Years ago, when I was trying to figure out what rifle I wanted to get for my boys to use for hunting, I went down the rabbit hole of rifle calibers. What was the best caliber to get for them that would be good for everything from antelope to elk? It would have to be powerful enough to knock down the bigger critters, but not so big that it would turn an antelope into liquid. On top of that, I didn’t want it to be something that would clobber them every time they pulled the trigger. I wanted something they wouldn’t mind practicing with, so they’d be proficient with it when they went out hunting.
My solution might not be the same choice for everyone. But it made sense to me, and it seemed to work for my boys, so even though it might be different than your idea, it was the correct one for us, which is all that really matters. I ended up with a .30-06, and we used lighter loads for practice and for antelope, a bit heavier load for deer, and the heaviest we could get for elk. That seemed to work just fine.
As time went on, though, and the boys got to be better shots and started shooting my other rifles, they ended up borrowing different rifles for different game. They both liked the single-shot .25-06 for antelope and deer, and they preferred the .300 Win Mag for elk.
But now they’re both back to the same debate I had that started it all. They’re just getting started on their own, and they don’t have the luxury of having a large collection of rifles to choose from. They’re both looking for one rifle that can do it all.
I’m interested to see what they decide on. I have a feeling they might end up with .30-06es, or maybe one of the relatively newer calibers like the 6.8 Western. I just hope they remember I let them borrow my rifles from time to time, and I’d love it if they return the favor now and then.
