Best All Around

[runfiverun]

all around to me means squirells through moose
and paper included.
so it would have to be a 35 cal rifle.
either the 358 win,358x57, or the whelen.
i'd go with the x57 with a 14 twist and a 4x16 scope, then i could sling boolits/bullets from 85 grs to 250 grs.
from 900 fps through 2500 or more fps,
that better cover everything.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
As much as I favor caliber 41 mag I will have to say my choice is 45-70. I can load round ball for mouse loads and a 450 grainer for anything walking this planet. $5 Colt would be second but I would hessitate about hunting Water Buffs and Packy-Derms with it.. not that I will get the opportunity soon. But 45 Colt will do anything the old BP 45-70 loadas did and they did it all handsomely. But that 45-70 450 grainer at 1700 fps + is going to handle anything out there.
MIke in Peru

[northmn]

All around depends on conditions. For me the 35 Remington or 30-30 is as good as any. I tend to shy away from pistol cartridges as they start to fizzle at longer ranges. Saying that, the 300 Savage cartridge is hard to beat. I have an old 300 Savage, but shoot left handed and do not like the safety or the trigger pull, but I made one of the prettiest shots on a deer with it, snaking the bullet through an opening in brush at over 100 yards. My daughter has shot a few deer with a 300 Savage bolt action and it has performed quite well. My son and I ahve taken a few deer with the old 303 Brit whcih is a similar cartridge. One of the beauties of the caliber is that plain old bullets work well and there is little need to buy the more expensive ones that are designed to hold together at magnum velocites. As the 308 Marlin is a similar cartridge and using the plastic tipped bullets would give similar performance.
With cast bullets only, the 30-30 is very economical, as much so as any pistol cartridge as 30 cal molds are in abundance. I can load a 150 Lee flatnose down to squirrel velocities and up to factory deer killers. For jacketed I would go with a 300 Savage, but for cast only the 30-30 would win hands down.

DP

[Slam'n Salmon]

All round would need to include larger than deer use so I lean more to a 356win or 38/55 in a Marlin so you can load warmer when needed

[Bullet Caster]

I guess since I only own one lever action, it would have to be a Winchester mod 94AE chambered in .45 Colt. It's a handy little carbine and a good shooter. So my vote goes to a Win mod 94; however, since I love large caliber rifles, my next purchase in a lever gun will definitely be a 45-70. I love shooting black out of the .45 calibers. BC

[Catshooter]

lonegun,

I have heard of some having troubles with the 45 Colt in the 94. But both of mine work well and are extremly accurate.

I truth, the 38-55 is more all-around that the Colt. Round ball to elk loads. Hard to equal in a seven pound flat rifle.


Cat

[JDL]

I like 'em all but, my favorite has to be the 99 chambered for .300 Savage. I killed my first deer with cast boolits back in 1977 with mine and it's scored several since. Just this morning, I went to the range to resight mine as I had removed the scope and mounts a couple of months ago and decided to remount them. I set my target at 50 yards, fired one of my 165 grain flat nose boolits, and looked through the scope to see it had cut the X ring. So then I took my target to 100 yards and fired 3 more. They fell right in with the first one making a 4 shot .73" group. No, it won't do that good all the time but, it does it often enough to make it interesting.

[onlybrowning]

Oh man, I love the .358 win in a BLR! Here's mine. It's a SHOT show gun never catalogued by Browning. Not exactly conventional, but I like hunting tools for hunting.

[wrench man]

Haven't shot my 356 yet so I'll just have to fall back n the 35 Remington.