Hunting North American game with dangerous game calibers?

[John Y Cannuck]

The rifles tend to be heavy, The recoil is heavy, the price of the ammo is heavy.
The availability of the ammo is light.
They are mostly designed to kill by penetration, and sheer size, not expansion, and that can lead to some tracking if you placement is off some.
Their trajectory tends to be of the lob ball variety (with exceptions)

Those I see as the negatives. But I think if you're a gunnut at all, you don't give a crap, and want to do it anyway. Even if it's just to say you did it.
30 cal and below will take anything on this continent, but what fun is that?

 

[Northern Shooter]

The rifles tend to be heavy, The recoil is heavy, the price of the ammo is heavy.
The availability of the ammo is light.
They are mostly designed to kill by penetration, and sheer size, not expansion, and that can lead to some tracking if you placement is off some.
Their trajectory tends to be of the lob ball variety (with exceptions)

Those I see as the negatives. But I think if you're a gunnut at all, you don't give a crap, and want to do it anyway. Even if it's just to say you did it.
30 cal and below will take anything on this continent, but what fun is that?

30 and below just works but feels very utilitarian.

As someone who is just beginning to branch out into new caliber options, the fun starts at 338 and up. It might just be due to the fact that they're not as common as widely utilized as the more traditional big game cartridges that most Canadians grew up on.

 

[dan belisle]

Do it. It's entertaining. Always fun to take a gun out and use it in the field. - dan

 

[regulate34]

I have a 375 ruger. I have shot a few bear and deer with it.
235g tsx @ 2800fps
300g SBT @ 2550fps

Recovered a 235g tsx from a bear @ 200yrds. Hit both shoulders and a bit of spine.

First bear I shot with it was @ 5 yrds with the 300g seirra. Both shoulders and it tumbled down the hill
Both me and my hunting partner said “ the front of that bear is going to be a waste.
But nope. Finger size hole straight trough and the smallest amount of blood shot.

Dispute what the Ignorant will tell you. It’s not a meat wrecker at all.
I’ve had/seen 270, 30-06 and 300mag just tear the hell out of meat when hitting bone.
I’d say my 243 is harder on a steak then my 375

 

[Northern Shooter]

I have a 375 ruger. I have shot a few bear and deer with it.
235g tsx @ 2800fps
300g SBT @ 2550fps

Recovered a 235g tsx from a bear @ 200yrds. Hit both shoulders and a bit of spine.

First bear I shot with it was @ 5 yrds with the 300g seirra. Both shoulders and it tumbled down the hill
Both me and my hunting partner said “ the front of that bear is going to be a waste.
But nope. Finger size hole straight trough and the smallest amount of blood shot.

Dispute what the Ignorant will tell you. It’s not a meat wrecker at all.
I’ve had/seen 270, 30-06 and 300mag just tear the hell out of meat when hitting bone.
I’d say my 243 is harder on a steak then my 375

From what I've been told they should waste less.meat than the smaller, faster moving magnums.

Did you ever shoot any game with the 300grain that didn't do a complete passthrough?

 

[hoytcanon]

I've shot many deer, bears and moose with big bores, .45/70, .450 Marlin, .458 Win, .458 Lott, .416 Rem, .405 Win, lots with .375 H&H, the last I don't really consider a big bore. None of these "cut the animal in half," in my experience they do less damage than a 7mm or .30 cal magnum at screaming speeds... far less bloodshot of the meat. Bigger bore rifles are fun to shoot and hunt with.

 

[Dogleg]

To me the first reason to use big and heavy to to shoot big and heavy. Second is that you’re planning to shoot big heavy and dangerous game and want to get some field experience with it first on whats available you.Thats rational thinking. Third is because you just want to; and there’s nothing wrong with that. Just don’t get confused and thing that which is mostly a handicap is an advantage.

I suppose there is one advantage; with a good buffalo combination there isn’t an angle of shot presentation that you can’t take on deer and elk sized game. That’s something.

 

[MiG25]

I've shot enough beef with a 22LR to know it's where you hit 'em, not what you hit 'em with.

 

[skeeter317]

Took my 458 Lott out for deer a few years ago. Loaded w 500gr swaged lead bullet at 1200fps, just because I could. Broadside through both lungs, deer ran 60 yards and piled up.

I always considered it a do anything rifle when loaded appropriately to a task; it certainly wasn’t much fun at full roar.

 

[156821]

Sorry for the late reply, yes it was one of the RSM model. It was a gorgeous rifle but I feel it was built too heavy for my use. My friend uses a sako in 375 that is a nice 9lb weight. If the rifle you’re eyeing is balanced well and you can handle that sort of recoil I would say go for it. Good luck. Let us know when your shoot something with it. I would be interested.

 

[Pete04]

I've shot many deer, bears and moose with big bores, .45/70, .450 Marlin, .458 Win, .458 Lott, .416 Rem, .405 Win, lots with .375 H&H, the last I don't really consider a big bore. None of these "cut the animal in half," in my experience they do less damage than a 7mm or .30 cal magnum at screaming speeds... far less bloodshot of the meat. Bigger bore rifles are fun to shoot and hunt with.

+1 I agree.
The key is to be "comfortable" shooting big bore's and that takes practice.
Practice takes ammo and in these cartridges that usually means loading your own.

 

[Northern Shooter]

+1 I agree.
The key is to be "comfortable" shooting big bore's and that takes practice.
Practice takes ammo and in these cartridges that usually means loading your own.

Oh I know, I just bought 120 rounds of 458 WinMag. Going to be sighting in soon ($$).

 

[Canuck65]

I've known guys that use 375HH for deer and moose. They're handloaders though and bullet down for deer. If you can shoot it well and find or make the appropriate ammo, I say why not? I would think 375 for moose would be a great cartridge, again, if you can shoot it well. I've heard it's actually easier to manage than 338WM, and plenty of folks use that.

 

[Northern Shooter]

Joseph von Benedikt's latest Backcountry Hunting Podcast episode titled "cartridges for dangerous game" covers over many of these cartridges.

https://backcountryhunting.libsyn.com/cartridges-for-dangerous-game

 

[Northern Shooter]

I've known guys that use 375HH for deer and moose. They're handloaders though and bullet down for deer. If you can shoot it well and find or make the appropriate ammo, I say why not? I would think 375 for moose would be a great cartridge, again, if you can shoot it well. I've heard it's actually easier to manage than 338WM, and plenty of folks use that.

I'm still waiting to find myself a 338 WinMag to compare it to but I find the 375H&H to be a very manageable "push". I swear my lighter 30.06 742 recoils harder than my CZ in 375.

 

[Ardent]

It’s just a rifle weight consideration. In my 10lb+ RSM .375 H&H was an utter pussy cat. In a custom 7.5lb M70, it’s sharp on the cheek and bites. Most .338s are built .30-06 weight, most .375s are built .416 weight.

They both share a velocity range, the impulse is very similar, just depends on the weight of the rifle.

 

[MTM]

One Elk with a .416 Remington/ 300x at 2900. Worked very well. One Grizzly with the 350x moving right along, also worked extremely well. Properly loaded .416s are still general hunting guns.

 

[Northern Shooter]

One Elk with a .416 Remington/ 300x at 2900. Worked very well. One Grizzly with the 350x moving right along, also worked extremely well. Properly loaded .416s are still general hunting guns.

Would you say 458WinMag still fits in that category or does it top out at the 416s?

 

[Ardent]

The only difference is speed, pick a load that makes 2500fps+ and you’ve got a general hunting rifle. A .458 with a 300gr at 2600fps or a 350 at 2500 is a good all round rifle, albeit with a significantly poorer trajectory than a .375 throwing a 270 or 300gr, or .416 at the same weights.

It all comes down to if you believe bore diameter kills, I don’t personally. Seen too much to indicate a .45 hole is functionally no different than a .375. They’re both small holes, anything under an inch or two is frankly. Bullet weight, at speed, does matter. A .458 moving .375 speeds and packing 200grs more bullet, does indeed to more work. It’s just physics, but many of us aren’t willing to put up with the physics on the shooters end to get that performance. So .458s get neutered and slowed down.

 

[SomebodyTookMyName]

Shot a whitetail with my .375 H&H and 250gr Sierra GameKings- very poor expansion, especially at distance. Sierra themselves confirmed that the 250's have very thick jackets and are meant for game like grizzlies or moose. The buck took 4 through the vitals (from 100-400 yards), none of which expanded to leave any notable internal trauma beyond about a 1/2" hole.

Shot a black bear with a .470 Nitro and 500gr Hornady DGX's- acceptable performance, but still too hard of a bullet for lighter game. The shot dropped him, broke his shoulder and passed through his lungs/heart before exiting with about a 2.5" hole. He ran about 40 yards before the second bullet caught up with him and saved me from any unnecessary tracking. Internal damage was still moderate.