To Ed . . .

Thank you for your note and for your good wishes. I, too, favor efficient cartridges. Between my daughter and myself, we have two .257 Roberts, one 257 AI, a .270, and a 7x57 AI. I also have a .280 AI, but, despite its superb accuracy, rarely shoot it because I've discovered there is nothing a .280 AI can do that my 7x57 AI cannot do equally well, using 7-10 grains less powder, with less recoil and less muzzle blast.

In case you (and anyone else who reads this) are interested, I have been experimenting a great deal with Hodgdon's new H-100-V powder, and I have to say this powder seems to be just about perfect for any of the "efficient" cartridges available today, including all the ones you mentioned in your recent note, as well as all the cartridges mentioned in this note. H-100-V, due to its burn rate and gas wave duration, gives astounding velocities--100-150 fps faster than any other powders I've tried, and I've tried just about all of them--in efficient cartridges at pressure levels that are completely safe. Hodgdon's website (www.data.hodgdon.com), which is generally quite conservative in its published loadings, lists astounding velocities for the .257 Roberts with both 100-grain (~3210 fps) and 115-grain bullets (~3049 fps) at low pressure levels. I have tried Hodgdon's listed H-100-V loads in both my daughter's and my .257 Roberts (as well as my.257 AI and 7x57 AI) rifles and can personally report that Hodgdon's listed .257 Roberts loads with H-100-V are actually conservative--in other words, my daughter and I achieved slightly higher .257 Roberts velocities than listed in Hodgdon's data, using exactly the published powder loads), and perform incredibly well in the 257 AI and 7x57 AI, too.

I think experimenting with H-100-V in the .250 Savage, .257 Roberts, .257 AI, 6.5mmx55, 7x57mm, 7mm-08 and 7x57 AI, among other efficient cartridges, could result in very high performance loads at safe pressure levels. And if you have a rifle in one of these calibers using H-100-V handloads that consistently gives you the velocity and accuracy you want, then being limited to "just one" of any of these cartridges would not be such a bad thing.

I highly recommend to all handloaders who read this blog to experiment (carefully, of course) with H-100-V in any efficient cartridges and report back with your findings. In fact, I'd like to see some a blog category that deals just with handloads/cartridges/velocities/accuracy--hint to online Editors.

(By the way, I am not affiliated in any way with the firearm or powder industries. I just like to experiment with rifles and loads and powders and accuracy, and do quite a lot of it.)

T.W. Davidson

hmmm, tough call. I like my .270. I do have the urge to purchase a .45/70 lever action 1895G so I can shoot just about anything.

any marlin lever action rifle for me

I would pick a Remington Model 700 in .30-06. I've taken several types of large game and never lost an animal.

Right now, my favorite is a Savage bolt-action in .308. What I like best--the AccuTrigger delivers really good accuracy, and the rifle doesn't cost a lot.

I'd keep my Savage bolt action .270 WSM largely because it's my only big game rifle.

I'll keep my 94 30-30. My great- grandfather bought it used in 1916. I'm the fourth generation hunter with it. It has killed more deer in the Idaho and Utah Rockies than most people will ever see.

My current favorite is a Tikka T3 Lite in .338 Winchester Magnum. This rifle will take any game in North America and I wouldn't be afraid to take it to almost any other continent in the world. Another great thing about the rifle is it's incredible accuracy. You can't go wrong with the Tikka, especially for the money!

As far as accuracy, reliability, and just a plain handy rifle go, I would take my Tikka T3 Lite in .243. This rifle will kill any game animal in North America with the right loads, and it will kill most of them well. The only other choice I can think of would be the same thing in .30-06.

I don't use those sissy guns. I sneak up right behind the animal like a true sportsman and then juug 'em with me stob.

Remington model 700 in .30-06. When you match the versatility of the .30-06 and the rugged reliablility and accuracy of the model 700, you have God's rifle.

I know it not a popular hunting gun, but i would have to go with a bushmaster AR 15 in 223rem. Its heavy enough to take down deer, but light enough not to destroy small animals. and its a great coyote gun. plus the long range capability.

A plug for the 308/7.62 NATO
The 308? with my Ultra Match M1A with open sights at the 1000 yard line, I’ve out shot more 300 Win Mags with scopes than I can count. The 308 better known as the 7.62 NATO is no punk! For Mule deer, the HORNADY 130 is my #1 choice and for elk, the Nosler 165 partition and for moose 180 grain Partition. The Savage Model 99 is one of the most awesome firearms ever to hit the market.

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Savage_99.jpg

A Remington 700 in 30-06 or a Ruger m77 in 270 would have to be my second pick.

My husband swears that a 280 is the most versatile, but I'll take my 300 Win. Mag. over it anyday! I've loaded 125 grain bullets for hunting deer and 180 grain for plains game and elk. That gun and I have been to Africa 4 times and it is accurate with both loads. I have a KDF muzzle break on it, so it doesn't kick any more than a 25.06! It's versatile enough for me!

I personaly am a marlin man the 336 or the 1895 they shoot great and are tuff as nails !!

Hello WA,-
I respect your opinion on bear hunting, while I not an avid trophy or "rug" hunter myself, bear is the only predator I can justify hunting for the in pure challenge of;They are my personal goal in hunting.
As for target shooting; I didn't get out over the weekend. I worked OT on Saturday, and a late business meeting at church after services on Sunday. BUT-I did take the rifles out for a quick wipe down, checked the bores, and drew a bead on the 8 point buck print on the wall just to keep motivated!

wow, how many times has this questions been posed and beat around the woods. that said, i'll take my little remington .243 for everything i hunt out here in MT (elk, deer, antelope) and keep my 30.06 in the closet.

Well, I had to do just that in order to keep my business going. Sold off about 30 guns, which was heartbreakingly difficult. Decided to keep a Remington 760 which was converted to a .35Whelen. Very accurate and hard hitting. Overkill for deer but it works. Used it to take my first bull elk bull elk a month ago. Among those sold: .30.06, .270Win, .348Win, .356Win, .35Rem, Lazz. Warbird, Lazz. Firebird, .454Cas, .45Colt, .223, & .204Ruger.

Without a doubt my Winchester .270. No contest.

Remington 700 stainless synthetic, 375H&H Mag. Anything on the planet.

My classic Mannlicher-Schoenauer Model 1903 bolt action. I never leave home without it.

With out a doubt my .54 cal Thompson center renegade it'll kill any thing on this earth from that pesky red telling on ya during deer season to elephants and cape buffalo with relative ease. And you can make all your stuff in a pinch (NOT RECOMMENDED BY THE WAY!)

To have the most versatility I would go with my Savage .243 with an AccuTrigger set as low as it can go. For what I hunt (mostly deer and predators) this deer would be enough. My favorite calibers are still .30/06 and .17 HMR but they don't have enough versatility.

My Remington 7400 chambered in .30-06 has never let me down and yes it gets cleaned religously. I've dropped whitetails in there tracks at 200+ yds. Though I like the .300WSM I would keep the .30-06. The price and availability are my main reasons for this.

I'm down here in the brush. I like a good, rugged knock-about, so I'm going to pick the ol .30-30 Winchester. That one will about do it all down in South Texas.

MLH,
Did you have to buy another barrel for your 760 for the conversion? My 760 '06 is pretty thick at the muzzel (.650 I think) and I'm thinking of a rebore to .35 Whelan or would a new barrel be more practical.

any bolt action 30-06

definately the Remington 700.

I'm in school right now

i would take a remington spr 100 in .410 unchoked and then i have a reliable slug gun and shotgun.

Hello, All . . .

I have several very accurate rifles--the only kind that interest me, to paraphrase Col. Townsend--but if I had to give them all up but for one, the rifle I would keep--and be happy with--would be my 257 Ackley Improved in a blueprinted Remington 700 action with a 24" No. 2 contour Leija barrel, all glass- and pillar-bedded into a H-S Precision composite stock. Unfortunately, that very rifle is currently in a gunshop being blueprinted and fitted for its new barrel as I write these words, meaning that my favorite rifle, its original barrel shot out months ago, has, for the time being, forsaken me.

My 14-year old daughter, in a rare moment of pity, has kindly permitted me to "borrow" her beautifully gorgeous Model 70 Featherweight in 257 Roberts. It's not nearly as "interesting" as my 257 AI, but it is, by any measure, infinitely more pretty. It will certainly do for now.

T.W. Davidson
Tyler, TX

To Mr. Palumbo . . .

I see that you, like I, are far more beholden to the cartridge and rifle that hits where we aim it, that doesn't make us flinch or go deaf, and that always does the job we ask of it, rather than carrying around a cannon that makes us wince and seek cover before we ever dare to pull the trigger. Your .250 Savage, like my daughter's 257 Roberts and my .257 AI, all fit the former categories and qualifications mentioned above, rather than the latter. Excellent choice. (I have long wished for a .250 Savage in a pristine Model 99.) I assume you handload?

T.W. Davidson

To Mr. Davidson...
There are those rifle/cartridge combinations that seem a fine match to the shooter, and I have no argument with those whose preferences differ, but I've given it some thought. It seems my favorite rifles fall into a class or category of very efficient cartridges - the .250, the 6.5x55mm, the 7x57mm and the 7mm-08 (and, yes, the .257 Roberts, though I've not used the .257 Ackley Improved). I do handload, and some of my choices are based on my interest from a handloader's perspective. I've forsaken my overbore Loudenboomers for cartridges that perform well without burning a cupful of powder. Though I consistently wear ear protection (now), tt may be a bit too late to spare me deafness. Your desire for a Savage 99 in .250 is entirely understandable. That was my first .250, which I regrettably sold (callow youth; too soon we grow old, too late we grow smart) when times were hard. I send best wishes to you, and hope the New Year is a healthy year of fine adventures afield and great satisfaction on the firing line.
Ed

I live in Big game country with plenty of Brown Bear. I'll stick with my 7mm Rem Mag.

i would take a 30-6 though its old its relable and verstale

There is no rifle hunting in Ohio unless you are after ground hogs or coyotes. With that said I have a Browning 22-250 made in Finland with a Sako action topped with a 6x20x50. It's a pleasure to shoot.

If I was down to one rifle it would be due to a situation beyond my control so I would hang onto my Ruger 10/22 plus a sackful of 30 shot magazines to go with several bricks of ammo. Not the best choice for lots of reasons but still the best for lots of other reasons. Survival aside I would just have to keep my old custom Sako action .338 I have mentioned previously.

My savage bolt action 270 is the only rifle i need, it may not drop an elk as fast as say a 300 win.mag. but the bullets are a hell of a lot cheaper!

My have a 30-30 Savage pump and it is awesome. Sometimes I cant help but shoot it like my shotgun.

I'd have to say .30-06 would have to the one of the most versitile cartridges in the world. That being said, I stand by my M70 .30-06, and laugh at anyone sighting in anything bigger then a .338 at the range before moose season.

TC Encore in .280 rem. Why? No particular reason, I am just a wee bit peculiar.

very old question ,equally hard answer. started off in texas with grandads guns on the farm. we terrified the grashoppers and sparrows with bb guns and moved up to the remington knockoff of the browning in both a twenty two and a twenty guage. fifty years later with quite an extensive arsenal of black powder and more recent sporting arms, and loving the handling and feel of all of them i would say iwould have to pick a gun i do not currently possess, a savage 24v in 222/20guage. the 222 can be down loaded for small game and the 20 guage can handle all the pot meat of the avian kind or what ever. sure hope i never have to make this decision.

the .308 because it is so versitile

My favorite Hunting rifle is my marlin 336 in 35 remington. Its old, fun to shoot, accurate, and with Hornady's new leveroution loads, deadly. I love the feel of the lever gun. At 225 dollars it was a steal and doesn't even need a scope. Other than that I'm really proud of my vintage M-1 garand.

30-6