Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Downsizing, choose 3 Cartridges for Worldwide hunting

At the beginning of each hunting season, I usually pick about three different rifles to hunt with that year just to rotate through the dozen I have to choose from. I don't have any safe queens so I hunt with them all.

One of my favorites is my 6.5x55 Swede. I got a couple of deer with it this year and frankly, for local hunting in the southeast, I could get by on that one cartridge alone. But since this a "worldwide" question, I probably need something with a little more power to round out the selection.

My first choice would probably be: 6.5x55, 9.3x62 & 458 Win Mag.

Another good option that I could get a lot of usage out of would be: 6.5x55, 300 HAM'R (my Wilson Combat AR-15) & 375 H&H. An all-around rifle, a semi-auto & a medium bore seems like a versatile assortment that would cover a lot of situations well.

Of course, other factors like ammo availability, whether a person reloads or not & the area they will be doing most of their hunting can always play a factor in a choice like this. But for the sake of this hypothetical question, I'm ignoring that & just selecting some of my favorite calibers I have in the gun safe. The fact that I had to throw my 7x57 & my 30-06 on the discard pile is the reason I don't hunt with three rifles. It's too painful to choose. Ask me this question on another day & you'll probably get a different answer.

Since you are talking about worldwide use then ammo needs to be considered even if you handload. For that reason I would choose the 375 H&H, 308 Win and 5.56. You can get ammo for all 3 anywhere in the world and you can hunt anything that walks with those 3.

I think the OP intended cartridges when he said "calibers", common error.

I'm an old guy by today's standards, but at 88 I still handload, shoot and hunt. And I've added a couple of new rifles in new chamberings over the last couple of years: a .35 Whelen (my third) and a .375 H&H (also my third). I took both bear hunting last year. But soon I'll be paring down as well.

In keeping three rifles with their chamberings (cartridges), the last to go would be my Ruger No.1H Tropical in .458 Winchester Magnum. Why? Because it's the most versatile cartridge I use. I have bullets from 250gr to 600gr. I don't shoot the heavies (600gr, 550gr, 500gr or 450gr at anywhere's near max these days. My rifle is Mag-na-ported and I aim to keep all loads under 40 ft-lbs recoil. But in this spring's bear hunt, the .458 is getting the nod with Federal factory 400gr TBBCs at an advertised 2250 fps - hope to be at the range tomorrow to verify that, along with my .375 H&H firing handloaded 250gr TTSX at ~ 2850 to 2900 fps.That will be my back up for the hunt, God willing.

So the three I'd keep to the end would be: 1) The Ruger No.1 in .458 (Can be loaded like a BP .45-70)
2) Either the 9.3 x 62 or .375 H&H (very versatile all-arround)
3) The .35 Whelen ( varmints to moose) Don't do groundhogs anymore, but do chase coyotes and wolves. Bullets from 180gr to 300gr Barnes Original. A do-it all single-shot.

I DO LIKE VERSATILITY in all of 'em without relying on each one for a specific task!

And of course, a couple of .22LRs (a semi and a bolt) and a 12ga slug gun.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

22/250 bolt gun with three performance levels of loads for it and a .358 Winchester lever gun with two levels of loads.

Well here is my opinion… you’re jumping off too high! You need to jump off to a 4 rifle battery before a 3. 😂

I have different interests.
If I were to hunt the world , I would hunt the great arc of wild sheep. Not much interest in Africa.
I don't need to hunt Grizzlies anymore.

25/06 Browning B78
.270 wcf stainless mtn rifle / 700 or 70
30/06 Browning BLR / takedown- saddle rifle.
I would start with the Marco Polo and follow the arc.
A friend took a nice Ram at 18 000 ft. He said he could still hear his wife back home, if he listened hard.
His name is held back, for his safety.
Cheers

Pragmatic
223
30-06
375 H&H

My choice
22-250
270
375 H&H

I would prefer four:
22-250
270
338-06
416 Rem

CRS I concur with your choice of 4, right on

.22 LR and .308

Woodsman, the 300 Win Mag vs the 30-06 was the hardest choice.

The .358 Win and .35 Whelen are so damn good that is a hard choice also, but the .375 can do anything they can do, better.

If I could only have one, it would hands down be the 30 06.

I agree with CRS, imagine that, no surprise there.

I’m assuming Africa is in the mix.
375 hh
Rem 7 mm mag
223

280 Rem
300 Win Mag
375 H&H

If I could only own one rifle it would be a 308 Win

OP asked caliber not cartridge.

.223 (22 caliber)
.308 (30 caliber)
.375 (37 caliber)

Not sure if it was a question of caliber or chamber, but would dump the 375 H&H as most collect dust
if you’re not residing in Alaska, Canada or Africa. Same for the 450 BM, to me it’s not that useful and more of a novelty item. I’d rather carry a 44 Mag lever or a 444 Marlin or 45-70 lever loaded up or down. 450 BM is not a versatile chamber. I’d keep the 308 Win, it’s a pleasure to shoot, it is a versatile chamber shooting 110-200 grain loads and covers just about any hunting need. I’d get rid of the 06, not needed with a 308 Win in tow. I’d be inclined to rebarrel the 300 Win Mag to a 338 Win Mag, it covers a lot territory from 160-275 grain loads with power to spare. In a way it is a 300 Win Mag with better BC choices and with upper abilities close to the 375 H&H.

For three it would be:

22 ARC
308 Win
338 Win Mag

These three represent a rifle for any intention to hunt 50lbs game up through 2,000 lbs game, nothing else needed.

Apologies, meant cartridge.

6.5x55
30-06
375H&H

I thought the OP was referring to cartridges rather than literally meaning caliber.

For my uses, which don't include much varmint or predator hunting, I would pick:

6.5 Creedmoor
.30-06
.375 H&H

Agreed the .375 the least used, but a necessity for my favorite places to hunt. Granted, those trips are few and far between. As for the 450 Bushmaster, I am not sure it is a novelty for those states requiring straight wall cartridges. For me, it gives me the 45-70 performance I always wanted in the Savage 99 rifle but could not have. The 450 Bushmaster in the rebarreled Savage 99 may be the most useful hunting rifle I have ever had for local use and it is certainly the most fun. But that is based 100% on sentimental reasons as my family has been involved with the Savage 99 since they first came out and is the go to rifle. A Marlin Lever in 45-70 would be more practical for sure for the average person.

Handloading the 450 Bushmaster gives compelling options.