Does cartridge selection even matter these days?

Gatehouse

Gatehouse

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
147   0   0
Location
Pemberton BC
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.
 
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
 
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
Click to expand...

That's right. If he keeps talking like that, my wife might catch wind of it.

Then all the different rifles, and hundreds of trips to the range to "test" the performance of yet another cartridge are out the window.

For the love of all that's shiny....LOCK THIS THREAD PLEASE...
 
pharaoh2 said:
Even a .260 shouldn't be considered a minimum anymore.
Click to expand...

:agree:

A .243 Win or 25-06 is plenty for most game. Getting back to the original question, yes it can matter. If you're on a budget you may want to stick to popular cartridges as the ammunition and components seem to be cheaper and have higher availability.
 
Under 200 yards, I've got a couple muzzleloaders that I wouldn't be scared to shoot just about anything with. Under 300 is pointblank for most interesting general purpose cartridges, and very little NA hunting needs anything more than a "light" rifle. It would be hard to walk into a gunstore, buy a random bolt rifle from .270 to .300, a couple boxes of factory shells and a cheap piece of crap scope and not end up with a 2-300 yard general purpose rifle.

Everything is easy if you never have to do anything hard. Longrange may actually be a speciallty use, but it it doesn't feel like it when you live right in the middle of the prairie.Grizzlies are a exception, unless you live where they are.
I normally plan for the hardest thing that may come up. I don't have a problem with carrying a 500 yard rifle instead of a 200 yard rifle. It probably doesn't weigh anymore, the price difference in handloads doesn't amount to a hill of crap, and there isn't a special season or particular reason to use less. The day I get a special early season that requires iron sighted Lee Enfields I'll buy three of them. Until then, I'll continue to use choices that make hard situations easier.
 
Gatehouse said:
.....Put a good bullet in the right place, and the animal will die.....
Click to expand...

A lot of hunters spend more time worrying about the details of their rifle than actually learning how to shoot it.
If there were a shooting competence test before a hunting licence was issued, how many hunters wouldn't get tags?
 
Yes, I concur - 75% fewer tags for sure!
Gatehouse, you are sooo correct - Personally, I liken cartridge choice the same as a vehicle choice - you get what you want based on needs, or budget, or desire - to each their own... they ALL work, and some work better in the right hands.
To me, accuracy of shooter/rifle is more important than ft/lbs of ooomph....
 
I find different cartridges more interesting then anything else. I like to pick the cartridge itself before even looking at rifles, despite all kinds of advice otherwise. I guess my interest lies more in the ballistics and differences in cartridges despite it not meaning anything when it comes to performance on game. Some I find some super boring (308, 30-06 no offense to the guys that use and love these) despite then being so useful there is really no need for anything else. Different yokes for different folks I guess.
 
All hunters would probably be served well if only 5-6 different cartridges were available
(.22 rf. , .223 class, 30-06class, .338class, and something for big game)

But then how would the manufacturers continue to sell tons of new rifles? Including all the new short-fat-uglies......

Really this is about human nature though.... we love to collect things. Whether it is cars, guns, guitars etc. boys like their toys! Something about having a new gun to play with, improve, or trade away....
 
Well, as a hunter that has taken everything legal Big game wise Ontario has to offer with a 30-30, I'll agree with Gatehouse.
The 44-40 works well on deer too within it's range.

Magnumitise? Been there, done that, went back to the 308, and 30-30 (and a few other older cartridges).
No, I don't shoot game five miles out, and no, my rifles don't wear ten zillion power scopes.
But few areas of this province offer long shots like that, at least in the central and northern parts. All my moose have been inside a hundred yards. Two have been inside 25 feet.
99% of my deer have also been inside a hundred and one was about to hit the end of the barrel, at two feet.

I hasten to add that, differing from Clarke, I almost never use premium bullets, and frequently hunt with Cast bullets.

Just don't need 'em.
 
IMHO it only matters when one can't find the cartridge they are looking for at the store. :D

tiriaq said:
A lot of hunters spend more time worrying about the details of their rifle than actually learning how to shoot it.
If there were a shooting competence test before a hunting licence was issued, how many hunters wouldn't get tags?
Click to expand...

YoungGun85 said:
75% fewer tags would be issued.
Click to expand...

Well said. :D

Personally when I got my Hunting license I was disappointed that there wasn't a proficiency test given the amount of time I have spent at the range practicing.

I still think this would be pretty cool even if it was just an option. :)

[youtube]m0yQ4JUh5I4[/youtube]
 
Cartridge selection is really about someone wanting the ideal cartridge for the job; not about just getting the job done. It's also about getting another rifle for many gunnutz.

Like I've said before; trappers, native peoples and many others have been successfully taking every kind of animal on the continent for about a hundred years using short barrelled 30-30's, shooting the cheapest ammo they can possibly find.

If it was all about getting the job done there would only be a handful of cartridges available worldwide.

Thank God there isn't!
 
This thread is bordering on sacrilegious! You wanna yourself get banned!

;)

Key word: Marketing!

Makes the world go round, eh?

On the plus side, the quality of ammo over the last twenty years has increased probably ten fold...if not more.

On the down side, I'd hate to be a shop owner trying to figure out what to keep on the shelves these days!

Couple years back I walked into the local sports shop and asked if they stocked any of them new Federal Premium 130 gr. Barnes TTSX for .300 WMs?

"Huh???"

"Yeah, they spit out the end of the barrel at about 3500 fps!"

"REALLY???"

Out comes the Federal ammo catalogue.

"Huh!"

He ordered 6 boxes.

I think I ended up buying 4 of 'em over the next couple months...at $64.95 each! :eek:

But they shoot the lights out, flatter than a laser out to 300 yds, and kill stuff real quick like.

Awesome!

...but now I'm reading all this good stuff about Superperformance ammo with GMX bullets.

...hmmm?

:p
 
the more I shoot the little old 308 Win, the more I see it's all the average guy needs to 350 yards or so. Like it so much I came home from the gunshow yesterday with another one....:rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom