Weatherby Nation

Telemaster,    I agree the 300 savage, 30-06. 30-30, 270 prior to 1950  were at the top of the lists.  The biggest problem with ruining too much meat especially when the mags started getting popular was a lack of good bullets that held together.   I still have a few boxes of  my dad's old  150 gr Herters round nose bullets in 270   that are at least 60 + years old.   That's what he loaded for him and my mom for deer & elk.  My first big game rifle was a win 94 in 30-30 and  was passed to my son years ago for his first game rifle,  although his first elk was taken with a 300 savage 99,   today  he has much more powerful calibers.  The first time he shot my pre-64 270 it about rolled him over so I figured the 300 savage was about right for him at the time.   I keep bugging him for fun you want to trade that 300 back and all he does is smile and says no way.     I still have if you can believe this 30-30 factory police full metal jacket ammo my dad  was issued by the oregon state police,  I can't even tell you how old they are  possibly as old as pre wwII and  bet they still go bang.   Knowing my dad I have no doubt he popped a few deer out on patrol when he got bored in season of course. 

My longtime hunting buddy now passed all he ever used was a 257 roberts.  I tell you it will drop an elk if you hit him right and he's killed a bunch.  Eventually he bought a 30-06 but I think he was happiest with the 257. 

There are a few calibers I think are way under rated by todays standards.   The 257 roberts & AI,   300 savage, and 6.5x55 swede.  The more I use the swede,  the more I appreciate how good it is,  but I'm not shooting elk at 500 yds with it either. 

Zonie FYI...the fall of 1995 or 96 was in a restaurant in
cody,wy and read an article in a local paper about a local ranch woman in her 70's who had just killed her 60th elk, all with a model 70 .257 roberts given to her by her dad for her 16th birthday.
my first big game rifle was a marlin 36C in.32 win.spec. that I still have and use at least 1 day a year.
in the middle 60's bought a used model 99e in .308 off a used gun rack at a coast to coast hardware store for $30. gave to my son 25 years ago and this coming season my grandson will be using it on his 1st deer hunt.