Question for ya guys.
What do you all think is the MOST popular bolt-action caliber? A caliber than can do it all… deer/coyote/wolf hunt, take to the range, can get some serious distance accurately. and deadly if need be.
I’ve been doing some research for a few nights now and a lot of people seem to think the .308 is the best all around work horse, per say.
What’s your opinion?
What’s most popular is one thing.
What is the best all around cartridge may be entirely another.
I’d agree for General purpose. Can use both commercial and Surplus ammo and it hand handle most N. American game. 30-06 would also be another contender and it can shoot bullets over 180 grains at a greater velocity than .308 for larger game.
My personal wild ass guess is the .308
In the Northeast
30-06
270
308
243
I prefer the 308 or the 243
This, “What do you all think is the MOST popular bolt-action caliber?”, would be a 30-06.
This, “A caliber than can do it all… deer/coyote/wolf hunt, take to the range…” would be a 243.
Just my $0.02…
30-06 IS the most popular
I prefer .308
A very loaded question to be perfectly honest with you and there’s no correct answer…
I have rifles in everything from a 17HMR all the way up to 50BMG and for me each rifle/caliber serves its own specific purpose. With that said the 308 Winchester is a great all around and very popular caliber that has been around for over 60 years. Some of my most cherished rifles are chambered in 308 Winchester and I have always shot it with great success.
Take a close look at the 260 Remington. It’s a great all around caliber that has seen great sucess in both hunting as well as the competition. For comparison it has an identical trajectory as the 300 Winchester Magnum but with significantly less recoil.
Good luck!!!
.30-06 is most popular.
I vote 6.5x55 or .260 rem is best do all caliber.
Is this for a build or a just curious question. There are a billion calibers with match grade OTC ammo that can take medium sized game at medium distance. 30-06 is very versatile and can throw a very wide range of bullets down range. Load data is enormous for it and brass is easily found. 260 Remington is a superb round that can make 1000 yard shots look easy compared to .308 at similar ranges. 243 is a great round and can varmint at long range. Its a bit of a barrel burner though.
Its funny how we never traded a little bit of freedom of religion after the Jonestown Massacre.
It’s funny that people would say 260rem instead of 6.5 creedmoor.
The 6.5 creed is ballistically identical to the 260, with a massive amount of factory support. Obviously this is a requirement for an “all around cartridge” to maintain its status. The 260 was first to the scene, but it doesn’t change the fact that the 6.5 creedmoor will be the last one standing.
I too think it is probably the best all around cartridge. A 243 gives it a run for the money, but the 6.5 creedmoor has a lot of benefits over a 243.
My 2 cents. Most popular would be a toss-up amongst these. The .30-30 has a special niche popularity due to the rifles it is chambered in.
.30-06
.270
.308
.30-30
.243
Most popular varmint cartridge would be:
.223 Rem
.22-250
Most popular = 22lr
It has been around along time. Back when semi-auto was not reliable, everyone had a bolt action. Most countries has training rifles for their military. It is used in competition. It is great in a suppressed platform. It is still prized by many.
Best all around when you reload = 30-06
Because of the popularity after WWI and WWII in America is the most flexible cartridge. It will take anything from tree rats (110gr lead with red dot) through moose, elk, bison (220gr JSP loaded hot).
For your purpose, with the largest/hardest to kill target being deer there are about a 100 cartridges that can do it. Your choice of 308 is fine. I have killed deer with my 308. But you could also go with a 300 Blackout if you want to do it quietly. Or you could do it with one of the multitude of flat shooting 7mm rounds. OR you could do it with something hot and heavy 300WM, 338, 375, 458wm.
30-06 still out sells all else IIRC. So all those folks can’t be wrong. The only .308 I have ever fired was a 240G. I have 06, 300wm, had 375. Really any of the three would do every thing I need to do with a bolt action but for the last 12 years the 300wm has been my go to bolt action. If you want to spend less and not get beat up as much the 308, 260,270, are all good choices.
I am a terrible researcher, but somewhere there must be stats and how many bolt rifles have been sold and in which calibers over the years. It seems the answer to the OPs question would simply require the acquisition and tabulation of that data.
There are many people with far more experience than me, but from what I have personally seen around the country, .308 or 30.06 seem to be “the most popular”.
I would agree that the .260 Rem is a hair outdated compared to the 6.5 CM but its a fine loading if you don’t plan on running box magazines. The CM does have some fantastic match loadings out there from the factory though and it feeds the longer COAL(for each respective caliber) rounds from magazines that .260 Rem cannot. When I talk 260 I am mainly talking 260 class for all intents. But both are still popular and either will perform.
Its funny how we never traded a little bit of freedom of religion after the Jonestown Massacre.
My favorite hunting round would be .270 WIN. Every thing from 110g through 150g will effectively take most large game short of Grizzly or Moose. IMHO.
270 243 308 30-06…?
Quick question ( beware of derail) how much better is a 30-06 ballisticly than 308 , given both were reloaded very well? How many FPS?
In a similar barrel length, with 175-208gr pills about 200fps or maybe 200 yards more, supersonic, but realistically 150 yards. The win mag puts about 200fps on the '06 with 208s.
Its funny how we never traded a little bit of freedom of religion after the Jonestown Massacre.
Which is why I love the 300WM. :dance3: