Do all rifle???

If you had to choose one rifle to hunt everything from antelope to elk, what would it be? This rifle must use components that are readily available. It must also be a caliber that is inherently accurate. No need to waste 600 rounds of 1000 round barrel life doing load development. I want to build a rifle but can't decide what to build.
My first question would be are you loading or shooting factory ammo
 
a good all around rifle would be a 243 or 30-30 you surely don't need a Magnum for any of the animals you listed. everyone here talks about HI power for Mule deer, WAY OVER KILL PEOPLE. yes they are a little bigger than a river bottom White tail but they will drop just like any other game. I've shot many of them with my 22-250, M1 Carbine and 30-30 piles of them with my old 243, model 99, I wish I would never have sold that one.


Now that you've vented you psycho-babble about "WAY OVER KILL" .... I'll remind you that this is the "LONG RANGE HUNTING" website ... the cartridges you listed are absolutely worthless in a long range big game hunting scenario and are not "Do all" choices


my choice for a "do all rifle" would of course be chambered in the ....

300 Remington Ultra Magnum

there is no such thing as "over kill" and never was, ..... the object of hunting is to kill an animal as quickly as possible, and you simply cannot "over kill" with a larger caliber, dead is dead ..
the quicker the better and a do all rifle/cartridge choice in a long range hunting group and hunting trip eliminates almost all of the cartridges mentioned here via random ramblings of personal stuff & not reality
 
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This is my next build a do all rifle. Deer hunting in the tree stand but capable of Longrange hunting as well. I have settled on the 300 wsm. Caliber is very accurate
Easy to carry but comfortable to got prone at range and not too heavy. Medium weight hunter rifle

Thanks

Buck
I'm a big fan of 3006, only one, I'd like 300wm too
 
Now that you've vented you psycho-babble about "WAY OVER KILL" .... I'll remind you that this is the "LONG RANGE HUNTING" website ... the cartridges you listed are absolutely worthless in a long range big game hunting scenario and are not "Do all" choices


my choice for a "do all rifle" would of course be chambered in the ....

300 Remington Ultra Magnum

there is no such thing as "over kill" and never was, ..... the object of hunting is to kill an animal as quickly as possible, and you simply cannot "over kill" with a larger caliber, dead is dead ..
the quicker the better and a do all rifle/cartridge choice in a long range hunting group and hunting trip eliminates almost all of the cartridges mentioned here via random ramblings of personal stuff & not reality
It was for antelope to elk. Maybe not perfect. Can load light or hot. Also argue with most bear.
 
I was not going to read 17 pages on this if I were to only have one rifle for antelope to elk and heaven forbid this ever happens the 300 win would be a great choice I am sure it was mentioned 1 or 50 times up to this point with good reason any of the larger 7mms or 338s would be fine too I just like the 300 win, my personal favorite is my 30-338 win
 
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IF the Do All Rifle is also The ONLY Rifle, then the equation changes...

An AR-10 with a chrome-lined barrel fulfills every role possible. The .308win chambering offers Best Barrel Life and will shoot mild loads to cast bullets and 7.62x51 loads. Magazine length loads depends on bullet design. Not gonna tolerate VLD bullets, except if single-loaded. Premium bullets and 168 or 175gr BTHP offer great versatility and penetration.

The AR design can be Very Accurate. Much easier to gunsmith an AR than any bolt gun. One lower receiver, several complete uppers. 16" carbine and 24" match barrel gives dual duty potentials to one "rifle".

The integral Picatinny rail enables superior accuracy and scope swapping. Usually easy to buy spare parts for repair reserves. Most common parts to replace: ejector, extractor, firing pin, springs for each, trigger springs, maybe a detent ball spare or two should one get lost if ever do a full tear-down. Keep a spare Bolt Carrier Group and barrel extension, maybe a gas tube in each size for each upper.

Chrome-lined barrels aren't a poor choice for accuracy. If ever need to fire more than a few rounds in a hurry, your barrel throat isn't gonna be toasted. The FN-H Patrol and Police bolt guns offer chrome-lined barrels and Win CRF cloned action. Very high quality. The Hogue full alum bedded stocks are pretty nice, especially the non-slip finish.

Similarly, the AR-15 varmint uppers can deliver great range if fast twist barrel is included. A 1:6.5 twist enables use of the 90gr VLD matchkings and other customs. Single-loaded, but they deliver out to 1000yds. A 1:7 or 1:8 twist should be fine for the mag length 75 & 77gr bthp match bullets. These perform at sub-moa if you can shoot them out past 600yds. With next to no recoil and match capability lots of versatility here, plus you got Nosler Partition in .224cal.

Magnums like .224 & 6mm WSSM have been chambered in the AR-15, along with 6.5 Grendel and .50 Beowulf; the 6x45 is another option and the 6.8sc... In AR-10, Armalite chambered the .300saum; & the .450marlin and other saum neck-ups have been done. The .458 socom is another excellent ctg that delivers 400gr cast bullets and the 300gr jacketed & on up bullet weights. One lower and a couple of uppers and you got bases covered. Bound to be a 20 or 17cal necked down .223, for real tiny varmints.

I'd say the Do-All rifle is an extremely practical proposition when compared to trying to make-do with a big magnum. The smaller, older, belted cases can be downloaded with med burn rate powders, but anything with a capacity more than a .300win mag is probably prone to detonation with partial charges. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook is worth owning if you're interested in cast bullet loads in your large magnum. However the 10gr Unique "universal" load is N/A when it comes to big capacity cases.

Not many bolt rifles can be bought with spare bolts over the counter. Sako is the only one I can think of, maybe Blaser... The AR 15 & 10 are super choices for durable, accurate, and easy to field service/repair rifles.
 
Might be a little bias (since I'm currently building my "do all" rifle), but I'd give .284 Winchester a hard look (in a long action)... high BC, low recoil, kill practically everything out to 600yds (my ethical distance) Kill most everything to 1000yd.

Issue currently is the brass availability. It's coming back in Vogue I believe - we will see
 
If you had to choose one rifle to hunt everything from antelope to elk, what would it be? This rifle must use components that are readily available. It must also be a caliber that is inherently accurate. No need to waste 600 rounds of 1000 round barrel life doing load development. I want to build a rifle but can't decide what to build.
 
Paper & steel to 1200
Hunt to 600
I believe in double distance practice
Ok ! I seen all the other post on here but if you what a hammer out to that far that shoots real good and u can build one 35 whelen iam getting ready to build my own I use a 6.5-284norma and love it but I know what a 35 will do them stone cold dead. ! recoil not bad with limb saver and u can put a brake on it if u want just my to cents but if u ever hunted with one you'll know ! and 35 whelen factory ammo is all over I use federal and hornaday with my old h&r for primitive weapon season knock on wood 10 years of hunting with it I have got all my deer with it
 
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