Most versatile hunting caliber?

[bigandy1966]

I have seen Elk taken cleanly with .270. Shot placement is the key. know your weapon and its limitations. Know your self and your limitations.

I own a .270 and I use factory load 130 gr soft point Remmington core_lokt and do not usually shoot anything over 250 yds with a steady rest and a good clear shot. I know the round will have enough to do the job out to 400 but I haven't shot the rifle that far out in a few years. The round shoots flat and fast, the rifle will put 3 rounds of factory ammo you can cover with a nickle at 100 yds from a bench. Its a Remington 700 ADL my wife bought me about 20 years ago. It wears a Leupold VXII 3-9X40 mm on see under scope mounts for the iron sights as backup. Woodchucks fear this rifle.

No I will not part with it this side of the dirt nap. Good luck, be safe and good hunting

[pennlineman]

If you never intend to hunt anything larger than whitetail deer or Pa black bears I would go with the .270. It flies flat and hits with plenty of authority. If you're looking for an all around gun for deer and larger animals I'd go with the .30-06. I like the 30-06 better than the .308 because it handles the heavy 30 caliber bullets better. Down the road, team that .30-06 up with a .375 H&H and you'll have arguably to two best all around chamberings on the planet.

A couple that you did not mention that are worthy of your consideration are the .260 Rem and 6.5X55 Swede. Soft shooting, they perform better than they look on paper. The bullets are long for caliber so they fly flat and penetrate very well. The 6.5 caliber has been neglected in this country for no good reason. In the Scandinavian countries they use on frequently on moose.

[Booner]

I'd have to say 30-06. There isn't much on this continent that it won't handle. I've never been in any sporting goods store (even now) that didn't have 30-06 ammo in stock.

[CL3]

30-06

Look at the range of grain bullets you can get cartridges in. It's 30 cal so you have an edge in the woods and brush if you clip something. It shoots flat. Recoil is all perception and personal... There are 'lite' cartridges. 30-06 is available . Good luck finding any .308 ammo, or even a good economical .308 rifle.

Ruger American can't be beat or the Savage Trophy Hunter XP.

Remington's new 738 is an admitted copy of those two rifles (their words).

Just know that 30-06 and .270 are long action... .308 or 7mm-08 are short action. If that is a concern... May not be.

[cephas]

The first official rifle I bought myself was a 7mm/06 known later as the .280 Remington. Was my only high power for a few years. Reloaded about off the bat and found the 7mm a great platform. Quite a choice in projectiles. Used 125 gr on small stuff and 160 gr on large game. Really need to handload to take full advantage of this cartridge. Imagine the 7mm/08 would be very similar.
If I had to do it again I'd look hard at a .25 caliber. Probably the 257 Roberts. Always was a bit different.
Really can't go wrong with anything mentioned but it is a good discussion.

[ettorment1916]

What would be the caliber you reach for? (aka- what caliber should I get?!?!?)
Would it be. 243, 7mm-08,. 308? Or maybe a long action . 25-06, . 270, or 30-06.?

My vote is for the 30-06 due to range of bullet weights and availability of ammo. Tried and true....

Just know that 30-06 is a long action... .308 or 7mm-08 or .270 is a short action. If that is a concern... May not be.

.270 is not a short action it's a long action just like the 30-06. (.270 WSM is a short action though)

[rovert97]

I have no issues with using a .223 to take game in Pa. Now I do not include bear in that because I have no need to take one, same goes for elk because there are none on this side of the state. Loaded with 55gr vmax rounds its awesome at small game at a long range and groundhogs. Load it up with 62gr Fusion or Barnes TSX and it will take a whitetail down with good shot placement. But if I were to choose one gun for everything, it's hard to beat a 12gauge for almost all game in PA.

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

IMHO it would be the .338 Win Mag.

This cartridge can be up or down loaded to take any game animal in North America

[Qtrborecrazy]

I like the 308 winchester, short action, ammo available all over, mild recoil and you can go from 130gr and on up. I know the 30-06 is good but with superformance ammo in the 308 I can match.

[MikeStaten]

I'd go with the .270. It will do anything the 7mm/08 will do and the ammo is easier to find and cheaper. If you expected to hunt out of state for larger game than you mentioned, I might say the 30-06 but the recoil will be a little worse than the .270 and it isn't needed for deer or bear in PA.