Why so many calibers?

[rekees4300]

My question is this: Could basically all North American game be hunted with either .22lr, .223 rem, and a 30-06?

Those 3 pretty much have all the bases covered. Of course hunting with guns that have more bells and whistles can make the task easier depending on the circumstances.

 

[RobertN]

None of those work so well for duck. Add a 12G to your list, and you could do anything on the American continents, North Central, or South.

I would even go so far as to say 22lr, 30-06, and 12g.

My question is this: Could basically all North American game be hunted with either .22lr, .223 rem, and a 30-06? The biggest game around here is deer, and they aren't big by any means. I have no idea what is need for elk or moose or bear (.458/.460 maybe?).

 

[Birdhunter1]

Nice list. But, I would have a 22lr, a 308, and a 12 gauge.

22lr most small game
308, most anything besides Grizzly
12G, Most anything. Slugs for large animal. Small shot for rabbit ect. And, regular shot for duck, geese, pheasant

Maybe even, have one of those under/over's with 12g for upper barrel, 22lr for lower barrel...

Forgot about shotguns, I started 20 years ago at age 10 with a 20 gauge, then went to a 12 gauge, now 7 years ago back to a 20 gauge (different than my first one) and a separate single shot 20 gauge for shooting deer slugs. So yeah when my wife said why so many I said each has a purpose.... like teh 2- 223's I have, one is a bolt action and I use it as a confidence booster (if I have a bad day shooting I can grab that gun and see if it is me or the gun that was off), then the AR-15's purpose was simply because it was cheap and I wanted it in case I have multiple groundhogs advancing on my position, the 7mm mag for that future elk hunt, my .243 for when I really want to reach out and touch something (like a coyote at 530 yards, longest shot so far).
But the real kicker was why there was 6 .22 rifles, that was harder to justify but one of them is my sons rifle (CZ 452) but he's only 2 years old, of course I can always say I've had some of those since before we met 6 years ago.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

So where does a .270 fall in the scheme of things? Found one on a sunken boat this spring and it cleaned up nice, put a scope on it and have gotten a couple of deer and seemed to work fine, a whole lot lighter to carry than my pre64 winchester 3006 but wondered how it compared power wise. Have killed everything I needed to with my old 06 but the lighter weight is way nice.
Rick

 

[buck12]

I have several guns and hunt too much according to wife. Only two of my guns are actually used - 30-06 for deer and 12 ga for turkey. Forgot I have to use a muzzle loader a couple weeks each year.

 

[JC-jetro]

So where does a .270 fall in the scheme of things? Found one on a sunken boat this spring and it cleaned up nice, put a scope on it and have gotten a couple of deer and seemed to work fine, a whole lot lighter to carry than my pre64 winchester 3006 but wondered how it compared power wise. Have killed everything I needed to with my old 06 but the lighter weight is way nice.
Rick

.270 is a necked down 30-06 with better ballistic than 06 but not as many choices for bullet size. 130 grain is really good. I have shot with 150 grain and I think you can get it in 140 grain as well. Jack O'conner, an old hunter/writer made it famous. At 3300 fpm is as flat shooting as almost anything. I sighted mine for 200 yards and anywhere from 50 to 250 yard I hardly need to adjust my shooting. it has a bit less recoil than 06 but not by much. That's the only gun I used for real hunting and I credit it to 44 deer.

JC,

This is the deer I shot from 220 yards out where he was browsing the creek bottom for 15 minutes. He just decided to turn the opposite and move so left me only one shot to make. I measured the horizontal distance using Google earth but ground slopes toward the creek so probably is more like 240 yards out.

 

[nybirdman]

Why so many calibers?? Why not,people like to experiment..
Lots of 30/06 brass available cheap ,a list of some of the calibers developed from 30/06
1.25/06
2.6.5/06,6.5/06 Ackley impoved
3.7/06 Mashburn
4.270 Winchester
5.280 Remington(7MM Express)
6.8MM/06
7.338/06
8.35 Whelen
I have and use a 30/06 and a 25/06

 

[tungularafishcamp]

Thanks JC, I got the same ruger, mine was under salt water for over 2 yrs tho.:thumbsup:
Rick

I remember a rancher I met in W. Texas had a .243-06 and he could hit a trotting coyote with it at over 500 yards.

 

[JC-jetro]

Thanks JC, I got the same ruger, mine was under salt water for over 2 yrs tho.:thumbsup:
Rick

I remember a rancher I met in W. Texas had a .243-06 and he could hit a trotting coyote with it at over 500 yards.

Rick,

I can only dream of shooting like that. I was watching this deer for about 15 minutes so my heart was not pounding at all. I was nice and comfy inside my hunting shack and had the rifle steady on the window sill and sitting on a lawn chair. Kind of embarrassed to fess up but me and that Ruger along a full back pack fell in to a creek that was about 6 foot deep. I had a bright idea of walking a fallen tree from one side of creek to the other side. it seemed easy at first, right about the middle I had a change of mind and that did me in. I sat on the log and thinking I could slowly scoot forward.. that did not work, I slipped side ways head down looking at the sky holding to the log with my leg wrapped around the tree. I thought for a second if I hold my breath long enough I should be able to cross the creek.. That did not work either till I decided to let go, swallow my pride and struggle to safety. Lucky for me it was early fall and it was not very cold. I would have probably won $10,000 if I had a video of it

JC,

ps. Did not bother my gun a bit.

 

[Car Doc]

We cant use .22 cal on big game legally or I would shoot everything with a 22-250 with a precise head shot.

A $150 SKS is all the high power you need around here if you are a decent shot with iron sights. 75-100 yd shots on deer are the norm, lots of SKS armed hunters out there.

A .243 is about the ideal varmint/big game rifle for us but there are those that go all out just because they can nothing wrong with that in my book.