Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Pick your North America big game battery.

I agree, Bob, and were I inclined to a Medium Bore I'd go to the 375 over the 338. However, I see no need for either, and would be more inclined to pair a heavier 300 Mag (or your Mahburn) to a lighter, smaller 270.

Lot's of ways to do this...

bigwhoop, #1- Ruger 77/22,stainless/laminate, 2-7 scope
#2- Win.70 Featherweight, .223 Rem.,3.5-10 scope
#3- Win.70 stainless/synthetic,.338 WM,3.5-10 scope

I wonder how these choices would change if either

1. You knew you were going to get a shot at the biggest mule deer/elk /whitetail of your life OR

2. You laid down the price of a new pickup to go Stone's sheep hunting?

RinB, As for myself...... no changes! memtb

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.

Gun 1. Remington 700 BDL 243win Burris Euro-Diamond 2-10x44mm ballistic Plex scope.

Gun 2. Remington 721 300 H&H Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40mm duplex scope.

Gun 3. Ruger M77 Hawkeye Guide Gun in 375 Ruger Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36mm duplex scope with Alaskan Arms quick detach rings and a NECG Ruger Peep Sight Ghost Ring sight.

222/223 bolt gun in good walnut with a 3-9 or 4-12 at 8.5 pounds or so

30-06 Pre-64 Fwt with a fixed 6 at 7.25 pounds or so in a good synthetic

35 rem in a 760 with a trim 2-7

I'd still choose the two rifles in 30-06 with no regrets.

Holy old threads Batman..

10/22, not for big game obviously.
223 Tikka SWFA 10x, not for big game either.
30-06 for big game.



"30-06: When you've absolutely, positively, run out of give a schit about rifles"

Only 3,

I have 8 rifles to choose from. As well as 12 handguns and 3 shotguns. So I'll just pick three. In the 25 caliber I have three, A Remington 700 BDL in 25/06 (it's to heavy to hunt with) a Ruger M77 RL ultralight in 257 Roberts Ackley improved and a Kimber 84M in 257 Roberts. Of those I'd have to choose the Kimber, The next step up I have a Remington 700 ADL in 270 Winchester as well as a Weatherby ultralight in 270 Weatherby Magnum of those I'd have to take the Weatherby. I also have a Remington 700 BDL chambered in the 7MM Remington Magnum. It's also heavy so I don't hunt with it anymore. However, it has a gorgeous walnut stock so I won't get rid of it. Then we go up to the 30 caliber I have a Winchester model 88 chambered in 308 Winchester and a Remington 700 ADL in the 30/06 of those two I would choose the 30/06. Because it's the most accurate rifle I have.

So my choices are the Kimber in 257 Roberts, The Weatherby in 270 Weatherby Magnum and the Remington in 30/06.

Usually only feel compelled to carry one. A 16 or 20 bore Ithaca 37 pretty much covers the bases, including small game. Sometimes urban encroachment necessitates less noise, so I use a .22 short.

I could get by just fine with a 20-22" 223 and a 22" 30-06. If you add a 3rd rifle it gets complicated in a sense.

223
270, 30-06
338 win mag, 358 Norma, 375 H&H, Ruger, or Weatherby.

I find just about every medium bore over 30 cal superfluous.

winner.

chicken dinner.

And for gravy. Those two rigs, similarly scoped throwing similar BC's at similar speeds, might be a pair of aces.

Wow, near a dozen years old thread. Some who posted, are now gone. Some old choices, may have since changed.

So three rifles, excluding shotguns............

First, on the list would be 22 rimfire. Not sure if I know a perfect choice. Have an Austrian Voere Lux that was presented to me in my youth. Has adjustable sights, but the original scope is now lacking. Worn but still shoots well. Maybe my fixed sights CZ. Tack driver without any optics out to around 50 or so yards. Would need optics for me to push further. But I would be plenty happy, as is, without scope.

Second, would be 5.56, in a M4 carbine platform. Likely would stick with my KAC SR-15E3 Mod 2 w/ Aimpoint micro T-2. Anything, fight for my life, and anything you'd want to shoot 223/5.56.

Third, would cover medium, large, and anything dangerous. 9.3x62 would be my choice, likely my Sako Black Bear, because it has worked very well for many years now. Still not sure on scope. Been running S&B, but I've always disliked the bulk of high-end scopes on a handy hunting rifle. Maybe a simple Leupold would be ideal and make that choice better for me.

Think I could stick with the above three, for the whole world, not just NA. The M4, would likely be ruled out in places, but the 9.3 should work for everything. The costs for real big stuff in those places, likely would not preclude finding the green light to employ that chambering.

WTF is a North America big game battery?

I guess 30-06 or 308 and a 375 HH and done. If you want a third add a 223 or 243 for smaller deer and such but a 30-06 or 308 will kill those too.

Africa too.

338 Win mag, 270 WSM

For NA hunting? My 280AI with 160/162 grain slugs atop a bunch of H4831sc or RL22. I don't hunt brown bear,Interior or coastal, so I don't require a big bore thumper.

Given criteria that this is for "big game" which means I can exclude small game, predators and varmints, my choice


Left handed 308 win (left handed 270Win or 30-06 will work just as well)

375 H&H if I could get one in left hand config.

last, a slug gun(12 or 20ga) for the states that don't allow high power center fire rifles to hunt big game, ie deer.

I got this one in a pawnshop for $600 OTD. It shoots MOA to 200 yards with cheap Federal factory ammo, and I'm growing irrationally fond of it.



Build Sheet
Barreled action: Ruger M-77 Mk II in 30-06
Stock: Bell & Carlson, not sure which model
Scope: Leupold 3-9 with CDS, standard reticle
Work: Glass bedded, free floated, maybe a trigger job
Stock Finish: Hillbilly Krylon paint job that's starting to wear off
Metal Finish: Whatever comes from Ruger, but I'll paint it dark gray some day
Sling: Cheap Latigo copy
Weight: 8.5#

I like it so much that a near-twin in 338 WM should be here in a few days. Those two rifles are my battery, and probably will be for the rest of my hunting career. If forced to add a third rifle, it would be a clone of the 30-06.


Okie John