If you could have just one high end rifle, what cartridge?

243ai. Just sold my 25-06ai a couple weeks ago after using it on 5 critters. 3 whitetail and 2 antelope from 80-460yds. The 243ai w/105s just beats the 25-06. I shot them side by side to 600 yards on steel and it's hard to beat the 6mm's BC advantage.
 
.257 Roberts is my all around , my goto my ride in the truck, deer gun, coyote gun.... never leaves the truck nless its on my shoulder
 
I'd have to go with one of the 6mm short/medium actions like 243, 243AI, 6mm, or 6mmAI. Depending on your twist you can get bullets from 55gr. to 115gr. in all different styles. I can't think of many animals on this continent I wouldn't try and take with one using the properly matched load. Recoil is mild, components popular, and like Brad said, those high BC 6mm bullets are hard to beat at a distance.
 
I'd say i love my 243
but I'm a elk hunter too
if you are not hunting elk the 243 will fill the bill
if i had just 1 rifle I'd have to get something with more down field knockdown
for coyotes out to 600 my 243 is just the ticket. its the only caliber i've killed coyotes at 600 with.
 
308 Winchester. Although I have other choices, for the past several years my 308 normally gets the call for both varmints and deer.
 
243ai gets my vote
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I agree with what everyone has written. I shoot and reload most of them. I love my 220 swift. It does the job but you want something with what I call “Universal”.
If I had to choose it would be the 7mm Remington Magnum.
I can load it light or set it on fire. It is great long range caliber. It will take any North American game. Everybody makes bullets for it, find a boat tail with a high BBC and you can go past that 600yd range. There are a lot of great hunting loads; you can buy off the shelf. When, I elk hunt I buy quality factory loads.


Read, Pejsa’s Handbook of New Precision Ballistics, by Arthur J. Pejsa. It is a good book to understand ballistics.
 
Quote: If forced to give them all up but one I would keep my 280.



Ahhh, the 280.
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Sweet round. And the 280AI is even sexier. Almost a 7mm mag and using ALOT less powder......
 
If I had one rifle to do everything, I would build a 7mm RM. If I had one rifle to do almost all of my shooting, I would build a .257 Weatherby. I recently had my coyote / prairie gun built and it is a .240 Weatherby that I really really like. I might put a lighter stock on it at some point. Here it is.


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