Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What Caliber Rifles Do You Have and Do You Use The Most?

I won't tell you everything I have, just what I use the most...

1. 30-06
2. 9.3x62mm
3. 338 win mag...

No specific order because they will work on everything I hunt..

.223, .243, .257, .264, .284, .308.

I like to shoot them all.

For deer, I like the .264's, long distance I like the fast .257's and .308's.

Well, after that darned boat accident, I gots nuttin'.

Before that, I used .22lr > .284 > .308 > .223 > .358 > .257 > .338

FC

Marlin 336 in .30-30, Ruger M77 Ultralight in .250 Savage, Ruger No.1B in .30-'06, Browning A-Bolt II in .257 Roberts, and a Ruger No.1 Tropical in .375 H&H...

They all get used about the same amount, except for the .375.

The other four, I shoot a couple of times a week, generally.

In order of use (top 4)

1. 22lr
2. .270 Win
3. .308 Win
4. .300 Win Mag

.257-06 caliber.

We've got a 25-35, 30-30, and a couple of 30-06's. My brother likes the 25-35 and I usually hunt with a 30-06.

I own several rifles but The only calibers I own are 22lr.........223Rem..........300 WM.......and a 45-70 for the occasional Ohio gun hunt.........Hb

Had 5 rifles at the range today:

.22 LR, Ithaca Model 49 lever / single shot
Had a blast shooting clay pigeons at 100 yards, iron sights.

.223, Ruger MKII
Shooting several different loads for group as well as clays at 100.

.300 Blackout, S&W M&P15
Testing 208g A-MAX sub-sonic loads.

.308 Win, Ruger Scout
Testing 208g A-MAX full power loads.

.280 Rem, Ruger Hawkeye All-Weather
Shooting several different loads for group in anticipation Daughter #1 or I will use it this fall for elk.

Over the years my 7mm RM has had far more use than all my other rifles put together - simply because for 20+ years it was my only centerfire bolt gun. These days I have quite a few to choose from and unblooded rifles generally step the head of the line when it comes time to choose. In the last few years I've killed more with various .30-06 rifles than any other cartridge.

When I was 11 I had some money saved up and bought an old Rem 700 ADL in 30-06 from one of the ole-timers my grandpa worked with. I still have that one, but life would have been way simpler if I would have never owned another another big game rifle. Mind you not as fun, just WAY simpler.

I have few different calibers but just added a Tikka T3 lite in .223 and did a few improvements. I replaced the factory stock with a Bell and Carlson Medalist, replaced the bolt handle and shroud with Atlasworxs stainless. Replaced the plastic trigger guard with an Atlasworxs aluminium original TiKka T3 Guard that drops right in and takes the factory magazines, added a Bradley adjustable cheek rest, an Atlas bipod and top it off with a Zeiss Conquest 6.5-20x50 scope with Warne rings. Now got to get to the range to site it in.

This year we killed big game with the following:

6mm Rem
264 WM
280 Rem
30-06

This was the first time I've hunted with a 30-06 in nearly 40 years. It worked as well as any of the others.

This past year I spent the most time with a 222 and 270.

This year I plan to spend most of my time with a 222 and 270.

243 for varmints and 270 for deer

Ive been selling off lots of rifles and getting down to just a couple. I have a 22-250 for coyotes. I have a lightweight 308 and 270 for the majority of my hunting. I go back and forth fighting a battle in my head that I need to sell one and just keep the other. I love the 270 because it is fairly flat shooting. I love the 308 because it is a short action, very light, and with modern 180 grain bullets it can damn near do anything I want.

And then.....there is my .35 Whelen. I LOVE the .35 Whelen. I don't NEED it at all. A 308 or 30-06 or even the 270 will in all reality do everything I need, but damn I love the Whelen. It just thumps game. That is how my dad describes it. He says you shoot game with other rounds, you thump them with the Whelen. Maybe it is just psychological, but everything I shoot with it seems to drop like a sack a bricks. There is just something about that big 35 caliber bullet that just works.

223,243,7mm/08,308,30~06.

During deer season the 7mm/08 gets carried the most.
In the off season the 223 gets carried most of the time or the 20" barreled 243.

"...use the most."

My uber cool truck gun, 221 fuzzball.





DMc

Rifles:
.22 lr
.22 hornet
.223 rem
.250 savage
.280 rem
30/30 win
.300 savage
.308 win
.308 win (yes - another one)
.350 rem mag

most hunted: .308

Pretty much all I hunt with anymore is some flavor of 338 caliber. I have some smaller stuff I don't use anymore and sometimes in bad weather or heavy woods I pull out a 45-70 for close range work.

Since I am retired, I try to make time each year to shoot as many as possible. I like to know they are sighted in and ready to go. I have a bunch of Mausers that are chambered for fun chamberings I wanted when I was a kid and a bunch of older style weapons I again wanted as a kid. I usually shoot a couple of them a lot. I like to develop loads and it is simpler with rifles I don't hunt with much. This year it will be a 6.5x55 carbine-17.5" barrel and a 7x61 S&H on a commercial 98 action-26" medium heavy barrel. My old style project will be an 1885 Browning in .45-70.

In order of use (top 5)
1. 22lr
2. .223/5.56x45
3. .30-06
4. .338 Win Mag
5. .22 Mag