Best all around hunting rifle?

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A Winchester Model 94 Timber Carbine w/Williams 5D peep (or the Ashley XS) chambered for the .444 Marlin cartridge...everything from squirrels to elephants.
 
To address the statement "the 30-06 is NOT going to take a Ram Sheep or mountain goat at 400 or more yards" I'd like to point out the fact that the 30-06 was THE standard round used by the US Army and the US Marine corps from 1906 until the 7.62 NATO came out in the mid 50s, and even after that the 06 was used as the standard snipers round until the late 60s. LOTS of shots have been successfully made (some out past 1200 yds) with the 30-06 against the enemies of the USA in all wars from WW1 to Viet Nam with the 30-06 and the 30-06 was the top contender for match shooting at 600 800 and 100 yds for several decades.
So the idea that it’s no good for a sheep at 500 yds would be analogous to saying a 357 magnum is a good police round at 25 yards but it just can't work at 30 yards.


You have not really thought that through have you......
 
Sure am glad the smackdown has been administered on the venerable ole '06 and her capabilities. I might have taken offense and had to come out and defend the ole girl myself.

You know I do own a few magnum guns and enjoy taking them out shooting from time to time but I realize they just aren't necessary to get the job done. Honestly my 7mm08 will do anything the 7mmMag will do and about as well at respectable ranges. I think anyone that feels you have to have a magnum to shoot anything out there is suffering the Nepoleonic Pecker Syndrome and doesn't realize that its not really about how hard you can hit it, but more about where you place it that does the most damage.
 
I have to agree with Wyosmith that the 30-06 is indeed effective out past 400 yards and I wouldn't hesitate to take a 500 or 600 yard shot with mine. I have personally taken deer (white tails) at 485 and 545 yards and they were one shot kills. All I load in my 30-06 loads are 165 and 180 gr. bullets and they are Remington Cor-loks. I swear by Cor-loks and use them almost exclusively in all my reloads in many calibers. A person who knows his rifle and ammo, and who has practiced long range shooting, and has confidence in his ability to put a bullet where he wants it, shouldn't refrain from taking shots past 400 yards with a 30-06.
 
.308

.308... mine is a real inexpensive Remington... 788 with an old Redfield Wide View 2x-7x scope. Hunted with this little rifle for 25 years... taken so many white tails I have lost count. I guess 30.06 would be fine too but the .308 is accurate and can be loaded very close to the .06... I spray painted camouflage on the cheap little 'beechwood' stock... keep it clean and well oiled... work up your loads or make sure what type of ammunition it shoots well... I own a fairly wide variety of long guns and this is probably the least expensive and certainly the roughest looking of the bunch but when I go into the woods for some serious 'still' hunting... I throw this on my shoulder and it has never failed me. You put the bullet in the right place and this little weapon will drop anything on this continent... even the Brown or Grizzly... bullet choice and placement is paramount of course but it will do the job.
 
Easy choice for me - Winchester 95 in 30-06 -

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My wife gave it to me 6 years ago for our 25th anniversary - double reason for it being my favorite -
 
Pretty much any savage rifle made

Did I mention Savage?

I think Savage might be the best....no wait...I am sure of it.

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Anything in .30-06 that's reliable. .45-70 is an overlooked choice, but it's also poor on anything past 150-200 yards without some serious "ballistic compensation.'' That being said, .45-70 will also stop anything on the continent. .30-06 was what I killed my first elk with, so I may be biased. There's always the .300 win mag, but forget about practice unless you reload. The .270 is a great round as well, and I have taken an elk with it as well. The problem with smaller calibers is bullet weight necessarily goes down. I shoot light for caliber 350 grn out of my .45-70 and mid-heavy 165s and 180s out of the .30-06. the .270 only likes 130 grn bullets in my rifle, so that's pretty much what I'm stuck with. The highest those go is around 150. That's a light-middle .30 caliber.

The most important thing, and I know this has been overstated, is shot placement. There isn't a bullet out there that you can miss with and still kill your game, unless you're talking prairie dogs and TNT bullets. My dad killed one with a 6mm that he blew up in front of the dog. The frag killed it.

Remington, Ruger, Thompson Center, and others all make great hunting rifles. H&R works for those of us on a budget. I own the H&R in .45-70. I figured if it was going to be one shot, it had better be a big one.
 
I neglected the sight portion of the original question. I want fiber optic open sights as backup and inclement weather sights. The optics would be a 2X7 on quick detach Warne mounts preferably with some sort of multi-aiming point or ballistic reticle.
 
You'll never have a problem with the 308,30-06,270.
Ammo is everywhere and either will knock down DRT
any animal in North America excluding those that bite
back
 
1st the sight: Swarovksi Z6 1.7-10 x 42
2nd the rifle: custom, probably Ed Brown, .300 Win Mag (unless they would chamber it in .300 Norma Mag)
 
This one works fine for me.
Sako Finnbear in .30-06, w/ Nikon Monarch 4-12x40AO.
I've taken white tail, muleys, & russian boar with this rifle - availability of ammunition is a huge plus with the 30-06.

Bruce

Sako Finnbear in .30-06
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Thank you sir,

She's a sweet-heart alright, with the slickest action I've ever worked in a bolt-gun. I'll stick to wood & steel for my shooting needs - Old school.

The .30-06 may be a compromise to some but, considering the choice of factory ammunition and the bullet weights available for reloaders, I believe the '06 to be the "ideal" cartridge.

One more pic

Bruce

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The best all around hunting rifle is MINE!

It's the one I carry when hunting,( it only changes when I decide to grab another from the cabinet):D Everybodies rifle's their personal all around best.And I like mine the best.:rolleyes: and btw Ray sendaro that's a beautiful rifle man.:) I notice now that there is alot of 3006 mentioned in these replies. Three weeks ago we (some of us) were ready to dismiss this old venerable, in another thread. Let's give the old booger the respect that is due. But when I head to my cabinet, it's a Weatherby Vanguard, 7 mm rem mag, that I'll draw to hunt anything on this continent. Fellas I will never hunt bear.... I hope one never decides to hunt me.. But anything else,,I can properly handload for it, and cleanly kill it, with my rifle. (the 3006 kicks too much for me):D
 
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When mentioning Alaskan Big Game I would think that the 30.06 would be the lower limit with the 7mm Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag being better choices in my opinion. The 7mm Rem Mag is a good cartridge for a wide variety of game and the recoil really isn't all that bad. As far as action, that will be a personal preference. A good thing is that all of the three cartridges I mentioned are offered in a variety of actions by many manufacturers

Good Luck
Buddy
 
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