Does cartridge selection even matter these days?

Just bought my .243 in a Tikka, but I will own a Sako one day. I'm gonna save my pennies to put toward one in 6.5x55. I will just have to get over that sticker shock!

Stick with a wood stocked unit, laminate or walnut. If you paid 2000$ for the synthetic stocked 85, you'd slit your wrists when you open it out of the box and realize what a POS it is.
 
If you figure that any old cartridge in any old firearm is good enough for yourself, great. You might end up saving a lot of money that way.

Now who said anything about the firearm?! We said that about any cartridge will get the job done, we didn't say anything about the gun. I'm definitely a rifle nut of the first order!
 
True, but once you start flying around to hunt, you've got a lot more than 1 rifle, and ammo availability is no longer your primary concern for buying rifles.

Then they can lose the ammo for both of your guns at the same time.;) My primary concern is results, and I'm apt to show up locally with something my non gun nutty friends haven't heard of. I picked the side of cartridge does matter some of the time btw. Usually the caliber doesn't matter crowd points out a pile of very similar cartridges and easy conditions and concludes that caliber doesn't matter.Framed narrowly like that, they are right.
When travelling I do a bit of a reality check, there's usually an easy way and a hard way to get the same results and I have a pile to pick from. I tend to error on the side of more gun instead of less too.
For local hunting, I may be useing what I think is the optimum cartridge/rifle combination or I may be be useing whatever I feel like because I want to and can. Sometimes I don't even like the caliber just the rifle. Ammo availability doesn't enter into it.
 
^ Amen.

Deer still die on the spot whether I use my .243, .25-06, or 7mm Rem Mag.......... as long as I'm shooting my TSX loads. ;) Yup, I definitely agree with those that say that cartridge doesn't matter, but BULLETS on the other hand, definitely matter to me.
 
^ Amen.

Deer still die on the spot whether I use my .243, .25-06, or 7mm Rem Mag.......... as long as I'm shooting my TSX loads. ;) Yup, I definitely agree with those that say that cartridge doesn't matter, but BULLETS on the other hand, definitely matter to me.
True. Anything you can kill with the above,I can kill just as dead with the 44-40, 30-30, or 45-70, given that I can get close enough, and usually, I can, or figure the hold over .
 
True. Anything you can kill with the above,I can kill just as dead with the 44-40, 30-30, or 45-70, given that I can get close enough, and usually, I can, or figure the hold over .

That's a pretty big IF What do you do when when you've got 1/4 mile of stubblefield between between you and a deer/antelope that has already seen you? Happens all the time here, and with the right equipment and shooter it's not even particularily hard. With a 44/40 fagetaboutit. A 45/70 with a vernier sight.............interesting possibility if you like doing things the hard way, but honestly if a 45/70 is a good choice so are my muzzleloaders.
With an STW, hold on hair and get the truck. That may seem like an extreme example but it isn't. In the west our opportunities vary from 40 to 400 (or a lot more) every few minutes. I'd rather not be hopelessly underequiped or have have the arm dictate the hunting method.
 
That's a pretty big IF What do you do when when you've got 1/4 mile of stubblefield between between you and a deer/antelope that has already seen you? Happens all the time here, and with the right equipment and shooter it's not even particularily hard. With a 44/40 fagetaboutit. A 45/70 with a vernier sight.............interesting possibility if you like doing things the hard way, but honestly if a 45/70 is a good choice so are my muzzleloaders.
With an STW, hold on hair and get the truck. That may seem like an extreme example but it isn't. In the west our opportunities vary from 40 to 400 (or a lot more) every few minutes. I'd rather not be hopelessly underequiped or have have the arm dictate the hunting method.

Yeah, I guess out West it would be different. Here in Ontario,unless you are hunting cornfields,the vast majority of shots are under100 yds, so caliber doesn't matter all that much. Bullet choice is a lot more important than cartridge. Personally, I like a big chunk of pure lead just happily chugging along.
 
That's a pretty big IF What do you do when when you've got 1/4 mile of stubblefield between between you and a deer/antelope that has already seen you? Happens all the time here, and with the right equipment and shooter it's not even particularily hard. With a 44/40 fagetaboutit. A 45/70 with a vernier sight.............interesting possibility if you like doing things the hard way, but honestly if a 45/70 is a good choice so are my muzzleloaders.
With an STW, hold on hair and get the truck. That may seem like an extreme example but it isn't. In the west our opportunities vary from 40 to 400 (or a lot more) every few minutes. I'd rather not be hopelessly underequiped or have have the arm dictate the hunting method.

There ya go. :cheers:

What more could I add? :D
 
Well, being as I have hunted out west, I can honestly say that it can be done.
It takes time, patience, and experience, but you can do it.
Hunting like that means learning to crawl, using effective camo, and learning when you can, and cannot move. No, you are not as likely to be as successful as the dude that drops his fusilade from 400 yards with his big scoped modern rifle, but you will be a better hunter for the experience, you will learn way more about your quarry, and you'll enjoy it I think. It's been many years since I was out there, but I sure enjoyed that hunt.
 
Well, being as I have hunted out west, I can honestly say that it can be done.
It takes time, patience, and experience, but you can do it.
Hunting like that means learning to crawl, using effective camo, and learning when you can, and cannot move. No, you are not as likely to be as successful as the dude that drops his fusilade from 400 yards with his big scoped modern rifle, but you will be a better hunter for the experience, you will learn way more about your quarry, and you'll enjoy it I think. It's been many years since I was out there, but I sure enjoyed that hunt.




Its not a question of whether it can be done or not, the question was "does cartridge even matter." I think I've shown that it does. We can do all the thick bush hunting we want by driving north a couple hours, and hunt at powder burn ranges. I've done my share of that, on three continents. Never once did I wish for my 44/40.:p If I really wanted to make hunting harder, I could do that by going barefoot. Think of the challenge and tradition involved.;)
 
How many people here have forgot their ammo and had to buy a box of shells in some tiny little town that only carried 4 or 5 different chamberings? I know I never have, nor has anybody that I associate with.

I think this argument about "but every dinky corner store in every dinky town will carry ammo for your gun" is weak, at best.

I used to think ammo availablity was inconsequential, until I went hunting on Queen Charlotte Islands. It's not that I forgot anything. My hunting partner decided to use one of my guns and as it turns out was not used to it. We got our 10 deer, but a lot of extra shots were used. Went to the local sporting good store and luckily we were using a common caliber. They had .243, .303, .308, 30-06, .300WM, and 12ga.
 
I'm sure it occasionally happens that ammo availability matters, but for all the rant and rave about it, it seems to be extremely rare that somebody actually experiences something like that.

So, out of curiosity, I assume that you bought more ammo and then went and re-sighted in your gun on paper with the new ammo before proceeding the hunt again?
 
LMAO ... Gate you know way better than to ask a question like this ....

Yea Davey ... he makes sense every once in a while

For the question ....
Everything I shot with my Noslers Parts handloads ... has died ...rather quickly ...
Everything I shot with my winchester factory loads .... Has died ...rather quickly ....
Some of those shots further than they should have been ... Others had powder burns on their hides

Whatever your sighted for will dispatch game effectivly
 
I'm sure it occasionally happens that ammo availability matters, but for all the rant and rave about it, it seems to be extremely rare that somebody actually experiences something like that.

So, out of curiosity, I assume that you bought more ammo and then went and re-sighted in your gun on paper with the new ammo before proceeding the hunt again?

Yeah I agree there's no need to rant or rave about it, but it is nice to have ammunition available when you need it. Depending on where you're hunting, I would say it's one of many minor considerations for caliber selection.

Yes my hunting partner bought a bunch of ammo and resighted.
 
I don't think caliber or cartridge matters near as much as what rifle it's chambered in and how you want to hunt, if you are going for a specific type of hunt.
However, scope a rifle up in ( pick a cartridge and action) zero it at 200 yards, and you will take care of 95% of the hunting most guys do.
Cat
 
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