Which one.

[elkhnter]

I’ll go with the ‘06 unless I can have my 300 Weatherby.

 

[mtmuley]

I’ll go with the ‘06 unless I can have my 300 Weatherby.

I'm a big magnum guy, some might have noticed. But I would give up the cannon to have only one. mtmuley

 

[EastTNHunter]

I’m a big fan of the ‘06, but I also love the .270.

Depends on what is meant by “all-purpose,” and who is shooting it. I notice a pretty big difference in recoil between a 165/180 30-06 load and a 130/140 270 load. That may make a big difference for a new, young, smaller, or timid shooter.

Why stick to just one caliber though?

 

[TheGreek]

If you could only own three guns to hunt and shoot with in North America for the rest of your life, you could cover just about all species and all situations with a .22lr, a 30-06 and a 12 gauge shotgun. So my vote is the 30-06 for the all-purpose rifle caliber. You'll be undergunned for some and over-gunned for others, but with the right bullet and good shot placement you can go from coyote to brown bear. Or so I've read.

 

[Wildabeest]

If i could only own one, the -06. But I actually don’t own one. Instead I have the other 3

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I'll vote 7mm.

Just kidding, haha. Another for the 06.

 

[Tradewind]

300 WM

 

[F250]

I'm probably not much help - I have both a .300 Win Mag and a .270 Win. I have taken deer, elk, and caribou with both. Lately, it is the .300 I grab for my big game hunting.

 

[noharleyyet]

7 mag....a knockout with sexy legs

 

[coleslaw]

I love my .270 and it's really all I need for everything from Pronghorn to Elk, but the '06 is hard to beat when it comes to availability in the bullet weight department. Really any .30 caliber is hard to beat when it comes to that, actually.

 

[diamond hitch]

I have both the 06 and 7mag in a number of rifles. They both have good choices in bullets and similar performance. I prefer the 7 because of the rifles I have. The only one I really don't like is the 270. That's because of poor performance I have witnessed in heavy tree cover. Most likely from the lighter bullet choices. I hate chasing cripples in the jungles.

 

[EYJONAS!]

How about just one of each

 

[Huntkook]

How about just one of each

That may be obtainable. I already have the .270, 7mm and a .257 Roberts Pre 64(made in the U.S.A).

 

[LuketheDog]

.270 the quintessential western cartridge. Flatter shooting with less recoil than 30-06. Plenty for pronghorn, deer and elk. No need to go magnum.

Absolutely...It's all you need, speed and easy recoil, 30-06 is a close second

 

[LuketheDog]

If I get a once in a lifetime bison tag (which will never happen) I will buy a 45-70 lever action and go old school.

This is my plan if I ever draw a bison or bull moose tag, but it's going to be a high-wall single shot instead of a lever gun...

 

[VikingsGuy]

This is my plan if I ever draw a bison or bull moose tag, but it's going to be a high-wall single shot instead of a lever gun...

Also a very good choice. I have a highwall in .270 and levers in 30-30, .357 and .22. Love ‘em all.

 

[seeth07]

I'll add that one option for best all around not mentioned is a .308. I actually just bought one last week and can't wait to start messing around with loads as low as 100 and as high as 200. I'm going to use it for coyote and also taking it moose hunting with me this fall.

 

[Don Fischer]

Boy there is a number of right answer's to this. I think first consideration has to be reloader or not. Being a reloader make's ammo with different bullet's ready avaliable. As for cartridge shoot, anyone of a number and if you reload brings in a few more. I'm not sure what bullet weight's are avaliable in factory form and how easy to find for say even the 30-06. I think the best all around bullet for it is a 180gr but were I going somewhere looking for trouble in the form of a grizzly I'd prefer a 200gr bullet. Just a bit of confidence building, shot's are best close for bad bear I believe. The 7mm have several different cartridges that could fill in here. 7x57, 7mm-08 and 280 with good bullet's I could go with for everything. But already having a 30-06 I'd set it aside for dangerous game. One of my pet loads from years past as a 7x57 with 160gr Speer hot cores. It just killed things. If the 7mm was all you had, any more of them, I would hunt dangerous bears with one and 175gr bullet's. With dangerous game like grizzly I do not think anyone should concern themselves with a long shot and the need for trajectory. Reason being the possibility of a stray shot wounding an animal you might have to go into thick stuff to finish off. Get close and make a great shot!

Guess I should add, if I were to take my only rifle coyote hunting or maybe sage rt hunting, I'd use the same bullet wt I'd use for most everything else.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

I personally go with the '06 in a 165gr for everything. You can't go wrong with a 270 either, but there's just something nostalgic about the old '06.

 

[rtraverdavis]

I’m a vote for the 7mm. Not for any technical reasons, I just like it. My Savage 116 in 7mm is my equivalent of Ol’ Betsy.