- Location
- Calgary, AB
Last edited:
I love big bores!
- Thread starter 444shooter
- Start date
alberta tactical rifle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- calgary alberta
I love big bore rifles too!!
But watching the number of animals that took off after being hit does not make me feel warm and fuzzy. I was under the impression that shooting big bores was to put game down on the spot, which is not what I saw alot of in that video.
Certainly there were a few good shots where the critter hit the dust where it stood, but I would not want my name associated with that video given the number of animals that may or may not have been recovered.
My trip to Africa last year provided zero work for the trackers after a shot was taken. Maybe I am setting the bar too high, but believe if you can not take an animal cleanly regardless of the caliber, you need more trigger time at the range.
But watching the number of animals that took off after being hit does not make me feel warm and fuzzy. I was under the impression that shooting big bores was to put game down on the spot, which is not what I saw alot of in that video.
Certainly there were a few good shots where the critter hit the dust where it stood, but I would not want my name associated with that video given the number of animals that may or may not have been recovered.
My trip to Africa last year provided zero work for the trackers after a shot was taken. Maybe I am setting the bar too high, but believe if you can not take an animal cleanly regardless of the caliber, you need more trigger time at the range.
The clips were cut too short for us to make an accurate judgment on shot placement and it was impossible to see how well the animals were hit. From what I could see most of the game humped up as if heart/lung shot and appeared as if most were a quick run from death....Buffalo being the exception.
Some of the game did show little evidence of being mortally wounded.....But the clips were awfully short.
Buff can soak up a lot of lead and don't often tip over at the shot...With any bore size.
Wildebeest and Zebra can be pretty tough too.
From my experience a fast 338 or 375 will put down deer sized game quicker than a true stopper...The stopper bullets are designed for more serious work.
Some of the game did show little evidence of being mortally wounded.....But the clips were awfully short.
Buff can soak up a lot of lead and don't often tip over at the shot...With any bore size.
Wildebeest and Zebra can be pretty tough too.
From my experience a fast 338 or 375 will put down deer sized game quicker than a true stopper...The stopper bullets are designed for more serious work.
You have to remember that these guys are shooting a huge range of animals in terms of size, hide thickness, body cavity depth, distance of shot, etc. Here we have the ability to tailor our rifles, loads, and scopes to the particular type of animal and (usually) range we are hunting. In Africa, you quite often have maybe 2 rifles to use from pint-sized duikers up to pachyderms. Besides this, big bores really don't tend to kill quick, they simply put 2 holes in every animal - one in, and one out. This leaks blood, and ultimately kills. A .270 or .338 or whatever dumps a lot of energy into the animals that we hunt, but we don't deal with a lot of thick hides. Also, those wonderful whiz-bang controlled-expansion bullets that we use for hunting tend to work great, but sometimes fail. When you are hunting a Cape buffalo, a failed bullet becomes an EPIC FAIL. Thus, you use solids which always work, though not spectacularly so. BTW, I love big bores, too. My best is my .577 with a custom 685 grain mould, fun!
