Wolf Hunting Rifle/Cal.

Calum said:
Sounds like what the rifle was designed for actually...

"Ie: taking shots at a running animal or having to find the target extremely quickly while it is very briefly standing still." Minus of course that the wolf isn't shooting back. ;) :)

Like our deer our local wolves are often seen much closer then yours. If your needing to shoot them out to 200 yards then yes choose a cartridge with longer legs.
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True... as I ststed earlier, maybe the OP needs to clarify if he is hunting "brush wolves" or going after northern timberwolf...
 
Superbrad said:
True... as I ststed earlier, maybe the OP needs to clarify if he is hunting "brush wolves" or going after northern timberwolf...
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Very true. Location is a pretty key detail in this.
Our island wolves tend to be the "holy crap that's not a dog" (running down the logging road 50 feet away) moments lol.

If I lived more North I'd most certainly be upgrading the cartridges in my safe.

It's all good. :)
 
DVXDUDE said:
HOLY COW whats the next thing you guys are going to waaaaaay off topic about.

Next time take it to PM so the rest of the forum does'nt have to read threw all that garbage
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thankyou for contributing such meaningful commentary and staying on topic. LOL
if you don't like public forums you could always start your own private one. :)
 
Maybe bullet selection needs to be discussed more so than caliber....silver bullets will work on all wolves, including the brush and Island ones. :)
 
There is no such thing as a "werewolf..." Grow up!


Now, zombi-wolves are a real concern... They are generally a close range proposition... An SKS would be ideal for zombi-wolves, but in the apocalypse I believe I might "un-pin" the mags...
 
hoytcanon said:
There is no such thing as a "werewolf..." Grow up!


Now, zombi-wolves are a real concern... They are generally a close range proposition... An SKS would be ideal for zombi-wolves, but in the apocalypse I believe I might "un-pin" the mags...
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It would only work if you painted it with a white base and dripped som ered fake blood on it and painted the name "Lance" on the underside...
 
hoytcanon said:
There is no such thing as a "werewolf..." Grow up! . . .
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Some years ago (or rather some decades ago) Remington ran an add in the various outdoor magazine that was presented in a question-answer format, the answers being all things Remington, as one might expect from their own add, but the last question was interesting. "Will silver bullets kill a werewolf?" The answer was,"Who knows, but if someone could produce a genuine werewolf they would be happy to conduct testing. But Remington's engineers believe that silver (read aluminum) is too light an alloy for good ballistic performance . . . " so they recommended Core-Lokts and went on at length to expound on why their bullets were a better choice than Winchester's without ever mentioning the name. Cute add, that at least opens the door to the possibility that Remington believes in werewolves.
 
Wow. This thread makes my brain hurt.

Location and hunting style play more concern then caliber. Yes I said it. For example I hunted fairly northern Ontario this year. Biscotasing to be exact. I brought my 25/06 loaded with 117gr interlocks and my 45/70 double rifle. First night I tried calling I had a white female wolf come in. I shot her at 50 yards or so thru both shoulders she dropped out of sight. I figured she was dead right there and continued to scream on my mouth call for another 5 minutes. I waited quietly in my tree stand for another 5 mins. It took me 15 mins to get down from the tree. Self climber on pine tree ya I was new to climbers. Took me 5 mins to locate her. That's 30 mins with 2 broken shoulders and spine. 2" exit hole. She was still alive to my surprise. She couldn't get up but was trying to bite me and watched me intensely. I placed the stock of my gun behind her skull and stabbed her with my Spyderco in the lungs. She died in about 15 seconds while I petted her back. Wolves are tough. She wighed 75 lbs dead the next morning.
Th next next time I took my call was for a bear so I brought my double rifle. I called over an established bait where the bears were coming in after dark. My thought was that the bears might come in early. After about 5 mins a small wolf appeared under my stand. It was a yearling by its size but a wolf not a coyote. It would leave I'd squeak and it would return from the thick bush. Bout 45 mins later 3 more wolves showed up and came within 20 yards. 2 smaller ones and 1 larger. I had used my wolf tag and did not shoot anymore. In 2 nights of hunting I had 5 wolves within 30 yards all clear shooting. I maintain 25 Cal is best but I could have taken them with a 22 mag to the head. An sks. A shotgun with buckshot or my 4570.
They are tough animals that deserve respect of a quick kill. Hunt within your limits with a weapon that is capable whether it be bow shotgun rifle or elephant gun


As to hoytcanon John pondoro Taylor has an excellent book titled African rifles and cartridges in which he clearly describes at length bullet performance of fmj and solids as well as soft bullets of various calibers and how their shape and velocity effect their performance on and in big game. Great read. That may help with your understanding of how certain bullets react when traveling thru flesh and bone. Even though most is based on larger calibers he talks about some small bores

So in closing to the op. Wolves are tougher then deer and are encountered across the globe from thick bush to desert or tundra or mountains. Choose a cartridge that suits your location and hunting style and load it with a bullet that will reach the vitals from any angle or be prepared to choose to take only certain shots. Best of luck
 
brybenn said:
As to hoytcanon John pondoro Taylor has an excellent book titled African rifles and cartridges in which he clearly describes at length bullet performance of fmj and solids as well as soft bullets of various calibers and how their shape and velocity effect their performance on and in big game. Great read. That may help with your understanding of how certain bullets react when traveling thru flesh and bone. Even though most is based on larger calibers he talks about some small bores
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Regardless of what JPT may or may not say in his book, bullets do not defy physics, and I believe you have misunderstood my assertion... But then you wouldn't be alone in that.
 
The nose shape and weight distribution can cause the bullet to veer off in dense medium thus causing tumbling sometimes while still being able to fly straight thru air. Either way bullets are capable of funny things when hitting things
 
brybenn said:
The nose shape and weight distribution can cause the bullet to veer off in dense medium thus causing tumbling sometimes while still being able to fly straight thru air. Either way bullets are capable of funny things when hitting things
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That's where I disagree... A bullet designed to be inherently unstable in a "dense" medium (flesh) will also be unstable in a less dense medium (air)... This of course is relative to other designs... And given that the projectile does not change its shape... Bullets either inherently resist changing direction or they do not... My argument of course has been "over simplified" to illlustrate my point... Other factors come into play, spin rate vs projectile length, optimal velocity range for projectile etc... But my original post was refuting that a bullet can be designed to be "highly" stable and accurate enroute to the target, while at the SAME time being design to be "highly" unstable once it penetrates the target medium... Again, this is assuming that the projectile does NOT change its shape (FMJ)... Take care, enough has been said by me on the subject, moving on...

At any rate, I would not recommend FMJ's for hunting regardless... I would recommend a .25 cal or 6.5mm for wolves... And I personally would use a premeium bullet of the sort one would use for deer... It may be "overkill" in the minds of some, but rarely is "overkill" truly regretted after the shot, not so the reverse.
 
hoytcanon said:
That's where I disagree... A bullet designed to be inherently unstable in a "dense" medium (flesh) will also be unstable in a less dense medium (air)... This of course is relative to other designs... And given that the projectile does not change its shape... Bullets either inherently resist changing direction or they do not... My argument of course has been "over simplified" to illlustrate my point... Other factors come into play, spin rate vs projectile length, optimal velocity range for projectile etc... But my original post was refuting that a bullet can be designed to be "highly" stable and accurate enroute to the target, while at the SAME time being design to be "highly" unstable once it penetrates the target medium... Again, this is assuming that the projectile does NOT change its shape (FMJ)... Take care, enough has been said by me on the subject, moving on...

At any rate, I would not recommend FMJ's for hunting regardless... I would recommend a .25 cal or 6.5mm for wolves... And I personally would use a premeium bullet of the sort one would use for deer... It may be "overkill" in the minds of some, but rarely is "overkill" truly regretted after the shot, not so the reverse.
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How do you explain the FMJ bullet that flies very accurately to it's target 300 yards away, then tumbles after it impacts the target? Because that happens. If your theory was correct, the bullet would go in a straight line through, with no deviation. But that doesn't happen, as has been illustrated.
 
Gatehouse said:
How do you explain the FMJ bullet that flies very accurately to it's target 300 yards away, then tumbles after it impacts the target? Because that happens. If your theory was correct, the bullet would go in a straight line through, with no deviation. But that doesn't happen, as has been illustrated.
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You keep missing the point I am making... the stability is "relative" to other projectile designs... a tumbling FMJ may be sufficiently accurate at battle ranges, but when compared to a long range competition bullet it is laughable... the point I was making is that the relative stability OR instability exists with the projectile from the time it leaves the muzzle until it ceases forward motion... you cannot design a highly stabile and accurate round during flight and have it suddenly become an unstable round once it penetrates a medium other than "air..." UNLESS, as I said before, it deforms in some way... You dragged me back-in Gatehouse... But I solemnly declare that this is my last post on that subject. Take care and good shooting.
 
hoytcanon said:
You keep missing the point I am making... the stability is "relative" to other projectile designs... a tumbling FMJ may be sufficiently accurate at battle ranges, but when compared to a long range competition bullet it is laughable... the point I was making is that the relative stability OR instability exists with the projectile from the time it leaves the muzzle until it ceases forward motion... you cannot design a highly stabile and accurate round during flight and have it suddenly become an unstable round once it penetrates a medium other than "air..." UNLESS, as I said before, it deforms in some way... You dragged me back-in Gatehouse... But I solemnly declare that this is my last post on that subject. Take care and good shooting.
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Oh, now it's "relative" :)

We were talking about FMJ bullets, not long range competition bullets.

I still think you are grasping at straws. The bullet is stable as it flies through the air. it gets unstable when it impacts something of different density at inconsistent angles. Then the rear end wants to swap ends, too.
 
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