mine
No order
1. .22 lr-everybody knows why, ......practice, affordable, handles most small game just fine most of the time. Anybody doesn't list it is likely not shooting enough!
2. 30-'06-mainly for historical reasons. I've never killed a single game animal w/ an '06, though I was hard on a pack of feral dogs on my hunt club w/ my Garand! Great eliminator of fascists/socialists and at least one pair of cop killing bank robbers. The list of legendary firearms chambered in same is considerable, Browning 1917, 1919, BAR, Garand, '03 Springfield, P17. Teddy R., one of my all time real heroes, took one to Africa. Alvin York likely used either a P17 in 06, or maybe a Springfield in his MOH action. So did Sam Woodfill(?) at about the same time, though less publicized. Audie Murphy mentions the "accuracy (or was it power) of a Garand" in his book. Patton praised the Garand, chambered in 'O6 of course. Subora Saikai (?) a Japanese Zero ace, was critically injured by an "06 bullet. Carlos Hathcock and the early Marine Snipers carried Win M70 "06's. The cartridge has been in the hands of our fighting men, in mounts on their vehicles, and in the turrets and wings of their aircraft for many combats. Sorry, I guess I'll move on.
3. .223-it took me awhile to warm up to this number, and the fact that the M16/AR is chambered in same did NOT sway me. What did was my purchase of an early Interarms Mini-Mauser and starting bamaboy with it as his first centerfire. Boy took his first 3 whitetails with the round and a proper bullet. We load and shoot it about as much as any rife/round, one reason 'cause its affordable, and the other, the little rifle is such a joy to carry and shoot. It is not as fast, flat or accurate as my 22-250 varminter, but it works well for shots at most varmints to 300+/-. A clumsy attempt at improving the Mini-Mauser accuracy has it on the sick list presently, but the Dr is considering his next move.
4. 7.62x39mm-yikes, after my patriotic rage above, this may seem odd, it is the "other guys" and an enemies cartridge, even to this date. But as a sporting round, it slips neatly into the .30-30 power range, and is easily found in modern, easily scoped rifles (mines a Ruger M77-II) . So chambered, they carry easy, have good triggers and a simple straight forward manual of arms (bolts are plenty simple to learn) and serve well for deer and hogs and I guess black bear maybe. The Ruger m77 will shoot into a 1.5 at 100, recoil is nill, and every deer the boy and I have tagged with it, either from the M77 or a Mini-30, have gotten just as dead, just as quickly, as with anything bigger. A .30 cal, medium power rifle, again, ala .30-30 does much of what most of us need a rifle to do. NOTE I did NOT mention the AK or the SKS.
5. .308-another US fighting cartridge that has found favor in the field as well. I killed my first whitetail with my grandad's Win M88 in .308 and now launch a bunch of them annually at distances Pap, my great uncles, uncles and Dad would consider absurd, all to punch holes in paper. The M88 is in the safe, semi-retired. The Savage Scout kills a deer every couple years, especially if bow season is tough. An agency M14 is in a rack in the trunk as the "bigger hammer". The M14 had come out of mothballs in
our current war in the dessert. The GP M240 is highly thought of I hear by our troops. Current snipers and LE Marksman commonly have a bolt gun in .308.
Wish I could mention the .270, Jack would be dissappointed if I didn't.
