One “Do it All Cartridge” - All of NA

[Coldfinger]

Not " picking" on you post, I'm merely using yours as an example of how easily we can "drift" away from the "rather narrow" criteria of the OP! This was intended to take many of us "out of our comfort zone"! If a "stopping cartridge" were not part of the criteria.....you would be "spot on"!

Women and youth aren't likely to hunt alone in "big" bear country. And isn't it "perhaps" a bit "misogynistic" to assume that a woman can't handle a larger, more powerful cartridge! My wife hunts with (her only hunting rifle) a .338 WM (no brake).....and is quite comfortable with it. memtb

 

[AC300RUM]

338 RUM Fierce CT EDGE, 26" bbl, titanium NIX break, 4-16x50 NF ATACR F2, Murphy titanium 20 MOA rail, NF UL rings. Atlas BT17 bipod. 250 grain Barnes LRX. 9lbs 12oz with 3 rounds down.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

I'd have to go 7mm rem mag. 180 eld-m/180 berger for anything up to elk and I'd probably run a hammer bullet for big bears. Ideally my set up would be scoped and loaded at 9.0lbs and would wear a 4 port beast brake from MBM.

 

[74sharps]

I'm gonna keep it real simple and old school here. A round that was designed in 1905 by Otto Bock. It's taken everything from rabbits to elephants. The 9.3x62 Mauser, the do it all rifle that won't beat you to death.

 

[RidgeReaper208]

Try hunting in 8' rhododendron and 2" marion berry all day wearing your pack!!!

Lol good luck!

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT...MAN CREATED MACHETES' FOR A REASON!!! Hunted ALASKA for BROWN BEARS & BLACK BEARS. When in the back country my 10MM is COCKED & READY on my hip. Nicknamed the SHERPA, pack weight is CAREFULLY and CAUTIOUSLY pieced together. Having been a hunting guide in SNOWMASS COLORADO, working between 10k' & 14k'....my experience has taught me how to operate EFFICIENTLY and EFFECTIVELY. People who are SURPRISED or UNPREPARED for the TERRAIN they are going to hunt shouldn't be hunting. Stay home and watch the hunting channel or live vicariously through YOUTUBE.

 

[thwatson2]

Browning x bolt pro with Zeiss victoy scope. 300 win mag 165 to 200 grain Accubonds depending on species Can handload or find premium ammo in most sporting good stores.

 

[jridgestalker]

Well definitely alot of opinions here. In general I would say the .300 Win Mag.

With proper bullet selection, it will kill anything and its readily available.

It can be carried in a relatively light rifle, recoil is very manageable and almost non existent with a good brake and rifle weight.

My rifle is a stock Howa with medium contour threaded barrel. HS Precision stock, American precision arms little bastard brake, glass bedded, with vortex razor glass. Prob hovers at 10#
loaded with sling and buttstock pack. It is stable and accurate, and has been carried many miles over some very nasty steep country. It has earned its stripes for sure.

Shoots as good as most accurized factory rifles out to 600 yards, carry's well, good selection of quality bullets with high BC.

Yes we can split hairs and squeeze more accuracy out....but when it comes down to it....a rifle that can kill a buck reliably out to 500 yards and which shoots a bullet that an carry the energy of the .300 WM, will kill anything in North America within 100 yards, including bears.

 

[Spoonbill]

A subject that has been "beaten to death..... with many side-stepping the thread intent. Some choosing custom or full "wildcat" chamberings, some picking rifle/cartridge combo's with impractical weight for everyday, various terrain use by "normal" humans, factory ammunition must be available, potentially needed as a stopping cartridge. So, here's the criteria for the challenge.

Rifle/Cartridge must meet this criteria: only one rifle allowed
#1 - used for all North American Big Game (including dangerous game - assuming no back-up)
#2 - rifle weight - under 11.0 pounds (scoped, fully loaded, slung)
#3 - If a bipod is used - total rifle weight cannot exceed 11.0 pounds (scoped, fully loaded, slung, and bipod)
additional points for combo's coming in at less than 9.0 pounds
#4 - factory cartridge - (improved chambering allowed) must be able to fire a factory cartridge
#5 - various terrain - thick timber/brush to hunting elk, sheep or goats in the mountains, to wide open western plains
#6 - cartridge....bullet weight, bullet (cup-core, partition, mono) design (based upon a potential mixed bag hunt in "big" bear country - no back-up) and brief explanation for your choice

I hope I haven't missed anything!
This should give you something to think about while sequestered at home! So.....what's your "poison"? memtb

Blazer R8 in 338 Win Mag. Many, many options on Bullet weight depending on the game. Perfect for tight conditions. Straight Pull bolt allows for almost instant recovery when dealing with dangerous Game.

 

[Bill28]

A subject that has been "beaten to death..... with many side-stepping the thread intent. Some choosing custom or full "wildcat" chamberings, some picking rifle/cartridge combo's with impractical weight for everyday, various terrain use by "normal" humans, factory ammunition must be available, potentially needed as a stopping cartridge. So, here's the criteria for the challenge.

Rifle/Cartridge must meet this criteria: only one rifle allowed
#1 - used for all North American Big Game (including dangerous game - assuming no back-up)
#2 - rifle weight - under 11.0 pounds (scoped, fully loaded, slung)
#3 - If a bipod is used - total rifle weight cannot exceed 11.0 pounds (scoped, fully loaded, slung, and bipod)
additional points for combo's coming in at less than 9.0 pounds
#4 - factory cartridge - (improved chambering allowed) must be able to fire a factory cartridge
#5 - various terrain - thick timber/brush to hunting elk, sheep or goats in the mountains, to wide open western plains
#6 - cartridge....bullet weight, bullet (cup-core, partition, mono) design (based upon a potential mixed bag hunt in "big" bear country - no back-up) and brief explanation for your choice

I hope I haven't missed anything!
This should give you something to think about while sequestered at home! So.....what's your "poison"? memtb

Easy simple one Ruger Amercan 30-06 Nosler 180 partitions, simple and reliable

 

[Bill28]

A subject that has been "beaten to death..... with many side-stepping the thread intent. Some choosing custom or full "wildcat" chamberings, some picking rifle/cartridge combo's with impractical weight for everyday, various terrain use by "normal" humans, factory ammunition must be available, potentially needed as a stopping cartridge. So, here's the criteria for the challenge.

Rifle/Cartridge must meet this criteria: only one rifle allowed
#1 - used for all North American Big Game (including dangerous game - assuming no back-up)
#2 - rifle weight - under 11.0 pounds (scoped, fully loaded, slung)
#3 - If a bipod is used - total rifle weight cannot exceed 11.0 pounds (scoped, fully loaded, slung, and bipod)
additional points for combo's coming in at less than 9.0 pounds
#4 - factory cartridge - (improved chambering allowed) must be able to fire a factory cartridge
#5 - various terrain - thick timber/brush to hunting elk, sheep or goats in the mountains, to wide open western plains
#6 - cartridge....bullet weight, bullet (cup-core, partition, mono) design (based upon a potential mixed bag hunt in "big" bear country - no back-up) and brief explanation for your choice

I hope I haven't missed anything!
This should give you something to think about while sequestered at home! So.....what's your "poison"? memtb

Easy simple one Ruger Amercan 30-06 Nosler 180 partitions, simple and reliable

 

[bigngreen]

Women and youth aren't likely to hunt alone in "big" bear country. And isn't it "perhaps" a bit "misogynistic" to assume that a woman can't handle a larger, more powerful cartridge! My wife hunts with (her only hunting rifle) a .338 WM (no brake).....and is quite comfortable with it. memtb

It's a bit optimistic to think because your wife does it every one can, I had a girlfriend who was put into the hospital from the recoil on her 338 win, she was mean with it till that day but she did a mag dump on a bull that was just taking it and after we got him down she could barely walk to the truck, the recoil so severely racked her that it tweaked her back, she couldn't hardly hunt after that. You do need to be cautious with how a gun fits and recoil. My daughter has followed Grizz down trails twice now.

 

[DNADave]

One gun. Tough with so many choices. So, we have a distribution of calibers from "Is that too much for a rabbit?" to "Pucker factor seal failure.".

In terms of a useful range, for me at the low end and right at the "pucker factor failure" boundary when considering dangerous game is a .270 Win/7mmRM and the high end of "I wish I hadn't done that to my rabbit" of .338WM/.340 Wby Mag. I'd prefer to be in the middle of that range, maybe a little to the right of average.

My choice would be a .300Wby Mag (Mark V or Vangaurd, your budget) shooting Barnes VorTx 180gr TTSX or Weatherby Select Plus in Barnes 165gr or 180gr TTSX depending on where I'm hunting. I'd top it with a 2-10 or 2-7 power scope for areas where dangerous game are located and with a 4-16 or 4-20 power scope elsewhere. No bipod, just a backpack or sling depending on the type of country I'm in and what I'm hunting.

The area I hunt deer in here in the PNW is a grizzly habitat restoration area. Not high density, but chances of running into one are greater than 0 and less than Montana or Wyoming. I'm hunting with a Weatherby Mark V Alaskan in .300 Wby Mag using 167gr Peregrin VLR4 (ballistically identical to a Barnes 168gr TTSX, but with a brass versus polymer tip). I've currently got it topped with a Burris Veracity 4-20x50 and I probably should swap it out with a Leupold VariX III 2-7x36 I have or get my accountant to approve purchase of another 2-Xx50 scope (unlikely).

 

[mpayne]

Whatever it is, it should start with a 3

 

[Wolf76]

This is a fun and frustrating exercise because nothing is optimal at all the situations. Prime example is thick timber and wide open areas. There are compromises throughout.
Then you get into energy and subsequent energy transfer.
I'm like most folks and would take a 300 wm with a 180 or 200 accubond. This bullet tends to be the best "all-around" bullet.