Reasonable cartridge selection for hunting in North America

Gatehouse

Gatehouse

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We often have threads about "What cartridge should I get?"

usually they ask "what caliber", of course , but that is a different subject.:p

Here is the truth, may as well sticky this.;)


Usually , we are talking about modern bottle neck cartridges in a modern bolt action rifle, and mostly for non dangerous game (so grizzlies excluded) so I will limit my comments to these.

All of them, from 7-08 to 338 Winchester Magnum work. They will all kill a moose, our biggest animal other than bison.

The key to it all is shot placement. Put the first bullet in the right place, and all you have to do is start skinning.

The second key is somewhat more complicated, and that is bullet construction for the cartridge, and how it relates to shot placement.

if in doubt, wait for a broadside shot and put a bullet behind the shoulder. Virtually every cartridge shooting virtually every bullet can kill with this shot.

if you want to use a smaller cartridge for bigger game, using a premium bullet increases your advantage.

If you want to take any shot possible, a premium bullet aids you.

We can talk endlessly about how a 30-06 is better than a .270 or a 7WSM is better than a 30-06 etc, but the truth is, a good bullet in the right place= meat.

Most game is taken within 300 yards, and at that range a .300 Magnum and a 7-08 don't make a big difference in bullet drop or killing power.

Know your rifle, shoot it alot. Use good bullets and/or pass up questionable shots.

But killing animals is not that hard, if you put the bullet in the right place. It's more up to you than the cartridge. So don't fret abotu .308 vs 30-06 vs .270 vs 3oo Mag vs 338...
 
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I have to disqualify myself as I think your criteria, excludes the best cartridges for big game. Your criteria may work for deer rifles or varmint guns.
 
ben hunchak said:
I have to disqualify myself as I think your criteria, excludes the best cartridges for big game. Your criteria may work for deer rifles or varmint guns.
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sounds like words from a flatlander who shoots too many gophers and whitetails and not enough bears and elk :wave:
 
Clark,
Did that nice young girlfriend leave you or something, firs the thread about the TSX leveling the field and now a thread about cartridge not really mattering. I swear you must be practising for your new career as a gun writer...lol
 
To distill your argument even further down Clarke there is NOTHING in Canada that can not be hunted with a Model 70 chambered for 30-06 loaded with a 180 grain Nosler partition. :)


Get rid of that 7mm-08 and .3338 WM. No more Wizzums or Ultra-Mags. The .270 can finally go to the grave with O'Connor where it belongs.

Life would be perfect and none of the newbies to hunting would have to fight the emotional battle of "What rifle should I buy?"

Old-timers could just go to bed in the evening for some well-needed sleep rather than staying up all night playing the "Mines better than yours." game.
 
'Boo said:
To distill your argument even further down Clarke there is NOTHING in Canada that can not be hunted with a Model 70 chambered for 30-06 loaded with a 180 grain Nosler partition. :)


Get rid of that 7mm-08 and .3338 WM. No more Wizzums or Ultra-Mags. The .270 can finally go to the grave with O'Connor where it belongs.

Life would be perfect and none of the newbies to hunting would have to fight the emotional battle of "What rifle should I buy?"

Old-timers could just go to bed in the evening for some well-needed sleep rather than staying up all night playing the "Mines better than yours." game.
Click to expand...

I've been living the dream all this time! .30-06 180 grain for anything! Oh well, it's been nice fellas. There's nothing left to debate here. It's over. Off to some golfing or bowling forum or whatever... now I'm depressed...life is dull...
:(
 
i've been doing the same thing, but my all around recipie since 1970 has been a 308-180- it was particularly hard to find a lever in '06 as the blr hadn't been introduced yet, and the old winny 95's had bolt problems- left handed bolts were either very expensive or custom jobs- one such proposal involved taking a 98, and moving the bolt handle to the other side- how this works is beyond me- so i ended up with a savage 99, which is what i carry today, unless the big bears are in the neighbourhood, at which time the 338 comes out- the only reason i've got one
 
'Boo said:
To distill your argument even further down Clarke there is NOTHING in Canada that can not be hunted with a Model 70 chambered for 30-06 loaded with a 180 grain Nosler partition. :)

.
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True, but you could say the same thing about the 7-08 with 140gr TSX, the 7mm RM, the 280 the .308 etc etc...:)
 
John Y Cannuck said:
Clarke, I think you best go look in the mirror, you have to be getting gray.
:)
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I won't be putting away the 375 Ruger, the 300WSM, the 30-30 WSm anytime soon...:)

Just saying that we get asked the "best" cartridge for deer/moose etc all the time, and the truth is a good bullet in the rigth place does it all...The other stuff is just fun. And if it's not fun, what's the point?:)

PS I have a few grey hairs now. Never had any unil I started dating The Girl...Hmmm.............:cool:
 
Seen plenty of Bison taken with a 303,30-06,7.65,etc. Just shoot that soft spot a little behind and below the ear,no problems. But if you try taking them between the eyes,most calibers seem to bounce off.
 
Back in the 1800's lots of bison fell to Sharps in black powder cartridges, even 1873 Winchesters (and others) in 44-40, and probably even 38-40.

The 45-70 could do it all, except the long range stuff, unless you were really good at it's ballistics. It will kill a lot farther that most can hit with it.

I've packed a 30-30 for a lot of years, and truth be told, it is quite capable on everything but the largest of game, at most reasonable ranges. It's taken record book griz before too, but we won't go there.
 
If I would of stuck with my bubba's 303 25 years ago, I'd probably have killed no less game and have a lot more money for my wife to waste. Where's the fun in that?
 
Gatehouse said:
We often have threads about "What cartridge should I get?"

usually they ask "what caliber", of course , but that is a different subject.:p

Here is the truth, may as well sticky this.;)


Usually , we are talking about modern bottle neck cartridges in a modern bolt action rifle, and mostly for non dangerous game (so grizzlies excluded) so I will limit my comments to these.

All of them, from 7-08 to 338 Winchester Magnum work. They will all kill a moose, our biggest animal other than bison.

The key to it all is shot placement. Put the first bullet in the right place, and all you have to do is start skinning.

The second key is somewhat more complicated, and that is bullet construction for the cartridge, and how it relates to shot placement.

if in doubt, wait for a broadside shot and put a bullet behind the shoulder. Virtually every cartridge shooting virtually every bullet can kill with this shot.

if you want to use a smaller cartridge for bigger game, using a premium bullet increases your advantage.

If you want to take any shot possible, a premium bullet aids you.

We can talk endlessly about how a 30-06 is better than a .270 or a 7WSM is better than a 30-06 etc, but the truth is, a good bullet in the right place= meat.

Most game is taken within 300 yards, and at that range a .300 Magnum and a 7-08 don't make a big difference in bullet drop or killing power.

Know your rifle, shoot it alot. Use good bullets and/or pass up questionable shots.

But killing animals is not that hard, if you put the bullet in the right place. It's more up to you than the cartridge. So don't fret abotu .308 vs 30-06 vs .270 vs 3oo Mag vs 338...
Click to expand...


Very true.

You are making entirely too much sense, say something about a 375 Ruger being better than a 375 h&h....:stirthepot2:
 
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