So If one was to start with a new HP rifle, what caliber would you recommend?
I use to shoot a 14 all day, no problem, 80+ rounds. But getting older and thinking the body doesn't like recoil as much as it use to ;)

Would be interested in any factory or wildcat that will do the job, and be easy on the shoulder.

Thanks
chuck

6 or 7mm BR.

Of the 6 or 7BR, I would go with the 7. Also, it is very important to install a soft recoil pad. I installed them on all my rifles and could shoot all day in a t-shirt if I wanted to.

Pachmayr T550 Deluxe Trap Recoil Pad 1.1" Medium Pigeon Face Black with White Line
$31.99

These are very mild pads and if you store the rifle upright, you need to use the pin to prevent deformation of the pad.

What is the pin you mentioned?

The "pin" would be a metal or hard plastic pin about an inch long pressed into the upper pad screw hole. It makes contact with the pad screw allowing the gun to stand up right on a hard surface. The pin takes the pressure of the guns weight away from the softer rubber pad during storage in a gun safe for example. Always remove said pin from pad before shouldering a ready to fire rifle.

Always remove said pin from pad before shouldering a ready to fire rifle.

Been there done that; ouch!

Al Foust

Any of the 6.5 rifles are great. The light 107s for the 3 animals and something like the 138gr to 142gr just for the rams. I run my bullets around 2650 fps for all animals. They all fall when I hit them anywhere. The 6mm is a little light to take the rams with a front leg or heart hit.

Mr.Bonner has been messing with a 6.5 BR he put together recently. Most of his rams fall OK with the Hornady 143 gr. ELD and a max charge of ....who knows. Me, I will recommend the 7 BR just because it is 7mm. Bigger and heavier bullets moving at a slower speed has known ram killing performance the 7 BR is famous for. After all, it is just a 7mm-08 "short".

Quote from some research:

I've also been using one for many years in my HP Silhouette rifle. Good performance, very accurate and just a very mild recoil to deal with, it's a great combination. You will occasionally ring a ram, but that's the trade off you make for shooting for such a mild cartridge. Not the greatest Silhouette cartridge I've ever used, but certainly not the worst, either. I use 140, 150 and 168/175 grain bullets in mine.