One caliber, two chamberings to cover everything hunting

[Darryle]

After my components thread and some members relaying that staying with a couple of calibers to simply component searches and purchases.

Is it plausible to choose one caliber and two or three chamberings to cover 100% of your hunting?

Full transparency, I have had several manbuns, hard to argue with cheap factory ammo, easy recoil and impressive accuracy over a broad range of factory offerings. Makes it easy for a parent to get a kiddo behind the rifle and develop some confidence.

I got curious about the 6.5 PRC, found a nice used X-Bolt Hells Canyon Speed and while bedding the rifle and picatinny rail, I got to wondering about the subject of a single caliber covering all the bases.

Honestly, I could cover 95% of my hunting with a 22 Creedmoor, possibly a 223.

I got out my Gun Gack and a few other manuals and thought, the 6.5/.264 might be the perfect choice for the majority of hunters.

Some of the big 6.5 whizzums, like the 264 WM or 26 Nosler, 6.5/300 Weatherby, 6.5-280 Ackley, would offer a lot for bigger animals and then you could cover everything from varmints up to and including elk(within reason) with a Creedmoor. A Grendel would get you varmint, Prairie dogs and medium bodied Whitetail.

I said all that to ask, if you had to choose one caliber and two or three chamberings, what would you choose? What components would you choose to be able to use them in both or all three (if possible).

As much as I love my 280 Ackley, I honestly think a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 6.5-280 Ackley would cover everything I ever plan to chase.

I also know that there are plenty of y'all that use one cartridge for everything?

Have fun, but I am curious to see the selections and thought process/reasoning behind the choices.

 

[Calvin45]

So if I understand the question you're asking to pick one bore diameter but two different cartridges of that diameter for all hunting needs?

If so for me the 30 caliber is the obvious choice and my preference. A standard 30 and a magnum. My .300 win mag is my single most versatile hunting rifle.

That being said to start over perhaps a handy short light rifle in .308 Winchester or even a 30-30 levergun and a longer heavier rig in either 300 weatherby or .300 RUM.

 

[Calvin45]

I also have a soft spot in my heart for the neglected .35 caliber cartridges. They'll never have the ballistic efficiency and true long range ability of the .338s, 30s, and 7mms but to tell the truth while I love being a part of this forum I don't do much of any true long range hunting…don't think I'd ever pull the trigger on a critter over 600 yards or so, and honestly just have never had a reason I couldn't get inside 400 and still needed to shoot.

For my real world hunting they're great and they just plain smack things down with authority. I have a BRNO ZG47 (m98 type action) in .358 Norma Magnum. If a savage 99 in good shape in 358 Winchester pops up on the used gun rack I'm going to have a very hard time…explaining to my wife why I needed it

.358 Winchester and .358 Norma magnum get my other vote for 1 caliber 2 chamberings.

 

[jpd676]

Yeah, I shoot a lot of .30 calibers and I could do everything with a 308 and a 300wm. Maybe I'd keep the RUM or PRC or WM but I'd definitely do the .30's.

 

[memtb]

After my components thread and some members relaying that staying with a couple of calibers to simply component searches and purchases.

Is it plausible to choose one caliber and two or three chamberings to cover 100% of your hunting?

Full transparency, I have had several manbuns, hard to argue with cheap factory ammo, easy recoil and impressive accuracy over a broad range of factory offerings. Makes it easy for a parent to get a kiddo behind the rifle and develop some confidence.

I got curious about the 6.5 PRC, found a nice used X-Bolt Hells Canyon Speed and while bedding the rifle and picatinny rail, I got to wondering about the subject of a single caliber covering all the bases.

Honestly, I could cover 95% of my hunting with a 22 Creedmoor, possibly a 223.

I got out my Gun Gack and a few other manuals and thought, the 6.5/.264 might be the perfect choice for the majority of hunters.

Some of the big 6.5 whizzums, like the 264 WM or 26 Nosler, 6.5/300 Weatherby, 6.5-280 Ackley, would offer a lot for bigger animals and then you could cover everything from varmints up to and including elk(within reason) with a Creedmoor. A Grendel would get you varmint, Prairie dogs and medium bodied Whitetail.

I said all that to ask, if you had to choose one caliber and two or three chamberings, what would you choose? What components would you choose to be able to use them in both or all three (if possible).

As much as I love my 280 Ackley, I honestly think a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 6.5-280 Ackley would cover everything I ever plan to chase.

I also know that there are plenty of y'all that use one cartridge for everything?

Have fun, but I am curious to see the selections and thought process/reasoning behind the choices.

Absolutely…..but most don't like our cartridge choices! My wife and I have been "one gun/cartridge" hunters since 1990 for me and 1996 for my wife! They are used on everything from deer antelope to moose….and occasionally on coyotes.

That said we do not shoot at the extreme ranges that many on this forum do. My shots will be limited to 600 yards, my wife limits herself to 500 yards. Both cartridges are capable well beyond that! memtb

 

[Calvin45]

Well what the heck I've already replied twice might as well make it three.

It's another odd-man-out caliber but I have an old husqvarna 8x57 that would be complimented nicely by a .325 WSM or better yet an 8mm rem mag. Anything they can do my first choice, the 30 cal, can probably do better and the 33s have higher bcs and my aforementioned .35 calibers undisputably thump harder…but I don't know…there is something about this .323" bore diameter that is growing on me now that I have one.

 

[memtb]

Well what the heck I've already replied twice might as well make it three.

It's another odd-man-out caliber but I have an old husqvarna 8x57 that would be complimented nicely by a .325 WSM or better yet an 8mm rem mag. Anything they can do my first choice, the 30 cal, can probably do better and the 33s have higher bcs and my aforementioned .35 calibers undisputably thump harder…but I don't know…there is something about this .323" bore diameter that is growing on me now that I have one.

Well, you do reside in a land that uses metric measure…..why am I "not" surprised? memtb

 

[The_Whitetail_kid]

6.5 or .264 is pretty dang versatile. So is 7mm. Depends on how big of game you plan on hunting

 

[Calvin45]

Well, you do reside in a land that uses metric measure…..why am I "not" surprised? memtb

If only it were that simple. In fact, I live in a land that uses both systems in arbitrary and inconsistent ways.

For example, the country grid roads I grew up on are laid out in miles, one or two mile blocks. So when I'm driving on gravel I only think in miles, kilometres are gibberish. But the paved highways have signs all in kilometres indicating distance…when I'm driving on asphalt I think in kilometres and if someone tells me how many miles away it is I have to mentally convert that to kilometres to make sense of it.

If I'm outside I think of temperature in degrees Celcius, Fahrenheit means nothing. If I'm setting the thermostat inside I think in Fahrenheit cuz that's what the thermostat measures in. Same with cooking. 350 Fahrenheit is English. 176 celcius is stupid


What really l can't think in is metres and centimetres. I can't stand that my drivers licence gives my height in cm. I'm five foot eleven. And I weigh things in pounds not kilograms UNLESS it's deli meat

 

[memtb]

I could actually live with either, but over the last 40 or so years of doing much of my auto maintenance ……I wish the heck they were all the same either Metric or English. It's a major pia to work on anything from the American Big Three! memtb

 

[Calvin45]

I could actually live with either, but over the last 40 or so years of doing much of my auto maintenance ……I wish the heck they were all the same either Metric or English. It's a major pia to work on anything from the American Big Three! memtb

Oh now you remind me of my father…and grandfather…swearing at machinery for this exact reason.

 

[memtb]

Oh now you remind me of my father…and grandfather…swearing at machinery for this exact reason.

We're probably about the same age! memtb

 

[lancetkenyon]

I currently have:
2 @ .223
2 @ .224
1 @ .243
3 @ .257
7 @ .264
3 @ .284
1 @ .308

So it seems my most versitile caliber of choice is 6.5mm. And I don't even have one of the big cased 6.5s.
6.5CM
6.5SLR
.260 Rem
6.5PRC
6.5PRC/SI
6.5SS (20")
6.5SS (26")

Even though I would prefer a 7mm or even a .30 for elk, I wouldn't want to have to have a 7-08 or .308 Win as my "small-cased" option.

I think my choices would be a .260AI pushing a 130 @ 3000+ and a 6.5PRC/SI, 6.5SAUM, OR 6.5SS pushing a 156 @ 3000+. Those would cover about anything in N. America except maybe the big bears.

 

[Calvin45]

We're probably about the same age! memtb

My dad is 73. My grandfather (the one I'm referring to is my mom's father, never knew my paternal grandfather as he died when I was 3) has been gone for a while now.