Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What top 3-5 rifles for hunting the world? Gunwriters et al.

I saw this posted elsewhere and I am curious as to what all of you think would make your idela dream hunting battery?

.22-250 or .223
.243 or .25-06 or .257 roberts
6.5x55 or .260 or .270
300wsm or 30-06
then choose your "big gun"

I have been collecting it for many years...

1. Simson/Fortuna drilling with 2.5X8 in claw mounts on top of 12/12/9,3X74R with 22LR Kreighoff einstecklauf that shoots dead on at 60 yards

2. Mdl 70 pre war 375 H&H with the sights left on and a 1.5-5 Vari X III plus a 3-9X40 Vari X II in QD mounts

3. Whitworth 30-06 with the sights left on and a 3-9 VX II 3-9 in QD mounts and a 2 3/4 Redfield P&CH in another set of QDs.

4. Sauer pre war cape gun 2 barrel set in 12X12 and 12X8x57JR with 1-4 VX II in claw mounts

5. Marlin 39a with a vintage Lyman Alaskan

I'd go with this.
1. 223 Remington
2. 35 Remington
3. 260 Remington
4. 300 Winchester Mag
5. 416 Remington Mag

i'm amused that a guy can "seriously" consider a "top gunsmith" five rifle collection and humbly ask for ideas in the same paragraph...

It is just entertainment. Who do you know that can afford to have a top gunsmith build 5 custom rifles, is planning on hunting the world and has a problem making up his own mind?
I might really have to look into a Model 70 in 35 Remington. The more I think about it the better I like it.

A .223, a .30-06, and a .375H&H built on Winchester stainless Model 70 actions in McMillian stocks. For the latter 2 cartridges a Model 70 Alaskan in McMillan stocks would be fine.

Yep, I agree that the .223, .30-06, and .375 Holland are musts because ammo can be found pretty much all over the world. My other two might possibly be a 7x57 and .458 WM, for the same reason.

1. 223
2. 270Win
3. 375Magnum


.

1. 223
2. 243
3. 280
4. 375M
5. 458WM

What I would recommend for global trophy huning as opposed to domestic seasonal trips:
7mm Remington Magnum
.375 H&H
.458 Uinchester

What I would choose:
.25/06
.30/06
.340 Weatherby
..458 or .460 Weatherby

The choice does not need to cover 5 rifles and the game variables are not there. Even with 3 rifles, or 2, you could do it all if you were a handloader and rifleman.

Terraine has more influence on suitability that the species category being hunted.

A deer rifle is not adequate for all deer.
A heavy magnum may not be suitable for semi open country.
and .yet a .25/06 will kill everything in Wyoming and experts will should it down as inferior to a .338 for elk. JOC killed everything with a .270 that it won't kill today.

Finn Agaard recommended a .30/06 and .416 Remington but mostly used a 7x57 and .458. Seifried used everything big and noisy but won more readers with one cartridge, the .340 Weatherby.

Cartridges can become fashion statements for the bored.

After all that, get a .300 Winchester and a .375 and spend the rest on hunting.

.22LR
30-06
45-70
12 guage

If ya need more than that you have more money than me. but if I was younger and Africa was on my itinerary, a 375 H&H would likely be added.

Interesting that the guy quoted in the OP didn't include any rimfire.

If you don't want to get too fancy:

.22 Long Rifle
.223 Remington
.30-06
.375 H&H

Right now I'd keep these from my collection and not feel deprived at all:

.17 HMR
.204 Ruger
.30-06
9.3x62
.416 Rigby

Laffin' because these are both really good,common sense concepts and ideas in my mind, even though I am no worldwide hunter.

It seems to me that I am going to want to double up somehow on the dangerous game rifles, because about anything between .270 cal and 30 cal can be substituted for the other and still kill the soft-skinned, non-dangerous stuff....seems this is not where the problems lie.So much of the lighter cartridges just duplicate one another.

But for a 3 gun battery(assuming a guy takes 3), I would not want to be in Tanzania(say) with a flubbed up 416 or 458 and have to rely on a 7 Rem Mag.....having a 375H&H along clears up that issue.

Equally so if the light rifle goes out of whack.Could kill all the light stuff with the 375H&H and never miss a beat.

A 30 caliber magnum with heavy bullets nudges into the "medium" class IMHO.

Bob,

Yep. I've used the .375 as both my "light" rifle and my "heavy" rifle on different safaris. Even used it as my only rifle on my first! And it's always worked.

5 centerfires:

.22-250
6.5X55
.30-06
.375H&H
.460Wby

.22 long rifle
.223 Rem.
.270 Win.
375 H&H

I might go -

.243 Win.
.300 Win. Mag.
.375 H&H Mag.
.458 Win Mag.

I wish the OP well for his endevour.

Personally I have - on Mauser 98 actions -

6 mm Rem.
8x57 IS
9,3x64 Brenneke

22 LR
222 Rem.
30/06
375
458 Lott

I left off the .22LR because the original question related to builds from a top custom maker and most of us just don't elevate the humble rimfire to that category, nor do we go on a paid hunt and consider that cartridge enough to consider a custom build.

I would use what I already have.
WBY Stainless 270 WBY Mag w/ Zeiss Conquest 2.5-8x32 #20 Ret.
WBY ULW 30-06 Cerakoted w/ Leupold VXIII 1.75-6x32 HD
Winchester 1895 405 WCF.by Z-HAT
AMRA

3 is all that's needed, and those would be hard to whoop as a three gun battery.

Concur.

If I was stuck with five rifles, I'd twitch without more details.

.223 with a 22" #3 Krieger on a Kimber 84m in a nice Claro Walnut stock VX3 4.5-14x40 AO

.257 Roberts on a SA Model 70 with a 22" #1 Krieger in a stalking rifle paterned piece of French Walnut VX3 3.5-10x40

.284 Winchester in a NULA with #1 @ 22" with FX2 6x36

.338 Winchester or .358 Norma on a Model 70 with #3 Krieger @ 23" in a McMillan/Echols Edge and VX3 2.5-8x36

404 Jeffrey on a Granite Mountain with whatever cut rifled tube, banded front white bead, rear peep fitted. English walnut in a Holland and Holland pattern. Bridges cut for QD Talleys and use a new 3x Leupold for the Fudds......

Yah, that would make me happy.......

John
I'd consider a switch barrel option in the mix.....several of those will work in the same action.
Charlie

Good idea.
One of my Model 70's is a switch barrel and I never use it so it can be easy to forget.

Mine is set up for .25/06 and .30/06 interchange.

Five rifels my picks would be:

22-250
25-06
280
308

I really have not had a use for larger rifels but some day may have to get a 35 Remington.

For the entire World!
For Cape Buffalo up to Elephant, you'd need something big. You can use a big caliber to let the air out of a grizzly bear if you want too. There are a lot of Nitro Express out there. .416 Rem Mag and WBY are supposed to be big monster killers too, complete with sphincter stretching recoil. I watched a Peter Capstick interview saying he liked the .458 Winchester. It's powerful enough, and you can probably pick up ammo for it anywhere in a pinch. So:

.458 Winchester

For everything from coyotes up to large antelope, I like the 30-06 Springfield. Available all over the World, and you can shoot bullets from 40 grains in Remington Accelerator ammo to what 220 grain bombers. Most people can handle the recoil, and the caliber is inherently accurate. So:

.30-06 Springfield

From everything from bunny rabbits to bobcats... I would never leave home without a .22 LR. If my plane crashed and I had all 3 but could only carry one, I'd take the .22! It's the pot filler. You can carry enough ammo to empty a forest in your shirt pocket, and anyone can shoot it. So:

.22LR

John,

I included a rimfire for several reasons:

The OP included varmints, and there are a lot of varmints that are ideally shot with a rimfire.

Most of the really good shots I know have an accurate, full-sized rimfire, usually a .22 Long Rifle. In fact, one of the standard questions Howard French, the editor of GUNS & AMMO when it was in its heyday, asked of people who applied for a staff position was about what kind of .22 they owned. If they replied that a .22 was a kid's gun, then they didn't get the job, as French considered a .22 essential.

Now, not many people get a custom rimfire built, but I do know a bunch who have! In fact I've custom-stocked at least two rimfire rifles. I consider a good rimfire one of the essential 3-5 rifles--whether or not its custom or not.

Taking a 22LR and shotguns out of the mix, I could get by very nicely with these:

.257 Roberts
.30-06
.375 H&H
.416 Rigby

To finish it out, I'd add a Win M52 Sporter, a Beretta DT11 in 12ga, and an Arrieta 20ga.

.223 w/fast twist
.243
.30-06
.375 bolt
.470 double

22lr
223
308
375
12 guage
45 ACP

After much consideration, I got rid of the rest.

BMT

22lr
22mag
204 ruger
250ai
3006
--------------
223 will replace the 204 this

On the three entirely practice choices:

22LR, .30/06, 375 H&H

For the two options I'd nominate:

For varmints add either a .223 Rem, a 22-250, or a 243 Win

If you need a big bore "stopping rifle" I would add a 458 Win

.22lr or .22mag Marlin Bolt Action
.223 Bushmaster M4c
.308 Ruger Scout
.300 Rem. UltraMag
45-70 Marlin 1895 LA
I won't ever be wasting $ on 5 new Custom Rifles. Even if I could afford them, these 5 that I all ready own would serve me well. And with Buffalo Bore type ammo, the 45-70 will work just fine for "dangerous game" I chose the .223 & .308 because that is probably what most readily available ammo will be if SHTF.

Lord help me, but If I had to thin out my collection to only 5 rifles, I could make due with these. I can't believe only 2 people mentioned the .308....

5,6x50
6,5x57
7x64
8x68
10,75x73

Ok not much expertise on the elephant end of the spectrum but here goes:

3 guns: 22lr, 270, 375 H&H

4 guns: 22lr 270, 375H&H, 54cal ML

5 Guns 22lr. 243, 30-06, 375 H&H 54 cal ML

A good ML opens a lot of extra hunting opportunities. OF course all are subject to owning a good 12 ga shotgun that is not included in the count.

I'd go with the following:
22 long rifle
223 Remington
30-06 Springfield
416 Remington or Rigby

This, plus .223.

I agree rob p had a pretty well-reasoned list. Of course, I've never used (so far) anything larger than a 30-06 to shoot game, so I don't have personal experience.

Everyone needs to start off with a good 22 rimfire. That should be rifle #1. Proceed from there.

Yes but not everyone needs to have one custom built.

And why not?

I don't enjoy the .22. To me it's boring.

I agree John. One reason I bought the Cooper Custom Classic was that it felt like a CF rifle.

I have a lot of rifles, total 41 at present and NO "international" experience, but, quite extensive working BC-AB "bush" experience. Based on that and conversations with friends who have very extensive experience all over the world, and with my major interest in BC and "Territories" hunting, here is what I would pick from my safes.

1. Fine .22lr bolt rifle, need to replace the Kimber 82C I recently traded...maybe a newer Kimber with 3-pos. safety or a Dakota if I could find one.

2. Have a pair of sts. tubed .30-06 rifles built on Brno 21H actions, with new bolt handles, 3-pos. safeties, Micky Edge MKX stocks, Recknagel safeties, Talleys, Alaska triggers and Zeiss Conquest 3x9s....have the actions and some custom parts, might do this anyway.

3. Buy a custom .375H&H from AHR, Wayne has been so fine in my experiences with him that this is THE place to buy another DGR...OR, I have minty P-64 .375 H&H in a Rimrock, Talleys, IRONS on and use a pair of my Leupy 1.75x6 MHD scopes.

This, is four rifles and I would add my Merkel 96K in 12-12-9.3x74R drilling,scoped, ghost and post and so on and these five would do the job anywhere I can think of.

"Stopping rifles", wellll, I had a Browning Safari FN-LE-,458WM and can shoot it from the bench, but, I think that one of my two .375s is much more practical and so I sold it. I think that field skills and shooting abilities are FAR more important in hunting safety than having a big boomer that one seldom shoots and is heavy to pack around.

For, just Canadian hunting, my choices would be slightly different and I seldom actually use the .30-06s I have as I prefer .270 and .280 rifles and,especially, .338WM and 9,3s.

kutenay,

The line-up would sure do!

There's an interesting story about Howard French, the editor of GUNS & AMMO during what many people consider the magazine's best years. When he interviewed people for assistant editing jobs, the first question he asked was what kind of .22 rimfire they owned. If they didn't own one or, worse, kind of sneered at the idea, they were immediately rejected, as French considered a good .22 one of the essentials of a really well-rounded rifle shooter!

Along with some other rimfires, we have three fine .22 rifles in the house, including a Winchester 62A, an Anschutz and one of the New York Kimbers. (If anything, the newer Kimber .22's were even more accurate than the Oregon rifles.) All three have accounted for a lot of varmints and small game over the years, as well as much "affordable" target practice.

John-
I recall reading in the late 1970s some Petersen/G&A magazine article about Howard French's custom 22. It was built by the Remington custom shop on a 40-X action with a full size stock. In the photos accompanying the article, it was shown with a Unertl 6X Condor mounted. The rifle was really accurate, as one would expect.

French or another of the G&A regulars had a Browning 22 semi-auto fitted with a truck-axle match barrel. I think Hoenig did the work. The wood forend was discarded. It was an experimental search for accuracy that did not materialize.

--Bob

.22-250
6.5X68mmS
8x68mmS
.404 Jeffery

I still have one more choice. 17 Rem .22 Hornet .308Win .22LR .257 Roberts .45-70

22rf
222 or 222mag, I've never liked the short neck of a 223.
7x57 or 7x64
404 Jeffery

Here's my list:

CZ 452 22 lr
Savage 260 Rem, on order
Custom Rem 700 35 Whelen, should arrive later this month.
SS Laminate 375 Ruger.

The 260 and 35 Whelen are going to replace guns I already had in those calibers, we are going to add a 270 or 280 for both my wife and I to use and eventually a 223 Rem. I could do without the 375 Ruger but it such a great gun so it will stay. If I really had to, it could be reduced to the 22 lr, a 270/280 and 35 Whelen.

The guy could save himself a lot of work and buy 5 Kimbers...

Five Total;
.22 Long Rifle
.223 Remington
.30-06
.375 H&H
12 Gauge

Five Centerfires;
.223 Remington
.243,.257 Roberts,.260, 6.5x55 or .270 [I really want a .260]
.30-06
.338 Win
.375 H&H

Go and get yourself a Blaser R-8 with two barrels one in 7mm RM and the other in 375 H+H, same bolt head. Scope each one to suit your tastes. Add a 22 RF Blaser dose not make a 22RF barrel for the R-8 yet but my guess they will. And one good shotgun. One rifle two barrels would be very compact and easy to transport and to store. And the 7mm and 375 are very common cartridges.

Somebody tell me why I would ever be stupid enough to limit myself to 5 rifles. Well mabe 5 in most calibers anywhoo. Crap I have 5 chambered in 7x57, why do I need any less?

Good point!

I do tend to limit myself to 50 centerfire rifles, because otherwise the house would start leaking guns, but don't limit myself on rimfire rifles, handguns or shotguns.

After reconsideration, and reading some of the recent posts, here's my new list:

5mm Remington
.225 Winchester
6.5x57R
.350 Rigby
.505 Gibbs Ackley Impoved

There, that should establish me as another discerning, obscure and impractical rifle loony.

If I had to build 5 Model 70s to hunt the world over, I would base the builds on previously offered factory cartridges to keep from having to do too much bolt/magazine changes. Mine would look like this:

1. 22 Hornet (with FW contour barrel, Biesen style stock)
2. 243 Winchester (I'd make this an M70 version of the M700 Varmint Special)
3. 270 Winchester (O'Connor/Biesen copy)
4. 300 H&H (David Miller style)
5. 375 H&H (Echols Legend)

walmart custom 5:

.22 rimfire
.223
.243
.270
.30-06

rifle looney 5:

.17 HMR
.22-250AI
.260
.280
.35 Whelen

I'm all for you, John...shoot that last one much and you'll be looking for another descriptor to replace "looney"!

You list is a lot different from my list. Your choices aren't bad and are logical just not my cup of diet pepsi. Well, I would have to question you on the .225 Winchester. I do like you orginal choice the 9.3X64 better than the .350 Rigby.

I'm Canadian and have mostly hunted Eastern Canada for the past 60 years: New Brunswick (home province), Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario (for the past 30 years) + one trip to Africa for an 8-day visit with two missionary sons in Senegal -- they took me on a "One Day Safari". I used my eldest son's 12-gauge pump with Brennekes. Managed to whack a couple of warthog (he shot most of his warthog with a single-shot .22LR for protein. Brennekes were too expensive for casual hunting).

So, I have NO experience in western-style hunting, though, of course, I can read.

The best all-purpose rifles I've used for MY hunting of big game (deer, moose and bear)in wooded areas, semi-open and clear cuts, and farm land have been: .300 Winchester Magnums and .45-70s (quite a few of each). In addition, I like the mid-bores a lot. I never shoot factory stuff -- only handloads in centerfires. The .22LR and 12-gauge are exceptions. So to leave out shotguns (which I do include in real life), my list would be:

.22LR -- a Remington semi M597 that shoots ONLY the Hyper Velocity Yellow Jackets into a five-shot group that can be covered with a nickel at 50 yards -- in 5 secs., when I do my part! I'll not shoot anything else through it.

7-08 Remington in a Remington M7 or Winchester Featherweight.

.300 Winchester Magnum with a 24" barrel at least, and 26" preferred. All would shoot sub-moa with the right loads at max velocity. Very versatile. Kind of a super-charged .30-06. Since owning .300s (including Weatherby and Norma as well as several Winchesters), I've never returned to a .30-06.

9.3 X 62 as my current medium. In my Tikka T3 (22.4"), ready to go it weighs 7.4 lbs. Ballistics parallel the three .375 H&Hs I formerly owned.

.458 Win Mag. Have owned a couple, and prefer one with a 23" barrel.

.45-70 in a Ruger #1 -- sort of a single-shot .458 Win Mag, though more versatile in ballistics. Have owned 3. My current one was long-throated 15 years ago. Ballistics do equal a .458 Win Mag but in a very handy and light rifle. Handsome to boot.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

Or an instigator.

Mule Deer,
I remember reading that about Howard French. I also remember in the early 80's that Guns & Ammo put out some single issue magazines on 22 caliber fire arms. Those publications and a wise older gentleman that nurtured and encouraged my interest in shooting influnced my first rifle purchase. It was a Remington 541T that I scoped with a Burris 3-9x32 Compact, installed an Uncle Mike's 1" leather military loop sling and an Uncle Mikes thin black rubber recoil pad to replace the black plastic butt plate.

Don't tell me you've abandoned your Mountain Gun in favor of an auto???

22 rimfire -- a good bolt gun.

223 -- because of ammo availability and cheap to shoot.

270 -- good deer and antelope rifle.

338 -- my choice for elk and moose.

375 -- for my big boomer.

I'm just trying to scrape up funds for a new scope, so this thread has been fun to think about!

Since these are going to go in CRF M70s (hopefully with insanely nice wood) I'd try to stick with classic rounds.


.220 Swift
6.5x55 Swede
.300 Holland & Holland
9.3x62 Mauser
.416 Rigby

Agree!! My first firearm was a Winchester Model 69 - I still have it and use it more than both Browning Model 52 Sporters combined. It is more accurate (1.5" 100 yard groups and lighter to carry too.

Agree with most of above, but I am a 30-06 fan. So, I'd replace the 270 with the -06.

I could live with that pick also.

22lr
6.5x55
375HH

Based on my experiences, I would go with the following:
.22/250
7x57
.270
.375 H&H
.416 Rigby

Hunting the world rifles:
22lr
223
270 Winchester running 130's
30/06 running 180's
375 H&H running 250's & 300's

Since the op said model 70, I'd have to go this route:

1. 223 rem
2. 6mm rem
3. 30-06
4. 300 wsm
5. 9.3x62mm

Why complicate things...
1. 7x57
2. 7x57
3. 7x57
4. 7x57
5. 7x57


Gus

1) 22lr (LH CZ452 w/ McMillian & Leupold 3-9x33mm EFR)
2) 223rem (LH Ruger M77 Hawkeye w/ McM hunter, VXIII 3.5-10x40)
3) 308win (LH Ruger M77 Hawkeye w/ McM hunter, FXIII 6x42)

4) 12ga o/u shotgun (don't have yet)

5) I'll go traditional, 375H&H (probably stay with LH Ruger)

1. 17HMR
2. 22-250
3. 270 WIN.
4. 300 H&H
5. 375 H&H

1. 22 LR
2. .223 Rem.
3. 6.5x55 Swede
4. 30-06 Springfield
5. 9.3x62mm

Very interesting so far.

I only need one. The AR-15, with .22lr conversion unit, with 458 SOCOOM upper receiver for big stuff up close, and 7mm TCU when I need a bit more power than 223, at medium range.

Guys KID themselves alot about how long ranges they can humanely take animals at. Jeff Cooper said you should not brag about shots over 300 yds on game. Instead, you should apologize for being too lazy, impatient and incompetent to get closer.

A 26"barreled 22 AR, using 75 gr Vmax softpoints, will still expand reliably at 500 yds, still has 600 ft lbs of power remaining to it at that range,, and such guns, using 90 gr VLD match bthp's, in barrels with 1 in 6.5" rifling twists, are doing just FINE, in 1000 yd matches, too. :-) In open country, an instant stop is not necessary, as you will still see the animal stagger and fall, and many a deer has run quite a ways, 60 yds or more, after being chest hit with a 30-06 sp, too. Many a moose or elk has run a lot further with an o6 or .45-70 thru the chest, too.

funny how 308 loads, which are down to 600 ft lbs at 1000 yds, are "1000 yd capable", but a 223 is not a 500 yd game gun. :-) At 500 yds, many 308 big game sp's, from common barrel lengths, will NOT expand reliably in big game, because they arrive at that distance with sub 1800 fps.

OK 'll play

22LR
243 win
30-06
375 H&H

I'm guessing that should do it.

Probably a different take.

Airrifle for small game. 350RWS Diana. Less red tape for travel and it does well for small game. I don't think that this counts against the tally.

270 winchester for varmits/coyotes/deer/antelope/mountain game in most scenarios. I think that the JOC tribute+timney/talleys/Z3 does it.

300 Weatherby- I would love to have this in a Melvin custom.
This would be for Moose/most bears/Mountain Asian Game at long range. I haven't heard many folks taking chip shots at Argali in Tajikistan. Great for African plains game.

458Win Mag- This is for big stuff up to elephant. It would work for elephant but I have one other gun in mind for that. Mauser or Winchester CRF by Lon Paul or Sterling Davenport. I didn't choose the Lott because I think that this is all you would need. Great for Brown Bear and big moose too. I have a Whitworth Express in 458 Win from 70s and its all I would need for big stuff but a custom would be nice.

500 NE- double rifle-Anderson-Wheeler- This is the first gun that I would get if I won the lottery.

22 LR
22/250 (this would be 223 if doing a ton load of pd shooting)
.308
7 Mashburn Super
375 H&H

Dober

Built on Model 70 actions for hunting the world, I would want redundancy/overlap at each juncture, but yet a chambering that would basically be the best right in its middle ground, so:

223 (8 twist for versatility)
243 (8 twist for versatility)
30-06
375 H&H
416 RemMag

Each one can go up/down the scale if needed via reloading, and each can be loaded in such a way to excel at both long and short range.

First, I don't think the .458 is that much better, if any, than a .375 for large African game. Alsotrhe .375 is good for plainsgame. So...

.375 H&H

That done, there is no purpose for a .416.

Second choice is .300 Wby. Practically point blank out to almost 400 yards and kills anything it hits legally. Choices so far...

.375 H&H
.300 Weatherby

The overlap eliminates the need for anything in between. It also eliminagted any long range cartridge down to and including .270. Now you're down to varmints and maybe pronghorns, though the .300 Wby would take care of pronghorns just fine.

.375 H&H
.300 Weatherby
.243 Winchester or .25-06

Add the .22 LR instead of any other rimfire due to economy of ammo...

.375 H&H
.300 Weatherby
.243 Winchester or .25-06
.22 LR

Finally, get a .223 for shorter range varmints and for center-fire practice...

.375 H&H
.300 Weatherby
.243 Winchester or .25-06
.223 Remington (7.7 inch twist)
.22 LR

There you have it by process of elimination. If I could have one more, assuming the .22 LR didn't count, I'd pick either a .30-06, just because they're neat, or a brush gun like a lever action .45-70.

Well, am I stupid and have limited my gun rifle battery to 1 gun. Also, don't plan to hunt around the world, just Alaska where I live. The rifle is a Ruger M77 MKII CF .338WM, topped with a matte Leupold Vary X-III 2.5-8x.

All righty then...

1] Winchester 9422 w/quality aperture and correct height post front sights

2] Cooper 57M .22 lr.

3] Sako L579 22-250

4] Winchester Model 70 Classic Featherweight (NH) in .308

5] Winchester Model 70 (Pre 64) in .375 Holland

.22 lr
.223
6.5X55
.45-70

.22 RF
.223
.243
.30-06
.458 Win Mag

Jeff Cooper's thoughts and practice were that everything that didn't need a .458 could be handled with a .30-06/180 NP.

Expat

I can do this on paper, and if I wasn't such a rifle looney I'd do so for real:

Keeping only (3) rifles for the world over:

1. 22 lr
2. 243 Win
3. 9.3x62

Keeping only (4) rifles for the world over:

1. 22 lr
2. 243 Win
3. 30-06
4. 416 Rem

Keeping only (5) rifles for the world over:

1. 22 lr
2. 243 Win
3. 30-06
4. 9.3x62 (9.3 back in the mix so I can go back to (3) three)
5. 416 Rem

I've been trying my best to whittle down to (3) three, but I keep falling off the wagon.

Best

I'm not getting on a plane to "hunt the world" worried about varmints,or potting meat.They're a seperate game all their own.Besides I never ran into a varmint that didn't bite the dust when hit with a 270....maybe not the thing for sustained PD shooting but like I said that's a seperate game and doesn't fit my equation.I'm not lugging a 22 rimfire to Africa to shoot francolin and stuff.The PH will likely have something for that.

So my "5" would be a 270,30/06,7 mag,and a pair of 375H&H's.Plenty of overlap,all are shootable,and from what I know,more than ample from up close to as far as I'm rationally or ethically capable.

What the first three can't handle, seems the last two could,and on an African hunt focusing mostly on dangerous game with plains game the side show,I'd take both 375's along.With one set for 250 Bitterroots or 250 TTSX,and the other with a good 270-300 gr bullet,seems I'd be set for most stuff and would have no need for a smaller medium.If one crapped out, the other is right there without missing a beat.


Years past a 300 magnum of some kind would have fit in there to good effect but mostly I don't hunt with them anymore.Seems a 7 mag and 175's comes perilously close to 300 mag performance.I know I'm not the first to have gone this route.


And I might like something like a 404J to replace one of the 375's, or a 416,if I'd owned them and had any experience with them,but don't.....seems everyone I know who buys a 416 never shoots the things.They sit in awe of them and break out the 375's

I guess I'd have little problem finding ammo anywhere I went with one of these.All these rifles would be Mausers or M70's.

22LR
8 twist 223 Rem
8 twist 6mm Rem
7 Mag
9.3X62 or 375 H&H

Well Rick, you are more erudite and sophisticated than I am....

Luckily I have perhaps 1/10th the experience. That makes decisions easier!

1. 223rem - varmint rifle.
2. 25-06 or 260rem - good deer and antelope rifle.
3. 30-06 or 300wm - good all-round rifle.
4. 9.3x62 - for wild boar, elk and moose.
5. 458 Lott - for the really big stuff.

Hey Bob,

I'm not destined to be a world wide hunter either, and i do not depend on my hunting to feed my family (though i once did). I call coyotes for the sheer joy of it, and would do it if i could not carry a rifle.

I'm curious about whether you hunt small game at all though? I hunt squirrels because they are an abundant resource which improves my rifle skills and provide a lot more hunting (and shooting) experience for the time and personal resources invested.

I spent 5 days hunting deer, this year, firing a total of 2 shots.
On at least 3 squirrel hunts, this season, I have limited. This means at least 15 shots on game for those 3 days.
More days than not, while deer hunting, i end the day without shooting. Don't ever recall a squirrel hunt that ended that way.

And I can hunt squirrels 5 minutes from my home, and that's walking, not driving.

I listed 2 rimfires in my 5 picks because that is what I use the most, while hunting.
As for centerfires, I could likely do everything i'll ever want to with my Featherweight 25-06.(which didn't make the 5 rifle list!)