Just got my new NRA magazine in last week and there was a article in there and a survey on the top 5 versatile rounds in north America and tested for years on big game and they were .270 Win., 30-06 Springfield, 7mm Rem. Mag. , 300 Win. Mag. and the 375 H & H. Mag. ! What are your thoughts on these rounds ? Remember they based these rounds and their performance on all be game in north America for years of hunting including grizzles and some of the biggest African game !

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I think you have to remember this is some bodys' opinion and they are getting paid for their article. I don't take anything away from any of these cartridges, but in the real world of hunting there are a lot of other factore to concider.
One factor to ask yourself is what firearm that I use do I hunt with do I use and shoot the most? I feel I own a adequate range of calibers including some of those named. The one I have shot the most and killed the most game with in the passed year is my .17HMR. My.22 is next followed by my 22-250 and then my big rifles.

Mel

They are saying these are the most used and versatile rounds , not to say there are other good rounds out there !

Pretty good list, but I'd say the 30-06 takes the #1 spot. There ain't much you can't do with it, especially in North America.

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Southern born and Southern bred, when I die I'll be Southern dead.

gunsmith & hunter

I own and alternate between my .270 Win, and my 30-06, i sure would hate to choose between either of them !

I would have to say .270. I dont personally own one but all of the ones I have shot have been accurate and dependable and had plenty of knock down for whatever I was shooting.

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mike coleman

My Dad, my Son, and I own several of these calibers and all of them will kill anything I or most of you will ever hunt. .270 and 30-06 are ahard to beat medium game rifles. (I know that you can kill elk, bear, etc. with these calibers, but they're not the best for that.)
It really amounts to what you hunt and where you hunt as to which is the best caliber. And you have to be comfortable shooting that caliber. The magnums really up the ante on recoil.
And no gun collection is complete without a .22 rifle!

I would say that is a very good list. But I would of added one more and that is the 280 Rem. I have been using this round for ten years now and it has never let me down. Also hand loaded it can easily match the 7mm Rem Mag. My honorable mention would be the 7mm-08 and the 308 win.

Again i know there are other good calibers out there and there are the BIG magnums for the Big stuff butt they are saying these cartridges have taken everything in North America and some of the big animals in Africa that the BIG magnums has, GOOD Bullets and SHOT PLACEMENT is the key to SUCCESS on anything you hunt !

Couldn't agree with you more. They .280 Remington is a 30-06 case necked down to take a .284 bullet instead of a .308 bullet like the 30-06. So your shooting 140-150 grain bullets faster than both the .270 Winchester 130 grain bullet and the 30-06 165-220 grain bullet. With half the recoil of the 7mm Remington Mag. Thats why I would replace the 7mm Rem Mag with the .280 Remington it shots the same out to 300+ yards and don't kick the crap out of you doing it. But I agree with all the rest for sure. If a guy has a .22 long rifle, 12 gauge, and 30-06 in there gun case they can kill just about anything on the plant.

Not changing the topic but has anyone read any of the late gun writer Jack O" Connors writings on different guns , calibers and shot placement? He did not just talk about some this calibers that i mentioned above , he tested them all over the world on big game !

right on. that last sentence said it. the only 30-06 i own is a m1garand but i feel if someone was to buy one rifle for big game the 06 is it. i shoot a .308 in my main rifle that is almost comparable but the 06 is king. i have target shot and hunted with guys that shoot the mags and most honestly cant shoot them accurately everytime. the people that can are deadly but most get gun shy and flinch from time to time. if i had to hunt anything in north america with one gun the 30-06 would be my first choice hands down.

happy hunting.

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once you go black you never go back.
b&ts forever

The 30-06 was also chosen caliber of the century ,also 2 world wars and Korea !

i dont doubt that, the m1 and 03 springfield are both tough to beat.

another thing about the 30-06 is how cheap ammo is compared to the latest and greatest calibers. the big mags and short mags are great but 06 is still king in my opinion.

That"s why i alternate between my .270 Win. and my 30-06 ,i love them both, the .270 just shoots a little flater and it is just a necked down 30-06 in my book ! LOL