This is a complicated question to answer. There are a number of factors to take into account.
First and foremost, the size of the animal. You reliably kill a bear with .22. Conversely, you cant kill a prairie dog with a .50 and have anything left over to show for it.
Secondly, the range at which you intend to engage a target. Although a .22 will kill a rabbit if you hit it, it is limited to within 140 meters. If you are engaging small game at distance, perhaps you should go for a .17HMR or the like.
All Things Considered:
.30-06 is definitely the most popular hunting round in the United States. .30-06 is on wild game, such as Dear and Antelope. Also, the rounds are cheap and easy to find. the most popular -and in my experience most reliable- gun in this caliber is the Remington 700.
My preferred round for hunting is the .270 Winchester. The .270 is one of the most versatile hunting rounds in popular use today. It is just as capable of dropping a dear as a polar bear. Slightly more expensive and slightly harder to find but you can still get them at most any Big5's in CONUS. The best .270 rifle (IMHO) is the Winchester Model 70.
If you are planning on becoming a hunter I would suggest researching the type of animals you would be, most likely, hunting in your area and find a gun that is effective on the majority of them.
A .270 short mag (magnum) is the best gun for hunting all types of animals from my own experience and from the experiences of a variety of people who I am close friends or relations with here in Montana. The kick is not too bad, the range is very good (I am extremely confident for shots within 300 yards and would reliably take a shot within 400 yards; my father uses it up to and beyond 500 yards), and the caliber is big enough to reasonably put down a bear or elk without merely wounding the animal. You could even try hunting moose with it depending on the gender and specific area you are hunting in. That said it is an excellent deer or antelope rifle from my experience. |
