So who likes the big calibers?

I see on here all the time people talking about the 243, 223, 25-06, ect. How many people like the larger calibers for deer? Say, .270 and above? I've been shooting a 30-06 since I was around 10 and love the kick from shooting it. I shoot them well and I am comfortable with them. I also like the 300 win mags and weatherby calibers as well.

Not trying to sound mocho, just like knowing that I have more than I need. Anyone else?

shot 308 all my life , killed everything I hit

well 25-06 is just a necked down 30-06 but i still like the 30-06 just cause you can hunt just about anything with it

I like my 7mm-08 the best. But I have a 30-06 and a 300 Win Mag that I don't mind shooting either.

I'd love to own a 45-70...

At present I own 3. All model 700's. A .270 which I shoot, a 25-06 and a 7mm08 which my wife clams and shoots. I may add a couple next year starting with a .308 and then maybe a 30-06.

On the big end all I have is 300wm and a 308
I shoot a deer every year with the 300 ... the 308 is new so I'll shoot something with it this year.

If you don't consider 308 a big gun I have it both rifle and pistol (encore) let me tell you 308 in a pistol is a LOT of hand gun!

i dont think it really matters... i hunt witha 270 cuz thats what i got... wouldnt phase me to hunt with something bigger or smaller though.

I bought a 7mmMag and that sucker kicked to hard for me. I traded it for the 7mm08. I bet that 300wm can kick to, rick Rick. I best friend shoots a 7mmUltraMag. My .270 is enough for me. Guess I'm getting old or soft or both

300 win mag for me. Browning BAR......

I'll shoot a 25-06 most of the time but every now and then I get to feelin froggy. When that happens I'll pull out the 300 win mag. I will tell you that the hardest kicking gun that I have ever shot was a Remington 700 in a .270. I would much rather shoot a box a shells outta my 300 than shoot that .270 3 times

300 RUM and it gets the job done PLUS some. Hogs really hate it. Also have a 25-06 and the animal is just as dead with it.

I like them all. I as far as larger calibers i have shot a 270, 280, and 300wby. I love the weatherby, gun has a great fit for me and feels good. Not much runs away from it. I wanted to get a 416, but bullets were not the most common. Still looking for another one, leaning towards a 350 rem mag, but considering 45-70, 35 whelen and 35 remington.

matt

I own .257wby .270win and 300wby; I have shot and killed my 2 biggest bucks with the .300wby and think its one of the best cartridges ever made!

Used my Remington 700 .243 for 30+ years and still do now and then but I'll be using my Remington 700 .270 on opening day. I'm sure the Marlin 30-30 will come out during the season also.

I'm wantin to buy a 25-06. Ive got a winchester .270 and that is by far the hardest kicking gun Ive ever shot. Ive never had a deer run far, but man sighting it in is a killer on my shoulder and sometimes my forehead.

Does a .62 round ball count? When I'm not hunting black powder, I use a 308 Norma Magnum.

I have shot a 30-06 all my life and love it and now I have a 7mm mag and I love it too. I have also had and killed deer with a 300 mag too, but it does have a pretty good punch to it, it has left a scare over my eye from the recoil.

what is it with the 270? they do seem to kick a little more than the bigger guns?

Most of my deer have been shot with either the .30-06 or 12 ga slug. Yeah that's big caliber, especially the 12.

As I grow wiser, however, I have stepped down to a .308 and 20 ga. I like to hunt with guns I can shoot a lot, and I just don't enjoy an 06 and 12 ga like I used to.

I have a 700 in 7mm mag but it hardly ever gets out of the safe. My 700 VLS in 6mm rem is my go to rifle for WT & hogs.

You know, the only time I can remember the recoil of a firearm while hunting was with a 12 ga. shooting turkey loads. Probably because the tree was behind my shoulder. I have a 270WSM and never even sense recoil if I'm shooting at
an animal. Sighting in however is a different ball game. I'm done at about 15 rounds...done.

25-06 30-30 and a 270 here. the 30-30 is a proven deer and hog killer. the 25-06 is new so ill have the chance with it this season, and the 270 need to be re zero'd (my dad missed twice with it last year)

I'm a big fan of 7mm-08.

7 mm mag puts them down for the count dont have to worry about tracking

I have a 30-06 and a 300 mag, but I really have no need for them since I have a 25-06 and 257wby. Both where gifts so thats why I still have them

Shot a 270 for 30 years.About 5 years ago I got a 25-06 and never looked back.To me the kick is like a 243 and plenty of knock down with proper bullet placement.

300 Win Mag Sendero!! No Kick, thank god it's heavy!! LOL

My go to weapon is the 300 Ultra Mag. But I have also used a 340 Weatherby Mag and 338 Win Mag for deer hunting also. I have a few guns bigger than those but have not used them for whitetails........YET!

I killed a doe 4 or 5 years ago with a 375 H&H Magnum. Did surprisingly little excess damage. My go to gun for whitetails is a 7 Rem Mag.

I've got one of them too (.308 Norma Mag). Schultz & Larson from Otterup Denmark. Nice shooting rifle but man does it punch you, especially with 180g bullets.

I also have a Weatherby Mark V (W. Germany) in .300 Weatherby Mag, a Sako Finnbear in .264 Win Mag, a custom Mauser in 7mm Rem Mag but my old faithful standby is a Browning A-bolt in .270 Win.

I prefer a rifle that gives you the option to really reach out touch 'em if you have to. I've found that I just don't need anything more than the .270 so the rest usually sit in the safe.

I carry my old 30.06 99% of the time. Just love the old gun.

30.06 most of the time, but I prefer my 300 win mag due to the Zeiss that sits on top.

I do. 300, 303, 270, 7mag, and 264. Problem is using them every year. I pick one and take another one with me just incase someone needs to use one. They will never use the 264 but the others go for it.

7mm mag love that gun.kicks like a mule

can't wait to use my .450 busmaster this year!

I am the biggest recoil sissy there is. Its just not enjoyable to me shoot something that hurts. I've got a couple that kick but they dont get shot. Give me .223 and if its a heavy gun .308 thats enough. That'll kill what needs killin.

In rifles I shoot anything from 17machII to 50BMG. Larger ones use for deer 7STW, 338 Federal, 350 Rem Mag, 375 Win, 38-55, 44Mag, 45-70 haven't used the 50BMG on a deer yet but some day I might

Go to gun remington 788 in 7mm-08 but have used 17 Remington to 45-70.

Bought a Weatherby .460 mag on an impulse, its been shot 9 times, 3 of those by me, never again.

.35 Whelen is as big enough for me, haven't shot it in 3-4 years.

my .270 is a pussycat.

not a uncommon gun, ruger m77 MK II in stock form.

my uncles .270 Model 70 is a sweet shooter as well.


Yall either must be shooting ultralights or need to man up a bit

man thats a sweet piece.


can you post a pic?

I don't know about y'all but I personally believe that 12 gauge pump with 00 buckshot or slugs kicks harder than any of my rifles.

yeah they kick......i find them unpleasant.

308 for my and the wife
kids have 243
all have 223

I've made a full circle, I went from shooting small calibers, hunting when I was a kid. To shooting large claibers .300 Weatherby, .375 H&H. Now, at my old age of 34 enjoy killing with my .243 and .308. My first kill with my .375H&H and 235 grain TSX 3100 FPS. It would flat lay hogs and deer out!! One big sow was facing me, I was one the ground, shooting off of a bipod. I put the crosshairs on her nose. Bullet entered right above snout pulverizied her spine from neck to tail, bullet then exited her rear!! I've been thinking about a Kimber Montana in .223. In my eyes that would be one handy little package, light as could be, no recoil. A killing machine in my hands!!

So who likes the big calibers?

Not me, I stick with 308 and smaller diameter stuff.

I hunt pigs with either a 300 win mag or a 7 mag, I like the smack down they deliver, for deer I love my 25-06 but that is just me...to each there own

Been shooting a 30.06 for 30 years, decided to get a 270 for this year. Dosen't feel like it kicks as much as a 30.06. Of course I like to shoot my Ar the best, no kick at all.

I love the .270 WSM

Is the finish on that barrel brown/copper? That looks pretty nice.

Fellow hunters I love all calibers from my .17hmr to my 458 win. mag. to my hand guns .22 to my s@w 500. I own more big guns than small.

I do! I currently own: 30-06, 300 WM, 25-06, 45-70, 35 Rem, 44 mag, 45ACP and 357 Mag.

Besides a .22 these are all the calibers I currently own.

Nothing Like a Ruger One .270 with a Winchester Ballistic tip. Never failed me yet and love the kick.

I've been having a lot of "luck" w/ the .300 WSM the last few season.

X2

Does 50 cal knight muzzle loader count? I love the knock down power! I don't have to track either.

I shot a .30-30 most of my life until I got a .30-06 in weatherby. I had a 300wm, put 7 rounds through it and decided that was enough for me.

I feel my 270 win is enough for me. If I were to buy another, it would be a lever action 30-30. Just cause I think there cool. I have toyed with the idea of buying a 30-06, but just because they are the most versital caliber imo. I have also thought of getting into the black powder guns just so I could extend the season, but I usually fill me tags before x-mas so not sure if it be worth it. Probably be another dust collector. lol

I have a Win. 70 in 7mm mag I use if I can sit in a box blind. Suprisingly the recoil is not as bad as my Savage 110 in 270. I bought my dad a Rem. 700 Sendero in 7mm UltraMag for his 50th birthday, he loves it. It is his primary hunting gun.

I mainly hunt deer with a 25-06. If I am going to Wyoming where the shots at deer are a lot longer and the wind always blows hard, I may take my 7mmMag. I have a 300 WeatherbyMag that I have just for elk. Never shot a deer with it.

I've had more than a couple dozen "deer rifles" in more than a dozen calibers over the last 45 years I've been getting blood on my boots. My go to caliber for most of that time has been a 270, paired with a 300Wmg for longer shots since the early 1970's ...but I may have finally changed my mind.

I killed a big - 2 year old 125 lb & 9 1/2"s tall - spike last year with a 9.3x62 Mauser (really nothing but an overgrown 30'06!) and never felt the gun go off. Gave me a .366 caliber sized entry and a half dollar sized exit from the thin skinned 270 gr Speer Soft Point and left nothing mushy soup in between with no bruising or loss of meat around the in & outs on either side....and that young gentleman landed 30 feet down the trail from the bullet's impact point rolled up like a doodle bug.

Is this a big caliber?? not really ... even though it throws bullets from 235 gr'ers thru 320 gr'ers and is legal for Cape Buffalo in more than a few African countries with it's 4000+ ft lb's of muzzle energy.

I also killed a fat doe the next day with a 6.5x55 Swede shooting soft and super accurate Sierra ProHunters in 120 gr'ers on that same trip. Same song second verse as she dropped mid stride like a busted bagpipe...just did not give the doe the same "magic carpet ride" as the 9.3's more than twice the size bigger bullet had.

Neither bullet gave me the loss of meat damage I have always been accustomed to shooting faster 130's thru 180's out of the 270 & 300Wmg combo with heart lung shots I generally take these days. Gonna try and use the Swede & a better 130 gr sized bullet this year on some Antlerless or Spike head shots...and the big mouth'd Mauser on the biggest piggie I can find with some lighter 250 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and see how that works out.

So I dunno anymore ... but I think I could prolly use the so called "big" gun on anything anywhere from 'yotes to grizz in North America except prairie dogs out to about 300 yards and not be unhappy about it...and the Swede's better range and ballistics out to 500+ yards in a total role reversal.
Ron

Another fan of the 300 RUM. Hands down killin machine for the squirrels.

I've got a .243, but my .300wsm usually gets the call over it any day. It's the gun I'm most comfortable with.

LOVE my .300 WSM

700 ADL 30-06

7MM all the way since i was 13

I have several guns I hunt with 12ga. 22. 243. 22-250. 223. 270wsm. 300win mag. 7-30 waters. and I use my 243 most often and have for 26 years. I have killed animals out to 500 yards with it and most animals drop in their tracks a few will go no more than 50 yards or so. I have killed mullies that have field dressed 250lbs with it so we are not talking about small animals.
The best caliber is the one you are comfortable with and confident in shooting.

I grew up in Minnesota.. we shoot .30 calibers. I have .308, .30-06, .35 Whelen and .375 H & H.. and of course the .243..lol

X2, I never track an animal after being shot with my Rem 7MM mag, even if I miss my location a little, whatever she hits, she kills.

I have quite a few guns but I do enjoy shooting me 7mm mag. I use it when hunting pigs late in the evening or at night. I don't like tracking them at dark and that mag keeps that from happening.

Reggie

I do not nor have I ever owned anything bigger than a .270. Just never had the need for a bigger caliber. I have killed everything native to Texas with it here, some exotics here in Texas, Mule Deer in Alberta and Red Stag in New Zealand with the 130 grain in my .270. If I ever need a bigger caliber it would a .300 mag I would guess.

My 7mag is my go to gun for most bigger game with my 308 or 7mm-08 as secondaries. Hogs sometimes get the 450 marlin.

I shoot a 300 Win Mag alot (100+ rounds a year). I just like the cal and the gun and have a ton of confidence shooting it. (Feel the same with my 25-06). I have and shoot a 338 Win Mag and enjoy it as well, but feeding it will get in your pocket. I dont shot my 45-70 that much just be cause I am not as comfortable shooting a lever gun.

I've been using a .270 for years but just took my first deer this year with a single shot 45-70. It might just be my new gun of choice.

whoa...I just ain't that mad at em

X2

i know a very good hunter who has hunted all his life with a model 88 .243.


for shooting long distances at big deer i have seen the .300wsm work wonders though.

As far as the "it wastes too much meat comment", if your concerned about meat loss, learn to shoot them in the neck

30-378 weatherby! Shoots em log and dead every time!

308, 30/378, 35 Whelen, 458 Lott, I love 'em all!!