In some what the same vein as the "30-06 is still a great cartridge" thread...


The .308 Win comes close, but the .30-06 can do everything the .308 Win can do, exceeds what the .308 can do when loaded to similar pressures and the .30-06 handles the heavies better. The .300WM also comes close but th e.30-06 has a much wider selection of factory ammo and with starting prices about 35% less than .300WM ammo.

Love my .22, .24, .25, .26, .28, other .30, .338, .375, .44 and .45 caliber rifles, but can't think of one cartridge that works better as an all-around option.

Rhetorical question

C H

1. First, the 308 comes close but TODAY the 06 can out do it especially with our newer powders.

2. I would NOT say any one would fill your bill. > "but can't think of one cartridge that works better as an all-around option."


3. IMO and for MY use & possible hunts in the future......

I'd take a 7 Rem Mag. There are plenty of GOOD bullet choices for the caliber LIKE the 30 Cal.

*** I like the 7s flatter trajectory *** THAT is the only reason. ! Dead is Dead, but flattER is better AFAIC.


Jerry

I use both my 7mm RM and .300WM individually more than all three of my .30-06 rifles combined. I like flatter.

At least there are 2 of us. <grin>

All around better than the '06?
There ain't one!!

What is your universe? if it's North America, hard to go wrong with an 06. If you are talking world wide, then "God's Caliber", the 375 H&H would be it.

None

Well, the 6.5 Creedmoooore obviously.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

that's funny right there !


Jerry

Why is that funny? I'd rather shoot the '06 at brown bears than the creed, I'll grant you that. For LR, targets, steel, varmints, creed.

Deer sized critters to moose? Either one will work fine.

I don't buy factory rifle ammo. If I were limited to one it would be the original 300 Win. Mag. As good as the '06? Ohhh...any that will launch a 150-220 gr. bullet at from about 2400 to about 3000 fps. The '06 is good but it ain't magic.

270

7-08

The "heck" with them Brits. I'm an American-------375 Ruger---:)

8x57 mauser losaded to its full potenial.

.280AI

None "better" than the 30-06 👍.....Hb

Precisely, howard1. One could also throw in the 7 X 64 Brenneke or 8 X 64 Breneke and the rimmed version of both cartridges, 9 X 71 Peterlongo. As with 16Bore I too am partial to the 270 and the 280 would be fine as well except that the 7 X 64 Brenneke I mentioned earlier came first by about 38 years. There isn't any fly's on the 7 X 57 either. The 30 Newton comes to mind as does the 300 Savage. The 7 Mag. would work fine as has been mentioned. The 300 H&H does everything the '06 does and a little more. I don't know anything about the 28 Nosler but I bet it's completely adequate as well.

There is a pick-up truck full of excellent cartridges...and none of them have any magical, mystical properties the others don't. Ballistics is ballistics. It doesn't matter if they originate from an American, British, German, Austrian, Swiss or French cartridge. Dead is dead. I believe I can say with complete confidence no game animal ever thought "I'm glad I got shot with a 30 Loudenboomer with a 165 gr. bullet at 2800 fps instead of a 28 Loudenboomer with a 140 gr. bullet at 2900 fps". Obviously bigger game ethically requires bigger cartridges and that list too is longer than a tall man's leg.

If one came close, it would be the 280 Remington or the AI version. My version is a 7X64 Brenneke. Horses for courses. Depends on your course.

Remington’ s belted 7
GreggH

It’s a good one and close but falls short with 200+ grain bullets😉.


PennDog

I have a lot of rifles, in a whole lot of different calibers, and I LOVE to use them all. Lots are smaller than .308, and many are bigger than .308. And that may be the main reason that of all 10 or so 30-06's I've owned, I have only ever hunted one of them, and only killed one critter with it, a big New Mexico bison that fell to a 180 Partition. I've just been too busy playing around with various Gucci calibers to bother with the old '06 in the hunting fields. Because I already KNEW how that was going to turn out. Though I'm far from the most experienced hunter, I have killed dozens of critters, including mule and Coues deer, pronghorn, elk, and the one bison (moose, sheep, and goats are still on the bucket list). So, in my probably about average experience level, the answer to the OPs question is:
Nothing.
I turn 60 next week and am sitting around looking at a pile of rifles, picked up at great deals over the years, that I may never get to hunt with. Two of my 30-06s just got sent to JES to become something bigger and another is going to be rebarreled to .256 Newton. So I'm gonna have even more "Gucci" rifles to hunt with, in my remaining years. I can't say that the 06s are going to get a whole lot more love, but there's not a better cartridge I "need."

All the best,
Rex

.300 Whelen

I used to turn my nose up at the '06 until I was sent one for review.
Bought my own and won't part with it. That and the 7x57 and possibly a .458 are the most useful trio, because I simply cannot find any animal anywhere, for which I am not adequately armed.

Funny. Along with the .277-03, right?

Yup.

That's about where I'd come down. "For North America" most people factor in 'big bears" even though most people will never hunt big bears. Take them out of the equation and it's much simpler.

.223AI

For me anyway.

I agree, I would like to use the same exception and go with a 7x57 mm. If I am forced to hunt big bears with my selection, I have no problem taken a poke at one with a 175 grain Nosler PT. (My backup would be a gun bearer with a "big" 06 - 35 Whelen.)

Interesting question from the op. I am 65 and the amount of bullets from .22 to 50 , lead alloy, primers, powders and BRASS I have accumulated will outlast the time in front of me. I ain't even a hoarder just a normal guy who likes to shoot. I am not rich but got enough of bad women and lonely liquor long time a go so I spend it on firearms/ components. I scored some major deals on this stuff for the last 45 years. I'm proud to say I have not ever run out of ammo.
.I'll be ok on 30-06 stuff till I'm dead but if I was a young guy right now I'd be thinking what I'd need to see me thru the next 60 years. That spells. 223, 308 ,12ga , 22lr, 38 spcl, 9mm lay them in and all the GI brass you can get a deal on. Primers same lot by the sheave(5000) bulk bullet buys of the ones that work for you and multiple 8lb kegs of the powders you need. Sandyhook taught all who would learn that," Days that you could go to whatever mart the evening before the opener and get your ammo are Long F'ing gone", There is no such thing as to much money,or adequate supplies of ammo and components. If you don't reload you mize well give up shooting stay home have your wife tell what the f**k to do. Most people gotta get hosed for$ 30 dollars for a book on what to do and I just gave it away damn if I ain't a philanthropist
.
MB

YES, you are.


I'm 70 and will not live long enuff to shoot the components I have--- IF I DON'T BUY ANOTHER 1.


You got it right about Factory Ammo shooters.


Jerry

Have you compared the S D & B C of 175 gr, .284s TO 200 gr, .308 IN same bullet construction.

NO LACK.


Jerry

I only opened this thread to see how many hipsters would show up.

+1. And an '06 for a two rifle battery.

6.5x55

Dang, you had to go and one-up me. I'll see your 7x57 and go 7-08!

Depends on application. The best way to hedge success? Pick the proper bullet for the job, and shot placement.

That said, an 06 'Could' have done anything I have done in the field, assuming the above.

Yet, I have gotten by fine on all my kills using different choices.......using proper bullets + proper placement.

Well 458 WIN ( Phil Shoemaker) says the 30-06 is entirely adequate for Brown bear SO....

The 30-06 is a BETTER all around cartridge.



I already have the 'creed' covered in more ways than 1 --> including 30-06


Jerry

None better. But almost just as versatile
7-08 for old school
6.5CM for the younger crowd

For people who hunt brown bears,which ain't many.

280 AI

I started hunting moose and deer with a licence in 1965. I was 15 years old. I bagged my first bull with a 30-06 at close to 400 yards. It went down at the shot and stayed down. It was Dad's rifle with some factory ammo. I have killed a boat load of moose and deer over the last 55 years with a number of different cartridges, but the 06 certainly leads the pack. I have killed black bear with one, rabbits, and grouse.

I have other rifles, and I like some very much, notably the 6.5x55 Swede, and the 45-70. I also have a 300 WMag that has never failed to adorn the meat pole with tasty bits, but the 30-06 with bullets in the 150 to 220 grain variety have always flattened the game at which they were shot. My wife hammered he first moose at about 35 yards with a 243. I don't consider the 243 a moose cartridge, but it sure was that day. She liked my 06 so much that I shortened the stock for her and worked up some "pink bullets" for her with which she anchored a nice bull at close to 60 yards. (150 gr Barnes TSX)

I love my 6.5 Swede with 140 gr bullets, but over all, give me my 30-06 M65 Tikka with 168 gr Barnes TSX at 2900 fps.

No he didn't. I don't spend enough time at home to reload but I can afford all the factory ammo I want or need. That's why I go to work so I can buy things instead of make every dam thing myself.

A few, but, darn few.....When factory loads, availability, energy, and trajectory are put into the equation! memtb

If this ain't a popcorn eatin' thread, they don't exist.

All-arounder for North America points directly at the 30-06, even though many things have come on the market since its inception. Would be tough to argue that something like a 175 LRX at 2,800 isn't capable for practically everything. It's actually a fair bit of gun for 80% of the hunters in NA, as they could probably get by just fine with a 270, 280, or even one of the short actions like the 7mm-08 or .308. How many hunters in NA are really ever going to shoot a moose or a brown bear? Bet it's far less than 20%.

The venerable 6.5 Creedmoor.😁

But an awful lot of folks seem worried about running into them and want to know what sort of protection they need.

oximoron ?

moron of some sort !

I know this: I can make better ammo than I can buy and I don't have to buy brass again for every round.

Jerry

I got nuttin against the 280 or 280 AI....where you gonna buy 280 AI ammo ?

All around includes more than the cartridge itself.


Jerry

My Dad was a WW2 Pacific Theatre Vet. In East, Tx, he felt the 30-30 was a "Big Gun" and felt the 30-06 "was for killing Japs and ruined too da-ned much meat! ha Bear in mind, the deer are small and the hogs "had better been shot in the neck/head" so as to "not ruin any meat". that Great Depression really made him "opinionated", ha. So, I guess I would have to say "All Around Where?". Overall, with "custom handloads" yes, 30-06 can do it all, IMO.

The topic of Brown Bear does seem to come up an inordinate amount of times on this forum.

Didn't I read that Shoemaker killed a bear with a handgun, maybe a 9 mm?

Better question is how could you have avoided reading it around here?

The 30-06 is not always the best choice. But never the wrong choice

308.

Bolt gun for hunting, LMT MWS (AR-10-ish) for home protection.

Or, 6.5 Creedmoor for the same reasons.

You hunt bear, what 1% of the time if you don't live in the bush in Alaska or Canada? Most people don't hunt bear at all, and everything else has been done with a 308.

Why would you base your choices on bear hunting?

Done and done

++

308

It depends on what you hunt, where, and how many you plan to shoot. To me, all around has to include varmints, pronghorn, and elk, and maybe large bears, as well as deer, coyotes, and probably a few other things.. IMHO there is no such thing as an all-around cartridge. They're either abusive at the volume of shooting involved or inadequate for the game involved. If you leave off large bears and colony varmints, and restrict it to what's available in my home state (Oregon), then you can make a good case for the 7mm-08 and .270 Winchester both being better than any .30 caliber. There are better choices for individual animals and specific situations, but not by a lot. The only tricky part could be elk and either cartridge will get it done within any distance I really want to shoot.

Tom

And tell me you never shot a squirrel with a 180g 30-06.

375 Ruger, 30-06 on steroids. Shoots a heavier bullet with similar ballistics. Minimum for dangerous game in some countries..

I will say if I hunted in brown bear country, I would look at things differently. Mainly, being more careful in camp, and trying to avoid running into them when out and about. And using a bigger bullet maybe.

People who live in Alaska and on the continental divide where Elk, and dangerous game exist... yep. 06

East of that or absent of those 308

Mine is a .338 win mag but don't do much outside Alaska. If I lived down south a 30-06 would be a good choice. My best buddy hunts exclusively with an 06 here. He does well.

I hear ya and....

I HAD a 338 WM and that particular rifle kicked WORSE than a 375 HH that a friend had and he let me play with it.
I'd rather shoot a 375 HH than <THAT> particular rifle.

In a rifle with a better stock and RECOIL pad... I would consider the 338 WM, living in Alaska.


Jerry

I'll venture to guess that 95% (or close thereto) of the members of this forum could have randomly picked any cartridge available from 243 on up when we started hunting and we would have accomplished everything we have accomplished with our variety of rifles that we have owned. That other 5% are those lucky enough to have hunted the dark continent and the great bears. Heck, maybe even include the starting point of 223 instead of 243 and that would probably still ring true.

If you are one of those who shot an elk with a 338 through brush which would never allow a lesser bullet to pass through, you are probably still a member of that 5%.

I'd say you're lucky that 338 got through brush.

Not me. Nice catch. By "us" I meant forum members. It has just been touted often as why large calibers are needed. I'll change that so nobody else thinks me reckless.

Got it now, thanks.

>>.340 Roy <<


All round encompasses different things for different people... and for some not being able to find ammo
just about anywhere ain't a big deal.

How many people can handle the recoil unbraked?

Where can you hunt in North America where you can't bring ammo?

I remember reading an article by Townsend Whelen entitled, "Rifles for the Wilderness Lover." ( Gun Digest Treasury).

He came to the conclusion, that if big bears were not a factor, his chambering choice for his ideal wilderness rifle was NOT the 30-06, NOT the 257 Roberts, and NOT the 35 Whelen, but the...




...270 Winchester.

Starman (?) what planet you from ? Dream On, Dream On.

Jerry

Oh yeah. Traveling hunters don't ever get separated from the AMMO ? What about rifles, even ?

IT happens......then what ?


Jerry

Hard to beat the -06. Then again if you aren't a pussy nothing beats Holland's 3/8 bore!

Of course, I'll channeling for 'Stick when I say 7-08 wit 7.5 twist or better.

And that's a good solution, too, except you have to hand load for it to be in the running.

Nope, but did shoot a crow on the last hour of the last day with an 180 gr. '06 that my hunting partner swore the scope wasn't right.

Turns out the scope was just fine. Musta been operator error...

How many times have you been separated from your ammo where having a coke can common .30-06
would have saved your hunt?

Elgin Gates travelled the world with a .300 Roy..

Elmer Keith went to Africa with his .280 wildcat

This aint Africa........
.......and you ain’t Elmer Keith !


Sorry, M Quigley.

JWall - a 338/06 or 9.3x62 has a better experience for the operator, than the Win Mag....

BigSky, just as LE and Military are back to the 9mm, with modern bullets, seems there was a famous Bear hunter once in AK....S&W 9....

Yes, a 223 now does what folks started with 243s.......and 243s are doing what folks did long ago with 270s........

So, the ole JOC, is perhaps a better mousetrap for many hunters who would not mind dropping recoil and probably shooting better. But personally I'd use a 140 AB, or 150 Noz of choice depending on game. I always liked 150s in my 270s, but would settle for a 140

No nothing wrong with an '06..........I just never 'Needed' one - satisfied with how a 6mmBR kills. 6.5s are nice and I don't mind a 7/08. But factory ammo, a 270 and '06 are like the 308, you should not have an issue with supply.

'All round' can include Africa as much now as it did in Elmers time.

Never happened to me. What did you do when it happened to you?

And if you get separated from your rifle, it doesn't really matter what chambering you have, does it.

mokepole,

Have perhaps traveled a little more than most hunters (but not nearly as much as some), and have seen rifles separated from ammo quite a few times during air travel--due to many airlines insisting the ammo not be in the same case as the rifle.

Sometimes there's a rifle the hunter can use instead, but not always with the confidence they would have with their own rifle--or ammo. Partly because there sometimes isn't time, or adequate facilities, to get used to the borrowed rifle--including sometimes triggers that kinda suck.

Have seen the hunter's rifle and/or ammo show up after 2-3 days, but have also seen neither show up for the entire hunting trip.

Do you let that possibility dicatate the chambering you hunt with?

Smokey

Actually it has happened to a friend WITH me.

We left home EARLY to hunt 60 mi away. Half way there he’s looking for his ammo.
It got left on TV cabinet (80s) at home ! ! !

Luckily he & I both took 2 rifles each.

I let him use 1 of my rifles & AMMO.

IF we’d stopped to buy ammo somewhere we’d BEEN late !!

IT happens.

Jerry

i got to Jachson Hole Airport many years ago without one of my bags and it had my 338-06 handloads in it. Of course a quick trip to town did not produce any 338-06 ammo. If not for the local airport attendant, can't remember the airline, making a call to Salt Lake Airport to a friend of his there and having him find my bag and making sure it was on the next plane, and the last plane out that night, to Jackson I would not have had ammo. We were leaving he next morning riding into the Teton Wilderness.

PS

You wouldn’t find NO wildcat ammo in SE Loosiana !!

Uh huh , Uh huh !

Jerry

95% of the hunting I do is in grizzly country. I opt for the 308.

Seems that those that have the loudest opinion on this subject have mostly shot deer. In Arkansas.

My observation for a long time has remained - “cartridges are more alike than different.”

I doubt you could fine ANY that are better for "all-around" use.

It would be hard to find many that would cover that much ground as well.

VH, did you keep your .338/06 or did one such experience cause you to dump it for a widespread popular chambering?

asking more for Jwalls sake than myself...

LOL, so "ammo availability" was a non-factor, do I have that right?

That 60-mile trip back home to get his ammo would've been ....."catastrophic" in epic proportions.

The crisis may have even been magnified if you stopped at the 7-11 and they were out of coffee. The possibilities are endless.....

Smokey
I’m NOT mad at you. Ok ?

You are WRONG on so many counts.

1. NO, ammo availability WOULD have been a factor.

2. Yes 60 + 60 + 60 BACK would have lost the whole
morning hunt ! Hard to comprehend ?

3. There ‘were’ NO 7/11s at Covington or Bogalusa
La. Ever Heard of Bogalusa ? It’s a real town!
Wrong again.

Now, give it a rest.... I’m thru.

Jerry

VH, did you keep your .338/06 or did one such experience cause you to dump it for a widespread popular chambering?

asking more for Jwalls sake than myself...
————-

Ask for yourself ! I don’t give a RAT.

Jerry

Back on track !
Thnx. STEVE


Jerry

Jerry, I'm not mad at you either and, nope, never been to Covington or Bogalusa. But if there are no 7-11's, it's a good bet there are no places to buy factory ammo. so your cartridge choice didn't matter with respect to factory ammo availability.

That is what we're talking about, right?.

The great 8mm-06 Improved...clearly the very best.

One that is fully as good in EVERY way is the 7.62X63

Now what about the 06 or 300 Whelen ?

Jerry

[quot,oward1] 8x57 mauser loaded to its full potenial. [/quote]

There you go, and so overlooked. If you want something to do a little of everything, a .30-06 or an 8x57. But personally, I don't need one gun to do everything because I've got a .223, .22-250, .243. .250 Savage, .257 AI, .270, 7x57, .280, .30-06, 8x57, 7RM, .300 WBY, and a 9.3x62, what else do I need? But of all those the 7x57 and .270 fill 90 % of my needs so I guess those two would be my all around rifles and around here those two are practically interchangeable.

That's what I'd use if I was like most hunters and didn't hunt anything larger than deer. With that said I do carry the 270 while Bear hunting occasionally and although I haven't I would gladly carry one for Elk and Moose too.

I still have the 338-06 and if I fly with it again I will try to ship some ammo to my outfitter, a hotel, a local gun shop, or to myself at a post office in the area I plan to hunt. Or I may take my 7mm Rem Mag, one of my three 30-06's or a 35 Whelen, although I could get into the same problem with the Whelen.

My 338-06 is a Weatherby Ultra Lightweight and scoped only weighs a little over 7# so it is great in the elk mountains.

I cruised the reply’s quickly and may have missed it but I’m going to say the 325 WSM is better..

I am a HUGE fan of the good ol’ ought six and have killed tons of critters with one. But the more I’m around my Model 70 classic stainless/wood featherweight 325 WSM, the more all my other rifles don’t matter.

200 grain Accubond at 2900+ FPS out of a fairly light, short action rifle... pretty hard to beat.

Todd

The 7.62x63 is way overrated,I like the .300 Whelen.

I came back and read the OP to see how he defined the "best all-around cartridge." I'd been thinking about it myself in terms of "if I could only own one rifle" and I'm curious how others define "best all-around" because it's kind of hard to pin down. You have to factor in not only the game (or varmints) you're after, but the distance you might shoot, and how/where you hunt.

Then I considered the rifles in my safe including an '06, a .308. a .30-30 and a .300 Weatherby. I've been mulling over slimming down the number of rifles in the safe for a couple years now, just haven't done it. I realized that even though I have an attachment to my '06 because it was one of the first rifles I owned and I re-finished the stock by hand, I haven't hunted with it in around 15 years.

Just considering the .30 caliber rifles, if I was going to hunt deer in thick cover the .30-30 would get the nod because it's a fast-handling lever action and fun to shoot. Shooting steel at the range out to farther than I'd consider shooting at game, the .308 would get the nod because it's a tack-driver and pleasant to shoot. The .308 would also get the nod for hunting in open country, for the same reasons. And if I needed more horsepower, the .300 Weatherby would get the nod. Why go halfway if you need more speed than the .308 or a heavy bullet?

Then I read the OP and confirmed that not many of us posting on this thread own one rifle so as a practical matter the concept of "best all-around cartridge" is fertile ground for discussions like this, but I always find myself reaching for another chambering for whatever reason. So I come to the conclusion that "best all-around" is similar to jack-of-all-trades, master of none. For most of us.

7 MM Mag 160 Accu Bond @ 3000 FPS sighted at 200 is -.6.4" @ 300 Yds and 36.9" @ 500
30 06 165 Accu Bond @ 2850FPS sighted at 200 is -7.2" @ 300 Yds and 43.9" @ 500

For all practical proposes the is no difference trajectory, unless you see and hold alot steadier than I do. I'm however not a twister nor a long range hunter, fancy myself as a hunter.

Switch

I'm not a dialer and twister either. THAT is why I prefer fast & flat.

For several years now, I NEVER go hunting WITHOUT my Shooting Sticks. Really Helps.
edit: Since 2012.


Jerry

Thinking North America and specifically lower 48. But that's not the whole universe.

Similar situation here. I've enjoyed collecting firearms and the components to load for them since my girls got out of college. Getting ready to retire at the end of May and have been looking at my inventory. i reload for 19 different cartridges and could easily shoot the rest of my life without buying more powder, brass or bullets.

It wasn't intended to be a trick question but any time a subjective judgement like 'best' is involved it kind of works out that way. 'Best' depends on the criteria used and everyone's situation is unique.

I enjoy all that I have, so 'best' is moot for me.

There has always been a legitimate conversation around which is more powerful, the 7mm Rem mag or the 30-06? But I never remember hearing it asked whether the .308 was more powerful than the 7 Rem Mag? Hmmm.

Getting to the point that my 20 Ga. shoots flat enough, hunt with my dogs more and more, Don't even have to carrier the shooting sticks!

^^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^ memtb

the answer to What cartridge makes a better choice than a 30-06 ? nothing is a better choice just use or buy a 30-06,if your a handloader/looney person we all like many different cartridges to play with and reload for. the greatest advantage to using a 30-06 is > you can find 30-06 ammo any place in the world.

I can't agree. I'm pretty sure God knows the difference between a cartridge and a caliber.......

Geesus you're a dumb f.uck. There are no 7-11's around here at all but plenty of small town general stores that do carry ammo. You won't find .280 or .338-06 or any other oddball ammo at those little general stores.

LOL, good morning to you too blackie. NIce to see you here and contributing I always look forward to your posts.

A very valid point! I should proof read more carefully! memtb

Another question that could be posed is

What cartridge did you you start reloading with?

For me, it was the 30-06 Springfield -- the BEST all around cartridge in the world

338 RCM

Yep

22-250

For me it was the other greatest cartridge in the world, the .308. There was a Canadian gunwriter, Ian McMurchy (RIP) who steered me in that direction. He was a great guy, willing to help a newb like me, and did a lot of long-range shooting.

He recommended the .308 for my first "long-range" rifle, and helped me set it up including re-loading. He recommended it because the .308 is easy to get to shoot accurately, has tons of great match ammo. available, and is pleasant on the shoulder to put lots of rounds downrange.

All opinions, mine included.

Guys, This is Someone Else's thread.........

I suggest start your own,.


Jerry

Just started wading through this thread.
Heartily agree with the “big bears” comment. And while I’m not sure it’s *better*, the 280 would be my choice also if I could have only one.

I was a slow learner, and I was only 14), started with a .308 Win., and started hand loading with a LEE LOADER. Then, 16 years later, I got the “best all around “ cartridge in the world.....a .375 H&H! memtb

hum.... I missed this !

loudest ? really, I did NOT type HARD.

That's only 25 % of where I've hunted !

I like having FREE RENT !


Jerry

7mm Rem Mag with the old Lee Loader with a rubber mallet. Plain jane 160gr Speers with 60gr of IMR 7828...just like a 280.

I think it depends on where you hang your hat. For most of North American, the '06 is plenty, Where big bitey-stompies are common, I'd like a 375.

First for reloading was 12 ga.

Second was 7mm RM.

Yesterday I ordered dies and brass for numbers 25 and 26 - .327 Federal and .32 H&R Magnum. Wife doesn't like the recoil for .327 loads but full-house .32 H&R are fine.

Just went through my dies (and the ones on order) to count:
.32 H&R Mag
.327 Fed
.380 ACP
.38 Spl
.357 Mag
9mm Luger
.44 Mag
.223
5.56
.22-250
.243 Win
.257 Roberts
6.5 CM
6.5-06AI
.270 Win (for Daughter #1)
.280 Rem
7mm RM
.300 BLK
.30-30
.308 Win
7.62x51 Nato
.30-06
.300WM
.338WM
.375 Win
.45-70

Have to say the .308 Win is my favorite to reload. I get higher throughput rates when trimming .308 brass than any other, much higher than some and perhaps most. The width of the mouth and the short case seem to help with alignment so they go through the trimmer with fewer issues. (Converted my RCBS hand crank to power driven with a variable speed drill. Works great with a rate of 400 to 450 .308s an hour, including deburr and chamfer.)

have read every reply on this post and yes we all have a pet cartridge,but truth be told the dang old 30-06 is still king . long live the 30-06 !

To the original question, I think that a 300 Win Mag or possibly a 338 Win Mag are actually better "all-around" in North America.

Both have more recoil than I want, so I do use a 30-06, but both can reach farther while keeping the velocity up on heavier bullets. If I were shooting across canyon on a big bull elk at 500 yards, for instance, and wanted to whack him before he got in the timber, I'd say that I would prefer a 300WM with a sleek 180/200 grain bullet over the -06. If I was shooting a giant mule deer in Sonora, in the brush country at 400 yards, I would prefer the 300WM also. Lots of scenarios that I could imagine around the world where the -06 wouldn't be the best gun to have in hand.

If I was running around Alaska regularly, I would choose the 338 because I think it puts more "smack 'em" on any animal than an -06.

I cannot really handle that level of recoil well, however, so I use a 30-06 instead.

Nah! 6.5 Creedmoooore is too much like the 0-6 in that it is really over kill and over recoil for better than 90% of what most of us do. Ill stick with my 6.5 Grendel for what I do.

Well I'd be looked at the 30-06 as a happy medium. With that in mind there are cartridges that shoot flatter, 6.5 Creed, 7mm, but not that much. I Used to shoot the 25-06, great cartridge in my book. But, 120gr at 3100fps, the 30-06 does that with a 150 grain slug. The 25-06 is a little flatter, but not much.
Except for the big bears, larger cartridges like the 375 H&H and the 40 and 45 calibers are the ticket. But, slight over kill on ground hogs and whitetails and blacktail deer. The 30-06 can take 100 grain to 240 grain slugs. If, (heaven forbid) I had to just choose one, it would be the 30-06.
So looking at the 30-06 as a center, there are cartridges that will do this job a little better, but then it won't do that job very good. Back to the great 30-06.

For me, I stand by the decision I made some thirty odd years ago: The .280 Remington.

At the same pressure as the .30’06 , velocities, in comparable bullet weights, are quite respectable. Without all the recoil of the heavier 30 cal bullets.
Feeds great, shoots great. Never abundant on LGS shelves which keeps one on their toes as to supply.

I like the AI and RCBS Improved variants , for what they accomplish in the velocity department.

My backup rifle is a .308 Win. Not as powerful as the .30’06, but slightly handier in a SA

In Grizzly country that changes to a .338 Win mag. I realize that a .308 with appropriate bullets could be just as effective as the 338 Win mag / 375 family of cartridges. I just don’t want to be the one to test the theory.

And the rest of the deer and pigs were where?

Well, this is the 24Hour Campfire, and a campfire implies HUNTING. The only way to resolve this is to own a lever action 30-30, a pump action or lever action or bolt action 308, and a pump action or bolt action 30-06.

You just take whatever fits your fancy that day with respect to weather and terrain and game.

Man - l just talked myself into two new rifles... i don't have a 308 or a 30-06...

The 30-06 is a boss.

It would be hard to beat it for an "all-around" North American rifle in my opinion.

Probably so. But I have a question about your handle there, ain't that redundant?

I could live with a 7mag and a 30-06 and be happy.I think the 7mag is a little flatter shooting and the lighter weight bullets in the 7mag carry a higher BC than the lighter 30cal bullets.I think they become very similar cartridges with the 7mag using 160 and 175gr bullets and the 30-06 using165 and 180gr bullets.The advantage the 30-06 is,you have bullets over 200grs and it can still push them at a fairly high velocity.

if you are struggling between 7mag and 30-06 you just need to settle on a good 280

I've owned only two rifles for the last 25 years, a .22 rimfire and a 7-08 AI, which do pretty well everything I want or need.

Are you bragging or complaining?

Just sayin' - besides, they make it tough to buy firearms here, first a permit to acquire, something like a six week wait while it's processed and approved. A pain in the butt.

No struggle.I'd rather have the 30-06 or 7mag any day.

That's the choice I decided to make.

Yes sir, it is.😁

I've had the 280 covered since the 70s --- 270 -> 7 RM.

No 'regerts' < lol >


Jerry

And proudly so, a "double positive."

No question the 30-06 with a 200 grain partition at 2650fps is good anywhere in all 50 states for all big-game, and doesn't make you develop a flinch.

308. It will do anything the 06 will do including bears and is better in auto loaders. Also more accurate imho


Loaded full bore a 308 is 100 or so FPS slower than a 06...even with 200gr bullets.

There is more difference gun to gun in velocity than that. It’s laughable to think the 06 has an advantage for taking game regardless of size or temperament

a 260 Rem covers a lot of ground...

I would hunt any animal in N America and everything up to and including eland with a 260. GREAT cartridge.

the 6.5s are my personal minimum for general big game...but i dont say that to cut them short as i feel they will do anything a .30 will

A .243: is the minimum here in Colorado. I've used mine on antelope with no issues at all and my .257 Roberts is my favorite for antelope. Took one at 500 on the run with it, no problem there, either. I've hunted elk with the .257 using a 120g A-Frame loaded to 2947fps and, while I never got a shot using that load, have no doubt it will work fine out to about 400 yards.

That said, I also prefer my 6.5's for game larger than antelope, Both of mine (6.5CM and 6.5-06AI) are too heavy to hump the mountains with so my .280 Rem is where I start when hunting mulies and elk.

Had my boat-paddle/stainless Ruger .30-06 at the range a couple days ago and was banging the steel at 600. Would not have any qualms about using it at that range for elk, although I would only take such a shot under perfect conditions, regardless of the cartridge used.

There is no right answer to this question. Just to many different cartridge's that fill the bill wonderfully. But I do believe the starting point is 6.5mm cartidges because of better bullet's for larger game. I am certain the 24 and 25 cal will work well on even big elk. But then the #2 world record Grizzly Bear was killed with a 22 RF Long. I would not suggest trying that!

Yup! There is no correct answer. If that were the case, then we would all own 30-06's and nothing more? Imo, owners of only 30-06's are a very rare breed. Although not ballistically superior to many other rounds, the 30-06 still fills many niches for all around use.

But I think that a close 2nd to the 30-06 for "all around" use say from deer up to and including elk including throwing into the mix the black bears and with the right bullets the dangerous bears as well, the 7mm Rem Mag would get my vote.



.

Ooooops.... I overlooked the moose. I think a 7mm Rem can handle them mooses.....

Worked for my BIL. I took a 7 mag as my primary on a Moose hunt but I was using my backup (450 Marlin) when I killed that Moose.

I am fortunate to own a lot of calibers and shoot and hunt with them all. My vote would be for the 300 WSM.

I like BOTH, 06 & 7 RM.

The 260 is light in the loafers.... AFAIC


Jerry

If we are staying NA then cant go wrong with 30_06 but I am partial to 358 winchester. If talking world wide my pick is 9.3x62mm.

+1