If you could only chose one caliber for a Do All Texas Hunting rifle??

Looking at narrowing down my reloading bench bullet & powder selections to ONLY ONE CALIBER, with as many as 2 or 3 or more? rifles mebbe in multiple cartridges ALL IN THE SAME CALIBER BULLETS or not .... to cover the rest of my Hunting Years with...what say the Peanut Gallery

For me, it's .308. I don't have any statistical data to back it up. Except that its plenty of gun for anything in Texas, ammo, and I'm guessing components, are extremely easy to find, and are cheap. And it has multiple chambering that's are extremely popular. 308 win, 30-06, and 300WM. You could have EVERYTHING covered with one bullet if you could find one they all shoot minute of vitals.

This peanut picked .284. My 7mag can morph into a 7mm-08 and back with a simple change of load. That covers everything from nilgai to hill country whitetails.

I picked .257, but I don't hunt exotics.....

Should have responded to my own Poll 1st...Oh Well

Right now I am running (#1) an inexpensive but a tad better quality IMO TC Venture than a Patriot/Axis/Lightning bargain priced 270 for a "Beater" to drag thru the mud, with a K+ of bullets on hand. (#2) a T3 Hunter 260 for a "fair weather" every day shooter & back up to the other 2 guns, with almost a K of bullets on hand, & (#3) a 300WSM Wood Blue M70 Fwt with almost a K of bullets on hand thats begun to punish me off the bench the older and more beat up my shoulder gets...and I am beginning to feel like something's WRONG with this picture of too much bullet inventory to keep up with, and trying to keep up with the powder/primers for all these 3 different calibers as well.

So I am looking at recreating the same 2 or 3 some rifle choices but all at least in the same bullet diameter...with combo's like a (A) Do All wet weather Beater Compact/Lite 20/22" barrel good to 3-400 yards with a smaller less expensive scope (B) a 24-26" Target/Varmint Barrel for busting FJG's steel pop ups with, out to his back fence line @ 800 yards or more, and (C) a 400-600+ yard West Texas Mule Deer/Aoudad shooter...that'll not be toooo heavy to carry up hill...now that I lost 40+lbs during thr recent move sweating my Azz off...lifting that bale & toting that barrel.

So in thinking about this makeover...I really think a .284 diameter would be my 1st choice ....or mebbe a .308 diameter bullet for my 2nd choice gives me the best overall functional selection. Ya'lls thought's appreciated.
Ron

I chose 308 because there is not an AR platform that I like as of yet in 270. If and when that happens it will be AR in 270.

If it were not for the hog killing option I would go 270 bolt gun.

.308

30-30, 300BO, .308, 30-06, 300 win mag, 30-378.... it covers everything you could ever want for texas.

personally i'd have no problem using my 25-06 for the rest of my life. every game animal I've shot with it only needed one round and it died either right there or within a minute or two.

that being said I choose the .308 because I have more bullet options, more power for bigger, tougher Game and in a short action with an 18.5" barrel it's mighty handy.

That's about as good as it gets, right there.

I voted for 30 caliber.

I voted 30-cal, but I love my quarter bores too.

.308 for me. I shoot mostly 165-168s and I feel this bullet takes care of anything I'd shoot in Texas.

For me it's my .270 Win. and/or my .30-06.

6.5 Creedmoor serves me well.

Besides all of my calibers, my go to hunting rifles are 7mm Mag and 7 STW. But I have two more custom builds heading my way in .308 Crusader GAP and .300 WM in Rem 700 in about a month. These two will be my 2016 season hunting calibers. I am sure they will be lights out for the hogs and deer.

7mm

7mm-08 load it down with light weight bullets for varmints, up to 168 gr for whitetail and hogs.

7 Rem Mag, 7-300, 28 Nosler loaded with 180-195 gr for anything bigger, and/ or farther than the typical whitetail distance.

Could also just do a 280 A.I. (splitting the difference between the 7-08 and long magnum) with the same range of bullet options, and only run one rifle, and one brass.

I love the 6.5mm but for a do-all caliber I like the 7mm more. I throw no stones at a 30 cal though, lots of options there.

Isn't it nice to have choices? They're different for everyone.


What a boring world it would be without options.

ETA: I have to agree with 7mm as well.

I hunted a TPW Draw Hunt one year, and there was a lot older than I was at the time feller whi used a Savage 99 308 and a 170gr 30-30 RN bullet down loaded to where there was almost no muzzle "crackk" when he pulled the trigger at about 6-700 yards away down the road to his blind. Said when I commented on how quiet his gun was in those pre suppresor days..."Yeah, and it kicks like that too, about like a 300 Savage at about 2/3rds full power...and I've never lost a deer with it at these ranges ( about 75-100 yards tops depending on blind)" I asked how old he was and where he got the ammo..."said he was 84 or 85 as I recall, and these were the 1st that a son/SiL had loaded for him after he ran out of his own stuff the year before. I like that idea of "making meat well into my 80's!"

The old couple from Amarillo I've mentioned in the past I ran inot at Lake Mineral Wells 7 or 8 years back were using 250/3000's same way...only they had had to go to factory ammo, and complained the new factory ammo was not as accurate as his "roll your owns" had been...he had a pacemaker and she'd just had a new knee put in and still a bit wobbly on her feet trying not to use her crutch or a cane to & from , or get in & out of the ground blind. I'm seeing the future and beginning to plan ahead.
Ron

1) .264
2) .277
3) .308

I voted 308 but questions like this make me hope it's not being asked from a democrat think tank.

Yep a friend said it best ....if we all liked the same thing we would all be married to my wife.

270 shoots flatter longer...

.284
You don't need a 30 for anything in Texas.

I think ALL of them will work fine in Texas...but I'd go with the '06-length cartridges in any of the calibers.

264...

6.5 CM fault shooting for most close game
6.5 SAUM even flatter shooting for further game

Much less recoil then my 308 and 300WM

Don't need the extra oomph of the 7mm here

Voted .264. I know you have used the .260/6.5x55 before and either makes a dandy general purpose Texas round. If you want to add a burner, the new Nosler offering in 6.5 spits them out.

I started hunting with a .30-06, used a .25-06 for 30 or so years, and have pretty well settled on the 6.5x55 as filling my needs.

.270 for me.

This...being that we a talking Texas I just don't see a need for anything bigger. It seems to me that one rifle with one bullet will suffice.

One sheet of toilet paper will work too, but a handful sure is neater.

That was my choice.



But this is very hard to argue against.

I love the 7mm-08 and other .284s for their efficiency but I end up using a lot o .308 stuff just because of their ubiquity, e.g. 30-30 and 300BO. I don't think you could get me to choose between the two either since .284 stuff seemed a little easier to find during the panics. Same with .25-06 and .270. 6.5 wasn't such a big deal at the time so I don't know how it'd handle a rush but I think it has taken some attention of the 7mm lately so I'm glad that it might help more 7mm stuff remain available. The thing that seemed to take the longest to come back for some reason was .243 but that's off topic.

Understand where I'm coming from with this excercise, as an old fart that's getting older by the day, with a shoulder that's been thru rehab several times for various serious insults over the last 4-5 years, and will never recover to the strength or ability to take the abuse levels of the left shoulder....coupled with a desire to reduce the inventory needed of ammo components to a lower and simpler level.

I am amazed at the # of 30 cal shooters in the Poll as of this morning @ 50% of all respondents. Wow, who knew.

I can appreciate the value to me of a 308 wide MV options even in a under 7lb up shooter for most of my hunting paradign max range of 3-400 yards & in a heavier Tgt/Vt configuration could most likely tolerate more recoil ginned by a '06 or WMg of some sort. I've drooled for years over a Kimber Longmaster 308 that fits me perfectly, since Sportsmans Warehouse closed out the last one in Lewisville when they left town how many years ago? Never have understood why they didn't offer the LM in a 7-08 or 6.5 ..."designed as a walking hunter's long range rifle".

My concern with a 30 cal is the higher MV's needed at the upper end of the max range for a walking Mule Deer/Aoudad hunter capable of past 600 yards...and may be picking fly poop outta the pepper. Right now the 8 1/4lb all up 300WSM Fwt gets onerous doing load ladders and breath/trigger discipline exercises much past 20 rounds even wearing a PAST Pad & could probably be answered with a better stock shape, but is a joy to carry any distance lots mo bettah than the M70 Classic Tupperware 300WMg was ...and was the justification for buying the Whizzum to begin with.

Been a long time since I could handle couple hundred rounds of Deer/Elk sized CF's off the bench in a all day range session. Need to borrow a full sized 7Rmg for a range day later & before I start fulfilling the Plan and see what that attraction is all about.

OBTW...a 7x57's max chamber pressures FWIW is about 10k psi less than a 7-08's as I recall and MV's only fall to about 2 mebbe 300 fps under a 7-08's depending on bullet weight, anybody shooting a 7-08 at say 2400/2600 fps on game, and at what distances is it still DRT viable on WTails & Hogs?

Sorry to sound like a teenager trying to have EVERYTHING with no real investment in what's necessary to reach the goal. Just another another spoiled brat I guess....and proves that YES there is a 2nd childhood in old age.
Ron

Getting old is not what we expected. I agree. I think you have answered your question but don't wish to accept it. .308

Never have understood why they didn't offer the LM in a 7-08 or 6.5 ..."designed as a walking hunter's long range rifle".

Reason it wasn't offered was it was not needed, the .308 could do everything and a tad more. Now if you had gained 45 pounds rather than lose the weight?

JMHO--you can always load that 308 or 30-06 or 300 WM down to alleviate the recoil yet still have it available in the event an old friend invites you to a hunt where you might want more "umphh"

It may have been the way the question was worded that pushed things toward 30 caliber. That was certainly what happened in my case, as just one caliber for Texas hunting brings elk, and possibly charging boars to mind. If you are going to have just one caliber, then of course you would want something effective enough to handle anything that you might encounter, and handle it well.

If we had been asked, "If you had an injured shoulder and wanted to shoot deer or pigs, which of these would you choose?" - then maybe 30 caliber would not have been the top choice.

In that case, I would have most likely voted for .264.

But that's just me.

308. I can load my 30'06 up or down to handle dang near anything that walks or crawls with the available bullets in 308.

For me, a 120gr (ish) bullet at 2900-3000ish is a sweet spot considering trajectory, recoil, rifle handiness, and terminal performance. That means, 257 Roberts, 25/06, 260Rem, 6.5CM, etc. And yes, for nilgai, or exotic elk, I'd probably want a little more.

a 3006 you can buy from 125 grain to 220 grain

I dont see how this couldnt be the pick for a "one caliber" rifle no matter if it is Texas or the lower 48

308 is good,if you neck the suck out of it.

Well, Texas hunters normally don't chase big animals like moose, elk, etc.... But, if exotics are figured into the equation, certainly .30 caliber would be the obvious choice. And the obvious choice for the lower 48. Heck, it wouldn't bother me a bit to hunt everything in North America with my .300 Win or .300 WSM.

yes, no doubt a 300 Mag would certainly work on 90lb Hill Country whitetails. But I'd sure rather be carrying a 257.

Me too. That's why I voted .257 in the Texas poll.

264 is what I voted for but could easily argue for any of the others listed. Already have the 6.5s covered from mild to wild and they are what I shoot most these days and have the most bullets for.

I saw a bull elk crossing the highway late one night near Marathon, on my way to Alpine that was awe-inspiring. - I had no idea that anything that big lived in Texas but yes, they do.

If you want to hunt elk in Texas, several of the ranches in the Alpine area offer hunts, just be ready to pony up because they are not cheap.

The Poll is over and as ya'll can see that the 30 cal won going away. Hard to not shoot a 308 or 30'06 as a do all caliber. My only concern is the need? for a long range Aoudad/ Mule Deer gun that's not too heavy to carry or to hard on my shoulder. I've spent plenty of trigger behind a half dozen 300WMg's over the years and know what it can do on game critters....and my shoulder doing load ladders. If I were to buy a new something , then my kids will inherit a rifle that is just hitting it's 500-800 round prime...the other 2 configurations I plan on wearing the barrel out.

Probably gonna start with a carbine length something, to make it easier to get in and out of popups and box blinds, or climb trees with...I really oughta get a film crew for the tree climbing deal and see if I can 10% of what the Duck Dynasty guys make doing stupid stuff like falling out of a tree. Then a "standard length" something in a VT configuration most likely in the same caliber as the carbine...with the L/R hunting rifle as the last thing to put together.

A lite doall carbine in either 7-08 or 308 is a peice of cake to find, the VT is probably gonna take a new barrel, trigger and stock most likely from what I'm seeing on GB & in the online distributors listings, and a L/R hunter could go any number of ways from a mini TLC'd bone stock Rack Item to some TLC'ing a better grade shooter. I'm not in a hurry & I've got enough glass to get started....but big glass is gonna be the next part of the equasion.

Thanks to All who posted, your insight and opinions were interesting.
Ron

257wby.

But the smaller 6.5 CM platform is hard not to grab.

It will always be the .30-06 for me. You can shoot anything from 110 gr. predator rounds up to 220 gr. for bear. Throw in the 125 gr. managed recoil loads, and you have a rifle that will cover anything on the North American continent.

I was using .308 for number of years and switch to 7-08 - better selection of light bullets for smaller game, and very good ballistics with heavy bullets for long distance shots, less recoil, lighter rifle...

Excellent choice for one rifle only in N America. Also available in proven rifles.

I for one have enjoyed all the response as I like seeing the interest in the various cartridge. The post also caused me to think about if I only had one gun here on the ranch that I live on (God forbid), which would it be out of all those I own? I think it would be the Savage 340 chambered in 30-30 Win that I turned into a scout rifle. It's a super slick little magazine fed bolt gun that delivers sub-MOA performance with my 170-grain lead bullet.

The 30-06 for me.

308 for me. Will take anything in Texas and most game in the rest of North America. Great round for reloading as well.
Not as sexy as the mm type rounds but a time tested reliable caliber.
Check out what Doctacdaddy does with it on you tube.

.264/6.5 in Creedmoor, Swede or .260 Rem

While it wasn't listed as an option, I submit the .243 Winchester as a write-in candidate for all around Texas caliber. I've collected every game species in the State with it.

Including exotics such as nilgai?

Is there anything in Texas you can't kill with a .32-20? I kinda doubt it, but I wouldn't pick it. You like what you like, and certain cartridges I *just don't like* would suffice---but I wouldn't pick em just because they'd do the job. I say if you like a .340 Weatherby, then by all means GO for it, but you'll have a hard time convincing me you really need it...and that's hardly necessary at all in the first place. Just say you like it, and that's good enough for me.

I hate the .243 Winchester.

Different strokes...

I love the .243 Winchester.

No, JJH, not nilgai, or any of the larger exotics. The nilgai are very tough animals, indeed, that take a lot of killing. If someone imported water buffalo or elephant, I'd probably select a bit larger caliber, too. So, I'll be more specific: white tail, mule deer, feral hogs, javelina, Aoudad; the game species that I figured the OP was referring to.