EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

I want to buy the best all around rifle but I can't decided which caliber

Best all around? Then you through the long range factor in. lol. How do you feel about recoil?

 :D

How all around?  If you want something with the best bullet coefficient go with a 6.5x284. Good to elk but don't know if I would go much bigger if you want something to go kodiac bear hunting and demolish a deer I would go with 30 cal. Mag something.  I have a 308 weatherby mag and it has decent ballistics for a 30 cal.

Hard to beat a .308 if your looking for an all around caliber.  Lots of different ammo to chose from.

try looking into a 338 lapua. its a little big for whitetail, but is a good long range with enough knock down for elk, kodiak or really anything that walks the north american continent, even humans if you so desire. the military in several countries, even the u.s. are using that caliber for sniper rifles. its not just the caliber, but also the maker that will make or brake the long range ability. do your research on manufacuters too.

From my experience and with close observation of friends and acquaintances, the best all around caliber consist of 4 plus guns chambered in 4 plus different calibers. lol

7 WSM if your stopping targets that pump blood, if your target is paper .243 ackley improved works.

of course you have the .408 Chey tac, or 50 bmg if your real serious about things and you got lots of cash.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek071.html    A good quick read

7 WSM if your stopping targets that pump blood, if your target is paper .243 ackley improved works.

of course you have the .408 Chey tac, or 50 bmg if your real serious about things and you got lots of cash.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek071.html    A good quick read

This is a topic I was about to post up myself. Just got an opportunity to hunt first week gun season in Montana for Mule Deer. Opinions please, best caliber.

they say the 30-06 is an all around big caliber for north america but I like the 7 mm magnum or the 300 winchester magnum.

the 30-06 has so many different types of rounds it can shoot so that is another plus...

I'm kinda leanin towards 300 win mag, but the lapua round is something else, but not a cheap caliber to shoot,

What heavy cal bullet is cheap to shoot anymore? You get what you pay for. Buy cheap ammo, get chitty accuracy. Iv seen 300 win mag shells go for $50 per 20 rounds. My .308 match ammo is $45 per 20.

Depends on your definition of "long range". I have my 300 win mag marked out to 500 with   hand loads. With practice, i havent had an issue with 400 at all. For some, thats long range. For others, thats up close. 

let's try this one more time


7wsm is my first choice if the target has a heart beat, 7mm08 Improved, 6mm improved, .243 improved all work well.

If your pockets run deep 50 bmg or .406 CT seems to really reach out there and buck wind. To many factors come in to play for me to crown one caliber as champ.

A .338 Lupau as an all round caliber? Is this guy hunting multiple species in Jurassic Park? lol

Id love to own one though!

Charles have you ever shot a accuracy international rifle, I did at red castle gun club a few years ago. Was very dissapointed in the how poor it shot and I've heard lot's of others say the same who owned them, all I'm saying is try before you buy

7.62 warbird

I put a few round down range with some old socom friends a couple yrs ago n it shot great. Recoil was a pain in the shoulder after 50rds but grouping was outstanding. That is the only ai iv shot though. I guess it mite have been a luck of the draw that day the rifle was built or socom dumped a lota $ into it. This is feedback im glad you shared, i will deff make it my goal to shoot a box through it first. Im gona make a trip to van burren ar n see what he has to offer before droping 2-3,000 on another rifle though. Thnks waylon

30.06

Great gun builders but you may want to have a look at tactical rifles .net as another option. Great folks to deal with too.

Thnk boarnija, i'll ck them out too.

7 mm STW.. It's an 8mm cartridge necked down to a 7mm bullet! I know guys around Huntsville making 1000 and 1200 yard shots on deer with this gun. It's also known as a 7mm Wildcat. All around the best gun I have seen.. I know some serious long range guys and this is the caliber they shoot

I can reach out and hit somethn with my.  308 heavy at 800yds.  The 30-06 is basicly the same bullet balistics speaking. Before you start bashing about 800 this or that the. 308 can be accurate up to 1200yds. Im not a professional marksman but have grown up with one lol.

If you don't wanna go wild cat look at .338 or .300 rum. I am talking about 500 plus yards. Glass is a major part of the deal too. If you are thinking of putting a 3-9x50 on it don't plan on shooting long range. Good long range gun and glass is gonna run 1500 min. And that is entry level.

Like TShelly said,

7mm STW
I've hunted all over the world and this is my all around gun.

Boy there are a bunch of replies to this with everyone talking like you have to have some huge magnum for long range except one post. Of you are truely and I mean that in a serious sense looking for a long range/all around rifle you need to look at the 6.5 class of bullet. I'm talking about a do it all round for North America. You can effectively use a 6.5x284, 6.5x55, 264win mag, .260rem to take any and yes I mean any game in North America. As far as the long range abilities of the round take a look at what Mr.Tubbs uses to make one mile shots. (The 6.5x284) the sectional density and ballistic coefficient that the 6.5 have are extremely well suited for taking anything from pronghorn to moose.

1000 - 1200 yards?!? Dang you Huntsville boys need to figure out how to sneek a little closer.  :-X

Cant argue with the DRBC on the 7mm STW but, do you plan on reloading CMK hog hunter? Were did you go?

 A 22lr is enough gun for me ;D anything over 50yrds is considered loooooooooooooooong range to me anyways lol. I like to get close to my game, I may be ole fashioned but my lever action 35 rem has never let me down out to 300 yards any further than that I couldnt spot the sob's anyway. I had a rem 700 police heavy barrel in 308 that was a tack driver out to 500 yards which I concider long range, loved that gun. It had a hollowed out butt stock that I filled with shot and there was absolutley no recoil.

For elk and down the 270 weatherby mag or the 280 A I
for larger game moose bear  the 300 weatherby mag or 338 weatherby mag
but if you can't shoot and put the bullet where it needs to go it's not gonna matter  what caliber you shoot

You are sure welcome charles.

I should have also mentioned the hawk family of cartridges there all reall good but high as heck to load.
Pretty much any round built off the .308 .243, .260 . 7mm08, ect. works. Hell most people can't afford the right glass to shoot @ 1000 anyway, I know I can't

Amen on the price of the right glass!

 If the gun costs more then the glass, you are pissing the wind.


     I like the 6.5x.284. If I was just getting into long range shooting I would pick a factory load. A good friend has a 50 cal. Fun to shoot, will go as far as you want. Glass costs more then most people's first cars. Just not practicle to lug around a gun that weighs 48 lbs and cost 4.50 a shot.

Waylon n ninja. I know whatcha mean. I got a leupold mk4 m1 tactical 4.5-14x50mm n it cost me $1300. Iv got it mountd on my M40 USMC rifle. Ninja, i had been dealin with tr for a bit, just didnt relize it. I got my quote today for a LR tactical with 22" stainless barrel n stainless fluted bolt with folding stock n before my silencer n new scope, its nearly $6,000. Im gonna reveiw n tweek a little more on it n place my order before i head back to afghanistan next week. I figure after everything, i will have right close to $10,000 in it, but i'll be ready for government zombie apoccolypes. Just gotta get a reloader n dies n get my 1000rds of .308 brass reloaded n reload supplies for my new toy. Thanks for bringing this subject up, now i done got reinterrsted in it n gonna finish what i started 5yrs ago.

Good deal! Im requesting pictures now after you get it on the range a time or two! I dont think you will be disappointed.

Yep cheap gun + good glass = better results any day than custom sniper rifle + $50 wally world scope.

Heck most rifles shoot less than a min. @ 100 anyway out of the box no matter the brand and I know lot's of good guys with high dollar rigs that can't shoot that with out a locking rest anyway. THERE IS WAY MORE TO SHOOTING @ 1000 THAN CALIBER. Man it's tough, I'm confident on live targets of large size out to about 650-800 with a real good rig, using some stout 7mm or .30 caliber and that's max for me. I shoot a 16x for 500 yards my eyes are so bad anymore, I'd need a 24x or 36x for small groups at longer range than that.

I shot group out of a Savage model 10 precision carbine .223 @ 300 yards that a dime cover with ease, set up on a 400 yard target, there was wind @ that one as it set past a tree line. Groups went to as large as 4" with only a hundred yard difference, that's real world shooting    :'(

hey ninja, i made a calculating error. its just at 5,000 with scope. i didnt get it all downloaded on my phone. either way, 5000 or 6000, aint much difference when you get into them price ranges. i will see if they will send me a computer image of the rifle im ordering. that will b the best i could do for ya till i get back from camel country

Haha! I think we scared "CMK hog hunter" off. He must be in the back yard practicing with his bow after reading all this.  :-X


Thats good enough for me Charles. Thanks!

the 7.62 warbird is a super flat shooting gun, but you can always go 50bmg in a barret or ar 15 upper