Best caliber for mainly deer, the occasional hog, coyote and hopefully one day an Elk and just for shooting targets and steel for fun……
What does everyone recommend??
The one ring to rule them all…
I know from experience that if you’re going to opportunity Coyote hunt, any round .223+ will do. I shot my first while white tail hunting with my 30-06 as my lease had an unwritten policy that every hunt became a Coyot hunt if one showed. But, if you’re going for Coyote specifically, then you’re going to have trouble ranging from Coyote to Elk. Coyote to WT is easy enough and WT to Elk is easy enough.
Maybe 6.5 PRC, 7 PRC, 6.8 Western. Maybe the 7mm 08
If it we me, I would choose 2 rifles: 22 Creedmor and 7PRC
Good luck
I agree with Ben that the jump from coyote to elk is very difficult for one cartridge. The only one that comes to mind that would be a decent choice would be a 308…a little on the heavy side for coyotes and a little bit on the light side for elk. The versatility of the 308 is that you could use 110 grain projectiles for the coyotes, 150 grain for WT, and the heaviest that the guns twist rate can handle (200+) for elk. The elk would definitely have to be in the “older traditional” ranges, but it can be done.
I would, again like Ben, suggest a pair of rifles…one in a 6mm, like the 6 ARC, and then one in a larger caliber for elk. I have a .243 Win and a 6mm Remington that I have taken everything available in Texas with and they are fun to shoot both hunting and at the range. I have thought very seriously about building a 6 ARC in a bolt gun but just haven’t yet. I have a 7mm Remington Magnum that I have used for the bigger animals including South African Plains Game.
Just my 2 cents worth
If we include elk, I’d probably say 6.5 PRC since the elk is the tiniest portion of the need.
If we cut out elk, 6.5 creedmoor, 308, 22 creedmoor, 6 creedmoor, and 243 are all coming to mind.
What if we throw out coyotes and elk? Is the 6.5cm effective enough on Deer sized game? I know I know I know anything hitting in the right spot will kill anything, but is it a great choice or not so much?
So are you giving up on the 7 PRC since the Hornady fiasco?
I have killed a 450 lb feral boar in Texas at 500 yards with a 6.5 Creedmoor shooting a Hornady CX projectile. One shot…dropped, so I think you are on the right track!
I think that a 6.5 Creedmoor would be a good choice…possibly (after watching Jim’s video) even if you left the coyote and elk in the mix.
What video are you taking about id like to see ?
No, just don’t really think it’d be necessary to take that much recoil/ammo cost for this scenario.
It’s on the Backfire YouTube channel and it’s called “The lies go deeper than I thought…” at 10:20 Jim talks about the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 6.5 PRC
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6.5 CM will be excellent on deer sized game with good bullet selection and at typical hunting distances.
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