What's a good caliber?

[vwarren]

If coyotes and varmints are your goal, get a 22-250. Super flat shooting coyote exploder.

Foe show 22-250 is the way to go to blow up sum coy dogs!!!

 

[Tomfoolery]

I consider any caliber that will do what you need it to do and be readily available to be a "good" caliber. By all accounts the 6.5 Grendel is an outstanding intermediate rifle caliber, except you can't get it anywhere. Even from online vendors it isn't common. This kind of theme is repeated throughout the gun world (.41 magnum anyone???).

So we want availability as much as we want (in this case) long range accuracy. In the last 20 years we saw a massive drive out of 30-06 and into 308. The most common excuse for this was "well I can get 308 everywhere and 30-06 is harder to find" or "there are more rifles coming out that I prefer that use 308". Neither of those statements were false. However 308 is now one of the hardest calibers to get either off the shelf or online. It was over priced before the panic and now its gone full retard. Boxes and boxes of30-06 is sitting on the shelf at my local WalMart or Meijers........ just saying.

I am a fan of the 30-06. It'll do everything the 308 will do and more. While there are not as many options for double massive heavy triple fluted match bolt free floated anti gravity rifles for it I never needed any of that to strike steel at 500 yards with a 700 and some nice glass before either. Neither did anyone I know who shoots for that matter.

I say the sleeper hit today is 30-06. I would nominate 300 Win Mag and 8mm also but 300 Win Mag is not cheap by any standard and you gotta get yourself into a Cold War or earlier rifle for 8mm. Both are good choices but again the limitations. A 700 in 300WM is BA. A K98 with the right optics is still as deadly of a bolt gun as any out there and whoever says otherwise is an idiot.... and you're on a Mauser action which is preferable.

 

[Grelber]

270 - 308 - 30-06 is what I'm struggling with.
If I could find something wrong with any of them it would make things easier.

According to the last issue of "Gun Tests" magazine, a Mossberg 4x4 ($471 srp) and a Ruger American (449 srp) will both do sub 1 moa if you feed them with the right ammo (243 caliber guns tested). Moa guns at below 500 make it hard to resist the urge to buy one.

 

[Switch4169]

I do enjoy the 8mm round that my German Mauser kicks out... but the ammo is nowhere to be found. With that being said that's probably your best bet!!

 

[Mark-DuCo]

Mainly just for coyote and other varmint and some distance shooting

What is you definition of distance shooting? 200YDs? 500Yds? 1000Yds?

 

[XDLover]

Lots to go into it. Many farmers had the 22-250 for varment control on their property. The 30-06 is a solid round as well. The 300win mag is slightly overkill haha for anything in Indiana but a awesome round. Seems everyone has dove into the 308 koolaide.
The 7.62x54r is a good solid round a d by far the cheapest out there.
223Rem is solid and proven but with the AR market being so popular you can't find it cheap enough.

 

[huntall50]

I'd recommend a .270, you can still find ammo and it is flat shooting and hard hitting for your listed target and what ever else you may need to put your sights on.

 

[B6240]

I would go for .270 or .243 both are great rounds and prices are not crazy plus you can get both. I am thinking of getting a ruger american rifle in .270 myself.