Best Hunting Rifle

[Madman25]

I've had many debates over which gun is the best hunting rifle. In the Marines, I got use to using a M16, which is a 223 cartrige shell. We would have to qualify from 500 meters away with open sites. To me though, hunting big game I prefer to use a 22-250 or 270. When looking at a bullet graph, while shooting long distances, those two guns bullet drops slower than most guns on the market. I would like to hear some of your opinions on this, and curious to see which gun you all prefer.
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[lurtch]

personally..i think a 7mm mag is the best all around gun..load it lite good deer rifle..load heavier and take down a bull elk.just an opionion
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[lunkerhunter2]

The -06 is the best rifle cartridge on the market and in history. You can shoot loads from 25 gr. to 220 gr in factory ammo. It is responsible for more big game kills than any other cartridge. This is the absolute truth. Take it or leave it.[sly]
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[Madman25]

7mm is big enough to take down a elephant, also I would throw a 308 in there too, if I was looking to take down a gigantic animal. I should of clarrified my post. If you were looking to shoot long distances to kill animals no bigger that a deer, it is my belief 22-250 or 270 would be the two best guns to use with out having to use Kentucky windage to reach out and touch them. 30-06 is a powerful gun, but looking at the bullet trajectory, it drops at a faster rate than the two I'm talking about. 270 drops faster than the 22-250 does. Smaller tips with more powder makes the bullet reach out and grab game at long distances. Shorter distances 30-06 is probably the best gun for knock down power without totally destroying a deer. In the millitary we would have to estimate the distances and adjust the sites accordingly, it can be a tall task to do in a short period of time.
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[AverysAdventure]

This is like talking politics and I usually just avoid the question but the 30.06 rules in my mind. Out of my group of friends my brother and me are the last ones to stick w/ the 06's. Everyone has went to the 7mm's, 270 SWM or 300's but we can usually out shoot them. I think it comes down to knowing your gun and practicing. Owning a race car doesn't make you a good driver!
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[Madman25]

I know exactly what your saying but having a great debate can be extremely exciting sometimes. What type of gun your use to using is definately advantage but knowing the limits of the gun can determine whether you get the kill or miss by a inch. Practicing at different distances is the best way to tell how a gun will do at long range shooting.
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[tlspyder13]

I'll take my 06 at 400 yards over the 270 any day of the week. The 270 may not drop as fast but you give up knock down power. I would rather not have the shot then have the shot but no power behind it.
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[Madman25]

Spyder,
I don't know if I agree with you on knock down power. My 270 has taken deer over 400 yards and knocked them down in their tracks. Depends on where you place the sights on the deer and hit it. If You shoot a deer in the guts from 400 yards away with a 30-06, he is probably going to run a little. When I was younger, I use to shoot does with a 223 from long distances hunting power lines in the snow. You can see deer from distances up to 500 yards away when it snows because they stick out like a sore thumb. I would always aim at the head, and it would drop them right in their tracks.
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[tlspyder13]

Head shots are dead small or large. I think the 270 is a great gun just a little small when you start to go up to something like a Elk. Seen too many people just punch little holes not knock the animal down even with a well placed shot. Happens with the 06 too but not as often.

Then again I have a very old hunting book I got from my grandfather that tells you how to hunt deer with a 22 so you don't waste any of the meat.

Personal choice is 130gr for Whitetail, 150gr Mule deer and 180gr for Elk. This works for me and I'll still hunt with family and friends shooting 243's up 7mm. It works for them.
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[lunkerhunter2]

[quote Madman25]7mm is big enough to take down a elephant, also I would throw a 308 in there too, if I was looking to take down a gigantic animal. I should of clarrified my post. If you were looking to shoot long distances to kill animals no bigger that a deer, it is my belief 22-250 or 270 would be the two best guns to use with out having to use Kentucky windage to reach out and touch them. 30-06 is a powerful gun, but looking at the bullet trajectory, it drops at a faster rate than the two I'm talking about. 270 drops faster than the 22-250 does. Smaller tips with more powder makes the bullet reach out and grab game at long distances. Shorter distances 30-06 is probably the best gun for knock down power without totally destroying a deer. In the millitary we would have to estimate the distances and adjust the sites accordingly, it can be a tall task to do in a short period of time.[/quote]
Well in that case, the 30-378 is the number one gun for deer at long distance. I can shoot out the left eye of a deer at 800 yards with a 20 mph cross wind every time and never have to adjust point of impact. It only drops 1" at 600 yards. That is the gun you need.[sly]
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[Madman25]

After hearing all these guns, the one that defines long distance shooting that was left out is an 25-06. To me it shoots flatter than the 30-06 and has enough bullet to reach out game from super distances. Probably the most over looked gun on the market many don't talk about. Heck just give me a M16 with open sites and I can tear something up from 500 meters +[cool]
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[buiboater]

i cant see more than a hundred yards where i hunt.and hands down a 30-30 is the rifle to have. i own several other calibers,and still take it to kill more venison than any other caliber COMBINED. oh, and dont forget cost effectiveness,i paid oh, nothing for it(12th birthday present) i buy bullets for 10 bucks for 20 of em.now i own i 270 winchester,wich costs me a dollar ashell, not bad but not a half dollar a shot.i also own a 270 short mag,lets see, 40 dollars a box.300 weatherby, 64 dollars a box.do any of these calibers make deer any deader than my 30-30?ill give you the answer,NO
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[Tarpon4me]

This is always a fun topic, and since I reload, I have a little different opinion than those that might shoot at closer ranges, or shoot factory loads. Inside 500 meters, .270. Outside 500 meters, .308 absolutely no contest.

Not a single person mentioned Ballistic Coefficient in thier ramblings about which caliber is the best. I personnally shoot a .270, but it's not the best round. It's flat, it's fast, and has plenty of energy for deer out to and beyond 500 meters; but still not the best. There is a reason that the .308 is the most popular sniper round, it's BC. Is it the most flat shooting? No.... Is it super fast? No..... But it is super STABLE, which makes it the more accurate of the popular rounds. The only two rounds that best the ballistic coefficient, on average, of a .308 is the .338 and the .50 BMG. Both of which are also used currently as military sniper rounds accross the world.

Most deer hunters don't take a shot over 100 to 150 yards. for a magnum rifle cartrige, that is nothing. My average shot is 200+, as I hunt over large corn/bean fields.



The closest shot from that ground blind i'm in is over 200 meters. I have honest to goodness 450+ shots presented to me on a regular basis. The deer don't stray too far from the woodline. The rifle in that picture is a cheapo Marlin XL7, but the trick is it has an expensive Nikon 50mm scope. The optic is always more important than the brand name of the rifle. Most rifles, even the cheap ones, are accurate with a cold barrel. With factory ammo, (hornady superformance SST in 130 gr) I got nickel groups at 100 yards, cold barrel always. With hand loads, I clover leaf my groups at 100.

Point is, the best rounds ballistically are the .308, .338, and the .50 BMG. The only one logical to use for hunting is the .308.

Next point is, if you're not taking shots over 500 yards, the ballistic coefficient really doesn't matter. Soooooooo, if it's a magnum round, who gives a crap which one??? They all perform very similarly out to 300 yards, with a 200 yard zero. The trick for accuracy is finding the gr bullet and brand that your gun likes. Anyone that says the brand and grain doesn't effect accuracy, has probably never seen true accuracy. And consistent sub MOA groups can only be achieved with hand loads.

My Marlin likes Nosler Ballistic tip in 130 gr. 54.5 gr. of IMR 4350, CCI primers, and the brass doesn't matter. I weigh the bullet and the powder on a digital scale to insure it's perfect. The result is pin point accuracy, granted the shooter does thier part.

My next rifle will be a single shot, breech loader, in .308 more than likely. I like the Ruger #1's. It's expensive, but man what a nice gun in a great caliber. Put a 56mm scope on it, and it's a done deal.

I really do like a .270 however. And if you consider light recoil, over all ballistics(including velocity, trajectory, etc..; not just BC), versatility (shoots anything from a 90 gr varmit to a 160 gr ballistic tip for large game), etc... I think it's hard to beat. The 7mm is right there with it. .300 mag is cool and all, but that thing will take your shoulder off. I injured my shoulder in Kuwait, so recoil is a big selling factor for a firearm I am going to shoot regularly.
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