# Caliber polls



## Sawbillslayer (Oct 24, 2013)

What cartridge do you guys like most?
Mine is the 7mm rem mag.
If you mark other please tell us what it is.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Oops, I was going to saw .50 cal is my favorite caliber but I just noticed you said cartridge. With that in mind: 7STW.


-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

.340 Weatherby


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## Sawbillslayer (Oct 24, 2013)

DallanC said:


> Oops, I was going to saw .50 cal is my favorite caliber but I just noticed you said cartridge. With that in mind: 7STW.
> 
> -DallanC


I had to look that one up I have never heard of it.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Sawbillslayer said:


> I had to look that one up I have never heard of it.


7MM Shooting Times Westerner is the full name. Its basically a 8MM Remington Mag case necked down to 7mm. Fun to reload for but one hungry caliber compared to smaller cases.

A couple people here still use it.

-DallanC


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

06 all the way. If it was good enough for my grandpa to shoot at nazis with, it's good enough for me.


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## Sawbillslayer (Oct 24, 2013)

Dodger said:


> 06 all the way. If it was good enough for my grandpa to shoot at nazis with, it's good enough for me.


I was raised on a 30-06 until I bought my own rifle at 18 then I went with 7mm Rem Mag and love it. 30-06 is still great just in love with my 7mm.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

I killed my first deer with a 30.06. A bunch more after that as well as a couple of elk. I just like it.

.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

I've certainly killed a lot with an '06 but after I bought my 300 Wby Accumark back in '95, it's been with me on all my rifle hunts since. It's the most recoil I can handle accurately without a pesky muzzle brake and it'll knock any North American animal's **** in the dirt.


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

I have done most of my hunting with a muzzleloader last several years but I enjoy shooting, handloading my .35 whelen. Carried it on an elk hunt.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Got to love the 35 Whelen!


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

I marked 300 Winny but lately i have been very split between it and my 6.5/284.

BTW: Nice buck there Longbow...


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

At least you only put one of them commiemetric doo-hickies on your list. And the rest are good Old American calibers. ;-)

Is there no longer any love in the hunting community for the 30-30 or .308? 

I've been wondering a lot about the .308, why after being such a GREAT military round for decades, tons of brass, great for re-loading, and a dang fine cartridge for big game, why it just doesn't seem to get much love in hunting circles. Anyone have any idea?


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## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

GaryFish said:


> At least you only put one of them commiemetric doo-hickies on your list. And the rest are good Old American calibers. ;-)
> 
> Is there no longer any love in the hunting community for the 30-30 or .308?
> 
> I've been wondering a lot about the .308, why after being such a GREAT military round for decades, tons of brass, great for re-loading, and a dang fine cartridge for big game, why it just doesn't seem to get much love in hunting circles. Anyone have any idea?


Because you have other large caliber guns that just tend to be more superior. I think the .308 is a fine round, but with the other options it just goes down the list, the more people buy and love other calibers, the more other people want them to. The .308 is becoming an outkast.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Fair enough I guess. I guess in recent years, if a cartridge isn't labeled ultra or mag or something, people just don't buy it. I've always hunted with a 30-06, which seems to get very little love among those that want the newer or faster or farther thing. And even with my own loyalty to the '06, I never saw any practical difference as a hunting cartridge, to the .308. And I guess the same goes for any new cartridges for me. My own self-imposed distance limit for hunting shots is 300 yards. With that being the case, there is no functional difference to me from all the cartridges listed, as well as the .308.


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## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

GaryFish said:


> Fair enough I guess. I guess in recent years, if a cartridge isn't labeled ultra or mag or something, people just don't buy it. I've always hunted with a 30-06, which seems to get very little love among those that want the newer or faster or farther thing. And even with my own loyalty to the '06, I never saw any practical difference as a hunting cartridge, to the .308. And I guess the same goes for any new cartridges for me. My own self-imposed distance limit for hunting shots is 300 yards. With that being the case, there is no functional difference to me from all the cartridges listed, as well as the .308.


Do you shoot a .308? If you are keeping it shorter range and not new and fancy? People shoot an .06; endless variety, availability, bullets carried everywhere. If you want anything with the assumption of more potential, you don't pick a .308.

Nothing wrong with the caliber, just isn't the top of any category for most guys. Not just the big bang, long range razzle dazzle guys. If your a simpler man, it still isn't the main pick it seems. Just my observations.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I won a handful of 600 yard matches with a 308. For hunting, it's a tos up between my 7 Dakota and my 25 Ackley.-----SS


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## Kevinitis (Jul 18, 2013)

I shoot 270 WSM so I marked other


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

GaryFish said:


> I've always hunted with a 30-06, .


Always? I seem to recall a hunting trip with a lasso involved??


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

What Longbow didnt tell you is that he took that shot from 900 yards


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

900 yards? :shock: From what I have seen of Longbows guns they are the real deal. They are not your standard Remington Model 700 BDL's with factory triggers. While the rifles themselves have the ability of reaching out that far I would have to argue that most of that comes from the shooter. At 900 yards you have to mess with a lot of stuff that I cannot even begin to calculate or access. Also the heat waves in the scope and the parallax and Coriolis effect. I would really love to witness such distances. Not only that but figuring out consistent hand loads... This truly is on a shooting level beyond my comprehension.


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## Kevinitis (Jul 18, 2013)

What gives? Where are all the 270's at? 270 is still an excellent caliber for deer and elk.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

I have the same gun as longbow but in 7mm rem mag. and love it. The gun is heavy but has very little recoil. A lot less than my Savage 110 30-06.


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

I like to rotate my rifles on different hunts - just to keep things fresh and all my rifles happy! ;-) 2011- Shot a muley buck with my 25-06. 2012 - shot a muley buck with my .50 cal muzzy. 2013- spring black bear with 270 WSM and another muley buck with .50 cal muzzy.

I was quite impressed with my 270 WSM so that is going to be my "favorite" for now.


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## Spry Yellowdog (Sep 8, 2007)

I started with the 06 then went to a rem 7mm during the big bang years. Between the high powder use and recoil I gave it to my nephew. Theres nothing out there that needs killin my 06, Bow or MZ won't kill. Plus using my predator skills to get close makes the hunt fun for me.

Spry


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

My problem with this poll is that it is so flawed by omission as to make it lack any relevancy. Many of the top hunting calibers by sales - or by reloading die sales aren't on it including at least 2 of the 5 top sellers.
And technically "caliber" is the bore diameter as opposed to being the cartridges using bullets that fit that caliber bore (_i.e._ .284"/7mm).

RCBS occasionally puts out a list of their top selling dies by caliber and even going by the last one I could find (2009) and excluding varmint and pistol rounds we see some major popular calibers omitted or put in the OTHER category including the
.308 Winchester 
.243 Winchester
.25-06 Remington 
7mm-08 Remington 
.270 Winchester Short Mag - which ranks just a mere hair behind the .300 WSM in sales.

The short range and old .30-30 Winchester and .45-70 are also top sellers on RCBS die charts and it could be argued that as many of those are in the hands of hunters as there are .300 RUMs and especially .338 WMs despite their age.

Of course we end up omitting a lot of less popular, but valid, calibers to the OTHER category like the 6mm Remington, .257 Roberts, the various 6.5mms, the Weatherby Mag rounds, the .280 Remington and the other 7mm mags like the STW, Rem Ultra Mag, WSM and Rem Short Action Ultra Mag (RSAUM).

When it comes to picking personal favorites we run into an interesting phenomena. The depth of experience of the shooter/owner. Those who have shot and owned several calibers - and those who have seen many calibers in actual use - have a depth of experience greater than the person that has only owned and hunted with one caliber.

Another factor is that being a successful hunter doesn't necessarily make you knowledgeable about calibers. However due to natural selection process the fact is that basically all of the calibers popularly in use are almost equally effective making them the favorite caliber of their owner. We are hardly comparing the 38-55 WCF to the .30-06 here nowadays!

*The reason is that virtually all the popular calibers we use are very capable* _as long as the animal is hit in the right spot_. 
When hit through the top of the heart, through both lungs and the major blood vessels that carry blood between heart and lungs. or within a few inches of that ideal spot, there doesn't seem to be much difference in how quickly most big game calibers kill game. believe that 10 or 15 grains of bullet weight, a few thousandths of an inch in bullet diameter or a 5 percent increase in muzzle velocity can make one cartridge "inadequate" and another as devastating as a medium-sized volcano.

Probably 95 percent of the big game taken in the world weighs less than 700 pounds (including most elk), and 95 percent of the cartridges use bullets weighing between 140 and 200 grains at velocities between 2,700 and 3,100 fps, generating 2,500 to 3,500 foot-pounds (ft-lbs) of muzzle energy.

Therefore when people post about such widely differing calibers here as being their favorite it is because they are really in a much narrower performance niche than we as owners would like to believe. And the emergence of premium controlled-expansion bullets has negated some of the necessity for larger bores any more.

So I like to say that if it can't be done with the 6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser it can't be done! ;-)

But there are factors that can make a certain caliber a favorite of someone - bearing in mind that greater experience with other calibers can cancel that love in a heartbeat ("_...Men are soooo, fickle..."_ :smile: )

These factors include a flatter trajectory that makes long range hitting a bit easier, or a recoil level of enough moderation that allows us to place the shot more accurately. A lot of people cannot see, or won't admit that their pet rifle/caliber's recoil actually hinders their ability to place the shot accurately because of a flinch factor. If you think about recoil with a little cringe before every shot, you might want to ask yourself if you can do your best focused shooting with that gun/caliber.

Or a cartridge that may fit in a short action that makes the rifle you pack up the mountain a bit shorter and lighter, yet does the same job.

It's all about finding a balance that suits you best.

Sometimes all it would take is a minor change in bullet weight or type within your chosen caliber to make it a favorite.

So in the end when we find that balance, we find our favorite hunting round.
And sometimes ones we dislike for certain reasons due to experience - in my case the 7mm Rem Mag.
Or others that bore me to tears as a gun nut - like the .30-06 - except in a Garand (yes I own one and have hunted with it - still boring).

P.S. After some experimentation my favorite is the .270 WSM to answer the poll question.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Fantastic post Pete!


-DallanC


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

Frisco Pete said:


> Or others that bore me to tears as a gun nut - like the .30-06 - except in a Garand (yes I own one and have hunted with it - still boring).


Interesting post Pete. Maybe this isn't true, but I think for most of us when we think about calibers we think about a particular hunting rifle or rifles that we've used in the past and we love. It's not so much that a .243 is a favorite caliber. It's that a favorite rifle is chambered in .243.

And, the thing that makes the 06 boring, allegedly, is that it has been so awesome for so long. ;-)


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## blazingsaddle (Mar 11, 2008)

Although I shoot a 270 wsm, I have to vote for my favorite as being the 7mm STW.


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

Dodger said:


> Interesting post Pete. Maybe this isn't true, but I think for most of us when we think about calibers we think about a particular hunting rifle or rifles that we've used in the past and we love. It's not so much that a .243 is a favorite caliber. It's that a favorite rifle is chambered in .243.
> 
> And, the thing that makes the 06 boring, allegedly, is that it has been so awesome for so long. ;-)


I agree completely. The rifle your favorite caliber is chambered in is one of the factors that make it a favorite. No matter how great the caliber, if the rifle is a clunk, then you really aren't going to bond with it - unless you change rifles.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I'm a rifle cartridge floosy. I love them all and spend quality time with a lot of them.---SS


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Top of page, and use of the word "floosy" in the same post. Well played SS. Well played.


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

I have owned a few rifles. I enjoy most of them. My current rifle is a Weatherby S2 backcountry in .270 win. It is a mild recoiling rifle which is cheap to reload for, accurate, and a pleasure to carry! My wife's rifle is a savage 7mm-08. I like that gun more and more each day!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

GaryFish said:


> At least you only put one of them commiemetric doo-hickies on your list. And the rest are good Old American calibers. ;-)
> 
> Is there no longer any love in the hunting community for the 30-30 or .308?
> 
> I've been wondering a lot about the .308, why after being such a GREAT military round for decades, tons of brass, great for re-loading, and a dang fine cartridge for big game, why it just doesn't seem to get much love in hunting circles. Anyone have any idea?


"..._commiemetric doo-hickies_"

uh....I'd like ta have a nickel for every time I heard that.

.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Bax* said:


> What Longbow didnt tell you is that he took that shot from 900 yards


Ha, I just saw this post! We were hunting this most incredible whitetail I have ever seen in the wild. I had set up with my Edge overlooking a huge clearcut. We had landmarks ranged out and we constantly monitored the wind. He finally showed back up at about 900 yards on day three. I had him in my scope but I really wanted my stepson Trevor to shoot him so I had him jump behind the gun. Trevor had him in the scope for a split second before the buck chased a doe into the trees. We never saw him again. On the way back down the canyon on our last day I decided to shoot anything I saw for the meat. This guy was standing only 35 yards off the road so I grabbed my 300 and popped him. Not quite 900 yards but getting him to the road was easier than most deer I've shot.


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## fishreaper (Jan 2, 2014)

I'm kind of baffled by the lack of love for the American lever gun, especially in the west. It seems that if you can't get within 30-40 yards with a bow, you drop back to 300 with an 8mm super-special-awesome-smackmesidewaysandcallmeSally-magnum.
jokes aside, it's good to see a decent amount of diversity.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

fishreaper said:


> I'm kind of baffled by the lack of love for the American lever gun, especially in the west. It seems that if you can't get within 30-40 yards with a bow, you drop back to 300 with a 8mm super-sepcial-awesome-smackmesidewaysandcallmeSally-magnum.
> jokes aside, it's good to see a decent amount of diversity.


I too think many youngsters are missing out on some very cool weaponry. The lever action rifles, Winchesters and Marlins primarily, have a great history in hunting and can provide a hunter today with all the challenges and excitement that the archery and long range guys experience in their niche. For many years I shot vintage Marlins, mostly 1893's, 1881's and 1895's in calibers ranging from .32-40 through .45-90, the .38-55 is my favorite. To carry and finalize a hunt with a gun that has history, was actually carried and used by a hunter a hundred years ago, brings something special to each outing.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

BPturkeys said:


> I too think many youngsters are missing out on some very cool weaponry. The lever action rifles, Winchesters and Marlins primarily, have a great history in hunting and can provide a hunter today with all the challenges and excitement that the archery and long range guys experience in their niche. For many years I shot vintage Marlins, mostly 1893's, 1881's and 1895's in calibers ranging from .32-40 through .45-90, the .38-55 is my favorite. To carry and finalize a hunt with a gun that has history, was actually carried and used by a hunter a hundred years ago, brings something special to each outing.


Especially if it was a hand-me-down from a relative. Cool thought.


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## fishreaper (Jan 2, 2014)

http://www.basspro.com/Marlin-336-Youth-Lever-Action-Rifle/product/1108301791627/
There is no longer an excuse not to get a levergun into a kid's hands. 16.25 inch barreled youth model 336 chambered in 30-30.

Bet it would also make a nice scaled back guidegun too, or something to have behind the seat.


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