What is the smallest hunting caliber, that is able to take all big game animals on Earth?

like if you were going on a hunting trip for every big game animal on the Earth, what would be the smallest rifle caliber you would draw the line at and why?



Remember you want your game to be trophy worthy, so you wouldn't want a big hole in your smaller big game, but you don't want a pissed off bull elephant charging you with a .22 hole in its body.What is the smallest hunting caliber, that is able to take all big game animals on Earth?30-06 would definitely be the were the line would be drawn for all big game animals. IF you can shoot! 30-06 is versatile and travels perfectly. Hit any creature on this planet with a high grain 30-06 in the vitals and it will die.What is the smallest hunting caliber, that is able to take all big game animals on Earth?
For a really, really long time, the quintescential caliber for at least American big game was the 30.-06. Considering that went all the way up to Kodiak Brown Bears, that's a pretty good size animal. In reading things from some African PH's and talking to a few of them at trade shows and such, there seems to be some commonality of opinion that they would prefer the smallest thing someone comes out to Africa with is on the order of a .375 H%26amp;H. Certainly, though, all the different African game animals have been taken with rounds lower in power than that.



I'm certainly not a dangerous game hunter by any means, so this is passed on, not experienced, but given the load options available these days, I'd probably feel pretty confident with a 30.-06 for 90% or more of what I might find, I probably wouldn't go any smaller than that. If I really were in the league of needing something I could use all the way up to something like water buffalo, Then I'd be looking for something that gave me the option of throwing a pretty heavy slug, so at least a .375 H%26amp;H or a dangerous game caliber with a 4 in the front.



ThinkingbladeWhat is the smallest hunting caliber, that is able to take all big game animals on Earth?I stand behind my mosin nagant and its moderate-power 7.62x54r caliber.
its just right for a variety of north american game, and if you're allowed to use standard ball ammunition (rather than hunting ammo) you'll be able to take down large, thick-skinned game too. it certainly has more than enough penetration, some 18 inches of flesh penetration to take down just about any large game.

but maybe not an elephant though, that's a bit of a stretch.

with chamber adapters I can shoot lesser cartridges such as .32 pistol and 30 carbine for smaller game.
an adapter for .327 Federal Magnum, which will also accommodate lesser rounds such as: .32 H%26amp;R Magnum, .32 S%26amp;W Long, .32 S%26amp;W, .32 ACP. an adapter for .30 Carbine gives me just the right amount of power for game such as a coyote.
Marcus,



Taxidermists have needles and they have thread. They can sew up bullet holes.



It is much better for a taxidermist to have to sew up a big bullet hole that is would be for your hunting guide to have to bring you home in a couple of five gallon buckets.



John Taylor addressed this very topic in his famous book "African Cartridges and Rifles." Taylor was of the opinion that if a fellow had a rifle in .375 H%26amp;H Magnum he had a one gun battery that could take any game on earth. However things have changed since Taylor's day. A number of countries have a .40 caliber minimum for hunting dangerous game, especially elephant. With that in mind, I'd say that the .416 Rigby would make the perfect one gun battery for the globe-trotting sportsman.



Granted it is more than any one would ever need hunting skinny-a$$ed Southern Whitetail deer, but it packs enough punch to hammer Cape Buffalo, lion, and elephant with great authority.



Doc HudsonWhat is the smallest hunting caliber, that is able to take all big game animals on Earth?So far there has only been one caliber of ammo that has taken every large game on this planet at one time or another- from Elephant to Polar Bear, and everything else.



That caliber has been the Arrow. There is no land animal on this planet that has not been killed by a bow and arrow at one time or another. Just some food for thought. Let the thumbs down begin!What is the smallest hunting caliber, that is able to take all big game animals on Earth?
The reason so many different calibers are produced is because there is no one size that fits all. Limiting yourself to one caliber is a ludicrous idea.... it's not how real life works. If you think I'm saying this is a dumb question... well, you would be right.
I personally wouldn't want to go smaller than one of the 416's, though there are plenty of people who'd be happy with a 375.What is the smallest hunting caliber, that is able to take all big game animals on Earth?
416 Rigby
I understand the question but suggest that it is not a realistic question. Here's what I mean. If you are financially able to hunt "every big game animal on the Earth" then you can afford to purchase more than one rifle. The cost of the rifle is probably the smallest expense of a hunting trip. For example, if you wanted to shoot the Marco Polo Sheep in the Himalayas you want a flat-shooting rifle that will reach out a long distance, say 300 yards or so, and kill the sheep at such a distance. If you were shooting a Cape Buffalo you would want a heavy bullet that will smash through massive amounts of bone and horn and deliver massive tissue destruction. For that you don't want to use the same rifle and caliber you use for the sheep. Then if you want to shoot an American antelope you want a light bullet at high velocity, again for long range, but you don't need as heavy a bullet as you would use for the sheep. If you want a moose, you might want something in between. I've hunted grizzly in Alaska, moose in Alaska and British Columbia, plains antelope in Africa and the USA, deer, caribou and elk in the USA (lower 48). I've used a .375 H %26amp; H (grizzly, moose and elk and African Antelope), a .300 Weatherby Magnum (elk and caribou and moose), a 7mm Rem Mag (caribou, deer, African antelope and American antelope), a .264 Win Mag (antelope in Montana, deer in California). Now, over the years my favorite caliber became the .375 H %26amp; H mag. I handload so that gave me tremendous variety and I had a custom made rifle which was extremely accurate. Also I practice a lot and the recoil didn't bother me (though I freely admit it kicks like hell). So, if you asked for a recommendation for just one gun, I'd vote for the .375...but that's not a realistic approach. Also, I wouldn't (and didn't) begin with the .375. I'd start with something like the 7mm Rem Mag, hunt most big game in the USA and when I was ready for grizzly I'd get the .375. Just one man's opinion.
I wouldn't start out after big game with anything less than a .50.

Maybe a .670 Weatherby. I'm not really interested in hunting anything _that_ large. I usually go after cans.