All-Around Big Game Caliber

[Karl Blanchard]

Lower 48 I'm good with my 6.5x284.

My man! The 6.5x284 holds a special place in my heart. I've got a 20" 6x284 barrel coming soon that I'm pretty excited about though.

[pickardjw]

6.5mm Creed is my current do everything cartridge. Would not hesitate to shoot any NA big game animal with it. Bullet selection might vary. Just got back from shooting today. Didn't miss spotting a single impact from 250 to 615.

[Sneaky]

6.5mm Creed is my current do everything cartridge. Would not hesitate to shoot any NA big game animal with it. Bullet selection might vary. Just got back from shooting today. Didn't miss spotting a single impact from 250 to 615.

The 6.5's are all very accurate and as long as you understand bullet construction and velocity you can get a lot done with them.

[Skyvalhunter]

.22 caliber

[trophyhunt]

.300 win, add a brake, done!

[okie john]

I go back and forth between a 22" 30-06 with 180s at 2,700 and a 20" 308 with 165s at 2,700. Each has a Nightforce 3-10x42 SHV with a 4x Leupold in reserve.


Okie John

[Pathfinder101]

7mm Mag works for me.

[Pathfinder101]

308, all those Army snipers can’t be wrong.

"all those Army snipers" are only shooting 150 lb humans, not 600lb elk.  And, just to be clear, they don't really get to "pick" their caliber, unless they're Spec Ops, and then none of those guys are shooting .308s. 

[mcrawfordaf]

I own quite a few , but my faves are 300wsm and 6.5PRC - the 6.5PRC is a very impressive shooter

Another for 6.5 PRC here. Don't see the need for anything else at the moment. If I had a passed-down 300 or 7mm I'd probably stick with one of those as well.

[swanderek]

Hand loaded 30/06
With powders like Ramshot big game can get close to .300 win numbers.
Hard to beat a tikka t3x 30-06

[Duckslayer89]

7mm Mag works for me.

Same. 180 berger

[crabcreekhunter]

The 6.5s are awesome but if I only had one it’d be in a 7mm cartridge.  Use a 280AI the majority of the time but a 7mm rem mag, 7 SAUM, 280 REM, or even a 7mm-08 would work well.  Might change if I was in Alaska and then would probably jump to the .300 WSM.  Good thing you don’t have to pick just one.

[jstone]

I Love my 7mm Rem. Mag.!!!

[Mulie87]

Thos question is loaded as a 7 layer burrito from Taco Bell. I would say .300win, it will kill anything in North America. But a .270win or 30-06 will do the job with less recoil.

[royalbull]

For the last twenty years mine has been a 30-378 Weatherby, I picked up a .28 nosler a couple of years ago and like it but it hasn't been in my hands long enough to prove itself, every time I pull the trigger on the Weatherby animals fall over dead, sometimes while doing back flips