Anything But A .30-06.....

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If I can’t have a .30-06, I’d like an 8mm Mauser (but there are a bunch of good options). No way I’m taking a .30-30 on a moose hunt, and I’d rather avoid a .300 Win Mag if I can help it.
 
Is 8mm Mauser hunting ammo typically available? If not and you have to roll your own, why not .338-06 rather than 8mm? Much better selection of bullets and it looks like it runs about 200 fps faster than 8mm.
 
WrongHanded said:
Just for fun, and to challenge the idea of the .30-06 Springfield being the best "all-rounder" cartridge for big game in North American, let's see if we can narrow down an alternative.

Someone wants one rifle, chambered in one cartridge, to hunt all legal big game species in North America.

You cannot choose the .30-06, so what do you recommend? And if you have a good reason, what is it?

I'd recommend the .375 Ruger. The reason is that dead is dead, and it'll make it dead. (Providing the shooter, yadda yadda yadda)

But the real reason is that the more demand for the cartridge, the higher the levels of production, which means it gets cheaper....for fools like me who have one and actually want to shoot it more. :D

So what's you choice?
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458 SOCOM on an AR15.
 
I would take my .270 Winchester. It doesn't throw 220 grain bullets because it doesn't need to. Big bears are not made of steel and elephant is not a legal big game animal in North America. But I would miss my 30-06 and be tempted to buy something trendy if I didn't have a .270. I still don't reload, so ammunition availability is a must and cost does matter. I guess at that point, one has to consider 7mm-08 or 280 Remington. In my safe, I would be down to 12 and 20 gauge after the .270, which I could make with if nothing else was available.
 
someguy2800 said:
No doubt but a bit on the pricy side.
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Everything is these days. I support a family of 5 on just my income, so I'm very cognizant of what I spend. I loaded a bunch of ammo when I first got the rifle that I'm still working through. Sure there are cheaper ways to kill a deer, but I just suck with an atlatl.

Point being, have fun, shoot what you enjoy, and most of all, have fun.
 
On this topic, this rifle should be capable of taking a Ram at over 500 yds from a field rest.
The reason I say this, we were travelling across Nebraska to CO. There is a place you need to visit in Paxton Nebraska. It is called Ole's. This guy hunted and had stuffed just about everything in North America in the 50s. And it is all there in the restaurant, including the polar bear. There is a picture there of him high ona mountain with his rifle. It says 500 yds, one shot one ram, 30-06. He is sitting with his back against a rock and the old remington.
 
I'd agree with anyone recommending a 7mm. They are the best balance between 6-8mm xonsidering weight/bullet profile. The 7x57 or 280 would be my choice. Would consider getting them AI chambered specifically the .280 since it benefits a lot from it.

I enjoy my 7x57 and since the Mauser case is the grandfather of the .30-06 it deserves its most humble offerings.
 
Let see anything caliber used on Mauser rifles (Argentine, Sweden, Germans etc.) And or the venerable 308 in any format bolt or semi.
 
Remington1911 said:
This is the only full length photo I have. The photos do not do the thing justice. It is so dark, so rich, it really looks new.

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OMG what a pretty rifle. I see a price tag on the trigger guard, is it for sale. And a fellow RC airplane flyer to boot! I gave my 7x57 to my youngest son. My grandfather built it on a G33/40 Mauser action with Douglas barrel. What a shooter it is too.

If I couldn't have my 30-06 my next choice would be either a 7-08 or a 280 Remington if I could find one for sale. In all honesty I could have killed every deer and the two elk I have killed with a 30-30.
 
wombat13 said:
Is 8mm Mauser hunting ammo typically available? If not and you have to roll your own, why not .338-06 rather than 8mm? Much better selection of bullets and it looks like it runs about 200 fps faster than 8mm.
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1. Well... it used to be. I don't know if 8mm ammo will ever be widely available again, but it used to be. I'm hopeful, but two years of better profitability producing other ammo may have killed widely available 8mm Mauser.

2. Because it didn't come to mind when typing. Now that you point it out, if I had to handload everything (which I hope isn't the issue with 8mm in the future, but it may be) I'd probably go for that one.

I'd much rather have an 8mm Mauser or .338-06 than a 7mm Mauser if I'm going to be hunting moose. Not that the 7mm Mauser is bad, it just seems a mite small for critters that big. Of course, if deer (even big mule deer) is what I'm after, I'd rather have the 7 or 6.5 or even 6mm.
 
Well growing up it was tha '06 or nothing. I really couldn't argue seeing what my dad and uncles could do with their sporterized Springfield's.

My first long gun was a 25-06 and it still will take anything I'm going to pursue. Hate to say it but the rifle I have taken the most game with, up to my only cow elk has been a Ruger Compact in .308 with mostly 150gr Corlokts. Out to 300yds it just works, and at only 6.5 lbs is a dream to pack around.

For over the counter and to the woods it's hard to beat a 270. Recoil isn't much with most 130-140gr loads and nowadays there are even more weights avaliable than in the past.
 
I've had lots of different rifles in lots of different cartridges through the years. The old 30-06 has always been my go-to round, but here lately I've eschewed the old '06 for something different: The 30WCF. I've owned this particular Marlin 336 for quite some time, but for some reason it didn't get used much. Sure, it's a bit on the heavy side but I don't mind that as it offsets the recoil that much more. Not only that, but with the help of a couple different handloads I've used it on everything from groundhogs to whitetail, and on up to wounded cattle. Just seems like it turns critters off right where they are. Accuracy seems to be pretty darn decent, given the Williams peep, and I can keep my shots in a 6" circle at 100 yards with no trouble. I think the rifle would likely do that at 150 or better, but my eyes won't let me! The only downside is the rather short (~200 yard) effective range. It can be stretched a bit further if necessary (and if you know your rifle), but then again there aren't that many places in my area to shoot that far and most of your "average" hunters can't shoot that far anyway. If I had to completely give up the '06, it would be for the old reliable 30-30.

Now, having said that, I recently swapped for a Weatherby Vangaurd deluxe in 243 Winchester, and so far am impressed with it. A cracking little rifle, supremely accurate, and versatile in bullet selection. Sadly, I didn't get to try it out on deer this year but I have whacked a few varmints with it, and am thoroughly impressed. An acquaintance takes his to CO every year for elk, so I'd say it'd be suitable for everything below that. Reckon the 243 would be my second choice if I couldn't have my '06.

Mac
 
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