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Here in Montana most of my hunting partners run a 300 wm. Deer and elk general season are at the same time so it’s nice to have a larger caliber rifle in hand.

Now this just cannot be right. We have been told by the internet experts that all the locals in Montana use a .270 for everything because they understand cartridge ballistics, bullet construction and how to shoot so much better than the average nimrod that a magnum is not needed.

For Coues whitetail here in Arizona, I have been using a 6.5 WSM. For the last two cow elk, the 6.5 WSM with 124gr Hammer Hunters was used. Previous bull hunts had me carrying a 30-06 or 300 WSM.

For here in se Missouri or hunting Michigan (my birthplace) either my 700 mtn Remington or my classic featherweight model 70, both in 7mm-08. A 12 ga Wingmaster with rifled slug when we go southern zone in Michigan, though my relatives that live there have lined up behind the 350Legend.
I would say the budget rifles are overwhelmingly what I see now around here. 308 dominates the cartridge choice. The 6.5 C had a chance to be #1 but the ammo shortage killed that.

I've seen more .270s, 7mm RMs and 30-06s out here than anything else. I've seen more 25-06s and 243s than 300 Mags. During the Youth Elk/Deer seasons, I've seen more 30-30s and 7mm08s. I have also seen a few 280s. Overall, fast and flat shooting for the most part. I've used alot of different ones, but mainly a Magnum of 30 to 375 on elk, 220 Swift to 300WM on deer/antelope. I've killed more game with a 280AI than I did with any 7mm Mag from Rem to RUM. Bad luck I guess. I know for a FACT that Life is alot SHORTER than I thought when I was 20! ha So many choices...so little time ( and resources!) lol

Alaska.

Caliber is whatever I feel like that's in the arsenal, from .243 to .338WM and in Ruger, Remington, Winchester, M98.

It all works on pretty much everything up here. I don't do brown bear/griz tho. At least not on purpose.

I've likely killed more stuff with 30-06 than any other caliber. Currently in stock in Ruger, Remington, and M98 (second one over the years and I'm thinking that may turn into a 300WM if I get my lathe set up again).

SC hunts typically involve some woods and fields with shots mainly 100 yards or less. Occasionally a couple hundred yards across a pasture or down a powerline. Combine that with the huge size they get to here and you better bring plenty of rifle. Most of what I and friends hunt with are 243/25-06/6.5mm of some flavor/270/7-08. Don't need any heavily constructed bullet either. 243 with 95gr Nosler BT and 25-05 with 115gr Berger are some of my favorites.

I hunt from the coast to the eastern boundry. Mauser 30-06 is my huckleberry. Others go hunting at times.223, .243, .308, .338wm and various shotguns. With the exception of shotguns, bolt actions are my go to type. I do have an old 760 pump in .300 savage I used a couple times, just never could like that action!

A bolt action 300win is my go to gun. I prefer to shoot a 280 or 243 when meat hunting and just killing deer. I'm planning on killing a couple of does this afternoon with a 32 special that my grandfather used a 100+ years ago. Sure is nice to have the luxury to pick and choose what rifle you use, and not go hungry if you don't kill something.

As a gunsmith in the center of Wyoming I get to see what the most common rifles and calibers are on a common basis. Without a doubt the bolt action is most common and the 2 most popular cartridges (by far) are the 30-06 and the 270 Winchester (no one is likely to be surprised there)
In a close 3nd place is the 300 Win Mag and if I were to guess I'd pit the 7MM Rem mag and the 25-06 in a tie for 4th place.
By guess at 5th place is a mix of many shells. 25-06, 243, 6.5 CM, 280, and probably a small batch of others are in that bag.
Just below that placement are the 338 Win, the 300 Ultra mag, 6.5X55 Swede and the 45-70 as well as the 375H&H. This category are the ones that are not near the top, but not a surprise at all when you see someone hunting with one.

There is no way on God's Green Earth I could boil down all of my Favorite's List in bolt action Rifle's and # of calibers I've owned and hunted with. I spent 13 years as sporting goods wholesaler's rep in Texas & an Importer's Factory Rep in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi. Handguns & Mil Surp black guns were never my gig. NOTE Yes of course I own some of these too.

I did however use that experience to gravitate exclusively in hunting rifles to Bolt Action rifles in a dozen+ calibers, and in couple Pump or O/U Shotguns. Given a choice I'll always own at least one 270, + smaller caliber's of some sort like a 6.5 Swede/7x57 or something similar or like a 257Rbt's -243 or other, and a "thumper" bigger caliber rifle from a 300 - 338 WMg or 9.3x62.
Ron

There is no way on God's Green Earth I could boil down all of my Favorite's List in bolt action Rifle's and # of calibers I've owned and hunted with. I spent 13 years as sporting goods wholesaler's rep in Texas & an Importer's Factory Rep in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi. Handguns & Mil Surp black guns were never my gig. NOTE Yes of course I own some of these too.

I did however use that experience to gravitate exclusively in hunting rifles to Bolt Action rifles in a dozen+ calibers, and in couple Pump or O/U Shotguns. Given a choice I'll always own at least one 270, + smaller caliber's of some sort like a 6.5 Swede/7x57 or something similar or like a 257Rbt's -243 or other, and a "thumper" bigger caliber rifle from a 300 - 338 WMg or 9.3x62.
Ron

SC and Georgia whitetails. 22-250 with a 40 grain v-max.

Raised in CA in a ranching family, hunted the West with points for everything we could sometimes 3-4 states a year & shot 270 Win & 270 Wby. mostly. Now in VT and learning the ropes of this area (tougher than most but doesn’t get the credit) 308 & 30-06 with 180’s are the standard. Now I hunt all around the the Eastern region and find myself using a 6.5 Creed. I really like the 127 & 129gr bullets.

All that said, I really like a great, accurate 270 Winchester for all things. In a slow creep, I’m getting back to where I started. That 150gr .270 Partition is something very special. I can’t describe it or you guys would think I’m bullshi**ing.

Great picture!

Thanks MGunns--- That photo of Little Brother Tommie Norris was taken by myself in 1971 as we were going up Bao Loc pass QL 20. He looked 16 then and looks about 30 today. -- The twin .308 's were also good for that region . Web

Here in North Arkansas when I was a kid most people hunted with a 30-30 or a 30-06 or 270 Remington Woodmaster or Fieldmaster.
Many Then went to bolt actions in same calibers adding in 243, 25-06 and 7 Mag. Now lot are buying the cheapest bolt actions mostly in sub 30 caliber short action cartriges.
The style of hunting has changed. From dogs and deer drives to sitting on Food plots and corn feeders for most.

In Central Kentucky, I hunt primarily whitetail deer with either a Ruger American 7mm-08 with factory loaded Hornady 139 gr. GMX or a Remington 700 walnut and blue in .30-06 with 150 gr. Barnes TTSX in factory ammo. In the event I ever get drawn for the elusive Kentucky elk tag, I would be fine with either of these setups.

My rifle is an accident / anomaly. I had a good long run of rifles going, buy/trade into something, test the heck out of it, get bored, repeat. Then I hit a wall and had a good dozen, maybe two dozen, rifles that I couldn't get happy accuracy from. That lasted 10 years or so. I bought something not ideal by my definitions but it definitely checked a bunch of boxes pretty well. The damned thing shoots very well. After a decade of frustration .. I'm going to just stick with it. I may experiment with other stuff but I'm not going to get caught with nothing working as I have in the past.

I hunt mostly SW Oregon's coast range and the Cascade mountains from mid-state south to the OR/CA state line. It is mostly pretty brushy where I hunt with a few openings .. old clearcuts and fire scars. Main game is blacktail deer with Roosevelt elk thrown in. I feel pretty good with the little .308 shooting 165 grain accubonds (mostly) and 180 grain protected point partitions (much less often) and RL15. It's about a half MOA rig. I'd like to branch out to mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk .. haven't gotten the hardware I want for that sorted out yet.

Tom

Down here at home in the Michigan shotgun zone we hunt old fields and hedgerows with shots from 30 yds to 140 yds. Transitioned from 870 rifled 12 ga to Ruger 77/44 with 2 1/2 x sope when straight wall cartridge rules were implemented. Did not hesitate to abandon the 8-9 lb 870 trigger for the crisp 4 lb rifle trigger. Tried a 12 ga rifled barrel Encore with Hornady SSTs. Good trigger. It shot well but the recoil was horrid and ammo was $$$.. When the .44 mag failed to exit at 100yds I bought a S & W .460 mag barrel for the Encore. Stiff recoil but not as bad as the Encore 12 ga. I'm still wringing the .460 out, shooting mild handloads. .450 Bushmaster and .350 legend bolt guns and AR platforms seem to be easing the traditional 12 ga slug gun out of the picture. Recent CWD rules permitting any gun during muzzleloader season seems to have cut back on ML use.

Up north...50-60 yd woods shots and sometimes 400 yd shots over farm fields. .308, 7-08, and 30-06 bolt rifles with low power scopes. Sometimes Ruger No. 1 7 x 57 walking in the woods. Others using M94 30-30 lever guns, 30-06 740, milsurp 1909 Argentine, .270 BAR. Most hunters I've encountered are not rifle loonies and often are using family hand-me-downs.....and don't shoot much off season. Most Michigan deer are shot at less than 60 yds so almost anything works.