I guess I have never had to up my gun. Never hunted outside of texas and never shot anything bigger than 180 lb white tail or a 225 lb hog. Killed my first deer with a 270 Winchester and i'd feel comfortable hunting anything in north America with it. I did buy a 300 wby for an anticipated elk hunt when I got out of college that never materialized but im pretty sure I just wanted another gun.

here lately I have been carrying 2 rifles to the stand ... 7mm rem mag that has been my main go to gun for the last 39 years and a 22-250 for hogs and predators. The last 2 deer (does) came out to a feeder about 50 yards, 22-250 high shoulder they dropped straight in their tracks with minimal wasted meat. Although I have taken a lot of deer with a 22-250, I don't second guess the 7mm for the larger bucks & hogs out at farther distances, just something I am overly comfortable with and know the ballistics but the older I get, the less I tolerate the recoil.

I have found no need to. I use a 270 WSM for the majority of my hunting and a 22-250 for the rest. I think it is all personal preference.

I don't claim to be an expert on this subject, but I did talk to a gentleman one time who was. He was a retired multimillionaire oil man who had hunted every species of North American big-game, and pretty much everything in Africa. I asked him "what would be the one caliber you would use for North American game, if you only use one gun". He said unequivocally, a 270.
Personally, I've killed a lot of deer with a .223, 69 gr bullet, but they were all fairly close shots on small deer in Llano. I use a .270 now for pretty much everything.
218 BEE is "right on" .
My 2 cents worth

I usually take 2 guns to the stand a .17 hmr or a .22 mag. for pigs and coyotes and a larger cal. for deer.

I went down. Been using my sons 243. It a lot more fun to shoot.

started off with a .270 and killed lots with it, got a .243 for yotes and really like it so normally pack that and love it. i do grab the open sight 30-30 when in thick brush or just to mix it up. 30-30 is always with me and has proved itself time and time again.

Yep, this is the recipe for success. Pick a good middle-of-the-road caliber, add a good bullet, and shoot the ever-loving heck out of that combination. Before long, nothing seems to survive in front of you...

Went through this VERY exercise with the She-Wolf 30-plus years ago. Set her up with a rifle with an adequate cartridge (in her case a .270 as well, but it could have been any one of dozens of other wonderful cartridges), a stock that puts her eye behind the scope each and every time, and a load with an utterly trustworthy bullet. She's been killing game like the plaque for years with that rig; I believe that her latest string of one shot kills stands at eight (including deer, elk, Kafue Lechwe and Lichtenstein's hartebeest). Suggest a change to HER rifle? That gets me the stink-eye each and every time!

Me? I never seem to head out the door with the same toy twice in a row. I can "bump" up, down, sideways...but when I hear her shoot, I unload and get out my knife. Experience tells me that I've got work to do. Go figure...

Mark

To each their own, but I have no need for anything larger than 308. Even if I was going to Africa.

But I don't need much prodding to add another caliber to the stable. The latest being 6.5 CM.

When you make up for incompetence by doubling your efforts, there's no end to what you can't do.

As true in the shooting world as it is in the business world!

Mark

I think a lot of good comments have been made here and I'm certainly not against having multiple calibers for hunting.

With that being said, I think sometimes hunters reach for a larger caliber in place of upping their marksmanship. I know its not easy and feasible for all hunters to shoot regularly (year round) and become extremely proficient in all conditions and situation. A well placed bullet is better than a larger misplaced hole of a larger caliber. Shooting/range practice just before the season opener doesn't make for expert shooting. As far as larger calibers allowing for further targets, Unless you are truly a great shooter, shots over 300 yards become more luck than skill.

I've been doing the opposite the past 8-9 years. After multiiple 7mags (still have a couple and love 'em) that I used almost exclusively for 35 years, I've come to like less recoil. The 7-08 fits the description to a 'T" for me. There's not alot of game you can't kill cleanly with it and a 140 accubond or partition. I also really, really like the 6.5 CM. 139 scenars at CM speeds are very effective doe (culling some) and hog killers and are stupid accurate.

I've owned several calibers over the years, and sold some and kept some, but the one that I regret getting rid of was the 7-08.
Don't know why, but I just loved that caliber, and it killed many a deer and hogs, and very little recoil and reached out there as far as I cared to shoot.

Same

I have no interest (or need) to shoot over 400 yards at whitetails on my ranch. Longest shot from blind to feeder is 143 yards and my current go-to rifle is a 6.5 Creedmoor.
If the opportunity were to arise for larger animals at greater distances, I would go to my 7.mm Remington Magnum.

I use a 7 rem mag om everything now. I would use something bigger if I got a buffalo or grizzly tag.

I actually just went to the 7-08 as well. I shot a .30-06 for years and loved it. Tried and true. But, after shooting a relatives 7-08, I went and bought one. It is so much more pleasant to shoot at the range. It is very accurate, flat shooting, and doesn't recoil to the point of not wanting to shoot it anymore. Plus, if you are reloading, look at the Sierra GameChanger bullets that just came out. 165 gr. It would be a great round for elk, etc. that are larger than the WT around here.

I own rifles in calibers from .22 LR to .458 Win Mag....but I tend to hunt the majority of game animals with my .300 WSM. I am extremely confident in the rifle and the caliber.