.308 and 30-06. For big nasty things .375 H & H.
Phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range.
there are very, very few hunters capable of taking a 1000 yd shot on any game, much less big game.
I can tell you that if I’m hunting with someone who even tries to take such a shot, I’d use the butt of my rifle on his/her head.
No such shot is EVER ETHICAL.
I have never fired a shot on ‘big game’ longer than 325 yards, and then only once.
Oh, you mean kill it myself? Sledgehammer.
.220, .221 whatever it takes
Hunting is stalking and taking as close a shot as humanely possible with one shot one kill. The meat and the trophy are goals. The pride comes from a well placed shot. Half of hunting is knowing your target and terrain and placing yourself close. To take shots that are nearly beyond visible range without the use of high priced optics and electronics is not hunting. It is target shooting and good luck finding your kill after the shot and even better luck getting your kill picked up and back to camp. The most successful hunters I know take big game right on the trail in the same spot for decades. Others that pay for hunts may as well have the animal staked out for them ahead of time. There are some legitimate guide hunting for sure on limited access lands that are truly ethical hunts. But going out with calibers designed to shoot down WWII German and Japanese fighters is not sport. That is my opinion and I am sticking to it and you do not have to agree but good look picking up your kill 1,000 yards away and than 1,000 yards back and then to where ever your camp is, unless of course you have paid gun bearers and hired help.
I choose the Marlin Model 1895GS in 4570 Gov - 400gr bullet with reloader7 at 40grs - with iron sights (ghost rings).
I can still hit a 12in target at over 200+ yards - what ever you hit - where ever you hit its over
I limit my shots to 25 yards with my compound bow.. that said, I won a 25 dollar bet by shooting a groundhog at 425 yards with a Remington 700 25-06 shooting an 87 grain bullet at 3500 feet per second.