What's your one favorite caliber?

[Doug Hamilton]

7 MM REM Mag. Was the first rifle caliber I ever owned and I will have one in my safe until I can no longer shoot.

I've killed a lot of blacktails, a couple of muleys and two pronghorns with my 7 RM. One of the truly great calibers in the West!

 

[Loud8362]

30-06 rifle.

 

[CZDiesel]

One of the great things about hunting is being able to outfit for the hunt and choose your gear for that specific hunt including your rifle and what’s its chambered in goes along with it…
So it’s hard to choose just one in many ways because I want to have that fun choosing a specific rifle in my collection for each hunt.

Having said this if it’s just one it’s an easy choice! 338 WinMag!!!

Shoots nearly as flat as a 7mm mag and yet hits as hard as a 375 H&H! I know of no other cartridge that can do this. So whether you are on a sheep or antelope hunt or a Grizzly or Buff hunt the 338 WinMag will do an incredible job leaving little to be desired!
Shooting 175gr at serious speed to 300gr with serious smack! The 338 WinMag is Singular!

Aaand it can do anything the 35 Whalen can only a lot better lol

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

Which calibre I prefer depends on the day, the month, the year……….
I don’t think it’s as simple as that…..
For me anyway
Gumpy

 

[AustinM]

510 Kodiak Express
Nothing says fun like nearly 6,000 ft.lbs. coming out of a marlin lever gun! Plus, it's the round that truly got me into big bores and changed the trajectory of my life!

 

[MS 9x56]

One of the great things about hunting is being able to outfit for the hunt and choose your gear for that specific hunt including your rifle and what’s its chambered in goes along with it…
So it’s hard to choose just one in many ways because I want to have that fun choosing a specific rifle in my collection for each hunt.

Ou are just reachingHaving said this if it’s just one it’s an easy choice! 338 WinMag!!!

Ow Bob will explain yShoots nearly as flat as a 7mm mag and yet hits as hard as a 375 H&H! I know of no other cartridge that can do this. So whether you are on a sheep or antelope hunt or a Grizzly or Buff hunt the 338 WinMag will do an incredible job leaving little to be desired!
Shooting 175gr at serious speed to 300gr with serious smack! The 338 WinMag is Singular!

Aaand it can do anything the 35 Whalen can only a lot better lol

Now Bob will explain that you are just reaching

 

[BGGMKLR]

One of the great things about hunting is being able to outfit for the hunt and choose your gear for that specific hunt including your rifle and what’s its chambered in goes along with it…
So it’s hard to choose just one in many ways because I want to have that fun choosing a specific rifle in my collection for each hunt.

Having said this if it’s just one it’s an easy choice! 338 WinMag!!!

Shoots nearly as flat as a 7mm mag and yet hits as hard as a 375 H&H! I know of no other cartridge that can do this. So whether you are on a sheep or antelope hunt or a Grizzly or Buff hunt the 338 WinMag will do an incredible job leaving little to be desired!
Shooting 175gr at serious speed to 300gr with serious smack! The 338 WinMag is Singular!

Aaand it can do anything the 35 Whalen can only a lot better lol

Great minds think alike.
Spike

 

[PARA45]

I believe it would depend on where I'm hunting. In Africa, I've become a huge fan of the 375 H&H; the more I hunt with this cartridge the more I like it. In the US (no Grizzlies), I would choose my 7mm Weatherby Magnum. In urban conditions, my Glock 19, with two spare magazines.

 

[V42]

7x57

 

[Frederik]

Interesting to see the love of the 7x57 but you actually see few international hunters hunt with them here in Africa I suppose hunters would rather bring the biggest they can handle and somehting that will easily take longer shots.

When I was still a PH and OUutitter I can remember of two hunters using 7x57 on hunts one was normal 7x57 other one one was rimmed from a drilling.

Most hunter opted for .30 calibers and bigger with a bunch of 7mm rem mag popping up.

 

[Tex .416]

Interesting to see the love of the 7x57 but you actually see few international hunters hunt with them here in Africa I suppose hunters would rather bring the biggest they can handle and somehting that will easily take longer shots.

When I was still a PH and OUutitter I can remember of two hunters using 7x57 on hunts one was normal 7x57 other one one was rimmed from a drilling.

Most hunter opted for .30 calibers and bigger with a bunch of 7mm rem mag popping up.

What made you feel confident when the hunter pulled it out and what made you groan in your mind?

What seemed to most often produce good results and what most often caused long tracking jobs?

 

[Frederik]

What made you feel confident when the hunter pulled it out and what made you groan in your mind?

What seemed to most often produce good results and what most often caused long tracking jobs?

Tex, firstly there is a difference with a new client or repeat client you know what to expect with repeat clients and how they handle a rifle and how they hunt.
Then with proper guidance from a ph wounding game is mostly avoidable.
Shot Placement is key and part of guiding and making sure the client knows it, setting up more times on the stick to get a proper shot still wastes less time than tracking wounded game.

I have been lucky enough not too have many wounded and lost game over my career as PH that covered mostly plainsgame then. My Clients were mostly from Scandinavia and Europe and we did advise to use premium bullest and most used Rhino bullets or Barnes.

Lastly to answer your original question when it comes to plainsgame if a client can handle the rifle a 338 win mag with a 200gr or heavier bullet is a great combo.
A much wider range in Premium bullets also helps.

 

[Hagler.450Ex]

9.3x57....or 9.5x57 (.375 Rimless Nitro) once I get my (new for me) MS 1910 by year's end. But for now, it's 9.3x57. There is no real difference anyway.
It (they) are just a 'sweet spot' for me as far as an everyday rifle is concerned.
In fact, I would venture to say, anything 9.3 and above based on the standard Mauser case head, and no need to open bolt faces.
Even the 9.3x74 if I had a little single in it.

 

[Michael70]

The one calibre that my safe is never without and that is 12G. I have shot everything from doves to buff with it and most in between.
Favourite that I have currently, 303 British and favourite that I don't have but want 300H&H.

 

[PCC600]

The one calibre that my safe is never without and that is 12G. I have shot everything from doves to buff with it and most in between.
Favourite that I have currently, 303 British and favourite that I don't have but want 300H&H.

Favourite I currently have is 303 in Lee Speed and Purdey double - a truly great cartridge and my other favourite that I do have is 300H&H , it has supplanted my 7x57 .

 

[HWL]

7x57

I wonder what Bob's answer will be. Hmmm... ;-)

I know, what is not!!!

HWL

 

[HWL]

9,5x57 Mannlicher-Schoenauer
Come close, aim precisely, hit hard

HWL

 

[Trojan1972]

416 Rigby , Absolutely love this round , one of the easiest to reload with a modest selection of projectiles , isnt an ethical Kill a good Kill ?
I only just got mine and started shooting it , but you can easily forget about the recoil when concentrating on the sight picture ( isnt as bad as i thought it would be ? )
There are cheaper rounds , but i would take this to Heavens Hunting Grounds up in the Sky

 

[wvfred]

As much as I like my 7x57 I've found myself using my 416 Remington for everything from whitetails and hyena to buffalo and it works great on all of them.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

7x57

I wonder what Bob's answer will be. Hmmm... ;-)

@cash_tx
I won't keep you guessing any longer mate
As everyone knows I love the 35 Whelen
BUT
My favourite for most of my shooting I reach for my 25. It is my own design and will take all the game I hunt here in Australia.
What's not to love with a 25 cal with a 75gn VMAX at over 3,900 fps to reach way out and explode little fury critters
Or
Switch up to a 100gn Barnes TTSX at over 3,600fps to take on anything up to big deer out to any sane range
Or A 115-117 gn Nosler combined technology Silver tips or SST at over 3,300 fps for general shooting.
I can pick up this rifle and cartridge and have full confidence in it. It shoots sub half inch groups, the bullets fly fast and hit hard and to top it off it gives me great pleasure knowing I'm shooting game with a cartridge I DESIGNED in a rifle that's over 100years old. What's not to love. There's just something about the 25s they just seem to kill out of all proportion. Even Nathan Fosters ballistic studies confirm the 25s just seem to work for some reason.

Don't get me wrong tho I still love my Whelen and it comes out to play. It's great fun knocking the snot out of big pigs with a big gun. Overkill definitely but the fun factor and cool factor are right up there. Plus I know anything out to 3-400 yards isn't safe if'n I do my part. It's just such a pleasant cartridge to shoot, has more than enough power to handle big game anywhere in the world and is accurate to go with the power.
What's not to like.
So my answer is my 25-303 Epps Newton improved has to be my favourite. To me it has the cool factor, accurate, fast and recoil like a gentle woman's kiss and is very, very effective one game. Point, shoot skin eat. What's not to like.
Bob