As a new rifle hunter, If you were planning to buy TWO rifles only, what would they be chambered in?....I have read enough to realize that most people would not agree on any ONE caliber as a "do everything well" caliber. Since we all like to hunt and shoot, why would we WANT to only have one rifle anyway?
Hopefully they would have some overlap in their capabilities (both should handle deer so I have an extra to loan) the bigger one for Elk, Deer, Bear, possibly a Moose someday? The smaller for Deer sized game and smaller with some varmints and paper too.
My recent hunting background includes 11 Ohio Whitetails (so far ;)) in two seasons, mostly archery up close and personal, a few with 12ga slugs and muzzle loader....planning to hunt all over where rifles are used, especially in Oregon where I was raised and need to get started with an Elk rifle...
If I were to ask you to pick only one it would prob be the .30-06? but if two, I was thinking the .30-06 might be end up between two better choices?...

my opinions from lessons learned:
1. Archery taught me that getting close is DOABLE and FUN. also that shot placement is more important than raw power!

2. Shooting 1.25 OZ.Magnum Slugs taught me that MASSIVE recoil just plain sucks at the range! I never felt a thing when dropping a buck in his tracks, but lower recoil is prefered...


my guess is: 7mm Rem Mag and .25-06 ?

Thx in advance for your valued input!

Dan

"Are these 12ga. sabot slugs good for deer? Heck No, it will kill 'em!" ahahahahaha

.223 and .300WSM

Little Sky in Bob and Hawkeye in 338 RCM.

Pete

7x57 and 9.3x74R.

223 and 30-06.

Hunt anything in North America, and find ammo everywhere.

270/280/7-08

&

338 Win.

A bit big for prairie dogs, but doable & the 338 will get you thru the big bears.

MM

Yup................or get a pair of 30/06's.

i'd do something like that. maybe .223 AI and 7mm WSM though.

How 'bout a .243 and the 7mm mag mentioned in the original post. TSX's have apparently made the .24 cals kill all out of proportion to caliber and the 55 gr BT would be death on vermin at 3800 fps.
The 7mm Rem Mag doesn't recoil bad at all, no worse than a 30-06 in my experience. Shoots flat and will handle anything up to moose with the proper bullet.

Since the varmit shooting is involved I would say 25/06 and 30/06 would be the logical choices. If it were me 270 win and 35 whelen. Like another fella mentioned 223 and 30/06, depends on the amount of varmit shooting and big game you will do.

.243 and .300 Win Mag.

.243 and 300 Win if you are not a reloader
.243 and 30-06 if you want to back off on recoil from the Win mag
.25-06 and 338-06 if you reload
7x57 and 9.3x62 if you are a hopeless romantic
.223 and .308 if you are a tactical wannabe
.260 Rem and .35 Whelen if you want funny looks at the range

260 Remington and a 340 Weatherby

22-250 and 300WM, WSM, H&H, or Norma

That is actually amazingly insightful...

...what utah said...

with the possible exception of choosing the BEST available without worrying about availability, cost, etc...

which would be...

6.5x55 and .338 Federal

1. 7-08 & 300wsm if you reload because factory ammo can be expensive.

2. .308 & 30-06 if you do not reload, ammo for these 2 are relatively lower priced.

.223 & .30-06

Exactly what I was going to type.

So...um, .243 and .338.

For a reloader though Utah's .25 & .338/06 combo is pretty sweet.

You could do a lot worse than those two even if you aren't a tactical wannabe.

223 or 243
270 or 30-06

The 223 and 30-06 match up pretty nicely in trajectory, making it easy to learn to hit at longer ranges. Same can be said for the 243/270 combo.

Or skip it all and run a 308, and get a duplicate to it for backup.

At one time I owned over 100 centerfire rifles. A serious family need called for sacrifice. I kept the two rifles in calibers that I have used the most for everything in the lower 48. They are in 243 and 270. I really don't miss the rest and don't feel under gunned either.

My whitetail deer tally is is near 150...lost track at 125. It happens when you get old!

7mm Mag for the Elk and 223 for varmints.

IMHO, it would be the 25-06 and 375H&H.

25-06 for varmint thru deer.
375H&H for the bigger critters.

But again IMHO, if you're going to hunt big bears in AK, you need a guide and you're looking at at least a $10k hunt. If you're going to do that someday and then buy the bruin buster (someday) ... you're only adding $1k to a $10+k hunt. To that end I would suggest a .243Win (or 7-08) and a 7RM.

Good Luck!!

I like this idea.

257 Roberts & 35 Whelen

243Win
308Win
Sakos of course

I almost put this in my list as "if you read a lot of '1950s Field and Stream'"

270 win 375 h&h covers it all!!!

223 and 280

I was thinking the same thing- covered just about every thought that entered the mind.......

Welcome to the campfire.
There have been some excellent suggestions, but I think the more you shoot, the more the gun loonie is alowed out to play. Tell us in a couple years what your third rifle was.

My suggestion, based only on personal use and satisfaction

1) 3006
2) 257 Roberts
3) because it is coming, 338 winmag

Randy

personally i decided on 243 and 300 saum, both in model 7s that have been trued and rebarreled with hart barrels, when i went thru a similar thought process

WOW, thank you all for the thoughtful input. This really seems to be a great forum...after reading all your posts, I should answer some of the questions/assumptions for clarification, please feel free to refine your input based on the following:

1. Big Brown Bears (big money guided trophy hunts)are out for this decade. I am only hunting for meat, excercise, and face time with God's ceation for now.

2. Reloading: not yet, hopefully someday. Ammo cost is a factor, now thatyou mention it...I am not a total cheapskate (like my brother :), but to be practical, cheaper ammo means more shooting, right?

3. RE: Smaller rifle- maybe I should lean more toward the larger calibers (.243, .25-06, etc.)of your recommemdations since I care more having an extra deer rifle for family to share than zapping prairie dogs for example...sure I will enjoy the shooting practice on ground hogs to help a farmer maintain his fields, or coyotes.

4. RE: recoil, it only SOMEWHAT of a concern...while I am not afraid to shoot bigger gun, I have been told that shooting better is more important than massive power...

hopefully, this info allows all of your collective years of wisdom to be applied more precisely...

That's great!

Of course, 223 and 30-06 is the only true two rifle battery, IMHO...grin.

As for needing both rifles to kill deer, the 223 is plenty capable - especially with the little 53 TSX's zipping along at 3200+.

Anyone with only 2 rifles has to have a 223 or 22LR, IMHO.

DJ

Just buy one for now, the 30-06. Hunt with that for everything varying your bullet weights from 150gr to 200gr.. If and when the time comes to hunt varmints, look at the .204 or a .223..
Good luck.

7mm Rem Mag and a 6mm Remington...both in bolt actions....put 3.5-10 Leupolds on both and call it good. If the smaller of the two were never to be used for deer I'd swap the 6mm for a 22-250....but if the varmint shooting included gophers I'd swap the 22-250 for a 223.....

.243 and .30-06.

I would err on the side of a little too much, rather than a little too little. .270 WIN and .338 WIN MAG - you could hunt virtually any game with those two.

MAN!!!! Thats like trying to pick which TESTICLE to keep. OUCH!

For well over 20 yrs I had a great time with a 22-250 and a 30-06. I've never hunted Alaska, but I'd take the '06 without a second thought. Run Partitions in both.

The 260 Rem and 300 Win Mag would make a fine duo.

The 260 Rem and 338 Win Mag might be the perfect combo though!

223 and either a 270/308/7mm Rem Mag. I'd buy a medium weight rifle in ....

Since big bears are out of the picture...

I'd go with a 243 and a 7mm-08/308/270. Easy recoil, easy to find ammo and will work up to moose with the right bullets.

RH

I am going to go a little off the usual philosophy here and say:

1894 Marlin in 44 Mag/44 Spcl.
Great woods gun, great short range woods rifle. Will kill game efficiently from bunnies to big bucks with the right bullet.

Quick shots, great with a peep, two different cartridges in one gun, you can get a wide variety of bullets, and hella fun to shoot at the range.

7mm Remington Magnum in a Remington 700 XCR
Bolt action, stainless steel, full bed synthetic stock.

80 bullets to chose from for reloading from 100 gr to 180 gr flying really fast without punishing recoil. Great ballistic coefficients and sectional densities. Wide variety of factory loadings (over 60 different loads available through one online retailer).

Effective for anything from Coyotes to Moose with 300+ yard effective range and retained energies that make a 30-06 look pretty tired.

338 Winchester Magnum in a Bolliger Signature Rifle
500 NE in a William Evans Double Rifle with an extra set of shotgun barrels.

That is all you would ever need for your whole life and you could shoot everything from a rabbit to an elephant and be completely happy.

Sincerely,
Thomas

30-06 and a 220 Swift..

2 - 308's or maybe a 223 and 30-06?

anyone disagree?

223 rem and


3006 or
7mm Rem Mag of some sort or
300 Mag of some sort or
338 mag etc

World wide
+1
dave

I'll say a 7mm-08 and a 300 WSM since varmints don't matter much to the OP (and .22 RF's are cheap anyway).... That's a nice big-game pairing for a non-reloader...

Substitute a 30-06 for the WSM and ammo is even easier, and recoil is a bit less. It's really hard to argue against a bolt 30-06 as an all-arounder up to elk. Great, great cartridge. It's what I bought my brother for his "one rifle"... It's what I bought first for myself...

Whether to aim for making your rifle pair similar, or different, is an interesting question. A case could be made for either. Similar would nice in terms of as a backup or loaner or commonality of training between them. Different would be nice because you could specialize a bit, or have one gun be more "fun", like a lever or semi-auto or featherweight or whatever...

My first two big game rifles were a 30-06 and a 7mm-08, but more to the point the 7-08 is a Model 7- a short barreled, compact bolt gun. I use the M7 in thicker timber and such; it's wonderful for that. A 44 mag or 30-30 lever gun might really turn your crank. Or an AR. Depends on lots of things I suppose.

But the one, single Thing That Is True is that ONE of the pair should be a good solid bolt gun in a major, common caliber.

I've mostly hunted a .358 model 7 and a .325 WSM Kimber the last two seasons. One is optimized for great handling in tight quarters, and short to medium range; the other has some "reach". The calibers are oddballs, don't go there; I'm just saying a compact bolt rifle and a more "normal" one is a good pairing, almost regardless of caliber.

(Short answer: buy a 30-06. No-brainer. Shoot it a bunch, use what you learn to decide what gun #2 should be)

I just got on thread so I really am not going to read 5 pages.
IMHO. I would go with a 6.5 caliber for varmits up to deer at 500 yards.
Then I would go 300wsm for deer 350 to 800 and elk size up to 600
I have hunted all over world and the 300wsm is what I use 95% of time.
There is no such thing as to dead.

I'd be solidly in the camp of those recommending .223 and .30-'06 (or .308).

But...

If bears are off the menu for now, you could well step down from the .30 cals to the light 7's (7x57, 7mm-08), the .270, or the .260. Any of those are still elk-capable cartridges, and would have a tad more versatility toward the varmint end of things. From an ammo supply/cost standpoint, you're probably better off with the .270. My reasoning is that they would be a bit lighter on the shoulder. Then again, your particular shoulder may not feel any difference whatsoever between shooting a .270 and a .30-'06, so it would all be academic.

I'd still stick with the .223 on the lower end. You get low ammo cost, excellent shootability, and it's still deer-capable with non-varmint bullets and a practiced and confident shooter pressing the trigger.

FC

I think I am going to agree with Sambo on this one. I have spent most of my adult years shooting cartridges just a tick off the beaten path, but in the last few months, I have been thinking quite a bit about owning rifles chambered for readily available cartridges. ANY two bit sporting goods store, and half the mom and pop gas stations between here and Tyler, Texas, will have .243 and 7mm Rem Mag behind the counter. You can afford to buy a box of Remington Corelokts for either cartridge, and not have to sell a kidney, and neither round will kick the fillings out of your teeth.

.223 and either a .308 or .30-06 would be my choice.

.243 and .308 in the same model rifle makes sense to me. I shoot a pair of Sako L579 Foresters.

With this clarified criteria it's got .243 and .308/30-06 written all over it. For what you describe I don't know what would be more available and cost effective and cover your needs better.

For many years I owned just two rifles. (Both were tang safety Rugers.)

The 220 Swift took care of all the varmints and the 270 took care of every thing larger than coyotes.

I figured that if I ever could afford to hunt something which required more killing than the 270 could do, I'd also be able to afford to buy another rifle in 338 Win Mag.

That was a long time ago. Now I have five prairie dog / varmint rifles and six deer rifles. As of yet, I've had no need for that 338 Win Mag. Maybe some day...

358win 30-06

You nailed it.The 25-06 and 7 maggie are both very sensible choices for what you plan to do.

22-250AI and 300 Jarrett

223 and 35 Whelen.

Hmmm ...

I think every battery has to have a rimfire. That leaves you back to one centerfire. So, .17 HMR and a .338 win mag.

If you mean 2 centerfires, then I'd look at .204 Ruger and ... .338 again.

If you can only own two guns, screw loaning stuff to your friends, they can buy their own damn 2 guns. Or maybe you find a buddy and team his two plus your two to cover the ground better.

I'm finding it really takes about 8 rifles before I don't have massive holes where I don't have an appropriate tool for the job. Need a rimfire, a small centerfire packing rifle, a long range varmint rifle, a predator/deer packin' rifle, a long range medium game caliber in a heavy rifle, a packing deer/elk rifle, some sort of lever action, and a muzzleloader. Every time I get less than that I find hunting I'm really not outfitted to do.

Tom

This is the only common-sense duo for the non-reloader!

Nah... .243 is just too light, man!

He mentioned elk and wanting a good backup.

7mm-08 & 30-06.

............As far as owning just two rifles are concerned, I`ve been there and done that!

Including elk on down; black bears, hogs, mule deer, w/tails (don`t hunt varmits), my 300 WSM will handily take care of them.

For moose, bison and the dangerous bears, my 375 Ruger will handily take care of them too.

So from whitetail on up, and after much fore thought, my two caliber choices are the ones I have.

I'd go with two identical rifles and scopes. Either of .270 and a 30'06 or a .308 and a 7-08.
That's to allow for breakdowns in the field and easy transition between them. E

I like the way you think, CrimsonTide! Oh, and by the way..since I'm sure that is a pic of you in your avatar, anyone ever tell you that you look just like Rick Flair?

It's only a guess on my part since I don't know where you hunt/live. However, my 2 "go-to" rifles are my .270 Win. and my .338 Mag. .270 is great for sheep/caribou & the .338 for moose & larger stuff. These are the only rifles I've gone to in 40+ years in hunting Ak.
Bear in Fairbanks

223 and 30-06.

Assuming that you already have a .22LR, then the centerfires would be .223 and .30-06.

I run a .260 Rem and 35 Whelen amongst others...those two sound good to me.

the smart battery is one subsonic and one super sonic.

a bigbore and a quarterbore would be ideal.

say a 45-70 single shot and a bolt 25-06 or 280 rem.

That's an easy one !!!!!!!!!!!!

375 H&H and .308


Dino

It's VERY difficult to beat the .243 and the 30-06 in terms of versatility, avialability, and functionality.....though fun to try I suppose.

I'm close right now with a .243 Model 7 and a .270 Remington Ti (instead of '06 since I couldn't find one).

I must admit that I have a .223 Savage Precision Carbine thrown in for good measure. If I HAD to give one up it would be the Savage and I'd be left very close to my first recommendation.

Dave

Eliminating bear helps. A 257 Roberts and an 06 would pretty much do it, but since you don't handload, a 243 Win and a 30-06 would be my choice. Midway offers 51 factory loadings for the 243 and 136 for 30-06 Sprg.

243 and 30-06.

Birdhog

If you're married and/or old, get the .243 and the 30-06. If you want to turn heads and get dates, get a .257 Wby Mag and a .338 RCM.

There....now it's right!

270 Win and a 35 Whelen

Bob

You are too funny, but at least we are on the same page !!!

Dino

6mm Rem
35 Whelen

243 and 30-06.

I hate to say 243 though. On second thought make it a pair of matching rifles in 257 Roberts (120 Nosler Partition available in factory ammo) and still the 30-06.

My choice would be a 6.5x55/260 remington and a 35 Whelen. With those 2 cartridges you could kill almost anything [up to Water Buffalo] in the world with little fuss.

30/30 and 300 mag of your choice

OK. Listen carefully.

Get a pair of matched stainless synthetic Rem 700s. One in .223 the
other in .308. Put a 2.5-8x Leupold on each.

For the .223 buy a case of Remington 55 grain softpoints for varmints and a case of Federal 55 grain TSX for deer. Set them for a 200 yard zero. Kill small and medium things frequently.

For the .308 buy a case of Federal Powershok 150 grain softpoints for deer and a case of Federal 150 grain TSX for larger game. Zero them at 200 yards. Kill medium and larger things frequently.

Buy more ammo as necessary.

And this is the most important thing:

Never ever come back to this website or you are doomed to forever tilt at the windmill of ballistic bliss and descend rapidly into rifle lunacy...

And May God Have Mercy on Your Soul.

25-06 and 338WM. Pick which rifles you like them in.

220 Swift & 300 WBY

338WM & 7mm-08

243 and 280 both in Remington Mountain rifles'

I use a 7 STW and 300 Win for all my hunting.Love the range and hitting power of those belted mags on large game.

I'll pick two that I own:Marlin 336 in .35 remington with 1.5x5 leupold for still hunting, and:Winchester model 70 classic featherweight in .30-06 with 2.5-8 leupold for all other hunting.

wow, thx for all the wisdom....fyi, I do have a 22lr for plinking...right now leaning toward marlin XL7/XS7 based on strong performance/value reviews (unless 2010 prices go way up), so those caliber offerings may have the advantage....

That takes a lot of the fun out of it--if I read their webpage right, the choices are .243, 7-08, .308, 25-06, .270, 30-06.

7mm Rem Mag and 375 H&H

+1

I'd recommend the 6mm Remington (a 7x57 Mauser case necked down to 6mm or .24 caliber) for your "light" rifle (varmints, antelope, deer) and 7x57mm Mauser for your medium rifle for deer, elk, caribou, moose, hogs & black bear. Recoil is minimal with either round.

In addition to the 7x57, you could also consider either a .270 Winchester, .280 Remington or .30/06 Springfield as a medium rifle. I have listed these cartridges in the order of the amount of recoil generated by each using lighter to heavier big game bullets. Indicated approximate recoil does NOT include light-weight, varmint-type bullets.

The 7x57 is hard to beat since it seems to kill well far beyond the amount of recoil that it generates. Depending on bullet weight, recoil is about 15 ft/lbs to 18 ft/lbs using 120 gr.-175 gr.).

The .270 is another cartridge that seems to kill far beyond it's rather light recoil. Recoil about 17 to 19 ft/lbs using 110 gr-170 gr. bullets).

The .280 (7mm) Remington is a slightly better killer due to the heavier bullets it will "throw", but again... the heavier bullets tend to generate a bit more recoil. Recoil about 17 to 20 ft/lbs using 120 gr. to 175 gr. bullets).

Generally speaking, the .30/06 is a great round, but with 180 grain bullets or heavier (190-220 grain), it generates about all the recoil (approx. 19-26 ft/lbs using 125 gr. to 220 gr. bullets) a normal hunter can reasonably handle. Some hunters find the recoil of the 180 grain (or heavier) loads a bit much, but most hunters can handle up to and including the 180 grain loads without too much trouble.

Of course, the fit and shape of the rifle's stock and the overall weight of the rifle can and does affect the "sensed recoil" felt by the rifleman.

In addition, the ".308 family" of slightly shorter cartridges fall into these same categories... namely the .260 Remington, the 7mm-08 and the .308 Winchester.

I hope this information is useful to you.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

Two rifles, eh?

Kimber 7-08
Sako 338 Win Mag or Weatherby 338-06

I would go with the 223 Remington and the 30-06 Springfield.

220Swift everything up to and including any deer, take your pick of 7x57, 280 Rem, 308 win, or 30-06 for big stuff.

I like this answer alot..Common sense appraoch

i suggest a .280rem and a .300remington ultra mag i own both those calibers and since i have them the other 3 dont see much action i have not hunted with my .280 yet but shot it alot and i tell you its a heck of a gun it would probably be the last one id sell

.30-06 and .375 H&H

.308 & .45-70

Remington 700 LTRhttp://www.remingtonle.com/rifles/700pltr.htm


Marlin 1895http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/bigbore/1895.asp

choices choices but if I had to gauge it by what roams the country side in my neck of the woods Id go 257X57 and 7X57.....

A .270 and a .300 Magnum of some sort makes a lot of sense.

My everyday combo is a 30-06 and a .338. Of course I own more than two.

6.5x55 and whatever....

I will amend my other recommendation based upon your new criteria.

.25-06 and .30-06, and when you start to reload, you can use the same cases for both rounds.

I'm solidly in the 243 and 7mmRM club given the conditions cited.

I could also go 243/300WM as well.

When I pared down my rifles, I went with .264 Win and .358 Norma. That might not be ideal for a non handloader, so something like a .280 and .338 or .270 and .325 WSM make sense to me.

A .308 and a .308 (backup).

Excellent-Kills all out of all proportion to the ballistics on paper, kind of an understated elegance, if that can be said about a cartridge. Perfect round for someone allergic to magnum mania.

I'll vote for 22-250/243 and 7mm RM/300WM

If you reload (or plan to), I'd go with a 243 or 260 and a 300 WSM.

25-06 Rem and 30-06. Whats not to like!? You can load them with light or heavy bullets, depending what you're up to. And you might be using 1 or 2 powders to boot. Just a thought. Tom

I'm thinking 243,308 or 25-06,30.06.
Naaa,just get a .308,spend the money saved on more ammo.
There is lots of good .308 loads out there.
Find which ammo. your rifle likes and shoot lots.
How well you shoot,means more than what you shoot.
But only ONE Yikes, I'm getting the shakes!!!

Jeez, I'll keep playing if no one accepts the .223/.308 theorem.

I also strongly favor the Keith O'Connor solution:

A .270 Winchester and a .338 Winchester.

A damned adequate coyote rifle and a decent medium bore...

I have shot crows with a .270 and 100 grainers and killed one elk with a .338 210 NP. Both worked as advertised...

Were I starting totally from scratch, and had been reading this site, I'd get a .204, a .260 and a .375.

A Tar-Hunt bolt action slug gun, or a Savage, because it allows me to gun hunt big game in any state.

A used Cooper .204 for varmints & paper. Still refuse to buy a new one from that company.

I guess if I had to add a second,it would be the .338 mag or a 9.3x62.
The 6.5x55 has a lot going for it that,but you can't really read that from looking at it's "stats",but use one a while and load for it,it stands up real quick.
I own a lot of rifles and about 30+ calibers,this is the one that gets to go for a ride. I have not "built" a rifle in a while,but I keep running the thought of holding a rifle and thinking how would this be, re-barreled in 6.5 Swede?
To a handloader,85 to 160 grain bullets,all good killers,pretty well covers .243 to almost .30 caliber....

I could not live without a smokepole and the benefit of the extended season that I get with it, so my personal choice would be for my favorite .54 Hawken, and a 25-06.

Have 45 cal. and 50 cal. Hawken flinters and three 25-06s. Like the way ya think. ;O)

Don't know why anyone would only want two rifles, but the idea of a 223 or 243 for the small stuff and a 25-06, 308 or 30-06 for the bigger critters, has merit. Yeah, I know the 243 kills whitetails just fine.

Two of the same model rifles in diverse chamberings, also makes sense. They'll both have the same ergonomics, so should be easier to master and no confusion with the mechanical operation.

243Win and 300Win...
or
243Win and 300wsm...
good luck lots of great rounds. Make sure you get the rifle that fits you...

Be sure to look at Sako and Kimber rifles!!!!

One of these (.257 Roberts or .280 Rem)

And count me in as one of the Whelen Loonies

There is no "best" ... only thoughtful opinions.

A good answer would also need to know where you live and what percentage of game you plan on shooting the most - and what percentage of stuff the least. Also do you live in the wide open prairie country, the semi-open western range, the piney woods or the north-western coastal rain forest?

Without knowing any of that - I'd recommend you go with a 223 and a 30-06, too.

i'd start with the .243... it's both useful, for everything up to and including deer, and useable, as it is extremely easy to perfect shot placement with the lighter recoil and less noise...

it's a piece of cake to load for as well, when you take up handloading....

when the need arises for a bit heavier rifle the .308 or something like it will do all that you could ask...

For what it's worth, I have a .223 and a 7mm Mag. My next rifle is gonna be a .243 to fill the gap.....

Yup !

My vote for the OP's purposes is 243 and 30.06.

For Colorado where I live and hunt...

.22LR
7mm RM

If I didn't have varmints in the mix,
then my two choices would be the 6.5 x 57 or 6.5 x 55
and the 338/06.

So, what are you gonna get, Dan Reed?

I like this idea too!

.375 h&h, and .223. Have both rifles, and absolutely everything in between. I have the .223 in both semi auto and bolt action rugers and they are some of the best shooters. .375 h&h is a real shooter in just about any rifle you can find, yes even savages for the many that dislike them. You could pretty much hunt anything in the world on down to deer sized game with excellent results. Yes, a .375 h&h generally provides better results on deer sized game than a .270 or .300 will. A .223 would work absolutely excellent on anything deer sized and smaller. Two best calibers???? .375 h&h,.223 (5.62) Hands down I prefer them in bolt action remingtons, have a bolt ruger .223 that i like alot as well.

Oh really? The .375 kills them more dead?

If learning to handload is on the agenda, then I'd go a 260 and 30-06. Those two, and a good press can cover all the critters you'd ever want to shoot that dont have big sharp teeth.

If you have no intentions of learning to reload, then I'll jump on the 243/30-06 bandwagon.

Only suggestion would be to get them both in the same rifle, and scope them the same... Like say a Montana in 260, and one in 30-06, both wearing VXII 2-7x33's

IMO:


Calibers .223 and 300 WSM

257 AI & 338-06

With those you've got everything from varmints and longer range shooting for whitetails to the biggest game on the continent down pat.

If you're not concerned about varmints, step 'em up to 30-06 & 9.3x62 and you're set pretty much any medium to big game world-wide.

375h&h and 270 win light weight and never look back

I can't recall if I've responded to this yet so here goes. How about a pair of matched mausers in 7x57 and 338 win mag, both with 24 inch barrels. I have these in blue and walnut and their backup is a matte blue and synthetic 21 inch barrel 9.3x62 with irons. I still need to put a set of irons on the 338 for the set to be complete. Les

6.5x55 or 25-06 for deer/varmints, i would prefer the 6.5x55 myself. a 30cal. magnum or 338win for elk. if i had to choose just one... the 30cal. magnum win or short, though i'd go with the win.

7mm-08
338 Fed

Schewe, That's your opinion!

Well thanks again for all the replies. I originally posted this question so I could START the education and decision process and thought it would take a while, a good project this winter. With so much good info already, I would feel good about several choices. I wont be able to shoot much until the spring anyway since I am still hunting deer in Ohio til feb 7th... What I actually buy will depend on if I buy new or used and what is available. If Marlin doesn't get carried away with price increases, I think I would get a pair of them. Based on all the input, here is what I think I want: .....MORE THAN TWO

Even though I will keep reading and learning til I buy, subject to a good deal tipping the scales, I guess I would get a .243 win. for deer and varmints, but still want a .25-06 too!
As for the bigger rifle for Elk and deer , I WANT a 7mm rem mag , maybe marlin will offer in XL7....but if I can find a great deal on a .30-06, I am sure it will work for me just fine.
I am excited to read that these new bullet designs are even more effective in smaller sizes than previously thought, but that is probably in a different thread...

.270 Win and .300 Win is all you need for deer elk and black bear.

If you handload, 130gr 277 and 180gr 308 bullets @ 3000 fps are in essence ballistic twins. You can have two Mod 70s made up with the exact same LOP, exact same trigger pull and in essence you have "one rifle." I know, I have that same set up a 300 Win by Charlie Sisk and a 270 by Kevin Weaver. And I'm having a second set built right now by Patrick Holehan.

If anybody is still reading....standard calibers: .243 and 30/06. My calibers .264 win mag and 9.3x62mm....I've got others but those are all I'll ever actually NEED. Can never have too many guns.

25-06 w/ 85gn nbt and 120gn np,

375 H&H w/ 260gn accub and 300gn a-frame

Good combo!

Looks like two possibles to me. I do not know either of these people or the rifles. Good choice in caliber. Thought someone interested should kick the tires.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth..._Ruger_MKII_77_30_06_pics_of#Post3666614


http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/3668847/700_adl_243_f_s#Post3668847

Two calibers, common, but hard to fix perfect.