Most efficient single shot round?

[Copper75]

+1 for 300 BLK

load light subs for small game or heavy for deer, etc. out to 400 yards.

[rockrat]

I would go with 357max or 30-30 second. In my Ruger #1 357max, I can get some amazing speeds out of some loads. 2100fps out of a 200gr 35-200 boolit.

[quilbilly]

it would be a tossup between the 7mm TCU and the 357 max

[357maximum]

357MAX = 2100FPS+ with a 180 grainer and 22.5 grains of VHit N-120 out of a 15 inch "pistol" barrel won that contest for me here in (barely) Southern Michigan.

I only have to travel 3/4 mile north to use the great and efficient little 7MM-TCU 21 inch carbine though.

[Outpost75]

Great thread! I have enjoyed reading this, and have owned insingle-shots in most of the calibers mentioned, and hunted with them enough to form some opinions.

In Eastern woodlands where there are no predators large enough to eat you, and there is little need to shoot game larger than deer, the .357 Mag., .44 Mag. and. 30-30 are all good choices.

In bear, moose and elk country .44 Mag. or. 30-30 are marginal, and you must generally limit shots to 100-150 yards.

In open country where shots are likely to exceed 200 yards, and where elk or moose size game can be expected to be routine, the .303 British or 7.62x54R Russian are about ideal. The 180-grain factory loads are suitable for any North American game. Surplus ammo is a plus. The 30-30 is a passable substitute only because it is so common.

A sturdy single shot. 303, though, is hard to beat. In a strong action like a Greener-Martini or Ruger, that would be grand!

[Outpost75]

But reality rearing its ugly head, in an off the shelf rifle best bet is a Ruger No.1 in either. 30-'06, .270, 7mm Mag., .300 Mag. or. 375 H&H. Any of these will do the work.

[pressonregardless]

From the standpoint of the cast bullet reloader, there is very little difference between the .30-30 and the .308.

That's what I was thinking.

[wolfe28]

I would go with 357max or 30-30 second. In my Ruger #1 357max, I can get some amazing speeds out of some loads. 2100fps out of a 200gr 35-200 boolit.

Care to share that 357 max load? I've been trying to work up a combination like that for my contender.

D

[Texantothecore]

Flintlocks are quite efficient. No brass, no primers. You can shoot them at boresize or multiple patch them to a smaller size, possibly much smaller.

Cartridges would be .308 and .357. Both shoot roundball quite well with very little powder and IIRC the rounball weighs about 45 grns for the .308 and 60 grns or so for the .357. Extremely efficient. Cheap shooting while not giving up your ability to take a deer.

My own favorites are all straight wall cases because they do well with black powder and if you neck size only, the brass will last forever. My .45-70 can be used with a 405 grn bullet as the standard load, 300 grn for deer, and 144 grn roundball for rabbits at 450 per second and apparently it can be used as a shotgun. Very efficient if you like owning one platform which functions as three or more different guns.

[gnoahhh]

My vote for a solution to the OP's premise would be the .357 Maximum too. But, if I were building yet another single shot strictly for Eastern woodlands deer hunting it would be a .30/30. Not as efficient as the Max per the OP's guidelines, but more versatile IMO. To combine deer-'friendly' with the potential for bigger game, I would opt for the .30/40 Krag or .303 British. In fact if I could (gasp!) have just one single shot for everything, it would be one of those two- preferably in a Winchester HiWall but I wouldn't turn down a large Martini (if not a Hagn or Blaser).

[hardy]

My vote for a solution to the OP's premise would be the .357 Maximum too. But, if I were building yet another single shot strictly for Eastern woodlands deer hunting it would be a .30/30. Not as efficient as the Max per the OP's guidelines, but more versatile IMO. To combine deer-'friendly' with the potential for bigger game, I would opt for the .30/40 Krag or .303 British. In fact if I could (gasp!) have just one single shot for everything, it would be one of those two- preferably in a Winchester HiWall but I wouldn't turn down a large Martini (if not a Hagn or Blaser).

Yup,a large Martini sounds good about now,followed by several more! LOL Mike

[Boneguru]

.375 JDJ .444 necked down to .375, in 1984 it was credited with taking every game animal in the world to include african elephant.
doesn't leave much in the usable realm for the ground squirrels....
great set-up on an Encore in 24", brass is easy to aquire and the range of bullets isnt too bad, but by casting you can really strech out the functionality
Ray

[.45Cole]

I surmise you planned on a giant cartridge debate, but the bait tastes too good.
32-20- a pinch of powder (black or smokeless) and 100gr of lead. Will take tons of things, and can be loaded to a .22 rifle report.

[wtfooptimax200]

This topic is awesome. I don't have a horse in this race, but plan to some day. In the time I've spent pondering I'd say if it were me I'd go the 357 max route. I have no real world experience to back it up, but I when I get one I will be a very happy camper!

[DIRT Farmer]

My vote is a smooth bore flint trade gun in 28 ga/ 54 cal. With pratice good for big game to 100 yds loaded with shot small game, and bismuth, water foul. You can make your own powder amd flints.

You could become a one gun hunter.

[wolfe28]

I surmise you planned on a giant cartridge debate, but the bait tastes too good.
32-20- a pinch of powder (black or smokeless) and 100gr of lead. Will take tons of things, and can be loaded to a .22 rifle report.

Honestly, I was really just curious what everybody thought. I'm in the 357 mag-max camp, because my contender will shoot both. I've also considered the 32 caliber range for the same reasons. The problem with the 32's is that they aren't legal in many states (particularly Indiana, where I am).

I appreciate all the responses.

D

[Artful]

Good evening;

Just because I'm curious, what do you think the most efficient round for a single shot is?

By efficient, I mean:

legal for at least deer sized game in most states (although being able to be used for a variety of game would be a plus),

and uses the least amount of powder and lead.

For me, I would probably vote for a 357 magnum (you are welcome to disagree). 158-200g for deer, 125g for small game, and reasonable velocities with 12-18g of powder.

Okay, fire away.

D

Well, you made a good choice as far as efficiency goes but as far as legal to hunt deer with that may be a different question....

Here's a list from 2008 I found
Over half the states and provinces allow .22 caliber centerfires for big game hunting.
http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whit...ers-state.html

Alabama- centerfire
Alaska- centerfire
Alberta- .23 and up centerfire
Arizona- centerfire
Arkansas- .22 and up centerfire
California- centerfire
Colorado- .24 and up, 70grn or larger bullet/ minimum of 1000ft/lbs at 100 yards
Connecticut- .243 and up if legal in your area
Delaware- shotgun/muzzle loader
Florida- centerfire
Georgia- .22 and up centerfire
Hawaii- Any rifle with at least 1200 ft/lbs of ME. This would start at around .223 I think
Idaho- Centerfire (cannot weigh more than 16 lbs?)
Illinois- Shotgun/ML/Pistol only
Indiana- Rifles with pistol calibers/shotgun/ML/Pistols
Iowa- .24 or larger centerfire only for antlerless season in part of the state.
Kansas- .23 or larger centerfire (actually says larger than .23 so maybe .24 is the mininum)
kentucky- centerfire
Louisiana- .22 and up centerfire
Maine- .22 magnum rimfire and up!
Manitoba- Centerfire, but it says .23 and below not recommended. Does not say illegal though.
Maryland- ME of at least 1200 ft/lbs
Mass- Shotgun/ML
Michigan- centerfire in certain areas
Minnesota- .24 and up centerfire
Mississippi- No restrictions that I could find
Missouri- centerfire
Montana- No restrictions
Nebraska- Rifles with 900 ft/lbs or more at 100 yards
Nevada- .22 centerfire and up
New Hampshire- centerfire
New Jersey- shotgun only
New Mexico- centerfire
New York- centerfire
North Carolina- No restrictions
North Dakota- .22-.49 centerfire
Nova Scotia- .23 and up
Ohio- Shotgun/ML
Oklahoma- centerfire with 55 grn or heavier bullet
Ontario- centerfire
Oregon- .22 centerfire and up
Pennsylvania- centerfire
Quebec- 6mm/.243 and up
Rhode Island- shotgun/ML
Saskatchewan- .24 and up
South Carolina- centerfire
South Dakota- rifles with 1,000 ft/lbs or more ME
Tennessee- centerfire
Texas- centerfire
Utah- centerfire
vermont- No restriction
Virginia- .23 centerfire and up
Washington- .24 centerfire and up
West Virginia- .25 rimfire and up and all centerfire
Wisconsin- .22 centerfire and up
Wyoming- .23 centerfire and up

So from the list - Centerfire - .24 and larger - 70 grain + bullet - 1200 ft/lbs at muzzle and 1000 at 100 yards
- Pistol Caliber would give you all but a few states...

The 357 magnum usually by factory ballistic's won't meet 1200 ft / lbs at muzzle and 1000 at 100 yard criteria...

Cartridges that just over 1000 ft/lbs at 100 yards would be the most efficient in theory ...
6.8 SPC meets the criteria except for pistol caliber
300 Blackout/Whisper does as well except for pistol caliber
7.62x39 and 30-30 meets the criteria except for pistol caliber
357 Maximum will meet all criteria in a contender barrel
475 Linebaugh, 454 Casull and 460 S&W meet all criteria

to me 357 Max. would be the choice - if I didn't care about pistol caliber criteria then any of the 30 calibers with 30-30 leading - not so much as sacrificing efficiency over 300 blackout or 7.62x39 but more versatile with heavier boolits.

You could easily pick up a swap barrel in say 12 ga, 357 Maximum and 30-30 and have one gun hunt anywhere arm.

[uscra112]

Why has nobody yet mentioned the .35 Remington? Will do all that the .357 Max will do but with less pressure. At one time I had one centerfire rifle - my Dad's old 336 Marlin. If push comes to shove, it will be the last one in my inventory, too.

[uscra112]

BTW if the .300 BLK is going to be allowed to play, then let the .30 Herrett in, too.

[Artful]

Going to depend upon state laws - from my understanding some just have a couple of factory listings of cartridges that are allowed so don't know if 30 Herrett would be legal. You'd have to check further into state game laws.