Favorite Caliber?

[Swamprunner]

.280

[surehuntsalot]

the rifle I pick up for 99% of all my hunting is my Ruger in 7mm Mauser with 140gr bullets,no need for anything else

[coyotetrpr]

a good friend of mine would swear by the 264 win mag for deer

[fitter]

300win or 7mm mag 

[catrancher]

Lots of great suggestions, I understand wanting something else but I don't think there is a better all around caliber in the woods.  Good ballastics, every gun manufacturer produces it, bullets anywhere bullets are sold, and it has killed everything in North America (just ask Jack O'Connor).  Old saying -- "beware the man who has one gun, he is liable to know how to use it!"

[catrancher]

270 win that is

[Woodsman4God]

Unless you are taking long shots a 35 remington lever action is a sweet little rifle, you can take just about anything on this continent with it if you are within 150 yards, the hornady lever evolution ammo is a big help on this. I love the one I inherited. On top of the fact that it really doesnt recoil anymore than my 270.

I also have a 270 and feel the 35 remington is a great compliment to it. If not I was actually thining personally one of the new lever .308's by Marlin as another option.

[pullit]

260

[offshore]

7 mag or 308. Steyr

[MossRem]

I used to hunt with (and take deer with) fairly powerful shotshells and rifle cartridges, but I guess I'm taking an interest in smaller, lighter guns.
The thought of shimmying up a tree with, say, a .30/06, Weatherby .270 Win, or 7mm magnum (as I have in the past) just isn't as appealing as it once was to me.
The places I've been able to hunt at in the past few years offered me few shots longer than 75 yards in any direction. I'd just rather use a short, small, light recoil carbine in .243, .30/30, or 7.62x39 to hunt with, but that's just me.

[RutnNStrutn]

I've hunted with a .30-06 for many years. Its not overpowering for southern whitetails that I mainly hunt, but it is big enough to go out west or up north for large white tails and mulies. It can even take down an elk, though I'd prefer a larger round for that. Its good for up close or out far. Just a great all purpose round. Another big plus is the popularity is so great that find ammo isn't hard.

[RutnNStrutn]

Then again, this question is kind of like asking 100 people who their favorite football team is.

[bbcoach]

I love my 270 but my next rifle will be the 300 win mag

[omegafoo]

My favorite is my 25-06 with my custom handloaded Barnes TSX 115gr bullets. But, considering you want to stay away from the 30-06 casing, I'd probably look at either the 257 Wby Mag, my dream gun, or one of the WSMs, probably the 270 WSM or maybe even the .25 WSSM.

Can you tell I like the .25 cal

[teke]

Been thinking the same thing.Think if I were to get a knew one today I would like to try .264 Win Mag in a model 70 of course..