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Hello all,

If (heaven forbid) you could have just one rifle to hunt deer, antelope, bear and elk, what calibre would you choose. I'm looking for some ideas on a calibre to build a spec rifle in. Would appreciate your input and your reasons why you choose that certain calibre.

Thanks for your time

ALEX

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Alex,

Completely from my armchair, but I would choose a 8x68S.

Enough reach for antelope. Load 220 gr or heavier bullets for bear, moose etc.

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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Hmmmm, when you throw antelope into the mix the complexity changes a bit,as few hunters can routinely shoot reliably around 350 to 400 yds and beyond.

While,I'm typically not a fan of the newer overbore magnums. I have one that until recently I would not have consider a favorite. It is a 300RUM custom with a kevlar stock and a recoil reduction unit in the butt,that groups several projectile weights from 140 to 250 remarkably well, almost all MOA with several Sub-MOA.

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Have hunted all those mentioned and would have no problem using my 300RUM ...Have a HS that will shoot one holers at 100 yards on a regular basis..have shot antelope 400 plus with it as well as shot bears, elk, caribou, deer and all things in between...stoke it with 200 grainers or 220's for the bigger stuff and 165 or 180's for the smaller ones..or just stick with the 200's..getting 3170 fps about, with it which is plenty to shoot as far as your heart desires...

As to the 7mm not being big enough for big bears....baloney....have a friend, Troy, who has hunted around the world more than anyone I know---has shot every type of bear you can, along with probably 70 different species in Africa---all with a 7mm Remington Mag..Browning rifle..is it ideal, NO...will it work..YES..again, depends greatly on who is shooting it...

Ripp

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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..

Edited by Ripp (17/03/09 09:53 PM)

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Somewhat off-topic, I think it would be pretty interesting if I could convince the membership to arrange all their American travels to veer off-course a bit to swing by my place.

I'd set a target of my own choosing {same for all of course} at a distance of my own choosing {"something-over-295-yards" and same for all of course} and then ask for One Shot to be fired after we jog to the rifle range from the front gate. Then I'd be able to say what I think about long-range calibers in-general, for others.

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9.3

I'd be up for that---how far is that dang range from the gate???

And Wagers..???

Ripp

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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..

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338 lapua should do the trick its reported it can reach out to 1000 yards and beyond

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I'd set a target of my own choosing {same for all of course} at a distance of my own choosing {"something-over-295-yards" and same for all of course} and then ask for One Shot to be fired after we jog to the rifle range from the front gate. Then I'd be able to say what I think about long-range calibers in-general, for others.

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I'd be up for that---how far is that dang range from the gate???

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Not far, about 1/2 mile.

The point I'm making is it would be interesting to see what the One-Shot Groups would be for a fairly large number of hunters. My range is a gully where the shooting points are either set-ups or the sort-of uncomfortable spots that seem to drive a guy crazy in the field.

As you know, trigger squeeze is always easiest when the trigger is a keyboard or the shot that hits the killzone is number 4 of a five-shot group. Lots of fellows can shoot very well indeed, lots more are willing to take shots that are outside their shooting limitations.

And the biggest group of all from what I've seen at public ranges are those who have no idea what their limitations are but are willing to shoot anyway.

This is what bugs me about American gun magazines. The gun writers drone on and on about the performance capabilities of rifles when the tools are not at all the limiting factors in the field or at least rarely are. Wind estimation, conditioning, familiarization with field positions and pure shooting skill are. A 500-yard rifle doesn't make a 500-yard shooter. I have no problem with 500-yard rifles.

I can't really make a recommendation of what caliber is best for somebody else. Ballisitcally-speaking, every caliber named so far in this thread will do the job asked. Whether we hunters can is another story entirely.

We are really awash in superb calibers and rifles these days. Amazingly so. It is actually hard to pick a BAD caliber for the critters listed!

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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

Edited by 9.3x57 (18/03/09 01:28 AM)

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.375 H&H best, Mike

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