What's a good rifle for hunting all ungulates??

[Tanya]

Yup, 30.06 . I read a paper done in Alaska a number of years ago. It was all about " If you could only own one rifle in Alaska for hunting what would the best all round caliber be?" The result was 30.06, as ammo is available most everywhere and in everything from smaller loads for blacktails up to 180g for bigger game. As always shot placement on anything is important.

[ncurrie]

I bought a 30.06 last year and love it. I am not a bug person and was a little scared of it at first, but now that I have shot it a couple of times I love it.

[sparkes3]

you hit a moose in the boiler room at 300 yards with a 30-06 ,its going down with a 270 as well

[stoneguide]

My favorite all around cartridge is the .280Rem. It does the same as the .270 and 30-06 but hey everyone has a .270win or a 30-06! Everyone will argue the best cartridge but you can only kill an animal so dead and these all will do the trick.
SG

[BCBRAD]

The 30-06 was my last rifle purchase for hunting. I went through several magnums, standards, levers etc over a long time,
If you are not a handloader the 30-06 gets the nod, choices on bullet weight and style are plenty, not so much with the 270 and less so with the 280. If you handload the 30-06 is away more flex-able on the light (bullet weight) end and on the heavy end as well, the other two are not. most people find the recoil gentle with this round, that and non-magnum muzzle blast will enable you to make better shots easier, this leads to better bullet placement which is key to a quick humane kill. Like other say it is available near everywhere
For a lot of people the 30-06 in a quality rifle should be the first rifle as well as the last. Lots of choices in between if your into the whole rifle, handloading shooting stuff as well as for hunting.

[SimilkameenSlayer]

30-06 180g, for everything.

simple and effective. there are advantages to shooting this combo, it enables you to dial in your skill level and get real familiar with where your bullet is going to land.

.002 cents

[Mykos]

I like .308. It's very available and isn't excessive in recoil or noise, and as someone mentioned above it's very versatile with the selection of bullets available for it.

[835]

Why do you like the .270Win so much? .

Well, partially because every one i grew up hunting with had one. But there was a reason for that. It is a very flat shooting Cartridge with ample "Power" to take all but the nastiest animals down. You can buy ammo for it anywhere and for cheap. The Cartridge has a great history to it as well. And you can shoot it all day at the range without beating your self up.

The thing is you dont need a magnum. Any of the "Medium" Cartridges will do what you need. It is just that in some cases with experiance a Mag does it better. The trouble with the internet is when you ask a question like you did there are thousands of opinions, to make it worse most of them are right. You just need to find a Rifle that YOU like and that fits YOU and YOUR budget.

Just dont buy the 30-06 because some guy says there are a million different bullet weights to shoot, I hate that reason. How many different bullets do you need! You will find that you shoot one or two of them.

[Tikka270]

IMO a good recoil pad makes all the difference in the world.

My first rifle was a Remington 710 in .300 wm.(horrible rifle) I moved up to a tikka in .270win. Then to a savage 116 in .300wsm which has a decent factory stock recoil pad and a muzzle brake. The felt recoil from my .300wsm is quite a bit less than my .270 (which pretty much has a hockey puck for a recoil pad).

So whatever your choice may be add on a aftermarket limbsaver or decelerator pad and recoil won't be much of an issue.

[CanuckShooter]

I'm just starting out hunting and haven't yet purchased a rifle. I only want to buy a single gun right now, but will likely hunt a number of ungulates with it over the next few years. What is a good single caliber for hunting deer, elk, moose, caribou, etc? What is the real-world application for different calibers (ie: why do some people like .338 and others 30-06, etc)?

Any information is greatly appreciated
Thank you so much
Cody

I started with a 30-06 because that's what my dad bought me, and hunted with it for years and years. I sold my last 30-06 and bought a 338, only because I kept having close calls with grizzly bears and wanted something with a little more thump [225gr bullets], I switch to 243 for deer. Most of the calibers the guys recommend are good for NA ungulates, I think you should pay lots of attention to how much a particular brand of rifle weighs, how it fits you, and how much it kicks. IN my experience a Browning micro-medallion 308 will boot the hell out of you, while a Ruger 338 will give you a good push, each rifle is a little different for different people and you should try firing one before buying if you get an opportunity.

The caliber selection is more what-ever-turns-your-crank.