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Four Best Calibers for U.S. Hunters

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Shawnee

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Criteria...

* should have bullets and power that is effective for the kinds of game most U.S. hunters go after

* those bullets and that power should come from factory ammo. (No, most U.S. hunters do NOT reload)

* should be easy to hit with at the ranges most responsible/ethical U.S. hunters should be shooting at game - max around 300yds.

* should be easy for most U.S. hunters to shoot (re: blast and recoil)

* should be in a rifle/scope combo that is compact/light enough to be easily carried

* should NOT be scoped with a 3x412x55 double-secant-mil-dot-multi-plex-GPS-heat-seeking- technicolor-white sidewalls-computer-guided scope - in Camo.


So - realizing that most U.S. hunters go after "varmints" and Whitetail or Mule Deer, and sommmmmmmetimes hogs - we are looking for calibers that are true dual-purpose calibers - and there are exactly four (count 'em, 4) of them. Not three (3). Not five (5). There are four (4). Quatro. (4).

In reverse order of desirability they are:

#4 - the .250 Savage

#3 - the .257 Roberts

#2 - the 6mm Remington

and THE #1 - hands-down, guaranteed, All-Time Best Champion centerfire rifle caliber for the typical U.S. hunter is unquestionably - as everyone knows - the .243 Winchester.

an' Tha'ss a Fac', Jac ! :)

:cool:
 
1) .30-06
2) .30-30
3) .243
4) .22 rf (no, not for big game)

BTW, the vast number of American hunters only shoot a varmit of any kind because it walked out in front of'm while they were deer hunting.
 
1) .22lr
2) 12 gauge
3) 30-06
4) .223 Rem.

That pretty much covers anything that needs hunting on NA and all cartridges are easily available in a wide variety of loads.
 
Is this a question or your opinion?
Most of the above calibers are hard to find except in gun stores, save .243. I would say in all actuality, most big/medium game hunters would only need a .30-06 (or .308) and a .223. Personally, my needs are/could be fill with a .22, .22-250, .30-30, and a 30-06.

Also in many areas, the .22-250 is a very popular deer round

HB

Edit,

Thought about it, I only really need a 12 gauge, but other guns make life so much easier! And also, .25-06 is a decent jack of all trades, but may blow out Wile E. Coyote and his friends
 
Last edited:
Wow, I agree 100% with Mike Franklin's choices!

Funny, since I own approximations of those rounds, rather than the actual calibers. I have:

7.62x54R (not quite .30-06, more like .308)
7.62x39 (pretty much a .30-30)
.22 WMR (splits the difference between .22rf and .243)

We have to use shotguns or muzzleloaders for deer here, so .243 isn't the de facto choice like it is for many folks in other states.


gp911
 
The only problem I have with your choices is that numbers 1 and 2 as well as 3 and 4 are ballistic twins. You have in effect picked only 2. My picks would be:

.223 for varmits and small whitetails.
.308 for all around use. 7mm-08 would be just as good or possibly better but I can still find .308 plinking ammo much cheaper.
30-30 for close range hunting.
300 mag., either the new WSM or traditional winchester mag for larger game or longer range use.
 
So, you set up the criteria so that only your favorite cartridges would pass it, then, magically, chose your favorite cartridge as the one that fits the criteria best? Nice. :rolleyes:

I'm fairly certain if you were going to go by the number of guns in the woods, American's favorite hunting cartridges would be the .30-30, .30-06, the .22lr, and the .308. Wildcats off the .308 and .30-06 cartridges would come next (which would presumably include the .243). There is a reason for this: they are the most commonly available found, and each serves its particular niche well. These are the cartridges you're going to be able to find in some mom and pop general store in the nearest town when you're out in the middle of nowhere.
 
.223
.30-30
.308
.30-06

Because they will do the job and almost every gun store in America has them in stock most of the time.

.222 Mag
7MM Mauser
6.5 X 55 Swede
.308

Because I like these. Yep, I like the .308 a lot. :)
 
No argument from me. I happen to have

.30-06 Sprg
.243 Win
.44 Mag

(Two of these are recognized as "versatile", and the last is gaining popularity for close-range work, even though Ruger keeps discontinuing their carbine. I suspect the lever-action crowd is responsible.)
 
Amazing how a cartridge that was born in 1895, .30-30, is still a popular round.
dmazur,
Get yourself a Marlin .44 mag. No chance of that one being discontinued.
Bill Ruger should have turned out a copy of the old Kennedy Lever Action, the CAS shooters would have loved it.
 
The criteria are not at all clear. Does what most hunters hunt mean anything in the US including Alaska? Does that mean every cartridge on the list has to be capable of taking any game in the US? I will never hunt Grizzlies or Moose so for me I can do it in 3 - .308, .260 and .22lr. If I were sure I would never go west for elk, I'd drop the .308. By the way I think the .243 is over-rated and the .260 is much more versatile splitting the difference between the .243 and the 7mm-08 perfectly both metrically and functionally.
 
Deer season is by far the most heavily hunted. Lets face it, the woods are usually empty until deer season, when suddenly, there is a buzzed hunter and a case of Natural Light behind every bush and bolder. I like to hunt the other seasons, because I'm usually alone. I'm actually going to TRY and hunt this years deer season; pray i make it out alive.

But I'm on a tangent, and i digress.

Most hunters go for deer and big game, with varmints as an after though. What we see around here the most are:

* 30-06
* 308
* 30-30
* 7mm-08
* 243
* 270
* 25-06
* 223
* 22-250

If we are talking about the top 4 most USEFUL all-around cartridges, i would have to say:

1) 25-06
2) 243
3) 6.5x55
4) 270


With proper bullet selection, all of these cartridges will handle everything from Coyotes to deer. Some of theme lean to one side or the other, but they will all do the job for vast majority or American hunting. It was HARD to decide which way to flip the 243 and 6.5mm, but i finally gave the nod to the 243 because of greater ammo availability, but i think the 6.5 is the more versatile of the two.
 
A U.S. hunter should be able to anywhere he wants!

.22 Mag
7mm x 57mm Mauser
12 gauge
375 H&H Mag

Anything, anytime, anywhere baby!:cool:
 
For me, the choice is simplistic:

.22 LR
.30-06 Sprg.
.338 Win Mag
12 gauge

Doc2005
 
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