Does cartridge selection even matter these days?

If we all just got 30-06 problem solved to everything! But then where is the fun in that. People hold true and loyal to whatever cartridge they have grown up with and gotten used to.. Although my 30-06 is of course better than any other caliber that has ever existed.. Oops* :D
 
If we all just got 30-06 problem solved to everything!
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Until someone showed up with an STW and showed that getting an extra 100 to 150 yards of point blank range had demonstratable advantages in open country. Or the first magnum showed up at a longrange match and beat the 30-06s and .308s in the wind, then someone else came along and did it with less recoil. Or someone wanted a dual purpose varminter and big game rifle and realized that 110 grain loads in a 30-06 suck monkey balls in a gopher field. Or someone wanted or needed to do a Texas heart shot on a buffalo. Or some kid or cripple couldn't handle '06 recoil yet, and needed to work his way up. Them there are those who have caught on that light fast bullets have a gratifying habit of making animals go down like they're spined, when they're not.
Then there's the guys who want to try something new once in a while. What's wrong with that?
 
Dogleg said:
Until someone showed up with an STW and showed that getting an extra 100 to 150 yards of point blank range had demonstratable advantages in open country. Or the first magnum showed up at a longrange match and beat the 30-06s and .308s in the wind, then someone else came along and did it with less recoil. Or someone wanted a dual purpose varminter and big game rifle and realized that 110 grain loads in a 30-06 suck monkey balls in a gopher field. Or someone wanted or needed to do a Texas heart shot on a buffalo. Or some kid or cripple couldn't handle '06 recoil yet, and needed to work his way up. Them there are those who have caught on that light fast bullets have a gratifying habit of making animals go down like they're spined, when they're not.
Then there's the guys who want to try something new once in a while. What's wrong with that?
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So what you are trying to say is that cartridge selection does still matter.:p
 
The short answer it yes, the long answer is no. If you had to you could hunt everything with a general purpose rifle in a general purpose calibre, but whatever you were using it to hunt and wherever you were hunting there would be something else that was better for that specific purpose.
 
Cdnexpat said:
The short answer it yes, the long answer is no. If you had to you could hunt everything with a general purpose rifle in a general purpose calibre, but whatever you were using it to hunt and wherever you were hunting there would be something else that was better for that specific purpose.
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I agree with most of that.

For every specific shot at any specific game animal there is an ideal cartridge and bullet with which to make it. It is, however, unlikely to be the one you have in your gun if you are actually hunting, because any hunt will present all sorts of shot opportunities.

Every gun/cartridge choice will be some sort of compromise in some situations. Most hunters recognize that fact and choose something that is generally quite well suited to their intended purpose, knowing full well that it may be called upon to do something a bit unusual.

Some hunters decide to just not take shots for which their choice is not quite suitable. Other hunters need to carry something so overpowered that they don't have to exercise any of that sort of self control. Both systems work.

So it matters, but not nearly as much as forum posters like to pretend.
 
BigUglyMan said:
I'm still just Fudd enough that I wouldn't voluntarily wade into moose with either my 25-06 or 257 Wby, premium bullets or not. I'm sure that both would do the job if everything was right, but if the only shot you're presented with is a quartering shot I'd rather drive something more substantial through his ribs. TTSX, NPT, TBBC or not, there's some application to the statement "there's no replacement for displacement".
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:)I like that, ;)and I think Elmer Keith would agree:D.
 
bearkilr said:
........and then there are those who would use the 7x57 on elephant, after all it was Bell's caliber of choice. ;)
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Along with the 6.5x54 MS, .318 WR and .303 British. He was recoil shy and the hardest hitting caliber he used was the .318 WR. Not probably the best calibers to go chasing wounded elephants in thick cover, but Bell was all about the perfect shot and studying the elephant's anatomy.

Personally I've decided to only use calibers that are 100+ years old. 100+ years of use on game has to say something, right? ;)
 
Gatehouse said:
Does it?

Almost all game is shot at less than 300 yards. Most is shot at less than 200 yards.

We have very good bullets these days

99.9% of Canadian hunters will never shoot at a grizzly bear.

Except for grizzlies, I'd have no issue shooting anything in North America with good bullets (like the TTSX) with a .260 on up.

Put a good bullet in the right place, and the animal will die. If we want to hedge our bets, then use a .270/.308/30/06/7RM

I don't even know why we discuss "what is best cartridge" anymore. They all work.
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I agree, 100%
 
220Swifty said:
So what you are trying to say is that cartridge selection does still matter.:p
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Well, it matters to me a lot......................while I'll concede that there isn't a whole lot of difference between many of the average cartridges, used by the average shooter under average circumstances and average ranges.
It doesn't matter a bit if the average range is under 100 yards, when you hunt under circumstances where 300 is a short one and the outer limit is whatever you and your equipment are capable of. Conversely it doesn't matter if your general purpose rifle will handle 400 in stride if you are lucky to see 40 feet.
It doesn't matter if a hunter only has to declare "I'd use my 6mm gopher stacker for anything in the world" if you and he both know that he isn't going to do it. That comment is usually quietly followed by "If you're paying for it".:rolleyes: That offer isn't on the table, and implies that it would be diffrent on his dime.
It doesn't matter what the perfect one gun arsenal is, if you haven't got the slightest interest in only haveing one.
It doesn't matter if the rifle that you bought for a specific purpose is a handicap under average circumstances.
It doesn't matter if there are a whole lot of common cartridges that do almost exactly the same thing, when there are others that actually do stand out in some specific area.
Lots of things don't matter, until they do. In the meantime its something to talk about.
 
pharaoh2 said:
7x57 is too much gun, there were very proficiant shooters using the .256 Mannlicher to cull elephant with no issues. :)
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In the North American experience, small bores are used to kill large animals with such frequency that any question to their suitability has become redundant, despite my beliefs to the contrary. In Africa the situation is similar except in the context of sport hunting dangerous game, particularly elephants, where there remains a need for a big bore or at least a powerful medium bore rifle, which is mandated by law. Modern sport hunting of elephant is not carried out in a way that makes the use of a small bore prudent. The modern sport hunter often seeks the confrontation so he has the bragging rights that come from successfully making a frontal brain shot. Ivory hunters were much more pragmatic, preferring to get behind and above their quarry and they shot for where the skull was the thinnest. But consider, even the ivory hunters of old usually had a big bore available for emergencies. Todays cropping chores are done with powerful rifles, and other than bands of poachers armed with AKs and chainsaws, commercial shooters are properly armed.
 
Gatehouse said:
If you recall a few years back I had a thread regarding how the 7-08 was the *NEW* 30-06...;)

A 30-06 with 180gr-200gr cup and core bullets was long considered the "all around" cartridge. I tested the 30-06 with these bullets side by side with 7-08 and 140gr TSX bullet performance. The 7-08 witht he premiums did everything that the 30-06 did, plus more.

Anything a person would feel comfortable pointing a 30-06 with cup and core bullets at, they should feel comfortable with a 7-08 and 140gr TSX bullets...

And that, my friend is an excellent example of what this thread is about. Use good bullets and put them in the right place and forget about what cartridge the bullet was sittign in before it got fired into an animal!:cool:
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1 problem. Does the local hardware store in small town Canada have a box of 7mm-08 on the shelf? I can guarantee they have a box of .303 british, 30-06, 30-30, .22lr and 12ga. They *may* have some .308, .270 or .300 win mag. This is the reason a lot of guys stick to these caliber rounds. :)
 
220Swifty said:
You are correct, but the forum would be a lot less interesting if we all bought our one 'hunting rifle' and stopped that. I have been filling niche after niche with my collection, and when i run out of niche's i will make some new ones up.:D
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When you get down to " This is my windy day tree stand hunting deer rifle." it's time to stop.
 
I now realize why I have a .270 WSM. I load it 'down' for brush hunting and load it 'up' for long range. With the 270's ballistics it just struck me as a good candidate for an 'only' gun? I didn't even know how clever I was. Er...

No worries about your wife reading this though, since I have 5 other calibers. Just in case.

Oh wait, did I mention the concept of an 'only' gun? This may have been done before...
 
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