If you only could have one...

[FergusonTO35]

.30-30 for me, in a Marlin lever action with a compact scope. It will kill anything I could ever encounter with the right ammo. Long range performance is pretty much academic as I won't shoot at anything living beyond 200 yards. I have a 6.5 CM and like it very much, however many people report that barrel life is not as good as other cartridges. I load mine pretty modest so hopefully it will last a long time.

[jayjay1]

You can’t beat the old 30 06 for a wide spectrum of loads and ammo available at any general store that sells ammo.

General stores don´t sell ammo in the upcoming EUdSSR.
And the .30-06 is very rare over here and expensive, so I think she is out of the race for me.

After all your comments and thoughts (thanks for those) it helps me to clear out my opinion.

I think the 6.5 Creedmoor is a widely upcoming cartridge.
.308 brass is all over the place here, and sizing them is easy, and I´m sure that 6.5 CM cases will get more and more available.

Everything above the .308 Winchester is the overkill for any game in my environment, like I said, the European hogs are the biggest wildlife animals here.
And as the 6.5 Creedmoor has about the same datas like the 6.5 Swedish, where the Scandinavians hunt Elks with, I´m pretty sure the 6.5 CM will do anything I ever wish.
Aaaand ballistically it is superior to the .308 Winchester, aaaaaaaand it has less recoil which helps for longer shot sessions.

Finally, I think you see it coming, I don´t need more power and there is no argument - except you give me one - that would bring up the .308 above the 6.5.
So, from all of what you have told me here and what I´ve searched around beside this, I think the 6.5 Creedmoor will be "my" caliber.

Now there comes the next challenge, to find the right rifle in this caliber.

Actually I would choose something like the Savage Scout 110, but there is not one in 6.5 Creedmoor available.
https://www.savagearms.com/firearms/...-110/110-scout

But I hope you get the idea, kind of a "Jeff Cooper project".
Maybe he would have chosen the 6.5 Creedmoor above the .308 nowadays?
Who knows.

Does someone of you know such a rifle in 6.5 CM?

[Lloyd Smale]

another stick to what you can find and know opinion. For what your doing and the fact your a hanloader (or probably wouldn't be here) id stick with the 8x57. It will do anything the 308 can do and if you want to actually kill something with cast bullets the advantage of a larger diameter bullet. If you lived here id say go 308 or better yet 06. But if I lived in Germany id do what the Germans do!

[roverboy]

I can feel the heat already, but I would pick the 8 mm Mauser cartridge over the 308 or the 30-06. In fact, I have. Must be the German in me!

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Nothing at all wrong with the 8x57 mm.

[Dan Cash]

I am kind of old school in my choices so for "only one," my choice would be .30-06. Were I in Germany, It would likely be 7.92x57. Both are a little big for varmints and small deer but still big enough to kill about anything on earth. Either one will hit a man at 1000 meters or farther, brass life is excellent, cartridges are easy on gun bores and are easy to reload. Just my opinion.

[frogleg]

308W is a great all around cartridge even when you can have many. You can load it in many useful ways. And commercial abound in great quality. But I do like the 8X57 also if The components are easily obtainable.

[riffer]

General stores don´t sell ammo in the upcoming EUdSSR.
And the .30-06 is very rare over here and expensive, so I think she is out of the race for me.
l

Where in europe are you from?


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[DCM]

257Roberts or 260Rem. , Both are very accurate and can take Most north American game. Both can easily ring a gong at 600.

[Earlwb]

If you could only have one then it would be a .308 Win or a .30-06. Those are the most versatile calibers that there are out there. But if you are in Europe, it would be the most common caliber that is used there. The multi-caliber drillings used to be very popular in Europe and Germany especially. One gun to use as a shotgun, a big game rifle and a small game or varmint rifle. You could get a shotgun and use a barrel insert too.

[CSMR]

7.62 x 54 R

[charlie b]

I guess I did not know that you could form 6.5CM from .308 brass. I know the .260Rem was designed that way.

[dverna]

The .308 is not “modern”, but it remains accurate, effective, and components will always be affordable and easy to acquire. KISS