Ok you guys. Pick up to three rifle calibers for your ideal North American big game battery. From Alaska to Florida. State your rifles' finish and scope size also. Justify your choices. Let's see what is popular and practical by this group of "average" hunters.
Sure, I'll play. I'll just pick guns I've actually got, since speculating about random alternatives is a hole with no bottom.
Gun 1: Kimber Super America 7mm-08. Leupold 4.5-14 side focus CDS for a scope. Rhodesian sling. Accurate, light (roughly 7 lbs for the whole rig) and capable of shooting a wide range of bullet weights. The fancy scope makes it long range capable and facilitates changing ammo as needed. Pleasant to shoot. Would cover the bulk of hunting opportunities and look good doing it.
Gun 2: Winchester m70 supergrade in 7mm magnum. Same scope and sling. A heavy rifle for elk and moose. Heavy enough to make the 7mm mag pleasant to shoot. Again, looks good doing it.
Gun 3: Browning/Miroku 1886 in .45-90. Skinner barrel peep sight and front sight. Limbsaver nitro installed. Rhodesian sling & leather lever wrap. Your basic nitro express lever gun. Capable of driving a 400/405gr Woodleigh or Barnes Buster at 2150 ft/s or a 425gr Northfork solid at 2060 ft/s. If you need it dead before it gets to eat you, this is the gun. Limited to ~200y range both by sights and the ballistics of the .458 projectiles, but completely deadly with that range. Octagon barrel is schnazzy. Also the ballistically superior option for hunting deer in Ohio for some ??? reason.
If I could add one more gun, I'd add a .375 H&H to have a long range option for bear and bison, but the .45-90 is a perfectly acceptable alternative with a three gun limit.
