Which caliber would you pick ?

[shovel leaner 7,650]

I thought I’d start a new  topic . Imagine a law has been passed , and as a gun owner you are only allowed to keep one rifle . However the law has been relaxed, so that it is up to you to decide if the round is capable of humanely despatching your chosen quarry . One rifle , to do everything ?

Edited June 5, 2019 by shovel leaner

[Stavross 16,044]

As most of my rifle shooting is pest control and it’s my favourite round I’d go .243

[TheShootingTog 2,256]

I agree with above, I think i would chose .243 as a great all rounder.

[Gav 1,708]

Barrett m82, nothing gets up after been hit with one

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Quite content with my wmr but would request for .45 long rifle. Flintlock of course.

Ummm, good question....something in 357 would tempt me.

 

357 mag. Probably a marlin. That's my choice.

[Born Hunter 17,798]

Other than the rimmy I do only have one rifle for everything. The 25-06. No desire to get in another either.

I'd be confident in that calibre for anything found on these isles. It's not too much for fox and it's not too little for the largest stuff.

It's a lot like a 243 really......... just better. 

Edited June 6, 2019 by Born Hunter

[shovel leaner 7,650]

I think I agree with the 243 . And if you home load you have a wide choice of bullet weight to choose from , I also think that it can cope with all the species I shoot . 

[Born Hunter 17,798]

Tbh anything in the 6-7mm range these days covers an awful lot of the quarry spectrum, around the world, never mind the UK.

243 and 7mm-08 at the lower end through to 270wsm and 7mm rem mag at the higher.

I think a Rifle/rifle has to be dedicated towards small (<20lb) or large (>300lbs) quarry to really justify straying from those...... as optimum calibres. Of course there are calibre fanciers who enjoy something more 'romantic'. lol

Edited June 6, 2019 by Born Hunter

[Deker 3,478]

28 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

I think I agree with the 243 . And if you home load you have a wide choice of bullet weight to choose from , I also think that it can cope with all the species I shoot . 

It's marginally OTT for rats, squirrels, rabbit etc! 

I grant you they are not all like this, but rabbit with ONE.243 V-Max at around 100 yards!

 

 

[Gav 1,708]

51 minutes ago, Deker said:

It's marginally OTT for rats, squirrels, rabbit etc! 

I grant you they are not all like this, but rabbit with ONE.243 V-Max at around 100 yards!

 

 

The red mist syndrome

[Stavross 16,044]

1 hour ago, Deker said:

It's marginally OTT for rats, squirrels, rabbit etc! 

I grant you they are not all like this, but rabbit with ONE.243 V-Max at around 100 yards!

 

 

I go for the head shot rabbits with the .243, still good eating and you just need to tip them upside to gut them

[ianm 2,594]

30/06 for me as 243 isn't the calibre for boar and "ain't all that" on sika either.

[shovel leaner 7,650]

The yanks kill boar with a 22lr . If you put the bullet in the right place a 243 will kill anything,  there is no reason a 223 wouldn’t, it can kill a roe deer in Scotland but not in England, they must breed them soft up there .

[Sausagedog 7,381]

All my cf rifles calibers I successfully down loaded for small game getting.

It can be done but in all honesty the rifle to go for and or calibre if you could only have one would have to be based on what someone shoots the most.

So for me my wmr covers it all and heck, it even put a fallow out of its misery after some idiot who can't shoot straight broke a hind leg.

Personally, I could not forsake my small game hunting with a suitable rifle for something for an occasional deer hunt.

If it ever came to the scenario suggested well....there are other means.

[Born Hunter 17,798]

Good job we're just talking rifles here. If I had to choose between a twelve bore and the 25 then that'd be a struggle....

Edited June 6, 2019 by Born Hunter