Hunting Forum

I know I am bound to step on more than a few toes with this post, but here it goes. In the area around where I live and hunt, where the average shot at a deer is 100yds or less, I can't for the life of me understand why SOOO many "hunters", and I use that term loosely, feel that they just absolutely have to have one of the "super calibers" to hunt with. Such as 7mm Mag, 300 WinMag, etc. I admit they have their place, but in places where a .30-06 or .270 could even be considered on the extreme side, what I mean is, where a .30-30 is ample firepower, I use a .308Win my self, the "super calibers", are bordering on unsafe for other hunters. This is just my opinion, and one of my pet peeves.

 

There are several on here that agree with you .I use a 30 06 because where I hunt 300 and 400 yard shots come along .And do they use these on other hunts .

I'm a hunters safety instructor and when we annually look over the state's list of hunting shooting accidents it always comes down to people taking reckless or just plain stupid shots, not the caliber.  Any caliber can be safe or dangerous.  It all depends on the nut behind the trigger.  It's all about making sure you have a safe line of sight with a backstop which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the caliber.  I'm sure at least some of those hunters also hunt in areas or other states where they'll shoot longer range or like a few of my friends that do more shooting at the range than hunting just to see how small of groups they can get at extended ranges.  In either case I wouldn't expect them to buy a different rifle when they're hunting in an area where the shots are guaranteed to be close.  And if they're not guaranteed to be close, I'm going to bring enough gun to cover the possibilities.  I spent the summer making sure I could make any shot out to 300yds with my muzzleloader.  Yes, 300yd with a muzzleloader; it's a whole different post and I won't be offended, maybe even more proud of it if you call me a liar that my best 5-shot group at that range was 3-3/4" and 4 of the 5 shots measured 1-5/8".  It's not your average muzzleloader either.  I knew a 300yd shot would be possible but not probable in the area I was to be hunting.  Last week I filled that tag with an 80yd shot.  But when I go, I'll always make sure I'm prepared for all possibilities.  I'm with you that I can't stand the reckless ones no matter what caiber they're using and I wont hunt during Iowa's shotgun season because of the few bad seeds that recklessly blaze away.  In that case, maybe it is about caliber.  They don't scare me during archery season.  ???

Good luck, stay safe and wear plenty of orange

Canyonman

Luck is preparation meets opportunity

don357 - no stepping on toes. After all, this is America and you are entitled to your opinion. I for one happen to agree with you. Kind of like taking a 10 gauge to hunt quail! To play devil's advocate though, perhaps a person has tight funds (or even no money) but loves to hunt. Maybe even needs the meat to help survive. Is it possible that one would purchase one gun for ALL applications? I own a Remington 770 300 Win Mag. Cheap - new is $300 - but surprisingly accurate. Can take down just about anything but I use a 7mm 08 for deer - wouldn't dream of using a 300 WIN. That said, if it were the only gun I owned, I most likely would use it.

Just a thought......

My wife and I used to go on vacation to Alaska every two years. And I was putting money aside with the idea of treating myself to a moose hunt. So I bought a Ruger M77 Mk II in 7mm Rem Mag. Then I had my accident end of the dream. I have three rifles in my gun cabinet a muzzleloader, a 223, and the Ruger. OK got a couple of 22lrs. Last year the area I hunt was opened up to centerfire rifles. So I'm going with the Ruger. In places I hunt 70yds would be a long shot others 1,000yds would be possible. So you want me to leave it collecting dust in the gun cabinet? I think not. But before I shoot I know what's behind the target. I'd never shoot from my primary stand downhill there's a road down there about a thousand yds even though the woods is pretty thick there's a one in a billion chance a stray could make it to the road I'm not doin it. My 223 can reach out and touch someone at over 300yds so can any of the calibers mentioned here. Most will dump most of their energy passing through a deer. Of all the guns used for deer hunting the most lethal within 100 yds is a 12ga firing 1oz pumpkin balls.

Most "hunting accidents" take place at ranges UNDER 70yds. And most involve a hunter shooting someone in his hunting party. A lot of them father son shootings. When we are hunting we KNOW where the rest of our party is and we have radios to confirm position. We talk in code because everybody has radios. Like the turtle pond which is a spot on one of the logging roads where the skidder got stuck years ago and left a three foot deep fifty foot long hole that's always full of water.

Excellent points being raised for the 1 gun - large caliber side of things. Some of which I hadn't considered, the main one being the monetary one. I just always think back to a deer in Maine that a guy took with a 300 Wbthy mag and d*mn near blew the front half of the critter off...

canyonman: Your ML happen to be a Savage 10ML-II ? It's capable of 300 yards without even trying.

There's no getting around it that a light handy Winchester or Marlin lever is a great woods rifle. But that's only if you hunt that type of terrain year in and year out. If you have the urge to go west or to Canada for moose someday, those guns just won't cut it.
I have those guns and hunt in woods type settings, but for some reason I'll grab my 700 in .30/06 eight out of ten times. I guess it boils down to confidence. I know when I put the Leupold on a deer, it's over. I always aim for the lungs no matter what I'm carrying, so there is minimal meat loss every time. A couple of my friends are shoulder shooters thinking that a good hit there will minimize the amount of travel a deer makes after being hit. Your right in that they loose a lot of meat but that's their shot, their choice.
When I go moose/elk hunting I'll take my .338WM with the '06 as back up if possible.

My go to rifle for hunting is my Swede Mauser M96 in 6.5X55MM and it will take any of the game in North America with the right bullet and shot placement. 85% of the Moose killed each year in Sweden are killed using this caliber. It is the most accurate riflle I have ever owned or shot. It has been sporterized by Kimber America after being imported by a company name of Jumbo Sports. I researched the rifle after getting it in a trade and traced it back to Kimber America and actually spoke with a feller name of George who told me about the sporterizing that was done by them. I alos own aYugo M48 Mauser that I built from an 8MM to a .300 Win Mag and it is a great shooter too. I then also own a .308 and have never owned a 30-06 in my life. I also have a NEF Handi-Rifle chambered originally in 45/70 which I sent back to them and had a .44 mag barrel fitted to match my .44 mag handgun. With these firearms I can hunt any animal that walks this earth. I use each one according to the terrain i wil be hunting and the 6.5X55MM fits the bill for just about everything but the others cover anything else should the need arise. Use what you want or have and you will be successful as long as you always follow the rule of practice, practice, practice, and then when you think you have it down practice some more as bullet placement is the most important when it comes to hunting successfully. A well placed .22LR will kill any game animal so anything bigger will surely do the job as long as the shooter does his.

I hunt deer in Macon Co Missouri and the shot opps are endless but I have a self apposed 300 yard limit I hunt with the gun that fits the stand site I plan to hunt. I use a .44 mag Marlin a 444 marlin a 7mm mag 700 a .358 win savage a and a 300 WSM Tika. it depends on what I fell I will need and the deer up there are big body animals even the does can run quite large I never feel over gunned and am glad I have so many choices. And if the shot is not one I feel is safe or I can make every time i will not shot and will look for a new opportunity. Last year I killed a Hugh bodied buck with the 300WSM and I am glad I had enough gun I take shots that will minimize meat damage neck or heart lung shots only. I reload and use premium bullets I do not shot at deer on the horizon or any that are where I don't no what is beyond the deer once you drop the hammer you can never call the shot back you can't let antlers turn you in to a unsafe hunter

Me and Quailman use spotlights and night vision with a .22-250.....

Variety! I love to use different guns depending on moods. I have a "go-to" gun of course but on a whim I might choose more or less power. I am currently involved in a 91/30 Mosin-Nagant alteration to be a new knock-arounder and that has more power than where I will typically hunt with it shere shots will be 50 yds or so. But heck, I might get a shot someplace at the 200 yd range and like to have that availability. I admith to being unable or plain unwilling to be involved in a completely monogamous relationship with my hunting guns. it is a weakness in my character I admittedly am ashamed of.  But, you really cant get over the thrill of having a little "strange" in your hunting gun relationship - so long as your true-love never finds out.

I had the same idea when I put together my two most important rifles, my big-game rifle and my muzzleloader.  Do it once and do it right.  And I love them both.  I don't consider the .270WSM a "super caliber" but my thought when choosing a rifle, caliber and bullet combination is narrow your search to the caliber/bullet (it's not just the caliber) combos that will kill the intended game if the bullet is placed properly, then narrow it to the rifle model, caliber, bullet and scope combo that will make it easiest to place the bullet in the right spot.  Bottom line: I hope to hunt many places but they will all be with the same rifle.

Steve,  I do like the Savage ML's but when I considered switching to Savage or improving my Knight, Savage didn't make them in stainless.  Mine is a stainless Knight Disc Extreme.  I've had the bore lapped with poured lead slugs (which was actually very reasonable $40 I think), had it pillar and glass bedded into a laminate thumbhole stock and installed a second mounting screw.  Sounds like a lot for a muzzleloader but I loved the gun and had no desire for anything different.  Now the bullets push smoothly down the bore and it cleans easier too.

Canyonman

Wring the life out of every day

Love to caress all my guns my wife thinks its unhealthy but I am addicted to the feel of a good gun

Posted By healey on 24 Oct 2012 10:20 PM
Love to caress all my guns my wife thinks its unhealthy but I am addicted to the feel of a good gun

My gf is the same way.  I try to explain the feel of the antique wood work ( 1891 and 1893 Mausers ) or the appreciation of quality workmanship and her eyes roll up and she tries to change the subject.  I asked her if she would rather another woman or a rifle keep me awake at night when she is not there so she finally gave in and said it was fine to "maintain" the ancient things.

It's always nice when you have "that" gun in your hands when you say; "I can make that shot !"

Caliber is secondary !!!

I think we are the only people in the whole world that are in our right minds whats not to love about the feel of cold steal and good wood. I bought a Rem 870 special perp. once and she said it was ugly I was offended and ended up on the couch but I did sleep with the gun so it worked out in the long run

I'm glad someone else has posted a pet peeve. It's what I was hoping for when I posted mine. The opinions and arguements are fascinating, and I hope we all are grown up enough that no one gets angry about it. Passionate is OK.

My view on this one is mixed. I agree that you do not need the most powerful rifle you can find or control. Like many of us I started with a 30-30. I still have it even though I rarely use it. It works well. But I live in a place where the shots can vary from just under your nose to just under the horizon and I got tired of not shooting because I did not trust myself at that range.
But gradually my focus shifted and I started buying rifles for another reason. First, always, they must be a good choice for the animals and ranges I expect to be hunting. But then I just like to have something a bit different from the other hunters around here. No one I know around here has a 338-06 (my go-to gun), a 30-378 Wby (if I am going to set up to watch field or large hay meadow) or a 450 Marlin (sneaking through the bush gun). I know it's not necessary, but it's fun. And it's another reason (as if I needed it) to handload!

Yep, it all depends on "Your" circumstances. What works for someone else is not important, interesting input, but not important.  As I've said forever; if everyone liked/did the same thing the world would be an awfully boring place.

I, like has been said in here started with my first deer rifle being a 30-30, which I got for my fifteenth birthday, loved that gun. Joind the Military while I was gone it came up mising. After I got out just didn't hunt for a few years. When the interest returned bought a Rem 700 in .243, have had it for over 30 years now and killed alota deer and other creeters with it in that time. Ive been useing a .308 for awhile now, and actually lost a deer a few years ago using it, first I ever had get up and run off. Did notice some bullets zip right through, with little mushrooming. Never had that problem with the .243, or 30 -30. I have another 30-30 and I may use it this year when gun season opens, out of my bow blind. Just as a suprise to those deer, who have stayed just out of bow range or just behind a little brush. Not enough brush that you can not see the whole deer, but just enough you know an arrow might hit a twig and cause a bad shot. 30-30 don't care about twigs.

ckell
!!! NEWS FLASH !!! Just in, Hot off the press. The bullets from a 30-30 and any other bullet do care about twigs and brush. Even a single weed stem or twig can cause the bullet to deflect. The 30-30 is not the brush buster a lot of folks claim it to be.