Most universal caliber

[theboyscout]

Actually the OP qualified his question with, "..., but I want to be able to hunt everything from fox, bobcat, wolverine, deer, and more." So your "universal" and "hunt" is just about slaughtering the animal, not about eating it or harvesting the pelt then ??

I'm sure that can't be what you mean?

LD

No never. I kill it I eat it. Anything worth hunting is worth eating or don't do it all

 

[theboyscout]

I'm more less looking for something for my father to shoot. He can't hold a big rifle and handle recoil like he used to. I am bot a fan of AR not saying they are bad just not my cup of tea. But I would get a 556/223 in a bolt or beeak. I have seen some hunters take dear very nicely at 200 yards for a 556 and I would be shooting much smaller dear in Florida, than what most of you see. So using that round seemed we'll workable for many different games. Using a 62 great or higher bullet I would still get well over 900 ft lbs of impact.



Quick chart

 

[rodwha]

No never. I kill it I eat it. Anything worth hunting is worth eating or don't do it all

I have to ask what fox, bobcat, and wolverine taste like.

My father was stationed in South Korea and Japan (and somewhere else?) and ate both cat and dog. Said it was good, which made me wonder about the feline and canine game options. I suppose I’d try it.

 

[Legionnaire]

For a non-reloader, today I'd recommend a 6.5 Creedmoor. It is widely available in a plethora of loadings. For the record, I don't own one.

For a hand loader, a .243 Win (make mine an Ackley Improved), .260 Rem, or a 7mm-08. I'm thinking my next build will be a 7mm-08 Ackley.

 

[theboyscout]

I have to ask what fox, bobcat, and wolverine taste like.

My father was stationed in South Korea and Japan (and somewhere else?) and ate both cat and dog. Said it was good, which made me wonder about the feline and canine game options. I suppose I’d try it.

It's all in aging the meat. Florida is hot, so you use a cooler to soak the meat with ice and a little water that bleeds it and it taste pretty normal for meat. Still it's own flavor but not as gamey as one would imagine. Same thing is done down here with wild hog to get rid of swamp taste . unless you like that flavor ....

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Same thing is done down here with wild hog to get rid of swamp taste . unless you like that flavor ....

MMmmmmmm.......swamp pork.....mmmmmmmmm (In my best Homer Simpson "beeeeeeer" voice)

I took a hog out of hunt lease around Steinhatchee/Big Bend area 4-5 years ago. Buddy of mine was a member. Made great pulled pork.

 

[theboyscout]

MMmmmmmm.......swamp pork.....mmmmmmmmm (In my best Homer Simpson "beeeeeeer" voice)

I took a hog out of hunt lease around Steinhatchee/Big Bend area 4-5 years ago. Buddy of mine was a member. Made great pulled pork.

Yes they do

 

[George P]

6.5 x 55 Swede; can be loaded down to 85 grain bullets, or loaded up to 160s

 

[CraigC]

No never. I kill it I eat it. Anything worth hunting is worth eating or don't do it all

So I shouldn't shoot any varmints because I don't plan to eat them? No more coyotes, foxes, bobcats, field rats, ground hogs, possums, coons, armadillos, etc.? Maybe I should've sent the 19 skunks I killed in 2016 to you?

 

[MCgunner]

I have a pig showing up at my feeder sorta regularly around 7pm. A few more days to make that a habit and I'll be back there with my 7.62x39 SKS night hunting rifle. It's certainly not an all around weapon, though, but I have uses here for a specialized night pig hunting rifle.

 

[rodwha]

I have a pig showing up at my feeder sorta regularly around 7pm. A few more days to make that a habit and I'll be back there with my 7.62x39 SKS night hunting rifle. It's certainly not an all around weapon, though, but I have uses here for a specialized night pig hunting rifle.

Where’s the pic of the rifle? And I must admit to being a little curious about the round you prefer. Doesn’t seem there’s a lot of options for hunting unless you handload, though I haven’t looked around much in a long time.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Where’s the pic of the rifle? And I must admit to being a little curious about the round you prefer. Doesn’t seem there’s a lot of options for hunting unless you handload, though I haven’t looked around much in a long time.

All you need is a 5 rd mag and a non FMJ projectile. Someone was making 7.62x39 with an exposed lead tip at some point, because a friend of mine killed a whitetail with her SKS.

 

[MCgunner]

Where’s the pic of the rifle? And I must admit to being a little curious about the round you prefer. Doesn’t seem there’s a lot of options for hunting unless you handload, though I haven’t looked around much in a long time.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...-soft-point-bi-metal-steel-case-berdan-primed





I get 2200 fps from my 20" SKS and it's devastating on a pig. It's also more accurate than the 123 grain stuff, at least in my SKS which is no match rifle, so any accuracy improvement is appreciated. LOL The rifle shoots 2.5 MOA with the stuff which is better than really needed for night hunting pigs at under 100 yards. I think that guy's Ruger doesn't like the hard primers of the Tula ammo. My SKS has never misfired on a round, any round.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...-soft-point-bi-metal-steel-case-berdan-primed





I get 2200 fps from my 20" SKS and it's devastating on a pig. It's also more accurate than the 123 grain stuff, at least in my SKS which is no match rifle, so any accuracy improvement is appreciated. LOL The rifle shoots 2.5 MOA with the stuff which is better than really needed for night hunting pigs at under 100 yards. I think that guy's Ruger doesn't like the hard primers of the Tula ammo. My SKS has never misfired on a round, any round.

View attachment 834399

You should try that with the "meat target" al la Paul Harrell.

 

[Dibbs]

30-06...universal; it's a available all over the world. Why: terminal performance.

Yeah, you hit something with 30.06, like as not, it drops like a bag of rocks.

That said, I just finished my .223 hunter, and I like it for all small and medium game. Soft tips are right punchy. Any larger than small boar, though,
I'm going right back to the old 30.06.

 

[LoonWulf]

Yeah, you hit something with 30.06, like as not, it drops like a bag of rocks.

I guess Ive seen quite a few bags of rocks run like you poked them with a hot stick

I joke, but Ive seen bad shots made because the shooters got an all mighty "aught-six" that they have been told is lightening on game. They either take a bad shot, or the recoil is more than they are comfortable dealing with and they flinch.

The 06s is still one of my favorite cartridges, but its not infallible. Its got enough velocity to cause shallow penetration with light or soft bullets and bad angles, and dosent open the gaping holes that some of the larger cartridges using heavier for caliber projectiles will.

What it does very well is provide a good terminal performance on good hits, and gives you a much larger margin of error than a smaller cartridge, without a magnum jump in recoil. Honestly I think, in a average weight rifle, its at about the top of the recoil ladder for a lot of folks that dont shoot much.

I'm more less looking for something for my father to shoot. He can't hold a big rifle and handle recoil like he used to. I am bot a fan of AR not saying they are bad just not my cup of tea. But I would get a 556/223 in a bolt or beeak. I have seen some hunters take dear very nicely at 200 yards for a 556 and I would be shooting much smaller dear in Florida, than what most of you see. So using that round seemed we'll workable for many different games. Using a 62 great or higher bullet I would still get well over 900 ft lbs of impact.



Quick chart

View attachment 833392

Per the OPs post there, I WOULD NOT recommend an 06.
The .223/5.56 could be made to work well, but I would opt for a slightly heavier cal/cartridge.

.243/6mm Ubiquitous reduced recoil rounds, can have a sharp recoil impulse in a lighter gun tho.

.250/.257, if you buy used, would deliver a slightly heavier bullet than the .243, but at a slower velocity reducing the slap from a lighter rifle, aint many of them around now tho.

6.5cm/260 is where i would land. plenty of bullet weights, with good bc and sectional density in 100-120gr bullets. You have the option of running those down around 2800, reducing recoil energy and velocity. These can be had in fairly light rifle, but are still easy to shoot.

7-08/7x57 Same as the 6.5s, but offering greater bullet weights, while losing some advantages at lower weights.

Again for a light gun in a reduced recoil situation, id probably not opt for anything heavier than those

 

[MCgunner]

You should try that with the "meat target" al la Paul Harrell.

I've been shooting meat with it, on the hoof. Works great, see no reason to doubt the round. I've been shooting it for 15 years at least. It's taken hogs and deer. My primary deer rifle, though, is a .308. I like that rifle. I like the .308 round, great short action round with .30-06 whop with up to 180 grain bullets, but really, it's the little stainless Remington M7 that I've been enamored with for 20 years.

 

[Art Eatman]

I've ruined the day for a couple of dozen Bambis with my .243. All bang-flops, no tracking. Same for my '06, for that matter. All handloads, no factory. From deer on down, I'd say go with the .243.

I messed around with some 55-grain loads; used them on a prairie dog shoot. Messy.

 

[stillquietvoice]

I used to love the 3006 always used 165 gr bullets never had a deer move after being hit.. Then came the repaired rotator cuff and that ended both 06 and 7mm mag for me. I got back into hunting with a 243 win. First Te I pulled the trigger I thought someone threw a piece of paper at me.
I'm now shooting 7mm08 rem.

 

[MCgunner]

I've ruined the day for a couple of dozen Bambis with my .243. All bang-flops, no tracking. Same for my '06, for that matter. All handloads, no factory. From deer on down, I'd say go with the .243.

I messed around with some 55-grain loads; used them on a prairie dog shoot. Messy.

I have a .257 Roberts I shot my first deer with, was my grandpa's. It's always been handloaded out of necessity, because factory was loaded so light in the gun. My grandpa and uncle taught me handloading about the age of 10, at least enough to know how to keep from blowing myself up. I get 3150 fps from a 100 grain Game King in that rifle and 1/2 MOA to boot! Back when the .243 came out, it was actually superior to the .257 with factory loads. .257 factory loads were pathetic. The .243 took over as the light recoil combo varmint/deer cartridge of the day and the .257 faded into history. But, by handloading, the .257 will still hold its own.

There are other small bore deer capable rifles, too, like 6mm Remington.

 

[joed]

My choice, .25-06. I own a .243 as well but it pales compared to the .25-06. 115 gr bullets in the .243, I haven’t seen many that sell rifles in a twist fast enough to stabilize a 115 gr.

The .25-06 will take varmint to Elk and do it with a flat trajectory at any reasonable hunting distance.