What is a good universal hunting rifle?!?

[Medic624]

Ive never been hunting and I'm looking to do some deer, hog, etc...and would like to buy one rifle that is decent (not perfect) for multiple types of game and locations.

I am familiar with the M4 platform and thinking maybe an AR10 for the 7.62 ballistics and familiarity ...

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

[sookandy]

I'd guess it depends on what you want to spend. For hogs and deer I got an ATR 100 in .308. $300 plus another $200 for a scope. Works for me. One shot and one red stag doe so far.

[McKnife]

If I was in the hunting/tactical/target rifle, I'd choose .308.

If this is specifically for hunting, I'd choose 30-06. It can take anything in North America and is probably the most popular caliber for hunting.

[Medic624]

I'd guess it depends on what you want to spend. For hogs and deer I got an ATR 100 in .308. $300 plus another $200 for a scope. Works for me. One shot and one red stag doe so far.

Well, seeing as I'm looking more along the lines of .308 $500 seems like a decent and doable amount...

[A-R]

I'm no expert, have only hunted once, but ended up buying a Savage .308 bolt-action. I like the "accu-stock" and "accu-trigger"

Agree .308 and 30.06 are most universal choices. .270 also popular for most hunting in Texas.

[The Mad Moderate]

I like my Mossberg .270 bolt action, I've used it in deer hunts and hog hunts. Its a great rifle accurate as the hands that hold it. Its a relatively cheap gun but the quality is there, it goes bang every time I pulled the trigger.

[MadMonkey]

SKS in 7.62X39 or Saiga in .308?

Depends on magazine limitations too, I guess...

[CC Italian]

Honestly in Texas there is nothing you can't drop with a .30 .30. I hear there is a limited population of black bears in far west Texas and a buddy told me supposedly a few closer to the Louisiana border but I leave Smokey alone. .30 .30 is cheap to. Drops mule deer and hogs easily. If you plan to go to northern states a 30.06 is a great choice, the ammo is still relatively affordable. Buddy hunts moose with 300 win. mag if that helps any but unless your going after moose, elk, bear etc. I wouldn't bother with anything bigger then 30.06.

If you want a lever get a .30 .30, if you want a semi-auto get a .308 and 30.06 go bolt. Just my 2 cents.

My girl’s brother swears by the 7mm but I think it is unnecessary for most game and ammo is not cheap. Seems to be everybody I know has gotten one the last 4-5 years.

[G.A. Heath]

My $0.02 worth:
6.8SPC, 7.62x39 and .30-30 works ok for deer, most hogs, and anything smaller.
.270, .308, and .30-06 will work for just about anything in the contiguous United States, For dealing with bear I would want something in .30 caliber or larger, preferably with the word magnum in the name.

Thinking about North America keep in mind that magnum rounds are going to punish you for using them on anything that won't eat you, small cats and K9s will get you punished as well, even then you will still feel it. Some folks will tell you that anything will work with proper shot placement, but lets face it a .22lr can do the job with excellent shot placement however that isn't humane and probably isn't legal in many states. The 6.8, 7.62x39, and the .30-30 are designed for carbine length guns (20 inch barrels or less). The .270, .308, and .30-06 are designed for rifle length guns (barrels over 20 inches). Carbines are well suited for work in and around brush (think stalking your prey) while rifle length guns are better suited for work from a stand or other fixed position. Each caliber has it's own recoil profile and everyone thinks of them differently. My favorite rifle caliber is .270 but many people do not like it's recoil. In .30 cal I prefer the .308, but when it comes to carbines I prefer the 6.8 followed by 7.62x39. I suggest you decide if a carbine or rifle best suits your needs, then look at ammo prices/availability. If you get a chance shoot something similar to what you want before you buy so you can get an idea of what the recoil is like.

Find the best trigger you can, even if you have to get an aftermarket trigger. My Winchester Model 70 has a great trigger from the factory and will fire as soon as the trigger moves. There is no slack, take up, or creep in that trigger which puts it miles ahead of many other factory triggers in my opinion. Finally if you are going to use optics, buy good optics and mounts. If you go cheap on the Scope, rings, and/or bases you will be spending that money again.

[texanron]

Get a .30-06 and you can drop anything you would want to hunt in North America.

[texasmusic]

If it's worth needing a kill in one shot, It's worth killing with a 30-06. It's the end all in standard caliber hunting rounds as far as i'm concerned. I have other caliber's but I hunt mostly with my 30-06, I have in betweens for smaller game such as coon but like I said, when I need one shot confidence It's what i go for.

[jason237m]

+1 on the 30-06

I would suggest a Remington 700. It is decent right out of the box and everyone (and their brother) makes after-market parts to trick up your rifle in the future.

[Purplehood]

The best Universal hunting rifle is a Heavy Pulse Rifle. A Flechette-gun is useless against Aliens with an Armored Carapace.

[WildBill]

+1 on the 30-06

I would suggest a Remington 700. It is decent right out of the box and everyone (and their brother) makes after-market parts to trick up your rifle in the future.

Or in .308 Winchester which will shoot 7.62 x 52mm NATO. That's what I have.

[Salty1]

I recently faced the same dilemma, I wanted another Marlin 30-30 lever gun (sold mine years ago, big mistake) so I purchased one with a Bushnell scope, figuring this would be good for almost anything within 150 yards and what would I need a higher caliber for. The first time on a friends deer lease I spotted a big buck roughly 400 yards away, I scoped him and decided that was too far of a shot for a 30-30, did not want to wound it and have it run off and die a mile away.

I was invited to go elk hunting this year in Colorado, now my wonderful lever gun would not work even if the elk came within 100 yards. After a lot of research I settled on a Tikka 30-06, synthetic and stainless figuring it would take any animal in North America and should be accurate out to 400 plus yards with excellent ballistics and still retain the power necessary for a kill. The plus is that the 30-06 is very popular and ammo can be found almost anywhere, even in remote locations should the need arise. Below is a link that I have found to be very informative and useful.

http://elkhunter2.tripod.com/rifle.html