Caliber Battle

[elkhnter]

I own both, so what’s the big deal? I pick whichever I’m in the mood for that day.
Don’t own a Creedmore and probably never will. If I want that bore again, I’ll pick up another.264 win mag. Already with dies and brass. Course that 6.5 from Weatherby sure looks interesting. Nah, maybe another 300 RUM, or 7mm RUM. Don’t want to be accused of being a fanboy.

 

[cwitherow]

Buy an ‘06 and you have no excuse to buy another rifle.

Every time I think about buying another rifle (and it's often), I remind myself of two things:
1. I don't rifle hunt enough different species often enough that I could justify having an "elk" rifle and a "deer" rifle, so I chose something that will do any of it.
2. I calculate how many boxes of ammo I could get for the price of a new set up. Lots of range time getting to know my one gun.

Now shotguns on the other hand...those get used enough to almost have species specific guns!

 

[Salmonchaser]

I refuse to accept the premise of the question. It’s stated poorly. It’s as if one can only have a finite amount of rifles. So start this way:

Say I’m a new hunter and need a rifle. I’m going deer hunting with maybe an elk hunt next year. I’m going 308, plenty of poop to get the job done. Now, I’ve got my short action, 30 Cal

if I’m gonna chase antelope and like the short action, now I have an excuse to buy a 243 or 260.

if after a short while, I wanna move into a standard length action, I’d probably go 280, but I can respect a 270.

Now, if I’m making the commitment to long action, belted magnums, there are many good choices like the 7Mag, .300 of any variety, or 338.

It’s at this point that you start to think about how to justify adding some Big Medicine to the safe. Whether you dream of Dangerous game or think it might be real good moose boom...

Notice that I never mention the venerable old ‘06. Buying the 30-06 is like taking that wrong class in your 6th year of college. All of a sudden you realize your gonna graduate and now you’re screwed. Buy an ‘06 and you have no excuse to buy another rifle.
Rifle acquisition is a journey, not a destination. I won’t tell you how many rifles I have, but I have exactly 2 soft rifle cases. Both identical, except for length. She has no idea why I need such a large safe.

Perfect

 

[Don Fischer]

Spitzer bullet design, centerfire cartridge, smokeless powder

I have a box of the original Hornady spire points, they are spitzer design! Not very modern looking though

 

[LuketheDog]

Sounds like a 6.5 Crudmoor would be best. Charging right into a RUM is foolhardy. mtmuley

I like mine, but perhaps recoil from something bigger may needed to knock some sense into the guy?

 

[noharleyyet]

I refuse to accept the premise of the question. It’s stated poorly. It’s as if one can only have a finite amount of rifles. So start this way:

Say I’m a new hunter and need a rifle. I’m going deer hunting with maybe an elk hunt next year. I’m going 308, plenty of poop to get the job done. Now, I’ve got my short action, 30 Cal

if I’m gonna chase antelope and like the short action, now I have an excuse to buy a 243 or 260.

if after a short while, I wanna move into a standard length action, I’d probably go 280, but I can respect a 270.

Now, if I’m making the commitment to long action, belted magnums, there are many good choices like the 7Mag, .300 of any variety, or 338.

It’s at this point that you start to think about how to justify adding some Big Medicine to the safe. Whether you dream of Dangerous game or think it might be real good moose boom...

Notice that I never mention the venerable old ‘06. Buying the 30-06 is like taking that wrong class in your 6th year of college. All of a sudden you realize your gonna graduate and now you’re screwed. Buy an ‘06 and you have no excuse to buy another rifle.
Rifle acquisition is a journey, not a destination. I won’t tell you how many rifles I have, but I have exactly 2 soft rifle cases. Both identical, except for length. She has no idea why I need such a large safe.

Reinhold Niebuhr'ish...this going on a sticky behind one of my Euro plaques.​

 

[huntin24/7]

This was my first year shooting a 7mm and I was a little concerned about recoil after reading what a lot of guys were saying since my wife would be using it some too. I was surprised at how light it was shooting 168 Berger’s. She tried it out and didn’t think it was bad at all and she shot 3 animals from 200-350 yards with it this fall. I shot 3 as well.

 

[mtmuley]

I like mine, but perhaps recoil from something bigger may needed to knock some sense into the guy?

Yeah. I like my .06 as well. But, what do we know? mtmuley

 

[morley.tyler]

Reinhold Niebuhr'ish...this going on a sticky behind one of my Euro plaques.​

Every time I think about buying another rifle (and it's often), I remind myself of two things:
1. I don't rifle hunt enough different species often enough that I could justify having an "elk" rifle and a "deer" rifle, so I chose something that will do any of it.
2. I calculate how many boxes of ammo I could get for the price of a new set up. Lots of range time getting to know my one gun.

Now shotguns on the other hand...those get used enough to almost have species specific guns!

Well, that makes sense. I can easily walk you through your need and justify a 28” bbl 28ga and the requirements of owning a 16ga for a particular application.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Boomers get the same irrational tingly feeling over the .30-'06 that millennials get over the 6.5 Creedmoor today. One needn't be a ballistics expert to see that people attribute ridiculous magical powers to these cartridges.

I like the .30-'06. I think its one of the best woods black bear cartridges out there. It simply isn't the magical bullet that so many make it out to be. I believe that it is a very capable round, but in almost every application I can think of, there are several better choices.

Also, let's not get too chest puffy about hunting experience. Even the most experienced hunter has a statistically small number of kills compared to the collective experience of many hunters, ballistic data, and testing. (Oddly, when someone wants to crow about a cartridge, they cite ballistic data. When challenging someone, they usually fall back on "experience").

There are a number of folks on here that have killed more critters than a combined total of an average sampling of 500 hunters.

Also the .30-06 and the creedmoor are totally different conversations.

IMHO the thing that gives the 06 "magical powers"1 is its versatility. There are a number of random minimum caliber laws in the US that are going to restrict calibers in the .243-.284 range from a number of big game hunts. On the flip side a .300win or larger is going to be overkill/ have an uncomfortable amount of recoil for a lot of shooters.


Most people are shooting the 6.5 creedmoor with a 140 lead or 120grain copper bullet.

1. FNG

 

[noharleyyet]

Mother's day...

Cartridges: The .30-06 Springfield Family Tree

In addition to being a capable cartridge in its own right, the .30-06 Springfield has spawned a talented brood of offspring.

gundigest.com

 

[MTorWY]

Yeah. I like my .06 as well. But, what do we know? mtmuley

We all appreciate your love for .30 calibers.

 

[CubSlayer]

Yeah. I like my .06 as well. But, what do we know? mtmuley

Gosh, I've sure been humbled by these pearls of wisdom.

To help us little people out in the future, perhaps threads should post minimum kill count/years experience required before one may express an opinion on the topic.

 

[mtmuley]

Gosh, I've sure been humbled by these pearls of wisdom.

Hey, you were the one that admitted marginal hunting experience. mtmuley

 

[CubSlayer]

"Admitted"? You make it sound like a crime.

But "marginal" is vague. I need a number so I know whether I can express an opinion. I know it will be less than your own awesome "carte blanche opinion" figure, but that still leaves a considerable range, and I'd hate to guess. Imagine the pain and suffering I might inadvertently cause if I were to comment on the .270 without supreme guidance.

 

[rwc101]

 

[CubSlayer]

Edgy as a billiard ball. Can't imagine what you think is dull.

 

[hearteater]

I bought a 7 mag as my first rifle a little less than 10 years ago. Since then I’ve killed bison, moose, elk, muley, sheep, pronghorn, whitetail, and black bear with it. I’m always looking for a reason to buy a new caliber but I have not been able to justify it yet. I guess that means it’s a good caliber choice for a lot of hunters who can’t afford a safe full of rifles.

 

[mtmuley]

"Admitted"? You make it sound like a crime.

But "marginal" is vague. I need a number so I know whether I can express an opinion. I know it will be less than your own awesome "carte blanche opinion" figure, but that still leaves a considerable range, and I'd hate to guess. Imagine the pain and suffering I might inadvertently cause if I were to comment on the .270 without supreme guidance.

Have a nice evening. mtmuley

 

[Irrelevant]

The best gun and therefor the best caliber, is the one you like to shoot, if you like to shoot it, you'll practice enough to achieve great things. Unless of course it's anything but a .270. Then you're dumb and wasting your time on a worthless gun.