anything less than an '06 with 180 grain boolits just bounces off of animals.  I reckon that we oughta make a law against hunting with anything smaller, lighter or slower!  Goodness... how can anyone even THINK of hunting deer with a .308 and 150 grain boolits?  Shame on you all that do!  Might as well be usin' a pea-shooter or throwing rocks...  Them 165's are just barely, possibly acceptable.  Maybe only on the perfect broadside shot at 100 m or less with no wind and in a fence so they can't run away if it only scratches them.

Dang, all jesting aside...  it's all personal preference, no one is right!  .270/7mm/.280/.308/.30-'06/.300/.338 all shoot sufficiently flat for 300 yds.  All have sufficient energy for 300 yds.  All come in regular or premium bullets.  Pick the one you like and shoot it.  If you want to hunt brown bear you might want to step up a bit in size/energy... or at least invest in body armor.  If you want to hunt elk, pick a better bullet and make a good shot.  If you want to hunt moose, same thing.  The key is in the shot placement.  An 180 grain '06 won't kill a deer with a bad hit any faster than a 120 bullet in a .270.  Take out heart and lungs and they die, doesn't matter if it's a pronghorn, a hog, a whitetail, an elk or a moose.

It's all in your choice.  I use any of the following for deer; 6mm Remington, '06,.308 Win, .45-70, .357 mag, .50 cal, .45 cal, 12 ga, 20 ga, .376 Steyr and I'm sure I missed one or two...  For hogs I don't choose the 6mm Remington and .357.  It would work but I like a bit bigger bullet for hogs.  If I was gonna hunt elk or bigger I would leave off the 6mm and .357 mag.  I wouldn't feel undergunned against black bear with the others either.  For Brown Bear or other dangerous game I'd take a .45-70 or my Steyr. That's the beauty of it all... I can have what I want for whichever use I want.

Of course I could have saved a BUNCH of money by keeping only the .30-'06 from the beginning.  It was the first I bought since it would do just about anything.  But hey, I like my guns and buy one or two a year just as a matter of principle.  Pretty sure that I need a 6.8 spc.  I KNOW I need another .44 Rem Mag.  I could certainly find a use for a Drilling.  A 6BR would be good too.  I definitely have to get a 6.5x55 too.  After that I might need something more like a .416 or bigger.  Kinda crazy but y'all know it's just an addiction that has to be satisfied... dang I clean forgot about all them lever-actions I want...


ngh

[jro45]

I would choose my 300 RUM For all those animals.

[slickest]

i cant believe this topic is still going. Ended up with a remmy 700 sps varmint .308 that i believe im going to have fluted. if i need anything bigger than that it will be a .30-378 weatherby mag

[Foggy]

280Rem or A 35Whelen  If it had to be one  where I live  it would be the 280Rem. In a area with big Bears 35Whelen. JMO

[Brithunter]

i cant believe this topic is still going. Ended up with a remmy 700 sps varmint .308 that i believe im going to have fluted. if i need anything bigger than that it will be a .30-378 weatherby mag

Errrrr excuse me but the post was about calibers and not cartridges. both your choices are the same caliber namely 30 cal.

   Personally I don't thing that there really is an all round caliber  but if I really had to choose one I think it would be around .35-.37 caliber because it has a good arange od bulelt weights and is a reasonable diameter bullet to deliver impact to larger game. .30 cal is good but if .................................. if I had to rely on just one for any huntign anywhere I might go then a larger diameter bullet might be a good idea. As for cartridge well there is a good selection form antiques ones to modern ones in my spectrum of choice and includes magnums should I feel the need for one. Now one which would be a good consideration would be the old .350 Rigby cartridge that was introduced to cater for the sportsman heading for the Colonies, namely Africa and India and although a bit light maybe for Elephant with solid bullets was capable of doing the job. A bonus of the Rigby is not belt.

[Coyote Hunter]

i cant believe this topic is still going. Ended up with a remmy 700 sps varmint .308 that i believe im going to have fluted. if i need anything bigger than that it will be a .30-378 weatherby mag

Errrrr excuse me but the post was about calibers and not cartridges. both your choices are the same caliber namely 30 cal.

Errrrr excuse me but ‘slickest’ started this thread:

If you guys were to choose one rifle/caliber to hunt black bear, Whitetail deer, Moose,  and elk what would it be?
If you have read any of my post's I'm leaning towards a .308 but I'm  open to suggestions. Also I don't not reload so please take that into mind.

Seems to me that he misused the word ‘caliber’ when what he meant was ‘cartridge’ – a very common occurrence on this side of the pond.  But yes, both the .308 Win and .30-378 are .30 caliber cartridges.

   Personally I don't thing that there really is an all round caliber  but if I really had to choose one I think it would be around .35-.37 caliber because it has a good arange od bulelt weights and is a reasonable diameter bullet to deliver impact to larger game. .30 cal is good but if .................................. if I had to rely on just one for any huntign anywhere I might go then a larger diameter bullet might be a good idea. As for cartridge well there is a good selection form antiques ones to modern ones in my spectrum of choice and includes magnums should I feel the need for one. Now one which would be a good consideration would be the old .350 Rigby cartridge that was introduced to cater for the sportsman heading for the Colonies, namely Africa and India and although a bit light maybe for Elephant with solid bullets was capable of doing the job. A bonus of the Rigby is not belt.

While the thread title asks about “the all around caliber”, “slickest” clearly stipulated in the opening post that the quarry would be “black bear, Whitetail deer, Moose, and elk”.  No need to worry about elephant or even Africa.

For the stated purpose, the .308 Win that “slickest” settled on is an excellent choice for deer and black bear and more than adequate for the occasional elk or moose. That said, and given that he does not handload, I question his choice of a .30-378 if he needs anything “bigger”.

This is the type of question where there is no one “right” answer but there are certainly many “wrong” answers.  I started in 1982 with a 7mm Rem Mag and as my only big game centerfire bolt gun for 20 years I have used it on prairie dogs to elk with no complaints.  During that time, however, there hasn’t been a shot at big game that I couldn’t have taken equally well with a .308 Win.

These days I have a wider variety of rifles and cartridges to choose from but would have to say that as an “all around caliber” the .30 stands out.  These days I have a .30-30, .308 Win, three .30-06s and a .300 Win Mag. 

As an “all around cartridge” the .30-06 is not the only candidate but I can’t think of a better one given North American big game.

[GrassLakeRon]

I love these Ford / Chevy Debates.

The Americas 30-06'.  The rest of the world 375 H&H.

Ron

[Brithunter]

While the thread title asks about “the all around caliber”, “slickest” clearly stipulated in the opening post that the quarry would be “black bear, Whitetail deer, Moose, and elk”.  No need to worry about elephant or even Africa.

  yeah I realise that but as I pointed out my Personal choice would be between .35 & .37 and one that would require thinking about would be the old 350 Rigby. For light loads like the Wheelan it can be loaded with .358" pistol bullets  . It's just a suggestion, option call it what you will.