# pick one gun



## cregen (Jun 2, 2004)

If You Had To Pick One Gun To Hunt Every North American Big Game Animal From Whitetail To Moose What Gun And Caliber Would You Pick?


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

300 mag


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## DISSipator (May 21, 2004)

.308


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

Model70 270 winchester


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## Mud Skipper (May 21, 2004)

*I love my 7mm mag*

And feel confident it will take anything that is not dangerous (which is only a grizzly in N America - I don't have that much money anyway) A good friend of mine took the largest moose in Idaho 2 years ago with his 7mm. I really like the look of that new .300 or 7mm short mag. Love the short action. When I started talking about getting a .300 mag to replace my 7mm mag same friend as above had this advice "How dead do you want it!"

Andy


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## Benny (May 21, 2004)

.308 Model 742


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## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

Why? This is America! I want as many guns as I can afford! lol


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## badfisher (Jun 9, 2004)

30.06 because you buy bullets anywhere from 125 gr to 220 gr in any city in the US that has a Walmart close by.


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## Sea-Slug (May 28, 2004)

*One Gun*

WBY300Mag- 120,150,180 grain, all screamin, the 180 going almost 4000fps. Lots of knockdown and energy, very flat trajectory for long range shooting.


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## Snagged (May 21, 2004)

.375 H&H magnum. I've taken everything from grounghogs to moose with it.


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## fishomaniac (May 22, 2004)

.35 A.I. Whelen. I love it.


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## ChickFilet (May 20, 2004)

Big Red.

FC


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## ChickFilet (May 20, 2004)

Ohhhhh! Gun! Nevermind.

LMAO >>> FC


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## CHunter (May 25, 2004)

M-60 in 7.62x54, these are good for all North American, South American, Middle Eastern, Asian and European game, its been used on anything from mice all the way up to the baddest terrorist with everything in between, including exotics from the far reaches of the world.......Somebody slap me....LOL


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## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

I think you want to eat what you shoot, not make swiss cheese out of it. 

7 mag


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

Hands down.....*300 Win. Mag!!*

Even though I feel like I can support my opinion, this like asking what the best color is.


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## Snagged (May 21, 2004)

CHunter said:


> M-60 in 7.62x54, these are good for all North American, South American, Middle Eastern, Asian and European game, its been used on anything from mice all the way up to the baddest terrorist with everything in between, including exotics from the far reaches of the world.......Somebody slap me....LOL


 Model 700 Remington in 7.62x54. Reach out and touch someone. 1 shot= 1 kill.


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## CHunter (May 25, 2004)

Okay......seriously, If I only had one choice of weapon and caliber for any North American game animal from deer to moose........I would choose a Ruger #1 in 338 Winchester Magnum.


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## Catn' Around (May 21, 2004)

remington 700 in .270win. with loads from 90 grains to 180 you can take down any big game or vaporise the varmints


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## Surffishwant2B (May 22, 2004)

WBY300Mag, the 180 going almost 4000fps? 
Sea-Slug, what load are you talking about?


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## Sea-Slug (May 28, 2004)

*Load*

Ill have to get out the ballastic chart. I think the actual spe ed of the 180 load is like 3570 fps, and the 150 is like 3870. I shoot 150's. The smaller 120 I think are over 4000. The 150 grain bullet drops only 9" at 400 yards, only 3.2" at 300 yards. Let me go dig up my charts to confirm those numbers. I will try to scan and paste on another post in this thread.


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## The Driver. (May 20, 2004)

I have to agree with dbar6488! 

30.06


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## Bigwater (May 21, 2004)

I also agree with the Nato round being the MOST versitile. 30-06

Bigwater


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## Snagged (May 21, 2004)

The key word in the question was "every" and if it wasn't for that the 06 would be king. Even then it is adiquate in the hands of a marksman for the big bears. It is without a doubt the most widely found cartridge in this country and the single most versatile.


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## Hard Head (May 21, 2004)

Hard Choice between 3 different calibers.


1) .270
2) .264 Win Mag
3) .300 Rem. SAUM


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

*30-06*

As far as an all around gun. What is the deal with overkill? Guys using 7mm mags and 300 win to shoot 90 pound white tail. 30-06 is my choice if I could only pic one!


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## gundoctor (May 20, 2004)

The deal with over kill is, the question that started this thread included moose. For that you need a BIG gun, so I would go with a 338W or 375H&H. If we get rid of the moose & grizzly, then we are down to elk. They take some killing too, so I would say 35 Wheland or 338W. If we limit it to deer, then there is no need for anything above a 270W and that is only needed for the big 300#+ deer in places like Montana and Alberta. If we limit it to deer in Texas and maybe a pronghorn or two, there is no need for anything bigger than the 257 Roberts. 
You can always use a bigger gun than necessary to kill game. You can also get away with using too small of a gun, most of the time. PROBLEMS HAPPEN WHEN THINGS JUST DON'T GO THE WAY YOU PLANNED.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

.375 H&H O/U claw mount scope with express sights as well.

Like Elmer Keith said, "Put some daylight through an animal and it dies."

TH


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## Snagged (May 21, 2004)

gundoctor said:


> The deal with over kill is, the question that started this thread included moose. For that you need a BIG gun, so I would go with a 338W or 375H&H. If we get rid of the moose & grizzly, then we are down to elk. They take some killing too, so I would say 35 Wheland or 338W. If we limit it to deer, then there is no need for anything above a 270W and that is only needed for the big 300#+ deer in places like Montana and Alberta. If we limit it to deer in Texas and maybe a pronghorn or two, there is no need for anything bigger than the 257 Roberts.
> You can always use a bigger gun than necessary to kill game. You can also get away with using too small of a gun, most of the time. PROBLEMS HAPPEN WHEN THINGS JUST DON'T GO THE WAY YOU PLANNED.


Bill,
I've seen both moose and elk killed with both the 257R and a 250-3000. But in both cases the hunters were marksmen.
How many elephants did Selous (I think it was him) take with the 7mm Mauser?
*"It's not the tool, but the workman."*


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## gundoctor (May 20, 2004)

Jerry, you must be thinking of Karamojo Bell. He was a professional ivory hunter from just after the turn of the century until just after WWl. He shot about 1100 elephants with a 6.5X54 MS, a 275 Rigby(English name for the 7X57 Mauser) and a Lee Enfield in 303 British. Bell only used FMJ bullets and took only brain shots. He also told a story about taking 22 cape Buffalo with 23 shots using a 22 Savage HP with FMJ ammo. Bell didn't believe in expanding bullets.
In the late 50s or early 60s, Bell went back to Africa with Elmer Keith for a last elephant hunt. Kieth told the story (with out mentioning Bell's name) that Bell's small caliber rifle didn't work on that hunt, because the elephants were much wilder than in Bells hayday. Bell Just couldn't get the shot he needed to hit the brain because the elephants kept moving away from him. I once asked Elmer if the hunter in his story was Bell and he confirmed it was.
When Aurthur Savage brought out the 250 Savage, he advertised it as being adequate for any game on earth. Some boys in Africa believed him and got in big trouble when they tried it on things like rhino, cape buffalo, elephant, and big cats. There were also some in Canada and Alaska that got in the same kind of trouble trying to shoot big bears and moose with it. Some of them even survived the experience.
Small caliber rifles can work very well on very large game, if conditions are just right. If things go the least bit wrong, it can be a disaster.


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## Sea-Slug (May 28, 2004)

*Cool*

Gundoc- I read an article one time were some dude took a polar bear and a bighorn sheep with a .17Remington 25 grain slug going 4100fps. Head shots, solid slug. He got big ones is all I can say. I bet he had a back up weapon.


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## gundoctor (May 20, 2004)

Hunting polar bears with a 17 Rem, takes a bigger set or smaller brain than I got.
Although I have been told that the favorite caliber for native American subsistence hunters in Alaska is 223 Rem. The ammo is cheap and it don't tear up the hide like bigger calibers would. That ain't much rifle for some of the critters they hunt, but then their great granddad did it with a sharp rock tied on the end of a long stick.


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## Snagged (May 21, 2004)

gundoctor said:


> Jerry, you must be thinking of Karamojo Bell. He was a professional ivory hunter from just after the turn of the century until just after WWl. He shot about 1100 elephants with a 6.5X54 MS, a 275 Rigby(English name for the 7X57 Mauser) and a Lee Enfield in 303 British. Bell only used FMJ bullets and took only brain shots. He also told a story about taking 22 cape Buffalo with 23 shots using a 22 Savage HP with FMJ ammo. Bell didn't believe in expanding bullets.
> In the late 50s or early 60s, Bell went back to Africa with Elmer Keith for a last elephant hunt. Kieth told the story (with out mentioning Bell's name) that Bell's small caliber rifle didn't work on that hunt, because the elephants were much wilder than in Bells hayday. Bell Just couldn't get the shot he needed to hit the brain because the elephants kept moving away from him. I once asked Elmer if the hunter in his story was Bell and he confirmed it was..


 Looks like we talked to the same guy. Sorry about the name mix up.



gundoctor said:


> When Aurthur Savage brought out the 250 Savage, he advertised it as being adequate for any game on earth. Some boys in Africa believed him and got in big trouble when they tried it on things like rhino, cape buffalo, elephant, and big cats. There were also some in Canada and Alaska that got in the same kind of trouble trying to shoot big bears and moose with it. Some of them even survived the experience.
> *Small caliber rifles can work very well on very large game, if conditions are just right. If things go the least bit wrong, it can be a disaster.*


 Remember what I said about being used by marksmen? My point was that it can be done, not that it should be. I agree with caliber, just as I agree that people do tend to confuse energy charts with proven performance. 
The biggest mistake we saw consistantly when I lived in Wyoming was the guy who thought his "super duper magnum ear splitter" would scare an elk to death at 500 yards. It always has and always will take bullet placement with good penetration.


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## gundoctor (May 20, 2004)

Snagged said:


> Looks like we talked to the same guy. Sorry about the name mix up.
> 
> Remember what I said about being used by marksmen? My point was that it can be done, not that it should be. I agree with caliber, just as I agree that people do tend to confuse energy charts with proven performance.
> The biggest mistake we saw consistantly when I lived in Wyoming was the guy who thought his "super duper magnum ear splitter" would scare an elk to death at 500 yards. It always has and always will take bullet placement with good penetration.


My point about that is, even very good marksmen sometime miss. A complete miss, doesn't hurt anything unless its dangerous game coming after you. A not quite so good hit, with too small of a rifle, results in wounded game that can get away. If a adequate caliber gun is used, there should at least be a blood trail to follow, so the job can be finished.
Jerry, I know what you mean about the "sport" with his "super duper ear splitting magnum". Most of them can't hit a bull in the butt with it past 20 yards. Recoil causes them to flinch so bad that accuracy is just one more figment of their imagination. Muzzle brakes help with this a bunch. But for the average hunter, that only fires less than a box of shells a year, magnum rifles are not what they need.
Now before all you Magnum boys jump on me for saying you can't shoot. Let me say that I have seen some very good shooting done by experienced shooters with magnum rifles that will kick the shortening out of a biscuit. I have also seen a lot more shooters, that flinch like they were going to get hit with a baseball bat when they pulled the trigger. On average, the harder a rifle kicks, the worse you shoot with it. So game, max range, shooter skill, & recoil, all have to be factored in when picking a caliber for a certain job.
If the job is any game from deer to moose, I wouldn't consider a 7mm or 30 Cal magnum. They kick as hard as something with some real killing power, like a 375 H&H. It ain't the deer or elk that determines the caliber needed, its that dang moose or grizzly that sometime just ain't impressed by your "7mm/300 Super Duper Earsplitting Loudenboomer Magnum" with 175/220 grain bullets. For a person that can't handle recoil, I might go as low in caliber as the 7mm Mauser, but I wouldn't like it. A well placed shot with something smaller, is better than a bad placed shot from something large.
I agree there is no substitute for bullet placement and penetration. I would add that larger diameter bullets tend to kill better than smaller diameter bullets with equal bullet placement.

Elmer Kieth considered the 338 Win mag with 250 grain bullets adequate for any N American game. He considered the 7mm Mag as only a good long range whitetail cartridge. I tend to agree with him. I only met Elmer a few times, but we exchanged letters for several years. I wish I had been smart enough to keep all those letters he sent me.


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## finseeker (May 21, 2004)

*257 Roberts*

257 Roberts


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

I am with you mud skipper 7mm for sure


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## Chance (Jun 10, 2004)

*Impossible but....*

This is a bit lighter than I'd like for bear but the .300 RUM would be my choice. I've taken elk and caribou with my 7 RUM but would like the extra power of the .300 for bear. I'm not a ballistics junkie but can say the 7 RUM is the flattest shooting gun I've ever seen. Take a look for yourself:

*Cartridge Type*

*Bullet*

*100*​*150*​*200*​*250*​*300*​*400*​*500*​Premier Ultra Mag

140 NP

1.7​2.1​1.6​zero​-2.6​-11.4​-25.7​Premier Ultra Mag

160 NP

2.1​2.5​1.8​zero​-3​-12.9​-28.8​
Regardless of caliber it would be Remington 700 (you pick your flavor).


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## CHunter (May 25, 2004)

If you were to use the ethic of putting an animal down as quickly and cleanly as possible .........you shouldn't choose just one weapon. What works well on bears and moose does't work so well on some Texas whitetails or Mulies as far as that goes. I like the way you think GunDoc on the large hole theory, I'm a believer myself. I feel the powder behind the bullet gives you range and the weight of the bullet gives you penetration needed to blow thru bones and hit vitals. A large heavy bullet really lets the air outta things. I picked just one gun/caliber, 1 for deer, 1 for antelope, 1 for coyote, 1 for bears........LOL


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