How many cartridges for a big game hunt?

[MD]

It's August....... Are you really going to go all the way to hunting season without practicing with your rifle?.....

I shot it in April before bear season. That's how I know I have 7 handloads left.

 

[hoytcanon]

I used 9 rounds on my first deer hunting at 15 and shot seven deer with them, five on opening morning... if you are party hunting for deer with many tags then seven rounds is pretty risky... if you are solo hunting with a single tag, then you are probably safe.

However as expressed above... you should be shooting your rifle before hunting, at the very least, confirming POI.

When hunting I generally have 40 rounds, in two separate boxes, with me just in case things go sideways... and generally bring a back-up rifle also, with 40 rounds for it too.

I am preparing for a hunt now and worked up a load for a new rifle, a hundred rounds later, the rifle is zeroed and has been range checked at 100/200/300 yards... I have another 100 rounds made up, 40 for the trip and another 60 for working on speed handling and iron sight work with the scope removed... just in case.

 

[MD]

Cool...... In which case I would add that if OP is in BC and expects to get through a season with 7 rounds he isn't taking near as much advantage of his geographical location as he should......

That's for my 300. I'm not concerned about ammo on hand for ammo for my 270, my 7x57, my 280, my 243, my other 270, my 30-06...


But thanks for all your advice everybody.

 

[Superbrad]

I heart this thread...... Will leave it at that........lol

 

[geologist]

If I have to travel a long way by truck or aircraft to the hunting area I like to check my zero when I get there so 7 would not do.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

Party hunting is legal in Ontario, thus, I have shot more than ten rounds on one weeks hunt many times.
Then again, my father had a dry spell where he didn't see, or shoot anything for 20 years!

I usually take 20 rounds per rifle, and usually two rifles for a big game hunt.

 

[PEKS]

If you're going to buy Factory ammo from here on out. I would buy factory, rezero with the new ammo, and keep the HL's as backup or range rounds.

Ammo is the cheapest part of the hunt IMO, a fresh box (or 2) and not having to worry about it is worth every penny.

As mentioned, pick your factory load, sight in, stock up, train, then hunt

 

[kamlooky]

I think sum oh yew folk are into the sawse.

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I have a leather ammo belt I bring, twenty rounds that I use on day hunts.
Over night oar owtta town, two shooters and the main hunting rifle has the belt full and a full bawx.
The spare only one bawx.

So there.

 

[blasted_saber]

I go to camp with no less then 20 cartridges per rifle. Enough to tune it up prior to the hunt if need be and hunt with.

I go the field each day with a sleeve of 8. 5 for the gun, 3 just cause they fill the sleeve.

 

[canadian hunter312]

You have 7 remaining, so that's 3 for checking zero and 4 left for the hunt. I can understand why some people like to be prepared, but if you've only got one tag and you're not party hunting it makes very little sense to bother switching ammo. Not everyone needs to shoot 50 rounds before the season to verify they can still shoot accurately and for me personally it's a waste of ammo, but I still practice for the heck of it.

Like you mentioned, it rarely takes two shots or more. I say you'll go on your hunt and come home with a few of those handloads left over....

 

[hoytcanon]

I say you'll go on your hunt and come home with a few of those handloads left over....

Probably, but he could also be standing on watch holding an empty rifle and feeling pretty foolish as a big bucks walks away...

Why take a chance for the cost of a couple boxes of ammo...

 

[Arclight]

I pack a lot. 40 rounds minimum for centrefire. Put in to different pockets ect... You never know if things will turn in the the survival situation..... if I am waterfowl hunting I will keep several cases in the trunk of the car.

 

[trevj]

I pack a lot. 40 rounds minimum for centrefire. Put in to different pockets ect... You never know if things will turn in the the survival situation..... if I am waterfowl hunting I will keep several cases in the trunk of the car.

Several cases? Most guys just use sandbags for traction! Boxes?

I have been though a season where I spent more time sighting in than I really wanted to. Comedy of errors and bad planning. Leftovers of several different boxes of factory ammo, a few trips and falls that dinged up the scope or otherwise made me suspect (correctly) that my zero had changed, etc. Since then, I made it a point to only have one load around, and lots of it.

If I am away from home hunting, well, two MTM Ammo Boxes with 50 rounds each, sure don't take up much room in the truck. Day tripping around home, the loadout is usualy around 20 rounds in the day pack, plus whatever fits in the rifle magazine, and sometimes a few others in a pocket.

It doesn't weigh much, better to have and not need.

Oh yeah. Ran out of powder and bullets? Lightweight! Reloading gear. Getchasum!

Cheers
Trev

 

[WeakKnee]

I take a box of 20 shells for my main rifle and the same for the backup rifle. About 10 rounds go in the field with me, have not ran out yet. WK

 

[Arclight]

Several cases? Most guys just use sandbags for traction! Boxes?

I have been though a season where I spent more time sighting in than I really wanted to. Comedy of errors and bad planning. Leftovers of several different boxes of factory ammo, a few trips and falls that dinged up the scope or otherwise made me suspect (correctly) that my zero had changed, etc. Since then, I made it a point to only have one load around, and lots of it.

If I am away from home hunting, well, two MTM Ammo Boxes with 50 rounds each, sure don't take up much room in the truck. Day tripping around home, the loadout is usualy around 20 rounds in the day pack, plus whatever fits in the rifle magazine, and sometimes a few others in a pocket.

It doesn't weigh much, better to have and not need.

Oh yeah. Ran out of powder and bullets? Lightweight! Reloading gear. Getchasum!

Cheers
Trev

Buy them cheap, and stack 'em deep

 

[ironsighter]

If you know the rifle is already zeroed with the hand loads and you are only going to use the 300 for one animal this season, then I'd say 7 is enough.

The bulk of the banter in this thread can only be attributed to lack of reading comprehension.

 

[heronfish]

What I sometimes find humorous is the guys who will argue that you need to carry a short action p, short barreled rifle to save weight, then go hunting with a few boxes of ammunition. The two don't mesh.

 

[blasted_saber]

You have 7 remaining, so that's 3 for checking zero and 4 left for the hunt. I can understand why some people like to be prepared, but if you've only got one tag and you're not party hunting it makes very little sense to bother switching ammo. Not everyone needs to shoot 50 rounds before the season to verify they can still shoot accurately and for me personally it's a waste of ammo, but I still practice for the heck of it.

Like you mentioned, it rarely takes two shots or more. I say you'll go on your hunt and come home with a few of those handloads left over....

At the very least I'd want a couple more then that for a "finishing" or "kill shot" if it we're needed. At those ranges any shell of the calibre would do. It would plain suck to wound an animal and not have a shell to finish it off.

 

[c.t.smith]

4 in the tube 8 in a pouch. But id be comfortable with 4 in the tube and 4 on the belt.

 

[verminaard]

Each time I head out into the field... If it is a tube, fill the tube and then the bandolier on the stock. If it is a mag, a full mag in the rifle and a spare in the pocket.