best caliber

[Vader]

Stick with my 270 winchester model 70 with 140 gr BTSP..

No Uber mag for me .

Each to their own.. Do the animals a favor.. Shoot often and learn to shoot well.. Don't take poor percentage shots..

[Fixit]

i dunno what these other guys are talking about, 50 cal is the only way to go, kills squirrels to elephants no problem!

[Junorr500]

1950 Model 70 in .270 Will drive tacks all day long as long as i shoot it well.

[huntwriter]

The old trusted .30-06 has taken more game around the world than any other caliber. It’s still the most widely used today as a do it all cartridge.

I shoot a .30-06 and the equally popular .270 Win. My favorite rifle at the moment is the Weatherby Vanguard.

Caliber and rifle brand are not nearly as important as what has been said here a few times. Learning to shoot, good shot placement and keep in good shooting shape by shooting all year long.

[puppychow]

7mm Rem Mag and a 300 wby mag in stainless for northern hunting.

[ruger#1]

6.5x55sm in a CZFS works for me.

[308Lover]

You guys never learn. Back off and listen to 308 Winchester. He knows the real answer. LOL LOL

[Night Hawk 3]

Ah, my first post after lurking for months. There's so much good information shared on this site.

I would say, that if you're getting just one rifle, then either a .308, .270, or 30-06 are very good bets - and note that they are all very closely related calibers. They are big enough, yet small enough to get the job done.

Things to consider: cost of ammo, variety of ammo available, recoil, availability of ammo (if you shoot a less common caliber). You do not need to get a really big caliber that has lots of recoil - you probably won't enjoy shooting regularly if the recoil is any more than what a typical 30-06 has.

As I have shot more at the range and in the field, and have become a much more accurate marksman, I have moved to a few "intelligent" calibers that get the job done extremely effectively and with less recoil (which is not to be underestimated if you spend a lot of time at the range).

My latest picks are:

.223 Remington - brilliantly accurate, affordable to shoot, lots of support. This is a great caliber to spend an afternoon with at the range - but not one that falls into the "best caliber" equation.

6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser - a really accurate, low recoil, fantastic shooting caliber. Not many choices in factory ammo generally available, but hand-loading solves that.

I realize I've wandered off topic now... how can there be just one "best caliber" ?

[Night Hawk 3]

This might be helpful:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

[outdoorsman812]

30-06, load and bullet versatility, all around good cartridge. As for the rifle Rem. 700, and Tikka M65