mcgeedo

One of the apocalyptic scenarios is a breakdown of society, where one may have to defend his family and resources from looters, etc. as well as hunt for food. For home defense, I chose a handgun and a reliable shotgun. For hunting small game and pest control, I chose a bolt-action (for reliability) 22 LR. The 22 LR cartridge is ubiquitous and cheap.

For a high-power rifle, I have in mind, again, a bolt action for the same reliability, but I'm wondering what would be the best round to use. Assuming that the local dealer is closed and looted out, there would be trade, re-loading and scrounging for more rounds. What would you choose? A hunter round like the 30-06 or 30-30, or a military round like 7.62? Any of these would hunt; I think I'm more concerned about replacing and/or re-loading, and the price of a stock. I'm leaning towards the 7.62 since a lot of brass may be laying around.