b1g game rifle wanted

[jazboxer]

looking for moose/bear gun. want something for short to medium range,used reliable bush gun. What should I be looking for?

[DGearyFTE]

jaz
Can you further define short to medium range? I think what you are really asking is what cartridge is best suited for both moose and bear. After you get that part decided then you can look at the range of rifles that chamber that particular cartridge.
I have a 338 Win Mag for big game. I like this cartridge because it provides extended range (I want to hunt Elk in Alberta). It is a very popular cartridge in the north (Alaska/Yukon) for bear.
I am a reloader so I have lots of options to tailor the load to deliver the performance needed for various situations. To this end, you might want to consider looking at available ammo to understand the versatility or limits of any particular cartridge.
For short to medium range in Ontario I am thinking that a 30-06 is at the same time the most versatile and also the most common.
No doubt you will get lots of input since this is a pretty wide open question.

[blasted_saber]

Pick something in 270 or larger that you can find ammo easily for. 7mm, 308, 3006, 338, 300WM, 303 etc they'll all do the trick.

You dont need to be too picky. As an aside I'd probably leave out the 3030 or other old lever gun cartridges (45-70 excluded).

I myself hunt all Ontario big game with a 308. Cheap ammo available everywhere, shoots effectively further then I can (300m) short action and generally milder recoil then a 3006.

[Bluebulldog]

270, 308, 30-06. Ammo is readily available, and comes in a variety of loads. Check the past threads on caliber choices, the benefits have been discussed over pages. Plus in the more common calibers, the opportunity to find a decent used gun exists as well.

Bolt is always a very good choice for a rifle. Simple, solid, and accurate.

Have a look here, there are literally 100s of articles that are very good on everything from what's a good all around caliber, to what load you use on woodchuck...

http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifles_index_hunting.htm

[rick_iles]

You can't go wrong with the venerable 30-06. !!!!

[jazboxer]

looking for a gun with a shorter barrel for carrying through dense bush, 30-60, 308. just wondering if their is a particular model that has the shorter barrel and still has the accuracy

[Goosesniper]

Are you looking for something shorter than 22 inch barrel?

[Hunter John]

Remington model 7 in 308 with a 20in barrel would be pretty handy.

[Goosesniper]

Vtr rem

[blasted_saber]

Rem Model 7 and Ruger M77 are both shorter then usual. I believe the Remington has a shorter stock too, whereas the Ruger has a normal length of pull and shorter barrel. Also an average 308 is shorter then a 3006 by virtue of it being a short action cartridge as opposed to a long action cartridge.

Im a big fan of my Ruger M77 in 308. Nice and handy for walking through the tight stuff.