Versatile Hunting Guns

An old west saying was: "Be careful of the man who only has one gun, he likely knows how to use it." There is still a bit of truth in that.

Few today would consider limiting themselves this much. Maybe we have more money, or we spend more money. Many of us just love guns. It is still good to think about how versatile the different hunting guns may be.

Some of today's guns are extremely versatile, those with interchangeable barrels come to mind. Many repeating shotguns, the TC Contender, TC Encore, and others.

50 years ago most gun writers picked the .30-06 as the most versatile caliber for all big game in North America. I believe most would still choose the 06, and we'll use it as a starting point.

The 06 can shoot bullets from lightly constructed ones of around 100 grains to heavily constructed ones over 200 grains. It has enough powder capacity to push even the heavy bullets at a good speed. Yet! It won't tear your shoulder loose with recoil even when fired from a moderate weight rifle.

You could potentially shoot everything from prairie dogs to polar bear with the .30-06. But! I could write another page on all the pitfalls of doing this.

This is my 40+ year old M70 .243 bolt action. It's only pretty to me.

For a long time the bolt action has been the most popular rifle action for hunters. This is not likely to change in the near future.

The bullet is always the most important single component, and when you change bullets, or loads, you will need to sight in your rifle again. That's a good excuse to buy more hunting guns.

I think of the .30 caliber as the middle of the middle in rifles.
I also consider elk to be the middle of North American's big game. If what you hunt is always smaller than elk, you can hunt everything with a smaller caliber. A .30 caliber may be more gun than you need.

Hunting guns of .30 caliber are certainly on the "big" side for varmint hunting. The fast .22 calibers are often the first choice for varmints, but they are not highly recommended or even legal in many places for big game.

A .243 / 6 mm., .257, .25-06, .260. can do the job if you hunt only deer size game. You'll need to use the heavier tougher bullets for deer. That means you'll need to sight-in again if your switching from light varmint bullets.

For hunting elk I would not choose any .24, .25, or .26 caliber, but with heavier tougher bullets and limited range it could work. Neither would I choose a .270 for varmint hunting, but with the lightest most fragile bullets that could work also.

The .270, a great caliber, hard to beat for much North American hunting. Jack O'Connor's favorite for elk, sheep, deer... The .270 would not be a first choice for moose, grizzly, or polar bear hunting.

An elk hunter who goes on a once in a lifetime moose or big bear hunt could carefully use his .270, .280/7mm with heavy tough bullets. I know big animals have been taken with much less gun, but it's not a great plan.

I haven't mentioned magnum calibers, because they confuse things.
A magnum is supposed to mean that it is more, or better... more gun sales, in my opinion.

After saying that, for the big bears, or moose, something like a .338 mag. and 250 grain bullets might be a great combination. A bear hunting guide may want something even bigger; thinking of emergency stopping power. But we're talking about being versatile here, and that combination is too much gun for most uses.

A magnum will often push a bullet a little faster, which means flatter shooting (good), more energy (good; especially for moose & bear), more range (not a great idea), more recoil and more gun weight, (not good)... Good hunters seldom need a magnum hunting gun in my opinion.

It's not easy to hunt birds or small game with a .30-06. The shotgun is truly 'the' most versatile hunting gun. Add extra slug barrel, and you could hunt varmints, deer, and black bear. Maybe bigger game if you are really bold. Within it's more limited range a slug shooting shotgun could really do it all.

I never forget bow-hunting , my first choice today. The bow works by cutting, and it can take anything that walks, swims, or flies within its limited range. You can even hunt some flying birds with a traditional bow, just don't count on having many for dinner.

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