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

Have been down-sizing my rifle collection for over a year now, since I decided to start "semi-retiring," which is working better than down-sizing.

For years my self-imposed limit 50 centerfires (which I didn't always quite adhere to), but managed to cut that in half over a year or so. But found with the sale-money I also couldn't keep myself from buying a few other rifles--or shotguns, since I like bird-hunting as much as big game. So am nowhere close to three rifles for all my hunting, and probably never will be....

I didn’t reread all the posts, but the .223 and .308 are available in a variety of nice rifles. Good selection of single shot, bolt action, lever guns and autoloaders. Hard to ignore those rounds.

Give me 308’s in Savage 99, M1A and some nice bolt gun. That gets a lot of mileage from one cartridge. A similar selection of .223’s would cover lots more bases as well.

Add in a mid bore between.338 and .375 and a minimalist could get it all done.

I've been thinning the herd for quite a while now. Selling most, but giving nephews & nieces rifles as well.

I donated my old ranch rifle, a M760 .30-06 and a beater rifle if there ever was one, to a Hunters Safety Program (back when one could still do that) who needed a pump-action example for their training course.

Evidently the op changed the thread from calibers to cartridges, impossible, down right crazy!

Going to three cartridges is not possible, but then I repeat myself.

I shoot more varmints than big game. So there’s eight cartridges there. 17 Hornet, 204 Ruger, 222, 256, 223, 22-250, 22-250AI, & 6mm. (I’ve taken several other cartridges though)

For deer and antelope:
6mm, 257 Roberts, 250 Savage, 25-06, 7mm-08, 7x57, 270, 280, 280 AI, 7mm RM, 308, 30-30, 300 Savage, 7.92x57, 30-06, 300 H&H, 300 Win Mag, 30-40, 303 B, 348, 375 Whelen AI, 375 Win,35 Whelen, 358 Win, (35 Rem, 45-70, 45-90, 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 357 Mag - deer only), & 300 Weatherby.

For Elk and Moose:
270, 7mm-08, 7x57, 375 Whelen AI, 280, 280AI, 7.92x57, 7mm RM, 308, 30-06, 300 H&H, 300 Win, 300 Weatherby, 348 Win, 375 H&H (&AI), 35 Whelen, & 358 Win

For bigger and/or meaner game:
300 Magnums, 30-06, 358 Win, 348, 35 Whelen, 45-70, 45-90, 375 H&H (&AI), 375 Whelen AI

Mind you I’ve cut out all the cartridges I intend too

338 caliber, 416 caliber, 243, 6.5 caliber, & 350RM, 32 caliber & 30 Rem.

Im thinking of adding:

6.5-06, 6.5-06AI, 264 again, 257 Weatherby, 416 Taylor (or similar), & if a nice walnut stocked model 7 243 came along…

Then there’s cartridges for self defense: at least a minimum of 6 there.

3 cartridges - humph - impossible. 30 cartridges might be possible, but highly unlikely.

Let’s not go into shotguns or rimfires - nearly a dozen there.

.30/06 where your teeth have a planned usage.
9.3, 375 or .458 where the recipients' teeth have planned usage.
The third rifle is for fun.

World wide, this took me about 3 minutes, because I have thought about it before so here they are. .223--300WM---358WM, that should get it done. Rifles AR-15, Win M 70, Win M-70

Coincidentally, I was checking my hunting notes recently and found the two rifles with which I'd taken more big game that any others since 1997 are my Ultra Light Arms Model 24 .30-06 and my CZ 550 9.3x62. Acquired the .30-06 in 1997 and the 9.3x62 in 2001....

In the past few years have been using a custom 6.5 PRC made by Charlie Sisk more than any other rifle, but quit traveling to hunt outside Montana around a decade ago. It has worked fine on the standard Montana "freezer grand slam" of pronghorns, whitetails, mule deer and elk, with the 127-grain Barnes LRX. But would not choose it as a travel rifle for distant destinations--instead taking a .270 Winchester with some sort of monolithic bullet.

243 - 30-06 - 338WM I wont get out of BC, but no shortage of Grizz where I walk

Wouldn’t your 6.5 PRC do whatever a 270 would do? I recognize that you are The Prince of Loonies, but that sounds, well…..,loony. 🤔

Wouldn’t your 6.5 PRC do whatever a 270 would do? I recognize that you are The Prince of Loonies, but that sounds, well…..,loony. 🤔[/quote]

I sincerely doubt you'll find any 6.5 PRC ammo in, say, Botswana.

The fire has turned into a bunch of [bleep], purse swinging, name calling, quitters! Like Toby said, ‘Don’t let the old man in!’

I have several bachelor friends that have collections that humble mine in comparison, their creedo is he who dies with the most, wins.

I’ve got a ledger with guns/ SN/ date purchased and price. (W/ receipts). I’ve willed certain guns to special people. My family can probate the rest and auction them off. I plan on playing with them, shooting them, buggering screw heads for years into my retirement.

I'll go 223 (small game, varmint, 2 or 4 legged, availablebility, lots fit in your pocket)
Next, 35 Whelen. Large game. Suitable for anything in North America, and the ability to use pistol bullets for plinking or smaller game, etc.
Then the 458WM. Suitable for Africa (if I ever get the chance) and Big bears. And again, can utilize pistol bullets for reduced loads.
Add that 22lr and a 12g and you're good to go for just about anything from chipmunks to a C130 aircraft.

I will go with the 22-250, the 30-06 & the 458 Win. These are all very versatile in that they can be loaded up or down with jacketed bullets. They can also be loaded with cast bullets up or down as application demands. You should be able to find a box of ammo in most places where you are hunting. I would be pretty bored having just three rifles.

22 creedmoor, 6.5 creedmoor, 9.3X62.

I can do all of these on one Tikka action.

Eclectic or eccentric? I dunno.

Ok, this thread is getting very long
My second string
Biggest bore
12 ga Norinco takedown( 12 " ish barrel) 3"
Slugs/ buckshot.
Big bore, .450 Marlin , miroku/ win 94 knockoff.
Takedown
7x57 Brno, don't know the model , set trigger, butterknife bolt, slender forearm/ end. Mountain rifle. Sweetness.

Bugger, I like your way of thinking. 3 cartridges ha, ha.

Never going to hunt internationally again. But if I were: choice would be 22/250, 30:06, 375 h&h.

If I can only play with three calibers for the rest of my life, then just SHOOT ME NOW and let's get it over with!

Could you narrow that request down to one cartridge! 😜 memtb