One rifle, one cartridge, one load for everything

Buckmastr said:
My PH was telling me about them culling elephants in Zimbabwe for the parks department. They employed a handful of PH’s. They rounded up a herd of elephants with a helicopter into an area the phs were waiting. All headshots from big caliber rifles. Every animal. Old to very young. They kept dropping them with parks coming in behind finishing anything wounded. The entire herd. Culled by professionals.
I asked why. They said that once an elephant sees humans as a threat it becomes dangerous to humans the rest of its life. So all must be killed.
I found that interesting.
Anyways. Back to bullets…
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Pretty sure I seen a documentry film of nearly identical scenario somewhere in Africa. Filmed from the bell helicopter perspective. There was a gentleman with an FN-FAL covering the big bore shooters as they reloaded. Looked like they were herded through a bottleneck.
 
bearhunter said:
Depending on what the trapper was catching in his traps, a lot of his/her meat came from what was caught.

I've known a lot of trappers in my time and most of them carried a 22rf of some sort, along with a club for dispatch. Even the 30-30 was extra weight on a long trap line back when snowmobiles weren't available.
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My Grandfather trapped between the Wars, he said the only practical rifle for the Trapper was a takedown 22 and that some guys carried a Hog Leg for the Grizzlies that plagued them. I have a photo of him with a half dozen coyotes and what I think is a Savage 1904 (takedown, ~3lbs). The lived on boiled Goat meat (because they don't lean out like other Game), bannock and tea.
 
MiG25 said:
My Grandfather trapped between the Wars, he said the only practical rifle for the Trapper was a takedown 22 and that some guys carried a Hog Leg for the Grizzlies that plagued them. I have a photo of him with a half dozen coyotes and what I think is a Savage 1904 (takedown, ~3lbs). The lived on boiled Goat meat (because they don't lean out like other Game), bannock and tea.
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That's pretty dang hardcore
 
Didn't bother to read the whole thread, but I bet I know what it said. Lots of "If you do your part..." comments, lots of rationale based on the thought that the only game animal one will ever shoot is deer and maybe black bear, lots of answers based on sentimental favourites that would be illogical choices ("I'd do it all with my .257Roberts...").

But, really...one cartridge? If the Powers-That-Be crush us down that far, it will either be all the way...i.e. no guns!...or it will be to a degree that limits us to a few, not merely one. And if, heaven forbid, you need to choose just one gun/cartridge combo for "everything"...why the hell would you need to choose only one load as well? You'd want something that could shoot full-power loads for bigger game, as well as downloaded pipsqueaks for small game, plinking, etc...the option to select different bullet weights and constructions for various game...maybe even sabot loads like the old Remington Accelerators.

One gun/cartridge makes little sense; one load makes none at all.
 
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pathfinder76 said:
I know lots of guys with a basement full of nice rifles and yet they hunt with one. One is enough honestly.
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One at a time, maybe...:)

I think I pointed out the last time this question was the start of a thread...maybe all of a week or two ago?...that one of the best possible answers would be a 12-gauge shotgun...or, better still, a switch-barrel like a Blaser or Encore...but the added silly twist of "one cartridge, one load" kiboshes that notion here.

Those guys who always hunt with one...don't you really mean that they do all their local hunting with that one? A guy in the maritimes who shoots deer and black bear every year in the neighbourhood Black Forest with his .30-30 lever, or even his .308 bolt...what's he gonna do if he wins a Mountain Goat hunt in a contest, or maybe decides to spend his kids' inheritance on a few African trips, or realizes that he simply must climb into the mountains of Asia for some weird-horned giant sheep? Is he gonna grab that model 94 and hop on the plane?

The question was not what you would choose for all your normal year-in, year-out hunting...it was what you would choose for everything...and everything covers a of territory for anyone with even a little bit of imagination.
 
jjohnwm said:
One at a time, maybe...:)

I think I pointed out the last time this question was the start of a thread...maybe all of a week or two ago?...that one of the best possible answers would be a 12-gauge shotgun...or, better still, a switch-barrel like a Blaser or Encore...but the added silly twist of "one cartridge, one load" kiboshes that notion here.

Those guys who always hunt with one...don't you really mean that they do all their local hunting with that one? A guy in the maritimes who shoots deer and black bear every year in the neighbourhood Black Forest with his .30-30 lever, or even his .308 bolt...what's he gonna do if he wins a Mountain Goat hunt in a contest, or maybe decides to spend his kids' inheritance on a few African trips, or realizes that he simply must climb into the mountains of Asia for some weird-horned giant sheep? Is he gonna grab that model 94 and hop on the plane?

The question was not what you would choose for all your normal year-in, year-out hunting...it was what you would choose for everything...and everything covers a of territory for anyone with even a little bit of imagination.
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No, that is not what I mean at all. This is a big game rifles forum. A 12 Gauge shotgun is absolutely useless as an all around weapon in that application. Of course where the law requires and common sense dictates a pair of big game rifles would be wise. Joe Bishop comes to mind. He had one of the most extensive firearms collections in North America. Despite that, he literally hunted the world with a pair of Sako Fiberclass rifles chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum and 375 H&H Magnum. The 7MM did 95% of that lifting.

In Canada, the need for two rifles to hunt is non existent. It can easily be done with one.
 
The question wasn’t if it was ideal Ron. The question was if it was necessary. If it was necessary, or needed to be done, it could be. Easily.
 
crazy_davey said:
Buckmastr, your constant attacks on pathfinder are getting old. Put him on ignore and move along.
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Pathfinder is a big boy Dave. He made his bed now he’s laying in it. If you feel like banning me go ahead. He will thank you personally I’m sure.

I’ve said nothing to him he hasn’t said to many people, including me, on many forums many times.
 
Buckmastr said:
Pathfinder is a big boy Dave. He made his bed now he’s laying in it. If you feel like banning me go ahead. He will thank you personally I’m sure.

I’ve said nothing to him he hasn’t said to many people, including me, on many forums many times.
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I could post multiple quotes where you personally attacked him or his posts. Enough is enough. Ignore him and move on.

Enough with this garbage, get back to the thread. Take it to pm if you want to argue with me.
 
jjohnwm said:
Didn't bother to read the whole thread, but I bet I know what it said. Lots of "If you do your part..." comments, lots of rationale based on the thought that the only game animal one will ever shoot is deer and maybe black bear, lots of answers based on sentimental favourites that would be illogical choices ("I'd do it all with my .257Roberts...").

But, really...one cartridge? If the Powers-That-Be crush us down that far, it will either be all the way...i.e. no guns!...or it will be to a degree that limits us to a few, not merely one. And if, heaven forbid, you need to choose just one gun/cartridge combo for "everything"...why the hell would you need to choose only one load as well? You'd want something that could shoot full-power loads for bigger game, as well as downloaded pipsqueaks for small game, plinking, etc...the option to select different bullet weights and constructions for various game...maybe even sabot loads like the old Remington Accelerators.

One gun/cartridge makes little sense; one load makes none at all.
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The thread wasn't started to trigger you personally. It's supposed to be a fun scenario that people can contribute to. I can easily think of one rifle and load that would work fine for everything I hunt anywhere in north America. Would it be ideal? Maybe not. Bit that wasn't the question was it?
 
It has literally been done. To the extreme.

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"...what if you only had one rifle for everything you shoot/hunt what would it be?"

Lol, I'm nowhere close to being "triggered"; just pointing out that even if...a big "if"...you had to choose only one gun, there is no way you could be forced, or should even consider, to use just one load.

"Everything you shoot/hunt" is pretty broad, and doesn't necessarily mean what you shoot near home, or even in Canada. But you're right, the question didn't say anything about the choice being "ideal", so I can see there probably are a few guys who will bail out of the army-surplus helicopter on the slopes of Mount Middleofnowhere in Farawayistan and immediately start glassing the slopes with their Tasco binoculars, their model 94's clutched in their feverish hands...


pathfinder76 said:
In Canada, the need for two rifles to hunt is non existent. It can easily be done with one.
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Okay...so what? Why is "in Canada" a talking point?

You're right, this is a gun forum rather than a hunting forum; i.e. it's about the toughest place imaginable to make the argument that one rifle is "good enough"...:)
 
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If you think one gun is enough, you probably haven’t hunted enough stuff in this country. Sure one gun could “kill” everything but it certainly is as far from ideal as possible.

No this post was not directed at Pathfinder but may or may not apply to him.
 
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