When I'm slipping through a piece of thick timber I'll be toting my Ruger 44 carbine with a 1-4 power Leopold, or my Model 94 30-30.

If it's open ground and I'm sitting still, a 270 pr 30-06.

.25-06

.308 is my go to

Used to shoot a Winchester model 100 , now I mostly grab my CZ 550

Runner ups are 6.5 PRC , .300 wsm

I'd use my Tika .22-250 if I were allowed to here, but since I'm not I just use a scoped 20ga 1187 with sabot slugs. Good out to at least 150, beyond that I don't shoot. My boy shoots a scoped Henry Big Boy Carbine in .44 mag with excellent results but not long shots.

Be my Bolt action 30-06 had since 1975.

Mac

No mention of the 22 Mag?

Only with a spotlight. lol 5mm may be a better choice then.

I've killed around 70 deer with them. I can only recall 3 not dropping and the furthest to run made it 15 yards max.

Ruger American .450 Bushmaster w/ Leupold VXIII 3.5X10X50 shooting Hornady Black 250 gr. or... Remington youth model 870 Express w/ rifled bbl. and a Redfield Widefield 1.75X5 and 260 gr. Accutips

Savage Mod. 99, .300 Cal. that was originally my Grand father's. It was manufactured in 1937. I've used it since I was 14 and I'm now 80. I've lost track of the number of deer that I've taken with it.

Nope…

When i do take a rifle it's usually my model 70 classic sporter LH in 7mm STW. But usually i just sit with my daughter and she likes my model 70 super grade .264 win mag

Over the years I’ve shot deer with model 94 30-30, Remington 5MM, Ruger 22 Hornet, 243, 270 and the last with Savage 99 in 250-3000. Oh and of course most have been with archery gear.

But now since moving to Illinois am thinking about getting something in straight wall like 38-55 or 350 Legend. Since most of my shooting will be close range under 100 yards might consider the 327 Remington Magnum?

If I could use whatever it would be my Ruger 77 in 22 Hornet cause these days I won’t be shooting much over 50 yards anyway cause it’s so thick.

I would be looking at more currently available ammo options

given the strait walls they allow
https://dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/la...tcalibersarelegalforriflesinillinois-faq
I would probably just run a Henry single shot in 45-70 with a bullet like the 325gr ftx and put a scope on it for longer shots with a ladder and know where you need to hold for distances and a range finder.
solid to 150 yards then need to start calculating drop past that it has the energy to make shots to probably farther than you should just have to start holding over with the scope.

or possibly the 360 buck hammer in a Henry single shot

as much as there are other cartridges that do well , finding a rifle chambered in them gets harder.

My everything rifle is an old Ruger 77 that I had re- barreled in 7×57 Ackley Improved. Killed everything from Bison, elk,deer, antelope, bears and down. Now if I am just hiking around with the kids I pack an M1 Garand ( just in case we bump an angry bear) , I have killed several deer and coyotes with it over the years. Shot a lot of deer and elk with the 243 Ackley and still shoot it once in awhile. Worked up so.e good loads for my Ruger #1 in 330 Dakota that I may pack around this spring for bears.

Thanks for the link, didn’t realize it had to be a single shot. I saw people buying 350 Legend lever rifles this past year and none talked about making them single shot!

94 30-30 Trapper for short.
Remington 600 in .308 for long.