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age old question but with a few ideas ....if you could only have one rifle for the lower 48, capable of taking deer and elk to 300 yards AND would be fun to shoot 40 rounds a session..what would it be?
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Campfire Tracker
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30-06
But, its not sexy and no fun and not very "loony-ish"
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Campfire Tracker
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Concur.
The .30-06, or something at a similar level.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Beware of any old man in a profession where one usually dies young.
Calm seas don't make sailors.
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Campfire Outfitter
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06 or a 300 win would be a good choice
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Campfire Ranger
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if i wanted a rifle to hunt with i'd make sure to get one that i liked to shoot...
most guys are best served by something in the .24- .27 categories...
my current favorite toy is a model 70 featherweight 25-06... i'd take it hunting for anything in the 48 states...
no flies on the .270 either....
"Chances Will Be Taken"
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A 7mm Rem Mag was my only bolt rifle for over 20 years. It took prairie dogs to elk.
300 yards isn't very far, though. A .308 Win would have sufficed equally well.
Figure any of the following or similar:
.270 Win
7x57
.280 Rem
7mm Rem Mag
.308 Win
.30-06
My personal opinion is the .300 Magnums are a bit over the top for a "one gun" battery unless you reload.
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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I'm starting to think my 338 Federal meets that criteria rather nicely. A 185 TTSX at 2725-2750 is very '30-06 like' performance and is pleasant to shoot. Lots of good choices out there though.
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"For some unfortunates, poisoned by city sidewalks ... the horn of the hunter never winds at all" Robert Ruark, The Horn of the Hunter
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260 remington as well, pretty much any of my rifles would serve as a "one for everything under elk" its all about shot placement anyway
Beware of any old man in a profession where one usually dies young.
Calm seas don't make sailors.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire 'Bwana
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age old question but with a few ideas ....if you could only have one rifle for the lower 48, capable of taking deer and elk to 300 yards AND would be fun to shoot 40 rounds a session..what would it be? Deer to elk inside 300 yards? Hand's down, 308 Win (or 7-08). Not many rounds more fun to shoot in a BG rifle IME. BTW, just how does "one" constitute a "battery"? (grin)...
“Perfection is Achieved Not When There Is Nothing More to Add, But When There Is Nothing Left to Take Away” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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Campfire Tracker
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My pick would definitely be the '06.The lightest recoiling rifle I own and whether ground hogs or Elk or even on up from there...It has done it many/many times...
Jayco
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Many calibers would do, but if I were starting from scratch I'd probably go with a .257 Weatherby Magnum. Ballistic tips for fun practice and blowing things up, TSX for killing tasty edibles.
That said, going to shoot my vanilla LTR .308 today from field positions to celebrate the freedoms I enjoy thanks to some brothers who've moved on.
Last edited by ColdCase1984; 05/31/10.
�When in doubt, I whip it out.� Uncle Ted ![[Linked Image]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v704/elrata/imagejpg1_zps585f4bbf.jpg)
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Campfire Ranger
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BTW, just how does "one" constitute a "battery"? (grin)... It's a single-cell model.........
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Campfire Tracker
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It would be hard to argue against the good ol' 30-06 and the 270 Win/280 Rem. The first two can be found anyhwere, the 30-06 does recoil more however. A magnum isn't necessary for those ranges and costs more to shoot in recoil and money.
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I just watched a good Predator Pursuit with Fred Eichler and he went to BC to hunt wolfes and Grizzly. 1-shot he dropped a grizzly with a Savage chambered in 30-06. I guess you see where I am going.
Good Shooting!
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You can no more tell someone how to do something you've never done, than you can come back from somewhere you've never been...
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I've hunted all over North America mostly with some sort of 300 magnum. I've taken, wt deer, mulies, antelope, elk, moose, caribou, sheep, black bear, & grizzlies with various 300 magnums from 40 yards to well over 400. If you use good bullets they flat out get it done. I now use a 300 WSM pushin 165 Accubonds for most of my deer hunting and a 300 RUM with 180-200 Accubonds or Partitions for the bigger stuff. I have a 300 Win for in betweeners!! 163bc
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