One caliber, two chamberings to cover everything hunting

[6.5x300 WBY]

For me its easy. .284
28 Nosler. Big 190-195 @3100+
7mm08. Shooting 130-150 gr
Nothing I couldn't do
Absolutely love the .284

 

[Aussie Hunter Steve]

Anything is possible I guess, but I find it more ideal to have a couple of cartridges in various calibres, eg, 222 & 22-250, 250-3000 & 257 WM, 7mm-08 & 7mm RM etc. If you hunt game over a wide body size or weight range, chances are if one cartridge isn't suitable then the other probably isn't a much better option…. If you only hunt similar species, then sure.

 

[BrentM]

After my components thread and some members relaying that staying with a couple of calibers to simply component searches and purchases.

Is it plausible to choose one caliber and two or three chamberings to cover 100% of your hunting?

Full transparency, I have had several manbuns, hard to argue with cheap factory ammo, easy recoil and impressive accuracy over a broad range of factory offerings. Makes it easy for a parent to get a kiddo behind the rifle and develop some confidence.

I got curious about the 6.5 PRC, found a nice used X-Bolt Hells Canyon Speed and while bedding the rifle and picatinny rail, I got to wondering about the subject of a single caliber covering all the bases.

Honestly, I could cover 95% of my hunting with a 22 Creedmoor, possibly a 223.

I got out my Gun Gack and a few other manuals and thought, the 6.5/.264 might be the perfect choice for the majority of hunters.

Some of the big 6.5 whizzums, like the 264 WM or 26 Nosler, 6.5/300 Weatherby, 6.5-280 Ackley, would offer a lot for bigger animals and then you could cover everything from varmints up to and including elk(within reason) with a Creedmoor. A Grendel would get you varmint, Prairie dogs and medium bodied Whitetail.

I said all that to ask, if you had to choose one caliber and two or three chamberings, what would you choose? What components would you choose to be able to use them in both or all three (if possible).

As much as I love my 280 Ackley, I honestly think a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 6.5-280 Ackley would cover everything I ever plan to chase.

I also know that there are plenty of y'all that use one cartridge for everything?

Have fun, but I am curious to see the selections and thought process/reasoning behind the choices.

I like 3 calibers. 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm. If I chose 1 it is 6.5mm. It is a nice blend between the 2 and offers me a lot of variety in bullet selection. Some people will say a 6.5 is too light for some game but running a 156 in a 6.5PRC took a large bull buffalo down with no issue. Now, having said that, it was a closer range shot vs what this page is about. I still feel the 6.5 is a solid option but if we are pushing the range distance hard I might have to look at the 7mm heavies for elk and moose size game. But I do believe you can have 1 caliber cover everything easily, no matter what caliber. Shot placement, bullet design, and distance will dictate which you need to choose.

 

[baldhunter]

I was thinking 308 Win and 300 Win Mag,but then really 30-06 and 300 Win Mag might really be a better choice.Why?Because the 30-06 is more versatile in the types of powder that works well in this cartridge.The 308 Win,as good as it is,just runs out of case room if you use a powder that's much slower than Big Game.So really faster TAC or Varget burnrate powders give you a little more space in the cartridge case.Those powders wouldn't be a good choice in the 300 Win Mag,so you would find yourself needing to have two powders if 308 Win and 300 Win Mag were the two cartridge choices.On the other hand,with the 30-06,just about any powder you like in the 300 Win Mag will work in the 30-06.I could use one of the 4350's or Hunter powder in those two and be happy.Even Reloader 26 will work in the 30-06 and way up on the slow burnrate powder scale.You can load the 30-06 down a little and it will equal the 308 Win or just run it as it is.Use it for the lighter weight bullets and use the 300 Win Mag for the heavier weight bullets.

 

[Tidus56]

For me its easy. .284
28 Nosler. Big 190-195 @3100+
7mm08. Shooting 130-150 gr
Nothing I couldn't do
Absolutely love the .284

Ditto this, exact thought I had.

 

[ntsqd]

Great concept!

Reading thru this thread it strikes me that there isn't much love (yet) for .257 I could see pairing the .250-3000 (I'd go with a Sav 99 thank you very much!) with either the .25-06 or .257 Roy for a great single bore-size combo. A quick search showed only up to 127-128 gr. bullets, so the upper end of the NA game spectrum would be suspect, but the low end and all of the middle would be well covered.

If we turned it around and said SA only, same bolt face (AKA Switch Barrel) I'd go with .243AI and .308 Win. If I wanted/needed more on the upper end I'm sure that somewhere out there someone has made a wildcat .308 bore, SA length chamber based on the .284 case. I just don't happen to know what it's called.

 

[Puppy1971]

I currently in one caliber .264 with a 264 WM and 260 Rem.

 

[memtb]

When I first responded to this, I got distracted and didn't finish my post…..just reread it and found my mess-up!

I think that this "may" fulfill the 2 chambering aspect of the OP.

As previously stated, we (wife and I) are one gun hunters! So, stretching the meaning of the OP a bit……would shooting cast bullets in our only hunting rifles satisfy the 2 chambering aspect/intent of the OP? memtb

 

[Lenny Foffa]

Im a simple old man, who really likes good rifles , so although I love the concept of your problem, and your excellent solution to that problem, I cannot help but humbly ask "Why??" I actually enjoy having a specific " Rifle/ Caliber/Scope Combo" set up exactly for the game and the conditions I will be hunting. I like a short fast Woods Rifle in 30 -06 with a 20 inch BBL with a 1.5X to 5 X Leupold scope ; I like having a Light .270 Win with a 24 inch Barrel with a 3X to 15 X Leupold scope for all general Whitetail Deer hunting ;I like having my 270 Weatherby Mag with a 26 inch rifle with an 8.5 X to 25 X Leupold scope, for any "Out West "Mule Deer and Antelope hunting ; and I like having my 300 Weatherby Mag, for Elk and a possible Moose hunt! Hard for me to explain, I just like having a specific rig, with a tested load ,ready to go when its time to hunt. Best of luck with your project buddy, I'm sure it will be fun and interesting!!! Please let us all know how it turns out!!!

 

[rbTanzan]

First of all, I appreciate this thread. Thank you.
I am also fairly late to the game since much of my hunting experience was Africa. Emotionally, I'm probably attached to 338 the way many in this thread feel about 6.5, 7, and 308. Go easy on me. My first stateside animals were 338Wm, too.

However, I'm open to change and must admit that a lightweight 308Win (e.g., a Kimber Hunter), and a lightweight 300PRC (e.g. Christensen) make a very appealing hunting set-up. In fact, so appealing that I would probably submit that as my answer when my arm is twisted behind my back. I currently have both in a rifle safe back in the US.

What would I be missing? I love the feel of a 416 Rigby. It gives one a sense of being in control, which is ultimately what firearms are all about. Laying a 416 Rigby cartridge on the palm of one's hand just says 'it's mine', anywhere. But the rifle is heavy for the mountains and proper handloads like a 2850 fps 325gn Hammer Hunter still leave one limited to 400 yards for elk, or just over. I guess that I would bemoan not having Cape buffalo on a regular hunting menu. I like an animal put down from any angle. The picture on the left is a buffalo with a 416.

So in a life-without-cape-buffalo battery, yea, the 308W and 300PRC (= 300Weatherby ballistics but with a fast twist barrel) would just be delightful, for grandpa and grandkids.

And the ultimate walk-in-the-woods rifle is still . . . the 338 Win Mag. Think of it as the ole 30-06 standby with a little upgrade for 'insurance' and versatility. It's proven itself guinea-fowl to buffalo.

 

[Chokoloskee Joe]

Why 2 calibers? All you need is a 30.06 that will take any North American game. Most of us probably aren't going to go to Africa anytime soon. If I wanted a second same caliber rifle, it would be a .308. I love 6.5 and 7 millimeter calibers but they can't approach the hunting flexibility of the .30 caliber.

 

[Calvin45]

Well, you do reside in a land that uses metric measure…..why am I "not" surprised? memtb

Going down this rabbit trail further….

The height of metric/standard confusion or at least duality (just pick a system already!) has got to be in rifle cartridges like the 6.5x284 Norma or 6.5x300 weatherby magnum. Metric and standard measurements together in one name!

 

[ntsqd]

RE: two different stds in fasteners used on the same piece of equipment. There is a reason why Torx were invented. I'd use them everywhere on everything if I could. A T30 driver is a T30 driver regardless of what the threads are. They could be M8x1.25 or they could be 5/16-18 and it doesn't matter to the driver.

 

[taylorms]

Agree with this. 280 AI and a 7-08 will do just about everything. I almost narrowed my stable down to these two and has kept component costs down a bit.

That would be a very practical "switchlug" option. Especially if rifle budget was ever an issue...