What's your favorite mid-range rifle caliber?

[JohnC]

I'm just curious what you guys feel is the best or your favorite mid-range rifle caliber? A round like the 30-06, .270, etc.

 

Do you still have this caliber? What rifle do you shoot it out of?

 

Is it affordable to shoot? Price per round?

 

Accurate? Best group? Longest hunting kill?

 

I fell in love with the .270 Winchester. maybe because it was my first rifle I ever bought at 18; a mosey oak camo Winchester .270 that came factory with a Leupold 3x9x50. Never tried to get a group test as it was a light weight hunting rifle. But I did take out a couple deer out in Trousdale at about 350 yards or so. It was zero'd at 100 yards and sighted in for some hand loads I worked up. Seemed like where ever I aimed, it hit. Great caliber for sure!

 

My Dad is all about the 30-06. :)

[10-Ring]

I'm a .270 snob as well.  Mine is a Mauser M96.  Accurate, not expensive to hunt with anyway.  It kills deer very well but does not tear up meat bad.  Out of 2 dozen plus deer I've killed with this gun I've had maybe 5 that didn't fall in their tracks, all but one of them just ran a few yards.

[JohnC]

I'm a .270 snob as well.  Mine is a Mauser M96.  Accurate, not expensive to hunt with anyway.  It kills deer very well but does not tear up meat bad.  Out of 2 dozen plus deer I've killed with this gun I've had maybe 5 that didn't fall in their tracks, all but one of them just ran a few yards.

 

I had similar experience.

 

The ones I shot didn't move much farther away from where they got hit.

[Caster]

I haven't seen anything the 308 Winchester doesn't do very well. I also like the smaller case as opposed to '06 length cases for cast bullets. I've tried a lot of things and just keep coming back to the 308. I don't have the opportunity or ability to get past a couple hundred yards or so; So anything more is a waste of materials for me.
If the world falls to peices, we always talk of ARs and such, and do love mine, but the rifle I'll have with me to the end is going to be a bolt action in 308. I can put food on the table with it. With the array of loads I've developed, I can hunt just about anything. I've been working on a 100g cast plain base round nose running around 900 fps. Squirrels and rabbits beware.
A 170g GCRN cast bullet at just over 2K will put down any deer, and a 180g partition will drop even the most stubborn of larger critters. Not that I expect to run into any.

[Bad_Bowtie]

7mm-08 is probaly my favorite round period. Followed closely by 308win 243win and 260rem. Im actually looking for a 280rem at the moment.

[Jonnin]

765x53 (or x54, seen it both ways). 

I have it still, shoots out of a 1909 mauser. 

 

It is very accurate.  With Iron sights I can pop skeet clays (stationary..!) at 200 yards, which is all the range I have most of the time sadly.  I considered hunting with it but the rifle should not be subjected to any abuse, its collectable and while I shoot it some, I am gentle with it.

 

Its not that its any better than anything else that impresses me.  Its not the amazing piece of hardware I have to shoot it from, either, though that is certainly a nice rifle. 

 

To me, its that this round, developed very early, is virtually identical to a 308.  Smokeless powder was still just a few years old when this cartridge was developed and they had several iterations of bullet designs to work on the aerodynamics.   Well over 100 years later, it can still hold its own with most modern cartridges. 

 

In all honesty, I like a 308 or 243 just as much performance wise, and this one just gets the nod due to its age & "neat" factor.

[173rdABN]

308 for me. Hands down. Great for up close, and long range. It's a military caliber and very abundant. World comes to an end, you'll find a lot more 308 around than 6br or wildcat like.

[dlm37015]

35 whelen it will do anything a 3006 will do out to 400 yards or so with a 250 grain bullet
just had one built with a 26 inch barrel cant wait to try it out

[Rightwinger]

I like anything I can shoot and hit something downrange!

 

 

Right now I too fall in the .308 group, 30-06 close behind but I'm hoping that the 6.5 Grendel is going to be something I make my "go to" gun in the near future.

 

DLM, can you get IMR 8208-XBR????

[Chris]

.308. It'll drop any North American game and all but the biggest African game with the right bullet.

[jeff43]

I have 30 06,308,243,30-30,7.62x54R,6.5x55 Swede.For deer I've always like 30-06.Killed my first deer with a 35 Remington Model 141 pump.

[79troublehead]

I'm in the .308 crowd. If I'm short of time and have to grab a stand and hit the woods after work, I know my 788 in .308 will reach from right here to out yonder. If i have time and opportunity, I like to go old school with a savage 99, tang peep rear, and .300 savage. No good for the low light, long (150 yd max.) shot, but puts a smile on your face just sitting in the woods with it.

[leroy]

It depends on where the "mid-range" is measured... My favorite is the 375 H & H... A fine mid range for afrikee...

Hard hittin and dependable on most everything smaller than water buffalo and elephant...

 

Bawana leroy

Edited November 8, 2013 by leroy

[JohnC]

I wasn't expecting this to go short action 308. :lol:

 

I was kind of more interested in the long action mid range calibers. :up:

 

But nonetheless, keep the info coming!

[gregintenn]

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I've made an honest 400 yard kill on a whitetail buck with this rifle and cartridge. Although I'm just crazy about the old lever Savages and Savage calibers for nostalgia's sake, the 280 Remington is the one I take when I think the shot may be tough or extremely long.

 

The 280 isn't as widely available as the 270 or 30-06, and costs a bit more. I reload, however, so cost really isn't a concern. There is a great selection of 7mm bullets for this caliber, so the loads you can try are nearly endless.

[roverboy]

Well you said mid range and long action in post #14, so , its .30-06 for me. In short action its the ............ .308. Sorry.................

[DaveTN]

I wasn't expecting this to go short action 308. I was kind of more interested in the long action mid range calibers.

I'm confused.

[Ratfink]

I killed my first deer at 221 yards with a 30-06 when i was 12 and love the cartridge and ruger m77s that shoot it. It is by far my favorite general purpose cartridge.


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[Caster]

 
I've made an honest 400 yard kill on a whitetail buck with this rifle and cartridge. Although I'm just crazy about the old lever Savages and Savage calibers for nostalgia's sake, the 280 Remington is the one I take when I think the shot may be tough or extremely long.
 
The 280 isn't as widely available as the 270 or 30-06, and costs a bit more. I reload, however, so cost really isn't a concern. There is a great selection of 7mm bullets for this caliber, so the loads you can try are nearly endless.

Jesus dude, do you OWN an ugly gun? Lol

Seriously though, that 280 is very underrated and under appreciated. The .280 is a bad boy fer sure.

[tartanphantom]

7.62x54R.

Especially if it was made by burly, slightly bearded female Soviet factory workers somewhere between 1941 and 1956.

Good reliable stuff that lasts forever.

 

Edited November 9, 2013 by tartanphantom

[JohnC]

I'm confused.

 

Did I get it wrong? Is the .270 and 30-06 not mid-range calibers?

 

I thought the .223/5.56 and 7,62x51/.308 were the shorter range and the .270/30-06 were mid range while calibers like 300 win mag and 338 lapua were long range?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong. :up:

[dlm37015]

I like anything I can shoot and hit something downrange!
 
 
Right now I too fall in the .308 group, 30-06 close behind but I'm hoping that the 6.5 Grendel is going to be something I make my "go to" gun in the near future.
 
DLM, can you get IMR 8208-XBR????
I have several hundred pounds I am at the Tulsa gunshow though

[No_0ne]

7.62x54R.

Especially if it was made by burly, slightly bearded female Soviet factory workers somewhere between 1941 and 1956.

Good reliable stuff that lasts forever.

 

da, comrade!

[Wingshooter]

30-06 for me in a controlled-round-feed bolt rifle. My favorite that I own is a sporterized Rock Island Arsenal 1903 that I inherited from my grandfather. I hunt with it often, and it's a tack driver with a 3-9x40 Nikon Monarch scope. I handload 165gr Nosler AccuBonds for it, and the accuracy is superb. 30-06 is a versitite round, it can be found anywhere, is affordable and hammers deer. I have several deer hunting rifles in a few calibers, but I almost always grab an '06. Winchester 70 (FN) featherweight in '06 is a close second for the deer woods.