What’s your five? 5 Calibers to do it all...

[RafterP2003]

I'll chime in for fun. I don't have 5, and not sure I'll buy 5, lol! I doubt I'll ever get to Africa, so those really big cartridges are out. For here in the US, I hunt with a .25-06 and .300win mag. One can cover a lot of ground through the range of bullets for those calibers; from varmints to grizzlies. I have a .22 for less expensive "trigger time".

 

[WHITEBULL]

GO TO's - Options
17hmr - 22lr
.223/556 - 300blk
270WSM - 308
45-70 - 300wm
10MM - 44mag
Back up to the above:
12 ga. Benelli - 12 ga. Saiga
I could swap out the above with others and feel confident

 

[lee31]

Calibers??? Probably a .224,243,257,264 and a 338 that would cover everything. Now if you're asking about cartridges I'd have to think a little harder

 

[Paladin300]

Calibers??? Probably a .224,243,257,264 and a 338 that would cover everything. Now if you're asking about cartridges I'd have to think a little harder

What would be your 5 cartridges?

 

[SMK1000plus]

I have far more than five different cartridge choices already. If I could only have five, they'd be:

223 Rem - Varmint to cull deer but, more importantly, as a starter for the grandkids!

6.5 Creedmoor - a quite capable medium game cartridge out to 500 yards, that the grandkids and wife can easily handled. This slot in my five must have cartridges would have been filled by the not nearly as effective, but young shooter friendly, 243 Win 10 years ago.

30-06 AI - easy to form brass and therefore readily available components, able to accurately deliver factory projectiles, extremely capable even at very long range. In my opinion this covers the area of cartridges from the 7mm-08 Rem through 300 RUM, with nearly any cartridge in between being capable of filling this nitch. I'm sure this is not everyone's choice of the middle slot, maybe no one else's at all, but I have my reasons for this one. Lord knows that I have plenty of various cartridges and rifles that fall into this group, probably 80% of my rifles, maybe more.

375 H&H Mag - a very diverse cartridge, readily available all over the world, deadly on even the biggest bear/game in North America and most game in Africa. From medium deer to Lion, even up to Cape Buffalo, this cartridge can do it.

416 Rem Mag - Cape Buffalo, Rhinoceros, Elephant, any animal in the world, this cartridge can take and the recoil is manageable for most big game hunters. A 458 Lott would be my choice if the 416 Rem Mag wasn't available.

 

[matt_3479]

I'd have to go;

12gauge
22lr
25 creed
300 Norma
375h&h

 

[Lowedown]

22LR
22-250
6.5 CM
7mm RM
338 WM

many other options for many different reasons all above we are considering bolt actions. However if we are trying to cover the gamet of lever, and semi auto my list would have to loose the 22-250 for 223, and if an open sight lever was needed we can't forget the ol 30-30

 

[slikmrc]

25-06 is the current truck gun to cut the wind a little better this time of year. 22LR and 223 are getting more range time to save on components, 30-06 AI and 300 Weatherby are getting some load work.

 

[jshepherd61]

Agreed! I have both. And when hunting dangerous game on any continent tend to reach for my 375. That said, I am pushing 300gr 375s at 2550 and generating around 4700lbs of energy. I am pushing 300gr 338s at 2775 and generating around 5000lbs of energy and a little more sectional density. Both of them pack a punch! Just saying, I would not hesitate to use a big 338 if it were legal. From the post here most guys have never felt the need for a 375 though I really like them. Thinking about adding another one in either 375 Ruger or 375 Improved. A 375 H&H has about the same trajectory as a 30-06 to about 500 yards.

I have a 375 Ruger just doesn't suit the purpose for me last four elk I shot were over 1,025 yards so the heavy hitter does not compare to my 7mm STW or my 300 PRC at that range and beyond!

 

[Paladin300]

I have a 375 Ruger just doesn't suit the purpose for me last four elk I shot were over 1,025 yards so the heavy hitter does not compare to my 7mm STW or my 300 PRC at that range and beyond!

Agreed! The 375 is probably not the best LRH elk medicine. I prefer the 338 RUM running 265 ABLRs at 2850-2900fps. Dangerous game is a different story because I have a hard fast rule I will not shoot anything that has a lot of teeth or dangerous hooves or horns and a bad attitude beyond 350 yards. Nothing worse than having to go in the bush after a wounded grizzly, lion or Cape buffalo.

The discussion was on the ethics of using the 338 on DG where legal. As I stated, I prefer my 375 for DG but where legal I would not hesitate to use a 338. 7mm and 30 cal are getting a little light for African DG but are perfect for North America and even grizzlies. A guide friends go to is an 06 for all things Alaska. Africa is a little different. Those critter tend to be a little tougher than there North American counter parts.

 

[Paladin300]

Great question- full disclosure I own 375h&h and don't 9.3. I've hunted plains game with it and it hits like Thor's hammer. When it was time to go for buff I stepped up to 416 Rigby. Again Thor's hammer including one of five going away through right hip, rumen, engine room and exit left shoulder (swift solid). Kevin Robertson in Africa's most dangerous makes a solid case for 9.63x62. Without any personal experience I put value in his opinion because of his experience as PH and personal shooting and he's a veterinarian so he performed autopsies on many of the buffs. My summary of his reasoning is that it's an easy to shoot cartridge so shots tend to be more accurate and it hits some Buffalo sweet spot of energy, wound channel diameter and muzzle/impact velocity which he argues needs to be around 2200. Muzzle and impact velocity tending to be the same when shots are taken inside 50 yards.

Great answer! So do you prefer a bolt or double gun for Buffalo?

 

[midwesthunter]

22LR
223
6.5 creed
300 WM
375 RUM

 

[Sconnie42]

It has been awesome to watch all the post! Thanks guys for being such good sports about it. A couple guys have ask if anyone was keeping tabs on which cartridges rose to the top. I have been watching and keeping a running total and there are definitely five cartridges and three calibers that rose to the top and it wasn't even close. Excluding the 22LR and 12gauge we gave everybody. They would have been the top of the list. The number one cartridge we can't live without and top on nearly everyone's list was 5.56/223 Remington/Wylde. Number 2 on the list was the 300 Win Mag. Those two were way ahead of everyone else.

The 3 and 4 spots were a tie and go to the 308 Winchester and 30/06. And the 5th spot was rounded out by the 375 H&H. So according to this forum if you own a 223, 308, 30/06, 300WM, and 375H&H you are set to hunt the world.

Honorable mentions go in the order they fell based on the number of times they appeared as follows: 7mm REM Mag, 243 Winchester, 270 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor (tie), & the 22-250/22-250 AI. All of these cartridges were mentioned more than 40 times by individual posters. The 223 got more than twice that!

The 6.5 PRC, 338 Win Mag, 338 Edge/Rum, 338 Lapua/Lapua Improved, and 280 Ackley Improved were all next down the list with about 25 post each. Following them were the 300 RUM, 7mm-08, 17 HMR, 6mm Creedmoor, 416 Rigby, 375 Ruger, & 260 Remington respectively.

I did not list any cartridge that got less than 10 post. The following got between 10-15 mentions and round out the bottom of the results. 6.5x284 Norma, 45-70, 25/06, 300 WSM, 300 Wby Mag, 257 Wby Mag, 220 swift and 300 PRC. The 284 win, 264 Win Mag, 7mm SAUM, and 300 Norma Mag Improved were all mentioned approximately 10 times each.

Maybe this will help some of you fill the wholes in your safe. Or give some of you who are new to LRH some good places to start. As for me I am going to place my orders for a new 6.5x284 Norma and possibly one of those 375 or 416 rugers. It really is an addiction ya'll!!! Thanks again guys! It's been fun...

I own exactly ZERO of the top five and only 4 of the top 20. Geez. A great excuse to start shopping for some new rifles!

 

[purpledragon]

Ok, Here is my 5 that I own and love them

22 magnum
6mm Mach IV
25 STW
7mm RUM
338 Lapua