Best all around high power rifle

Triple MJ1

New User
I'm wanting to buy a high power rifle for hunting. Is there one caliber
that would be good for hog, deer, elk, bear, caribou, moose. thinking of
buy Remington model 700 300 win mag is there a better choice?
Thanks for the help
 
30-06 is hard to beat and pretty common ammo. Nice in line would be a 7.62X54 Russian Mosin Nagant which are cheap and ammo pretty easy to find and the 98/31 is a long gun that will reach out there a long ways I have the 98/31and love it. Heavy enough to not kick hard but it will reach out there to 400 plus yards
 
Triple MJ1,
For us there is no better caliber 300 winchester mag is a great rifle. My Son uses mine for whitetail deer, with 220 gr bullet that we reload, no chasing down wounded animals from under powered rifles on long range. Nice trajectory, not a rainbow arc with bullet flight. If I were in dangerous animal country, a 300 would be my choice. Most of all don't listen to the naysayers about recoil, all is needed unless you are recoil sensitive is to lean into the rifle and keep it pulled tight into your shoulder when firing. I find no problem that way when I was younger (up to 75 yrs old) and some will complain about wasted meat on your game animal, I have been hunting with ours for over 40 yrs and never wasted any more meat than with a 30-06 round, I have processed both animals one with an 30-06 and 300 winchester mag and couldn't tell the difference in wasted meat (hardly any). One plus is the range when most rifles peter out and lose power the 300 still goes strong. Just make sure you can hit what and where you aim, the rest takes care of itself.Pictures is of ours, top one is the 300 win mag, bottom one is the German Mauser chambered in 30-06.
Hope it helps,
LOU
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I highly recommend a savage axis they come in a few different Cal. I have been more than please with it it cost less than 400 to I got mine in .308
 
If the question is "what's the best all-around [i:654c4848f0]rifle[/i:654c4848f0]", then the current production Model 70 Winchester produced my FN is hard to beat.

Now as far as best all-around [i:654c4848f0]cartridge[/i:654c4848f0], that's pretty subjective. The venerable .30-06 has maintained its popularity over the years for good reason, and it can be handloaded to velocities that approach .300 Mag. It can take any North American big game, although it's a bit light for Alaskan brown bear.

Are you really going to be hunting a lot of big Alaskan game as your post suggests? Then why stop at .300 Mag? .375 H&H is the preferred cartridge of Alaskan big game hunters.

You need to think about the sort of game you'll be hunting the most. If you truly want to hunt dangerous game, then you need to go big. But if 99 percent of your hunting will be whitetail deer, do you really need a magnum?

Do you intend to handload, or are you a factory-ammo guy? The handloader has many more options as far as cartridge selection, not to mention the ability to coax more versatility out of any given cartridge. If you're limiting yourself to factory ammo, then you need to stick to popular calibers and you won't be able to load your ammo up or down for particular game. Not to mention that most factory big game ammo is loaded with thin-jacketed bullets that are unsuitable for big, dangerous game.
 
A guy could take it to mean what's the best caliber or what's the best brand.
Folks will generally tell you it's what they bought or are familiar with.
I bought a Tikka T3 in .270 about 5 years ago and still think it was a mighty fine choice.
I've taken 5 deer with it now.
Would I buy it again?
I would definately buy the Tikka but might be tempted to get it in 30-06.
I have shot two big does now that the lighter .270 bullet did not exit the animal.
No exit means little or no blood trail so potentially harder to find the deer if they manage to run off.
 
UD, if your .270 bullets aren't going through whitetails, you need to change bullets. You're unlikely to have that problem with Nosler Partitions.

Penetration is a function of bullet design and section density. A 130 grain .270 bullet has greater sectional density than a 150 grain .308. And a 150 grain .270 has about the same sectional density as a 180 grain .308 bullet. Your problem is your bullets, not your caliber.
 
Where are the scopes? Are your eyes at your age that good that you don't need them for shots those rifles can reach out to?
 
Thanks guys more than likely elk will be the biggest thing I will ever hunt. I didn't know if a 30-06 or 300 would take down everything or not
 
A Remington 700 is a very dependable and popular rifle. They are many of them just with different stocks and such that where used for military sniper rifles. They are not hard to find and you can get just about any part if you should ever need it.

I see some names in earlier post that I have never heard of. They maybe fine rifles but I would personally prefer a known name over one I have never heard of.
 
If you are going to reload then the 30 caliber cartridges would be the best option as there are more bullet,powder,and brass combinations available for that than any other. Another words you can up load the .06 or down load the 300 both will have tolerances to abide by for both directions.
I myself like the old mortar launcher 45-70govt., with the longer barrel and black powder it is a very capable cartridge for most larger game. If you decide you want to reload. First thing is to get one of the reloading manuals published and read it cover to cover. It will help you to understand both pressures and velocities and the reason for choosing the cartridge for the job you are asking of it.
I would suggest you find either the 46th or 47th edition of the Lyman reloading manual and read about the choosing of cartridge and why. It will explain it better than any of us probably can.
 
.308 150 gr. soft point Federal power shok works perfectly on whitetail, I've been using it for years. I've also seen many taken with partition tips as well, they both perform very well as I have seen in the field.
 
Browning X-Bolt Medalion in 7MM-08, using Hornady Superformance 139 grain bullets.
2nd place would be same rifle in Win 308.
Tom
 
30-06 does just fine on Elk. Now if I was going after Grizzly bears I would want my 44mag Winchester model 94 or my 44mag pistol
 
Make sure you buy something that has readily available ammunition. My son bought one of the newest, latest fad guns. A Remington 300 Short Action Ultra Mag. Try being out of state or in some little podunk place and trying to find ammo for it.

As far as the "best" gun, there aint no such animal.

Gene
 
I have a custom made 25-06 that's been past down. Believe its base is a Remington. If I had to choose one gun to carry all the time the 25 would be it shoots excellent very little drop until you get around 300 yards. Probably wouldn't do as good on an elk or something big but great rifle on coyotes deer and ground hogs
 
Teddy,
Don't need scopes, after my eye surgery vision is close to 20/20 vision. Long shots are not impossible for me at my age,and I'm thankful for that.The eye surgeon told me I was near blind before surgery. Thanks for your question.
LOU
 
Well, now that you mention it, I'm pretty partial to my Weatherby. As a side note, I load my own and have customized my loads to my gun and hunting style. I only hunt locally - my own place, and traveling, finding ammo, etc. is not a problem.

That said, I would suggest a 7mm mag, from a known reputable manufacturer. Ammo should be fairly available, in most ammo stores. That is a big plus.
 
3.5 rocket launcher.

Seriously, as others have said, a Remington 700 is hard to beat. I have a Remington Sportsman 78 in .270. It's basically a 700 with a plain Jane stock, just a good old workhorse rifle. I use it mainly for deer. For something bigger than deer, you might want to go to a 30.06.

The 700's are highly regarded and have been around forever.
 
Mark,
Thanks.
Yeah I've thought about that.
Off the shelf bullets for a .270 are usually either 130 or 150 grain. So unless you hand load a heavier bullet is not available.
Being like most non experts and thinking bigger is better I always buy the 150 grain.
 
JD,
I presume Tikka rifles are one of those you haven't heard of or have heard less about.
Tikkas are built by Sako in Finland - manufacturer of some excellent military rifles, including some of the best sniper rifles in the world.
Tikka is their sporting division.
Though less popular here, they are probably the most popular hunting rifles throughout Scandinavia and Russia, which as you may know is a big hunting country.
When I was looking to upgrade from my old 30-30 Marlin I was looking for something in the league of a Browning for quality but without the price.
I spent the whole summer before I bought it doing my homework, hanging out on hunting and gun forums and finally decided on the Tikka.
I put a good 3x9 Leupold scope on it.
I'm no gun expert by any means but think I bought a pretty fair rifle.
 

Some common caliber that is stocked at Back Woods Bubba's Beer and Bait Shop. That would also be a caliber that the U.S. armed forces use. 223,308,30/06 and 300Win Mag.
The longer the barrel the less muzzle blast.
 
Remington 700 if you're interested in getting a good rifle at a reasonable price. I find, in shopping at three different hunting stores (Cabela's, Midwest Shooting Supply and Fleet Farm), discounts vary from 15% to 20% off list. At Fleet Farm, if they don't have the gun in stock, they'll order it but you pay for it up front and when it comes in it's yours. Unless it's defective in some way, there's no way out of it. There are ballistics tables out the gizoo on ammo. Try to stay with a caliber that's more commonly used. Especially if you're going to do some target practice. As an example, my Weatherby .30-.378 ammo runs $100 per 20 round box. $5.00 per round. And, the barrel is only good for about 1000 rounds. High muzzle velocity and flat trajectories, though.
 
Choice of rifle and caliber is a loaded question as you see many different makes and models have been mentioned.

Bolt actions

As a hobbiest gunsmith I see and have seen many different makes and models. Below are the one that I would recommend

1 - Savage model 110. Less expensive but very reliable. accurate and in my opinion with the 3 position safety and accu-triiger on of the best
and safest. Also well balanced

2 - Ruger Model 77. Again great rifle and reliable. Decent trigger and good safety with good accuracy

3 - Browning any other than the A-Bolt. A-Bolt has a sloppy chamber making them a bugger to get highly accurate especially at long range
All other Bronwings great rilfes and good accuracy as well as dependable. Again well balanced with a good safety too.

4 - Tikka. Great rifle, accurate and dependable and very well balanced. Good safety as well.

5 - Remington 700. Overall good rifle well balanced, good accuracy and reliable. My only complaint here is the safety location. This being a lever
on the side of the receiver I have had 2 and seen others that when carrying in heavy brush that the safety gets knocked into fire location and
it is easy to have an accidental discharge with one. So if you go with a Rem 700 be aware of the safety position.

Semi -Auto

1 - Remington Woodsmaster series. Well balanced, detachable box magazine, good safety and all I have handled good accuracy

2 - Browning again all as stated above like their bolt actions

3 - DPMS, SIG or CMMG AR platforms. Light weight, well balanced, good safety and very accurate. Caliber choices are limited

4 - Ruger when you can find one. Again as stated above.

Lever Action

Browning and Marlin ONLY since Winchester sold this division off in 1965 and they have not been the same since


As to caliber that is another loaded question as each has its strengths and weaknesses.

.223 - Overall nice round. Can be loaded up to make a good Whitetail and hog round. Use a 70gr Barnes TSX and it will do you well. Loaded down into
the 40-62gr and it makes and nice varmit round. If you get an AR and want to use if for Elk be sure to get a barrel with a 1:7 twist rate and load up to
a 90gr Barnes TSX and still not sure I would hunt Elk with this one.

.243 - Overall a nice choice for varmits, hogs and Whitetail. Use 100gr Hornady SST for Whitetail and hogs. Lighter round for varmits. Again not the
best choice for Elk

6MM (old Rem .244) - Again good choice bullet weight same as .243

25-06 - One of the newer cartridges but very good. Can be loaded up for Elk and down for varmits. 120gr Hornady SST for whitetail deer

.270 - One of the best overall for most game. 130gr Hornady SST for Whitetail and 150gr Hornady SST for Elk.

6.8 SPC - Again newer but an excellent round. Think of this one as the .270 light. Excellent for Whitetail and hogs. 120gr Hornady SST for Whitetails
lower for varmits. Using the 120gr Hornady SST would make a good choice for Elk as shorter ranges. Usually only find this one in AR platform but there
are a few bolt actions out there. Have not had a Whitetail get away from this one yet.

7mm-08 - Over excellent round. Good for Whitetail. Can be loaded up to heavier bullet for Elk at shorter ranges

7mm Mag - Good overall round but have known a few guys that let Whitetails get away due to using to heavy bullet. A good 140 to 150gr Hornady SST
or InterLock for Whitetail and a bit heavier for Elk.

.308 - Excellent Whitetail and hog round. I use a 150gr Hornady SST and have not lost one yet. Can be loaded up to 180gr for Elk from
short to meduim range. The .308 and 30-06 are ballasticly speaking the same until you get above the 168gr bullet weight. Then the 06 is the better.

30-06 - Overall probably the best cartridge ever developed. Can be loaded down to 130gr for varmits and lighter animals such as Antelope, to 150gr
for Whitetail, up 180-220gr for Elk with the 180 having better range.

300 WIn Mag - Good for Elk but like the 7mm Mag bullet weight choice for Whitetail is critical.

Bullet choice:

Again another loaded question. I have tested bullets from Nosler, Hornady, Sierra, Speers and a few others. Below my ranking in order of preference.

1 - Hornady - In my Opinion of performance vs cost best over all. The SST and InterLock don't fail. Bu fail I mean come apart when traveling
through the game. Also some of the most accurate I have tested both factory and reloading.

2 - Barnes - Excellent as these are all copper and dont fail. Again very accruate

3 - Sierra - The Big Game series are a very good choice as well. These don't fail and are only marginally less accurate than the Hornady's

4 - Speer - Good choice but design on some is a bit dated. Rarely fail and good accuracy.

5 - Nosler Partitions - Great for accuracy but very prone to failure. Example 2 years back shot an 8 point Whitetail at 25 yards and found the bullet still
deer and it had shed 90% or more of its weight. Now this being said dead deer is dead deer. Should I ever get a shot at the trophy 20 point I want
a bullet that I know will not fail me.

In all of this I know I may step on some toes and am not claiming to be a subject matter expert here. Just giving my 2 cents based on my experiences
with Rifle brands, calibers and bullet types.

If you have one that works for you I am not suggesting you change
 
Best rifle depends on what you want to spend. Browning A Bolt gets my vote but I love my Marlin X7 - basically a Savage 110 with accutrigger and a different name. Has a rock solid action that will take years of abuse. As said you'll spend 100% more price for 10% more performance - and I need to practice more to take advantage of that last 10%. I had a Weatherby Mark V in 7MM mag - good rifle but the ammo was too expensive for my taste.




Best all around round for everything would be 30-06. Doesn't beat you up like a 300 mag and it has better reach than the .308.
 
rbhuntn gives you some pretty good info, as do several others. I have a Savage model 111 in 30/06. The Savage is hard to beat for getting the most gun for the least money. Most modern Savages are tack drivers, too. The 150 grain Sierra or the Hornady 150 interlock produces a large percentage of in-the-track kills on deer. I'd go with a controlled expansion 180 grain of some kind for elk. Never killed an elk but I'd definitely keep my shots under 300 yds. for elk and would prefer less if possible. Now if you are going to be faced with 300 yd. + shots on elk, Then you need a step up in horsepower. My son has a Remington 700 chambered for the Remington .300 Ultra-Mag. That will do the job for long range elk, but the case takes about a hatful and a half of powder, and I don't know 1 guy in 20 who does enough shooting to handle the recoil and hit anything at 100 yards, much less 400-600. I would suggest shooting a few different calibers and see how much recoil you can tolerate without flinching before I settled on a caliber. You will kill far more elk with a .270 than you will with a bigger gun that causes you to flinch.
 
Have to agree with you on the heavier bullets. We have .308's and 30/06's. Chrono readings show virtually identical velocity up 150 grain bullets. After that the 30/06's extra case capacity has the edge.
 
My two primary hunting rifles for Whitetail are:

Savage Model 110 in .308. Have owned this rifle for 20+ years and it has never let me down. I have dropped a lot of deer with this rifle using 150gr buller weight. Hornady SST and Sierra Game Kings have been my best performers.

I do my own loads that hold less than 1/2 inch shot groups at 100 yards. Sighted in for 200 yards so anything from 200 and closer is dead deer right there.

AR-15 SOTA 6.8 SPC upper mated to a DPMS lower. Been using 120 Hornady SST factory ammo. These are holding 1 inch groups at 100 yards. Again sighted in for 200 yards.aAain from 200 and closer equals dead deer right there.

The 6.8 has a very light recoil and is very handy. The exit wound in a deer is about the same size as my .308

Would not hesitate to shoot at a Missouri State record buck with either one.
 
I like My 7mm magnum 150 grain bullet. I suppose it's what you have confidence in.
Ron
 
30-06, 270
your choice on what makes it go bang.
make your pick the one with the best reputation of making that bang...every...single..time..
 

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