What's your absolute favorite hunting cartridge, big game or otherwise?

338WM.
tom

I think the Win .300 mag is an awesome cartridge. I also really like the .308 and it's necked up cousin, the .358 Win.

308 Winchester.

tie between .30-30, .270 win and 6.5 swede

.30-06 with the .308 a very close second.

For varmints the .221 Fireball.

For deer its the .308.

.22-250

.257 Weatherby

300 DAKOTA.......blake

It would have to be a 6.5X54 M/S, If recovered bullets were worth serious money, I would still be very poor.... No loud boom, very little recoil and it has never let me down..

25-06

It would probably be a tie between my 270 and 7 saum.

.338 Win. Mag. - 250 NPs @ 2700+ fps-mv. This does it all well, here in B.C.

6,5x55 Swedish..jim

300 WBY .... followed closely by the 22lr <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

.308 Win. (although for deer alone, I prefer the 7mm-08 Rem.)

.30-06



but the .270 is gaining ground rapidly.

22 Hornet in my Ruger M77 Varmint with 6-24X Elite 4000....because I shoot more rounds per year thru it than all my others combined....it's easy to shoot...no recoil, very little noise....and it blows up gophers very well out to 150 yards.....all I need...

As for big game...to many good ones to pick a favorite.....

.284 Winchester, the first "short magnum".

Whichever chambering I happen to be holding when the animal I want to kill is in my crosshairs.

My least favorite is the last one I missed with.

270 Win.

Thats like absolute most BEAUTIFUL woman...too many to
"nail" it on only one.

Funny, but I've focused more on rifles than cartridges. But I'd have to say the 30-06 for everything it is and isn't, followed by the 9.3x62 for a great run of game shooting I had with it one year. 308 is third because I have the best 308 ever made. 45 Colt is fourth.


Okie John

.257 Roberts

30/06

Don't think I have a "favorite," since variety's the spice of life, but if I HAD to declare at least a preference, it'd probably be the .270 for deer if the barrel was at least 22" and a .308 if the barrel was 20" or shorter. But then I'd have to give up the .45/70's, the 03's and M-70 in '06 and the Whelen, an' that just AIN'T gonna' happen! And I'd NEVER quit work on that 7x57 or give up lusting for a .250 Sav. or .257 Roberts, either, and I've never owned a .300 maggie, or ..... dang it! QUIT asking these type questions, will ya'? It'll wind up costing me MONEY .... AGAIN!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Rifle Loonies R US!

270 WIN.


SPAD

Just one? ok 30-06 and 308

.30-06, but I don't have one just now. The only big game that I hunt these days is elk, and I use my .338-06.

Paul

7mm rem mag- oh baby!

30-06... honestly though, for me the cartridge is secondary to the rifle, ie how it's set up, how it feels and points.

358 Norma Mag.

I'm with Jeff on this one. Calibers ARE like women. Just when you think you have picked the best, another turns your head. Most all have at least some interesting features! So many calibers, so little time!

But I'll cast my votes for the calibers I've used the most over the years, they must then be my favorites. For big game hunting, the 7mmRM gets the nod. For prairie rats, then it's definitely a .22-250. Oh, my favorite pickup gun is a .257AI.

270 Win
308 Win
35 Whelan
358 Win
280 Rem
(so why did I pick 7mm08 for my first custom rifle?)

6.5X55 Swedish

The 308 Norma Mag is another favorite of mine.

'cause you already have the rest??? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

.318 Westley Richards Why? Because I want one. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Favorite big game rifle for woods hunting, my CDL 35 Whelen.
For long range deer, my 600 custom in 25-284.
For long range Varmits, my Ruger Ultra-light 204.
For short range varmits, my Ruger 77-17
I've got a cupple of others, when these get boring.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Virgil B.

.308

J Scott

MY 300 h-h followed real close by my 7x57

6.5X55 Swede, again.

So far, .270 Win. Had more DRT kills with it than any other cartridge I've used. But.... My 25-284 will be done soon....

John

.250-3000

Back when my wife and I were dating she bought me a Savage 99A in .250 Savage new in the box. I keep it for a few months and then traded it in on a Remington 700 Classic in the .250 Savage.

A year or so later I traded the Classic in for a Ruger Ultra Light in a .250 Sav. Then I traded the Ultra light in for a 9mm pistol.

If only I had kept the 99A <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

.30-06 and 7X57.

Easy one for me!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Huntr

Favorite cartridge just cause I like it 416 Rigby. Favorite practical cartridge that I use 30.06
DougD

.300 H&H

I would have to say the .308Win. Even though I am currently without one. However, I got the closest thing to it in 7mm-08 and it is keeping me content.

6.5-284 and the 7mm Dakota chambered in specialty handguns <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

.270 Winchester.

hey
6.5x55
bb

.250 Savage!

Back when my wife and I were dating she bought me a Savage 99A in .250 Savage new in the box.-----------------------------------------------------

Well damn! That certainly explains why you married her.

.250 Savage


( beats the 7mm-08 by a nose. )

260 Rem or 7-08 it depends on the day

.350Remington Magnum....the original short magnum.

Joe

6.5X55 swedish

45-70 because I have the most fun with it hunting.... Even though it is only a whitetail buck I still manage to think of buffalo and 'injuns'...

.35Whelen, .308 Win and 7mm-08. If I had to pick only one it would be the Whelen.

7mm/08. Coming in a close second is the .257 Roberts

280 AI...

270 Win for me, as I hunt mostly in Colorado. But I am getting very fond of my 300 WSM.....

The rifle that's taken everything from deer and bear to elk for me....

30-06

Although I"ve had other rifles that have come and gone that has killed game also. The only other rifle that has sit in my gunsafe is my Granddad Dempsey's 30 Cal WCF half round/half octagon barrel '94 Winchester, which would have to be considered a sentamental favorite simply because it was my Granddad's and it's been passed down for three generations and will be passed on down to my nephew. Although it shows the wear of nearly 100 years of use, it's still in as good a condition as the day it came from the Hardware Store it was bought from in Portland, OR on Special Order from Winchester in 1907.

I really love the 45-70
Handgun would be 357 mag
I am real fond of my 7mm-08 but dont tell my 30-06, she might get jealous and I am taking her out on opening day.

222 needs an honorable mention also. Just havent shot it in a while so....

340 weatherby mag loaded with a quality 250 grain bullet
(big surprize.... NOT!!)

30-06

Of the cartridges I've used the most, the .270 Win, the .300 Win Mag and the .41 Rem Mag are about in a tie. Each one has a competitor up very close in its range.

It's so easy to get good results from the above that I'll call this a draw, with the nod maybe going to the .41 Mag, but by so little it really isn't worth mentioning. The .22-250 and the old ought six are so close it may as well be considered that they're about as good as my other choices.

But the .270, the .300 Win Mag and the .41 RM have truly been exceptional as cartridges to load for. Each one has been a highlight in my life.

280 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem

I own a lot of rifles in a lot of calibers. Since I hunt whitetails probably more than anything else, I'd have to go with the 7mm-08. In my eyes it is THE perfect all-around whitetail cartridge---2MG

.270 Win

7X57AI

Me too..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

7X57 AI,257AI,250AI...ANY OF THE THREE!

My favorite is the .358 winchester. At one time I had a remington 660 in 350 mag that I really liked, but the .358 will do everything I need done. I sold off my 35 whelen also.

Future draft pick is a 257 roberts I'm putting together. It may get some playing time.

Weagle

.35 Remington by the slightest, slightest margin over the .250 Savage.

I have an early 336A Marlin in .35 that is a joy to carry and shoot. It seems to shoot itself. And 100 yards is a very long shot where I hunt.

6.5x55

I love my 221 Fireball and reckon I am one of the very few in Africa owning one. Great for hyrax! Also find my 6x45 useful for springbok and other small antelope.

.22lr rimfire. Never too old to outgrow it. Always fun, cheap to shoot, and a great teacher.

7mm Rem Mag <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

'06 Springfield

I see a lot of 06,springfields,308win ,and 270win and they are all good choices, and have had many years of success and probly many more to come. but I think they will fade in the years and the wsm will take over in sale of guns in future these short mags just do it all, and better, my 7mmwsm is Rem700 I had made up is just amazing.

This is a toughy, let's see...

For bigger game, I'd probably go with a 30/06 hands down.

For deer sized game, I usually reach for a 260, 270, 280 or 7mm-08, with the edge here going to my favorite .260.

For smaller stuff, no question 22LR.

In shotguns, I could live with only one 26" 20 gauge Browning A5.


So, if I'm stuck with only one out of all that, I'd have to say, I'd go with the 280. It'll do almost anything asked of it, shoots everything from light to heavy bullets, etc.
I'd sure miss all the rest, but I could eke by with a good .280.

260 Remington with 125 gr partitions at around 2900 fps.

If I only could keep one it would be the .300 WBY followed by the .257 WBY

Just too painful to decide!

257ROY. just makes me giggle........ <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

woofer

Virginia Guy,
You sure ask tough questions of a man..
Depends on the day, the mood, the hunt.
But, It's about a draw between the 7mm Mauser and 250 Savage, both fabricated by Brother Siegrist up here.
But I do LOVE 22 Rimfires and have a house full of 'em.
So, I'll be takin both the 250 and 7x57 Deer hunting next month, with a 22 Rimfire for some nightime Coyotes.
Don

270 Winchester

30-06 I have killed a lot of moose, and caribou with it. Never let me down. I haven't shot many other calibers at game cept for .303 British and one caribou with a 270

243winny ,22lr

The superb .30 Winchester Center Fire.Getting it done for 110 years...

It has to be the 6.5 Swede!!!

.300 Savage will kill everything with an edge to the big bears.

targets, 6.5x55--deer, 7mm rem mag,--elk, 300 win mag,-- varmits, 22-250.

35 whelen

35 Whelen

second place goes to 25-06