3 rifles to do it all

[8X56MS]

22/250
30-06
416 Rem mag
would cover things for me around the globe.

If I just stayed around here though, I would pick
.22 LR
30-30
7x57 Ackley

[TKO]

Well I'm not leaving North America so I don't need a cannon but here it is for what I like to hunt and shoot;

22lr = rabbits, and squirles
.243 = varmits, blacktail, antelope
7 RUM= Elk and Mule Deer, or anything else that gets in my way

[kutenay]

I would take a matched pair of CRF rifles (mine are old Mod. 70s) in .338 Win.-250 NP, with QD mounts and ghost-ring-post irons, with Leupy 1.75x6 HD scopes for about every thing worldwide.

For African hunting, I would add a custom .416 Rem. built on a Classic Mod. 70 with a Sunnyhill dropbox, Micky "Safari" stock and the above sighting/scope arrangement.

For everywhere else, I would drop the .416 and take my Merkel drilling in 12x12-9.3x74R, with custom ghost ring-post irons and QD mounts with 4x Leupy, this using 286 NPs.

[deermeister]

Only three, eh?

If I had the means to hunt worldwide:

1) 30.06

2) .416 Rem Mag

3) .470 Nitro (a double rifle, of course)

A man can dream, can't he?

[fabsroman]

I am surprised at how many people have picked the .375 h&h as their top caliber/cartridge gun. Now, I know most of us do not have immediate plans to hunt Africa or dangerous game in Africa or the Americas (e.g., grizzly), but if I had to pick three rifles today and those were the only three I could pick ever, I sure wouldn't want to limit my oppotunities at a later date should I win the lottery and be able to hunt in Africa.

My picks would be:

1) .220 Swift or .25-06
2) .300 RUM even though I currently have a .300 Win Mag that I love
3) .416 Rigby or .458 Win. I wouldn't want a .375 h&h if I were to hunt elephant, lion, leopard, cape buffalo, or grizzly. I think a .375 h&h is great for most African game, but when something I am hunting could possibly kill me, I want to make sure that I am carrying enough gun.

Since I reload, I could tailor some of the loads for the particular game being hunted.

[goldbelt]

first post here so hello to all. If I had only three choices it would have to be as follows: .30-06/.375 HH / 416 rigby.

[fabsroman]

Welcome to the board Goldbelt. I think you are one of the few on this thread that did not pick a .22 caliber cartridge on the small end. I wonder what life would be like if the gov't restricted us to three rifles during our lifetime? Never mind, I know it would suck.

[kutenay]

I have owned/used six different .375 H&H rifles since I bought my first one in '82. This was my primary caliber, loaded with 285 GS and 300 NPs over IMR-4350, while working in very remote Grizzly country here in western Canada. I worked alone and was in places where air medevac was often not possible, due to weather and I did this sort of work from 1965-1993.

Based on that and the various guns I and many of my colleagues used and still do ( I retired at 55 a few years ago), I would NOT bother with a larger caliber than the .375 H&H for dealing with Grizzlies; in fact, I currently use two lever action .45-70s with hotloaded Swift A-Frames and Kodiaks for this purpose.

I have shot .458 Win. and .416 Rem. rifles and the weight necessary to keep the recoil within manageable levels makes these rifles simply too heavy to pack all day in typical Grizzly habitat; the rifle, in this situation, belongs in your hands, not on a sling. Actually, I prefer my .338 Win. rifles to my single, remaining .375 for this very reason and I used Browning Safari and P-64 Mod. 70 rifles in .30-06 for years without any problem, as did many of the oldtimers I worked with.

Elephant rifles have their place, but, unless you can shoot your big boomers regularly, I think that the recoil makes them inefficient for most hunters and the .375 H&H WILL stop a Grizzly up close without major fuss, even it kicks pretty hard.

[Duffy]

Leaving out the .22 LR, my picks would be:

1) .243
2) .30/06
3) .416 (but I doubt I'd ever have the opportunity to use it)

[Headhunter]

223

280

375 H&H

Let the chips fall where they may.

Headhunter

[REA]

.22 long rifle

30/06 Springfield

.375 H&H

[Andy L]

223
30-06
416

[DON WALKUP]

22 cal centerfire (any of them)

.308 winchester

12ga 870 remington with rifled slug & smoothbore barrels

got 'em all already...don't need any more

if i can't kill it with one of those...it is armored and on tracks...

[grayghost]

.223
.280
.416 (Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo only) otherwise .375 (Lion/Brown Bears)

[ammoman16]

.223 or .22-250
.300 Win Mag
.416 Rem