One caliber away from contentment... who else?

[IvW]

I still need.....

9.3x74R/7×57R or 6.5x57R Bergstutzen
With a extra set of barrels in
22 Hornet/12ga

And a Kipplauf

7x65R

And a double.....375 H&H Flanged Magnum
And a 450 No.2 NE

And......

 

[CBH Australia]

With thanks to You Tube I think I would like a 7mmPRC in a hunting rifle, then I think I'm lucky to have what I have.

Probably a number of guns I would like and can come up with a reason I would want them. That said I get an idea, research it then come back to square one thinking I'm gonna want Dies and components to suit.

I think this was a loaded question. Especially if the wives start reading the thread.

If it's Content vs Satisfied then I think I can sum this up by saying that I am content yes, satisfied? No.

 

[jpr9954]

I'm probably more than one caliber away though a .375 H&H ought to provide it. That said, I wouldn't mind having a 7mm-08.

I'm also sure some rare caliber will come along to snag my interest as it usually does.

 

[Flewis]

For some (me) there is no end, just slow downs.

 

[Dan458]

you guys are going to think Im crazy.... but... after "never" finding the perfect caliber for anything... and spending the better part of 40 years buying, selling, trading into probably 50 different calibers across the spectrum from .22 short to 585 Hubel Express..

I think Ive finally found contentment.. in the old school basics...

308 does pretty much everything I want to do at every distance I want to do it at for pretty much anything between the size of a small whitetail up to a a zebra..

223 does pretty much everything I want to do at every distance I want to do it at for pretty much everything smaller than a whitetail..

and 375 H&H does everything I want to do at every distance I want to do it at for everything bigger than a zebra..

Sure.. Ive still got a lot more options in the safe.. lots of things to choose from.. lots of perhaps "better" options if I really want to dwell on it...

but.. I honestly cant think of anything I want to shoot or anything I want to hunt.. anywhere on the planet.. that I cant do with one of those 3 calibers..

I may indeed finally be content

Wise man. We could all learn from you and have more money for hunting!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hey everyone...

I have decided that I am only one caliber away from complete contentment... does anyone else feel the same?

I thought I had the complete armoury but looking again l think l'm missing something...
Looking in my safe I have everything from rabbits to long-range deer hunting to close-range elephant hunting covered -but I'm missing one caliber that would be perfect FOR ME.
And l believe that caliber is the .243 Winchester.

I have always owned bigger calibers but my absolute favourite hunting spot in the world (@CBH Australia this is where we hunted ) is where l hunt Fallow deer - and not particularly big Fallow at that. There's no Sambar, just Fallow so a bigger caliber isn't required.

Now, having said that I have hunted this spot with the following calibers... .458 Win Mag, 425 Express, 338 Win Mag and my next trip l was going to bring my 308 Norma Mag.
All have done - or will do the job, but all of the above are expensive, kick hard and are big for Fallow... and l think a .243 Would be perfect for this hunting spot.

Why the .243 over other certain calibers?
Well for one l really like the .243.
I also like the idea of walking into a gun shop and have a selection of readily available ammo off the shelf.
I can choose ammo from 55 to over 100gn.
Recoil is mild so my wife and kids can comfortably shoot it.
Pretty flat trajectory - similar to my 308 Norma.
It's effective on Fallow sized game. I've personally seen with my own eyes a mate drop 2 Fallow with one shot using factory Federal blue-box 100gn ammo.
I think it would be a nice step down from my 308 Norma.

As far as rifles go, l think my perfect .243 would be housed in a Winchester M70 with a 22" barrel with a nice trim 3-9x scope on top.
If l couldn't find a Winchester M70 it would have to be something that is nice light and trim.

Now, all the above is just me dreaming as l have NO budget for a new rifle!
BUT!
If l could afford one more rifle it would be a .243 Winchester.
I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and it's not very exotic or exciting, but l already own enough exciting calibers so a .243 it would be

Is anyone else one caliber or rifle away from complete contentment?
If so, would love to hear what it is! And it can be as exotic or rare as you want.
And l bet it's not a .243!

Russ

@Badboymelvin Russ please don't buy a 243and use federal blue box. I've seen that many failures on pigs and deer with the 100gn federal failing to expand.
Yes the 243 will kill fallow deer but PLEASE use something like a nice 95gn SST or 80gn ttsx.
When I see you I will personally donate you a set of 243 dies that I used to load a mates with ( he has since sold the 243 and got a 25-06).
That way you can load decent bullets to start with so you won't be disappointed with it. I will even give you 100LR primers to help you out.
As you reload that nice 250 Savage in a ruger or tikka t3 Lite would fit the bill better. Brass isn't a problem just neck up som 22-250 case and your set with a far better caliber. Projectiles from 75gn to 120gn so you can even tackle the big fallow.
A nice 257 Roberts just neck down 7x57 brass and done in one pass and you have a 25 for everything including reds.
Looking forward to seeing you Saturday mate.
Bob

 

[CoElkHunter]

@Badboymelvin Russ please don't buy a 243and use federal blue box. I've seen that many failures on pigs and deer with the 100gn federal failing to expand.
Yes the 243 will kill fallow deer but PLEASE use something like a nice 95gn SST or 80gn ttsx.
When I see you I will personally donate you a set of 243 dies that I used to load a mates with ( he has since sold the 243 and got a 25-06).
That way you can load decent bullets to start with so you won't be disappointed with it. I will even give you 100LR primers to help you out.
As you reload that nice 250 Savage in a ruger or tikka t3 Lite would fit the bill better. Brass isn't a problem just neck up som 22-250 case and your set with a far better caliber. Projectiles from 75gn to 120gn so you can even tackle the big fallow.
A nice 257 Roberts just neck down 7x57 brass and done in one pass and you have a 25 for everything including reds.
Looking forward to seeing you Saturday mate.
Bob

Are you guys hunting fallow deer? If so, they don't look to be all that big. Like a mule deer here. Anyway, whatever cartridge you decide to use, shoot straight and please provide us with a hunt report of your adventure.

 

[503]

Sometimes I wish rifles were like pistols or shotguns. You want semi auto self defense pistol? Cool, you have like 3 caliber choices.

You want a shotgun? Same thing, we've had the same 6 gauges for the past 1,100 years.

But for whatever reason they've decided to come up with a dozen new rifle calibers a year...... just to fk with us and make sure we're never happy.

Cheers,

503

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Wow! My wife just read that and told me to not get any ideas!

@Badboymelvin
Mate easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
Try the lost puppy approach mate
Look what followed me home darling.
Bob

 

[sgt_zim]

To be perfectly transparent, I despise 243W almost as much as @Bob Nelson 35Whelen does, just not as vocal about it.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I currently have 15 different rifle calibers at the moment; so for me it's not really about the next caliber, but rather the next beautiful rifle or killer deal that catches my eye. That being said, I keep hearing 257 Roberts, 6.5x55, and 6.5 Creedmoor calling my name; which is kind of funny as those three are almost the same thing.

@cash_tx
But the Roberts and Sweede have class the Creedmoore hasn't.
Bob

 

[Rare Breed]

Hey everyone...

I have decided that I am only one caliber away from complete contentment... does anyone else feel the same?

I thought I had the complete armoury but looking again l think l'm missing something...
Looking in my safe I have everything from rabbits to long-range deer hunting to close-range elephant hunting covered -but I'm missing one caliber that would be perfect FOR ME.
And l believe that caliber is the .243 Winchester.

I have always owned bigger calibers but my absolute favourite hunting spot in the world (@CBH Australia this is where we hunted ) is where l hunt Fallow deer - and not particularly big Fallow at that. There's no Sambar, just Fallow so a bigger caliber isn't required.

Now, having said that I have hunted this spot with the following calibers... .458 Win Mag, 425 Express, 338 Win Mag and my next trip l was going to bring my 308 Norma Mag.
All have done - or will do the job, but all of the above are expensive, kick hard and are big for Fallow... and l think a .243 Would be perfect for this hunting spot.

Why the .243 over other certain calibers?
Well for one l really like the .243.
I also like the idea of walking into a gun shop and have a selection of readily available ammo off the shelf.
I can choose ammo from 55 to over 100gn.
Recoil is mild so my wife and kids can comfortably shoot it.
Pretty flat trajectory - similar to my 308 Norma.
It's effective on Fallow sized game. I've personally seen with my own eyes a mate drop 2 Fallow with one shot using factory Federal blue-box 100gn ammo.
I think it would be a nice step down from my 308 Norma.

As far as rifles go, l think my perfect .243 would be housed in a Winchester M70 with a 22" barrel with a nice trim 3-9x scope on top.
If l couldn't find a Winchester M70 it would have to be something that is nice light and trim.

Now, all the above is just me dreaming as l have NO budget for a new rifle!
BUT!
If l could afford one more rifle it would be a .243 Winchester.
I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and it's not very exotic or exciting, but l already own enough exciting calibers so a .243 it would be

Is anyone else one caliber or rifle away from complete contentment?
If so, would love to hear what it is! And it can be as exotic or rare as you want.
And l bet it's not a .243!

Russ

I keep thinking of the 404 Jeffery but know I have no need for it and would rather go back to Africa for another DG hunt

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Yeah, he's had a few .458's and that unleashed the Bad Boy in him, now he has has .425Express, speaking of obscure brass.

But I can provide some .243 brass I'd needed

Well he doesn't drink and smoke, he gave up his bad habits and he is a real family man. With a couple of young kids and a couple of teenagers at home he is probably trying to balance a family budget and wishing for another rifle.

@CBH Australia
If he was looking for a left hand 243 I could get him a great deal. My mate Peter has on for sale now he has discovered the 25-06.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Don't take it to heart, I took it as a joke.

I just know he's got a healthy addiction to gunpowder and big Boomer's but he also moved one to home another recently.

@CBH Australia
Love the smell of gunpowder in the morning and Hoppes Not is great after shave. I think I may have a small problem. NAH.
Bob

 

[Tintin]

I keep thinking of the 404 Jeffery but know I have no need for it and would rather go back to Africa for another DG hunt

The 'going back to Africa' bit I understand.

But, can you please explain this other concept you have raised ...

'need'

 

[steve white]

Wow! My wife just read that and told me to not get any ideas!

You let your wife SEE THIS?!....of course, that's what my daughter said when I was looking through my wife's receipts for something, lol.

 

[Hunt anything]

Seems pretty normal to me Bob!

 

[Tom Leoni]

But for whatever reason they've decided to come up with a dozen new rifle calibers a year...... just to fk with us and make sure we're never happy.

How very true. Mine may be (or certainly is) an unpopular opinion, but I'd venture to say that by 1925 all useful sporting cartridges had been invented and perfected. Anything that came afterwards--with perhaps one or two exceptions--either duplicated the performance of something that already existed, or created a new "need" that until then nobody had realized they had.

The power of marketing, ammo companies' imperative to bring something novel every year, and consumers' voracity for the new have given us--and continue to give us--the latest must-have cartridge that somehow few if any missed 100 years ago.

Not that there's anything wrong with any post-1925 introductions, just making an observation. And yes, I'm somewhat of a Luddite.

<Ducks for cover>

 

[503]

How very true. Mine may be (or certainly is) an unpopular opinion, but I'd venture to say that by 1925 all useful sporting cartridges had been invented and perfected. Anything that came afterwards--with perhaps one or two exceptions--either duplicated the performance of something that already existed, or created a new "need" that until then nobody had realized they had.

The power of marketing, ammo companies' imperative to bring something novel every year, and consumers' voracity for the new have given us--and continue to give us--the latest must-have cartridge that somehow few if any missed 100 years ago.

Not that there's anything wrong with any post-1925 introductions, just making an observation. And yes, I'm somewhat of a Luddite.

<Ducks for cover>

Yea its amazing how most of the old dogs like 3006, 375H&H etc. Get it done just fine and most new calibers don't offer much better performance etc.

You're certainly not wrong. Same with pistols/ shotguns. Invented a few calibers for each over 100 years ago and thats just good enough forever apparently...

 

[K-man]

How very true. Mine may be (or certainly is) an unpopular opinion, but I'd venture to say that by 1925 all useful sporting cartridges had been invented and perfected. Anything that came afterwards--with perhaps one or two exceptions

I mostly agree. The one or so exception would be the .300 win mag.