One “Do it All Cartridge” - All of NA

[dogz]

This would have been a whole lot tougher before I actually purchased the perfect rifle/caliber/weight combo meeting this very scenario. The answer is simple (for me at least):
Barrett Fieldcraft in 30-06 with a VX5HD 3-15 scope. Whole thing comes in well below your bonus points of 9lbs and it shoots everything you put through it MOA or better. Picking just one bullet for this particular rifle however, I would go with the 190 ABLR. Best of both worlds....bonded so it stays together up close but also a soft enough tip to be used way out there. Shoots them half-MOA at 2750fps packing a heck of a whallop on anything from small to large/dangerous game.

That's a great one stop do all outfit Silver. Only thing this old dog would do is switch the bullet to a 200 Noz and call it a day. Great outfit!

 

[judgebill]

My first "big game" gun was a .300 Wby Mag built by Sako with Leupold 3-9x scope. Hunted deer, rabbits, elk and moose...all successfully. In 1993 went to Africa but fist purchased .375 H&H built by Rifles, Inc, 26" bbl, Leupold 1-6x scope, 180 gr handholds, shot everything (kudu, wildebeest, impala, et al) and since have shot moose, elk, black bear...all one-shot kills. Very accurate rifle, under MOA at 100 yards. Both calibers excellent.

 

[lou400a]

300 wm, 300 wsm or 7mm rm, non magnum 30-06 or 7mm-08

 

[greenejc]

This would have been a whole lot tougher before I actually purchased the perfect rifle/caliber/weight combo meeting this very scenario. The answer is simple (for me at least):
Barrett Fieldcraft in 30-06 with a VX5HD 3-15 scope. Whole thing comes in well below your bonus points of 9lbs and it shoots everything you put through it MOA or better. Picking just one bullet for this particular rifle however, I would go with the 190 ABLR. Best of both worlds....bonded so it stays together up close but also a soft enough tip to be used way out there. Shoots them half-MOA at 2750fps packing a heck of a whallop on anything from small to large/dangerous game.

Wish I could afford the rifle. I did, however, find a used Ruger M77(original) at a pawn shop the other day, and got it for $265. It had maybe 100 rounds through it. Stock is a little dinged, but the rifle shoots inside an inch with my handloads. I haven't tried the 200 grain bullets, yet. But I now have five 30-06's, and will soon scope this one with a Shepherd scope.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

If you get yourself a 30-06 in light mountain rifle you'll have all the rifle you ever need. If you don't mind recoil you can even get one in a rifle that weighs 6.0 lbs. You can get ammunition in a gas station in Zimbabwe. My son has a Rem 700 mountain SS in laminate stock with a plain jane 3-9 Zeiss Conquest on it and comes in about 7.5 Lbs. PHs in Africa love that rig. No need for 338, 340, 375 etc.--that's silly IMO. Use 165/180 Nosler partition or Accubond or Barnes TTSX and you can kill anything. If you wanna play LR with it, get a scope with 16-18 magnification and dialable turrets, use those bullets with secant or blended ogive for high BC and you'll be G2G for that game as well. If you reload you can get some jacks out of your custom loads. I use 57 grs of old school IMR-4350, Nosler or Lapua brass, with CCI BR-2 primers and I get 2850 out of that rig with a 22" Bbl.

 

[jvspopeye]

.338 Win Mag; Model 70 winchester; 24 inch barrel; Boyd's laminated stock; 2.5 - 10 power Vortex Viper scope; 250 grain Nosler Partition. I'm sure there are equal set ups, but none objectively better.

I like your set up and was thinking that scope for my hunting needs on a Ruger guide gun, 20'barrel in .338 Win Mag

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

FYI, my wife shoots everything on the planet with a Weahterby Camilla in 7mm-08 and uses 145 gr. Barnes LRX, nothing but DRT one shot kills so far including plains game in Africa...

 

[Willybuck]

My heavy gun is a 35 Whelan with 250 grain bullets. It has knocked down moose with authority.

It is on a Mauser J9 action that I use as a switch barrel. The 35 Whelan barrel was a 26 inch heavy contour but I thinned it down a bit and shortened it to 24 inches. The action is glass bedded in a walnut stock and has a Timney trigger. I have a couple 270 Winchester barrels I switch out on this action.

Although I really like the Whelan I think I would keep my 300 Weatherby German made Mark V if I had to choose 1 rifle. I have used the 300 Westherby in Africa, Alaska and North America and it has always performed. With the advent of the all copper Barnes bullets the versatility of the 30 caliber expanded. I shot a Kudu stem to stern with a 180 grain Barnes TSX in Africa and recovered the bullet in the neck of the Kudu. The bullet retained 137.8 grains after breaking heavy bones and traveling through most of the length of the Kudu. This was the original blue coated Barnes TSX before the grooves.

 

[villagelightsmith]

'06.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

Willybuck, I've got one of those old German Made Weatherby's too. It was ironic that was the first rifle I ever bought at the age of 17--interesting story there too I might add! Serial # 21111 Just made the trip with me to South Africa. My latest is the 180 gr Barnes TTSX over 79 grs IMR-4831, Fed 215 primer and WBY brass...same load since 1973, though I've experimented a lot and upgraded to the Barnes TTSX about three years ago. No other powder did any better so went back to that. Yeah, that'd be my keeper too, but was giving advice to someone buying a new and only rifle. I recovered a bullet from a big Kudu that traveled a long way through bone and muscle and was minus the expansion petals but otherwise still intact. And that was from a hit at about 70 yds at 3200 fps MV.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

WB, Just saw your photos...they look familiar!

 

[jpope02]

300 Weatherby Magnum- 180gr TTSX Barnes or 200gr Nosler partition
or
350 Remington Magnum- 225gr TSX fbase Barnes
I have been to Alaska over 20 times hunting self guided and have never felt under gunned in bear country.

 

[JimFisher]

Within the parameters of the original post, my choice is the .340 Wby, 210 Nosler Partition. It's been my one go-to rifle for over 35-years, hunting all types of terrain and habitats, for game species from antelope to moose to brown bear, at ranges from point blank to 600 yards +......and all DRT! I have a gun safe full of many other rifles/calibers mentioned here, but I remain absolutely "gobsmacked" by the performance of my .340 Wby Mark V Deluxe (walnut stock)!

 

[Ricky C]

My vote is also for the 300 Wby, mine is in a Rem 700. I live in AK and it's a gun I take most of the time when I'm heading out for a hunt. It shoots both 180 partitions and 180 TSX's and a few other bullets under MOA. If I only had one choice of bullet, I'd go with the TSX's. They have never failed me.