What say you?
Generally talking about big game rifles here!

.243 AI

Toss up between .300wm and .270.

.375 Weatherby

The choice would come down to the 35 and 400 Whelen. I guess in the end I would feel lost without my 400. It has become my hands down, favorite big game rifle.

8x57

None of 'em.

7mm-08

270, the easy solution to most hunting challenges. But the 256 Newton could have filled the same market niche if Charles Newton had been a better marketeer.

Same here.
With so many choices overlapping one another, one is sure to have 4-5 choices around a favorite.

375 H&H. I can hunt happily with it for anything forever. Like it at the range also. I've shot steenbok to elephant with it. And I just love my rifle. I will be a homeless hobo living under an overpass before I sell it.

I have one - it's called 6mm Rem

NOT my choice as a must have.

Jerry

Yep, as long as I have 1 of 4 OR 5 I could do all my big game hunting, no sweat.

Jerry

My late father left me 30-06 and 300 sav, so those. Other than that my tastes vary from year to year.h

I guess 30-06 for me. As long as I have a stable, there will be a 30-06 in it.

I feel like it will do anything on the continental US and in all likelihood I'll never do a dangerous game safari or coastal brown bears so it will handle anything im going to be hunting

22LR

Now that is definitely a rare one!!!!!

OK is there a particular rifle in a particular chambering that you will not let go?

Put that way, yes, there is one; 7SAUM in a Bansner stock. It's nothing special and easily replicated but it's got the package "it" factor for me - a lot of history and ample battle scars to make folks think I don't care of my equipment.

Learning to live without a .270, having given my last one away at Christmas to my only nephew. With that one gone, the .30-06 will be the last to go.

6mm Remington.

22-250 fast twist
30-06

.22LR --> LH Rem 581 with suppressor + S&W M63 with 4" barrel...

.223 it's like a pocket knife, I never want to be with one or three.

Pretty much sums it up for me. I've tried a bunch over the years. Had fun but should have picked any one of a dozen and saved my money.

280 Remington.

So far it's been the .30-30 Winchester. I think in the future it's going to be the .300 Savage.

Beat me to it...give me some 200gr bullets to go with it and tell me what it won't do.

Come deer/bear season the last rifle I'd want to be without would be my Marlin .30-30. The rest of the year my .223 gets the most use of all the centerfires. If I had to I could get by with either all year.

I, like many of you, have a rifle addiction. I have far more than I need, with very few "gaps" to fill, and really can't pick a favorite. It has been said that "the next one is the only one that matters" so I'm taking a different approach here. I love .35s and 9.3s. I badly NEED a 9.3x66 (aka .370 Sako Mag). It won't do much more than the 9.3x62, that I already have, and won't do as much as the 9.3x64, that I already have, but I lust for one just the same. I'm getting ready to part with a handgun I never use that'll get me close to half of a Sako "Grizzly" 9.3x66, so that's what I'm working on at the moment. After that, I also NEED an 8x68S.....

The first new rifle I bought was a .270 back in 1966, it was stolen when I lived in apartments but, I have had several and have never lived without one since owning my first. No good reason to explain my sentiment, I only occasionally hunt with one.

I like a quick light weight .308 in heavy cover, and a 7RM for open windy plains.

It's a tie. 30-06 or 7x57. Captdavid

7X57 or 6.5 SM.

.30/06

45-70 Just had way too many good times with.

44 mag have 4 rifles 1 handgun levr ss shot ato bolt & single actiom use same loads with cast & jacket bullits

30-06 in an old Rem 700 from the 60's. Makes me happy

Fotis: I could not live (happily!) without a 270 Winchester calibered Rifle!
Hold into the wind
Varmintguy

You ve got to have a 30/06. I would also hate to be without my .243.

I've thought about this more and more and would have to say I'd hate to be w/o a 22 lr or a 12 ga. Everything else is gravy.

Boring ole .35 whelen in an Encore. I enjoy hunting with it.

7mm08

30-06


Okie John

30-06, the do everything caliber!

There isn't one.

30-06, 308, 22lr, 12g.

Im boring but I guess if I had to have just one, it would be the 06. Its good for everything I do.

7 Mauser

+1 on the .30-30. I just like the rifle that much. .30-06 would be right behind.

7 Rem mag

I have to say the 30-06.I've been hunting for over fifty years,but have only owned a 30-06 for about the last five years.I don't know why,my Dad always hated them,so I never was around one when I was younger.Used a 222,30-30,6mm,25-06 for many of my younger years.Moved up to the 7mag about 25yrs ago,which is still one of my favorites.In the last 10 years got a 7STW,308,300WSM,300 Win Mag,270Win(I had that rebarreled to a 30-06 this year).The problem with owning so many rifles using different cartridges is,it takes more dies,brass,different bullets,powders and just gets to be a pain in the a$$.I've narrowed down my battery to 7mm and 30cal.Use my heavy bullets for my bigger guns and lighter ones for my smaller guns,if you can call a 308 or a 7mag my smaller guns,but that's what I use for centerfire hunting cartridges.I now have four 7mags and four 30-06's which have become my primary hunting rifles.I have to say,the more I work up loads and hunt with the 30-06,the more I like it.It is just so versatile.People who don't like it just don't understand it.You have so many choices of 30cal bullets to use in it.Wide choice of powders will work in it and because of the size of the bore and case,max charges with most powders will give you nearly a 100% full case.Brass is cheap and easy to find.If you don't reload,you can find a box of ammo for it anywhere ammo is sold,for a reasonable price too.

300 mag of win or ultra flavor.

300 mag of win or ultra flavor. That daid, i have a pre 64 chambered in 270 wby that I have a sentimental connection with.

None of them. That said, the Ruger MKII in 338 Win Mag that I got from my father as a graduation gift would be the very last rifle that I own that I'd ever part with.

300 WM with lots of different .308 bullets, brass, powder and a set of dies.

None. If my favorites went away, there's something newer that merely duplicates the ballistics. That's the fun of new factory rounds and wildcats = reinventing the wheel and calling it something new.

The only caliber that I absolutely could not live without would be the .22 LR, but since we are focusing on big game rifles, I'd say there are none in particular that would send me screaming into the night if they disappeared. I admit that I would be an unhappy camper if the .308 Win disappeared, but many similar cartridges would get the job done without a .308n in hand.

That's a very different question.

I can't see myself ever going away from my custom magnumized .45-90 and .50-110s. I love them, there is nothing on Earth like them, and it seems unlikely there's going to be much further development in that direction unless I or a few people I know do it. For .375 H&H and 7RM I would be very unlikely to switch to anything other than a ballistic twin in the same caliber although the case designs themselves are not fantastic.

I could definitely see myself ditching my 7mm-08 which is covering mountain rifle duty, low recoil, and even the occasional varmint. It's OK, but we've never bonded. I keep coming back to the idea of a 6.5 WSM or 6.5 SAUM with a 1:8" twist.

For Me its .300 Win..............Hb

308 Win.

The 30-06 is a great cartridge! But. With the 308, 300H&H, 300 win., 308 TC, 300RSUM, 300WSM........... it is not irreplaceable. Just 1 example, applies to all calibers. Except, perhaps 22LR. Nothing like it for easy, cheap, fun shooting. Now that you can buy them again.

Here as well.

.30-06 Springfield. It just works and it ain't gay.

.300wm..

Easy....30-06 for me......the hard part would have to be which rifle
257 Roberts would be a close second....

30-06. I have been shooting it at deer close to 40 years. I have spent the past 16 years wandering through chamberings other than '06 that I thought would satisfy me the same way. I have not found one yet.

me too I think!!!

Big game? 7mm-08. It is the perfect cartridge imho

While the 7x57 is a twin, the 7-08 beats it for a couple of reasons. 1...you can make brass very very easily with the excellent quality and abundant 308 military brass, 2 no variance in rifle chambers and throat lengths.

I will admit though that when it comes to class...the only cartridge in the same league as the 7x57 is the 375 HH.

270 Winchester or 30/06 coming in a very close second

As much as I hate to admit it, the 308 Winchester. Close second would be 30-06.

Thanks, Tom

3006 then the 375HH

7mm08 I've gone without one only a few times, but there is always one that replaces it. Currently it is a Kimber 84M.

.308

30/06

7-08 & .30-06 are my favorite "do it all" cartridges but there are many that could do what they do.

I doubt I'll ever not have at least 1 of each of those in my cabinet.

Honestly 90% of what I do I do best with a .257 Roberts.

That

I never thought I would own a 223, but they are fun!!

I like loading for it too. It kills bigger than it is. I load 62 Barnes. I don't shoot deer, but it kill pigs as good as any of my cannons.

270 Winchester

The 280 AI is just perfect but the lack of factory ammo in stores worldwide keeps it out of the running.

Works for me too.

.264 WM....

To the original question, like others, there's no particular thing I can't live without, but I keep coming back to the .257 Roberts. I'm on my 5th.

My main addiction, though, is .44 magnum handguns. I've had roughly 35 since college, so many different ones I've lost track. I didn't think that was possible.

Tom

I need to thin the herd...

Get it down to all the rimfires, several .223/5.56, Tikka Fast Twist .22/250, Montucky .308 and CTR .260.

All the rest of the chirren are superfluous.

I have a Tikka SS 30-06 why would I need anything else.

Well M7 in 7mm Saum ain't going anywhere.

1.5x8

Sorry...forgot to add that's inches.

This.

While there are certainly big game cartridges I LIKE better (8x57 for one), the boring old 308 with boring old 150 partitions in a boring old 77 MKII gets the nod on this one.

260 Rem for me.

22 and 3006 for me but then there is my 350rem or the 9.3-62. guess i should stay out of this fight but it is nice to pitch in now and then.

.45-70, it is the .30-06 of the BPCRs

30-06. It is the most versatile and my personal favorite.

I don't ever want to be without a 6.5x47 Lapua because it has the highest recoil to long range performance level of any cartridge I have ever used and it is easier to get to tiny groups from than any cartridge I have used.

I don't ever want to be without a .308 because it is also very easy to get to group well and because I will never have to wonder about ammo or component availability.

John

the last one i let go will be one of my 7mm08.
one because it will kill anything in the south where i hunt.
two because I have a lifetime of hunting rounds stocked up for it and ammo runs from Cheap $12 a box PPU i use for hog and varmits to about $21 for a box of fusions which is acceptable.
three, mild recoil with standard factory loads and I can buy factory reduced recoil loads off the shelf with even less recoil for kids or in case it starts to bother my broken down body in my older years.
Yes I know # 3 can be done on most any other caliber but I dont reload so mute point for me.

35 Remington in a marlin 336. Nothing I wouldn't hunt in North America with it.

Although not really in the spirit of the OP's intent with this thread, none, as they are all so interchangeable with others surrounding them.

In keeping with the intended spirit of the thread, the 280 Remington has been both my favorite and very effective.

I gotta have a 308 hanging around.

I'm not sure you could pry my .280 or 7x57 away. But if I have to pick one I'd like to keep the 7x57. I just like it.

I was going to say 280 Rem or 280AI, but because I know it'll get under someone's skin, I'm gonna say 6.5 Creedmoor.

6-47
Elk to coyotes

I have favorite rifles, and they are usually in middle of the road or even dual purpose varmint/deer cartridges.

I decided some years back that I'd never be without a .300 savage model 99. Then it was the model 70 classic featherweight in 25-06. Now I have an MRC X2 .260 that would do almost all I wanna do.

Don't feel like choosing...

For me its not about what cartridge can I not live without but, what "calibers" can I not live without. I can't live without 22 calibers!!! At the moment I've got 22lr and 223 that cover all I want to do. The 22 covers small game while I wouldn't be afraid to shoot much with the 223 when useing a CNS shot. If I had to pick a second caliber it would probably be 7mm. As far as cartridges are concerned pass me anything in a "non" magnum.



Trystan

I'm not really all that attached to any of the various "chamberings" I own. I can do without any one or without several various ones. There is always something else hanging around that will do just fine.

Pretty much how I see it, whilst I do have rifles I particularly enjoy I am not tied up with any one cartridge.

All of them. On a more serious note, it's a three way tie between the 7x57, .308 Win. and 30-06. Probably the most practical choice would be the .308 and next the 06 but I'm really liking the 7x57s that I started playing with. Biggest game I'll ever hunt would be cow elk so any of the three would work just fine. Kind of sacrilege in a way to ignore my .35 Whelen which has been my very lucky elk rifle. I'm getting a tad long in the tooth
(79) and recoil just ain't the fun it used to be. No problem with the Whelen but the bigger stuff will probably have to go.
Assuming I can get enough componenets to last as long as I'll be around, guess I'll go with the 7x57 and just have fun.
Paul B.

I shouldn't be living without the .45-70 but have been for almost 10 years.

Simple! 257 Weatherby! I have many different cartridges and have killed quite a few head of game and not a single one of them kills with the assuredness of the 257 Weatherby.

Big game in Iowa means deer and deer only. That means a shot gun. In my case 12ga. Although I do like the .223 for putzing and on long hikes.
kwg

Can't get by without a 30/30.

That would be the 30-06, followed by .223, followed by .338wm! Others are great to play with, but the 30-06 is the first one out of the safe, come hunting season!

6.5 Grendel is 1 of 3 calibers I would hate to do with out. 6mm Remington &17 fireball followed by 17 hm 2 & 17hmr. & would not want to over look the 221 fireball.
Did you say only one, did I say only 3.

Ok for big game I'll settle for the 6.5 Grendel

Really you guys? .30-06.

280 AI or 7 Wby

223. It gets used more than anything else. Second would be a 308/30-06.

45-70, no question.

Used a 760 Carbine in 30-06 for my first deer season in 1981...Used that same rifle last year.

Many have come and gone, but that '06 is staying...It was handed down to me by my Mother...One of my sons will get it when I'm dead.

I just can't do without the 30-06 but my favorite is actually the 30/30

.308 win., and .300 wsm

.257 Roberts.

All but one. Any one, tho I would prefer it be larger than .22, and smaller than .50 Barrett........ But I could make do.

.308 or maybe the 7mm-08

This

Anything .25 caliber that doesn't have a belt.


Doc

I would be just fine with the 30-06, but the 35 whelen would be good too.

Has to be 308win for me.

7-08, great cartridge. AI version even a little better. Works on any NA big game out to way out there.

Definitely the 270 Winchester. Hard hitting and low recoil.

Wow, just thought I was the only geezer going thru this contemplation of my navel downsizing effort...and having difficulty getting to a single Primary Shooter, and allowing for another couple "backup" caliber's since I always carry at least 2 deer/hog rifles,

Since the 1st 270 came home with me in the late '60's I've bought 270 ammo anywhere I've ever hunted and lost, loaned or shot up all the ammo I'd brought with me from the Zona Rosa Houses on the south side of the border, to a local church bazaar out of state...so I guess I'd have to say a 270 of some sort will always have a place at my campfire. since the muscle memory aiming points and drop tables of 270 130 SP's are as deeply ingrained as the part in my remaining hair.

The lame shoulder has already ruled out all my 30 cal's and larger + the belted stuff and sent them down the road..but I've backed into a 7x57 M70 in the last year and need to run it hard enough to decide to get into the other non mag 7mm's, when I had been planning on using the 6.5's in either of a 260 or Swede that I've aquired as the last critter getters and became satisfied with 10 years ago after rebuilding my shooting skills with a T3 Swede following a long shoulder rehab.. Just ain't gonna go into anything with a smaller bullet diameter than 264 or throw bullets under a 100 grains,...althought I did see a 86 year wearing a pacemaker use a 250 Savage & ? gr'ers on 100/125+lb Texas WTail doe/spike Cull Hunt very efficiently one time...hmmm...14 years older'n my now almost 73 and was still getting it done in one shot kills.
Ron

Right now,it's going between a .257 Wby,.338/06,.338 Win,.340 Wby or .416 Rem/Taylor/Rigby.

Decisions,decisions,decisions....

30-06....from 150s to 180s...whatever needed!