The Miser's Cartridge

A 7.62x39 can take care of anything (maybe?) here in Canada with the proper hand load... And a cheap LOL! SKS rifle... A real miser might have had this set up?.. Before the prices went up.

If I had stated a sporterized .303 originally, I would not have ruffled enough feathers to get feedback. How about a 25-06?
 
DANCESWITHEMPTIES said:
A 7.62x39 can take care of anything (maybe?) here in Canada with the proper hand load... And a cheap LOL! SKS rifle... A real miser might have had this set up?.. Before the prices went up.

If I had stated a sporterized .303 originally, I would not have ruffled enough feathers to get feedback. How about a 25-06?
Click to expand...

its burnin too many grainss to be effecient... the 257 bob is more the styles... but this would then beg for the 6.5grendel ?
which then begs the round about 762 :)
 
WhelanLad said:
its burnin too many grainss to be effecient... the 257 bob is more the styles... but this would then beg for the 6.5grendel ?
which then begs the round about 762 :)
Click to expand...

Was going to mention the .257 Roberts, but figured the guys would start b!tchin about brass... The 25-06 could be loaded with a wad & corn meal up or down with the size & velocity you wanted to achieve & still stay with the quarter bore goodness.
 
For a straight meat rifle I think the cartridge becomes less relevant compared to the cost of the gun.

Shotguns are always super flexible. I can't imagine any species you couldn't take with one, and ammo is reasonable.

For rifles, again, whatever you can get cheap - but anything pistol caliber especially revolver magnums are still relevant. 357, 44, 45 colt. Three oh great, and fuddy aught six can do it all excepting small game but are kind of getting up there in price.
 
DANCESWITHEMPTIES said:
Was going to mention the .257 Roberts, but figured the guys would start b!tchin about brass... The 25-06 could be loaded with a wad & corn meal up or down with the size & velocity you wanted to achieve & still stay with the quarter bore goodness.
Click to expand...

Making brass is pretty easy and the 25 Bob is a great cartridge. - dan
 
DANCESWITHEMPTIES said:
A 7.62x39 can take care of anything (maybe?) here in Canada with the proper hand load... And a cheap LOL! SKS rifle... A real miser might have had this set up?.. Before the prices went up.

If I had stated a sporterized .303 originally, I would not have ruffled enough feathers to get feedback. How about a 25-06?
Click to expand...

Ballistically it is a 30-30 or thereabouts. Which has certainly taken every north American game animal at one time or another. - dan
 
.458 Win Mag has a strong case to support it as a Miser's cartridge.

Maybe even better would be the .458x2 inch American, because you can scrounge dozens of different calibers that can be cut down to make your brass.

But the basic principle is this. If you really are 'that guy', you own ONE gun, and it has to be used for everything. You can load a cat sneeze load under a round ball for small game and birds, or you can dig deep and buy or make 500+grain solids for shooting wayward elephants and RV's.

As an aside, I have pretty good knowledge about what the effectiveness of a .22 rimfire is, and I would place that in maybe second place. It's cheap, you WILL eat, but you will also have to be well aware of time and place, and choose your shots VERY carefully! Elephants have been done (historical record, not me!). RV's are a little harder. Anything lesser, is a matter of timing and persistence! LOL!
 
For the cheapest possible solution I'd look at a smoothbore 12ga with a 209 inline muzzleloading adapter. Cast buck or ball or lee drive key slugs. Or birdshot. Pop the adapter out and use cheap birdshot or steel for migratory birds. Black powder is cheaper than smokeless generally and it can be home made as well
 
300 blackout. Readily available .308 caliber projectiles whether you run plated or made in a mold is plentiful. 110-150gr projectile uses but 16-18gr shotgun or magnum pistol powder. 200yds and under.
Has put down every deer I’ve ever put one in.
 
Prior to COVID and the subsequent escalating costs of factory ammunition, my vote is on the 270 Winchester and Federal Powershock 130s. Prior to COVID, I bought this ammo for $26 for a box of 20 and thankfully I stocked up at those prices. This load groups very tightly in my rifle and do a great job of killing game quickly. Sadly, this same ammo is not going for $60 and $70 per box.

My favourite is a custom 35 Whelen and the Remington factory ammo was already $60 per box. Thankfully, I stocked up prior to the COVID gouge and tax.
 
.308. Lots of it around in normal times and can also easily be found in times like now, any place that sells centrefire ammo will have some in an assortment of bullet weights and types. Applies to reloading supplies as well, or so I assume. Rifles in that calibre are also among the most easily found.
 
Get something in a milsurp caliber that is easy to get. 7.62x51, 7.62x39, 303 British(?) and get a decent rifle in said caliber.
Buy up a bunch of fmj to practice with, and Mexican Match your hunting ammo.
Did this for a friend with his CZ bolt action in 7.62x39. Pulled a bunch of fmj's and replaced them with equal weight softpoints.
POI was identical and buddy was happy to not have to save any brass that was ejected from the gun. (steel cased ammo)
I have shot cast lead out of my hunting guns, but haven't had much time to dial in a load like I want to. My current hunting
303 has a .314 bore, and one I just picked up has a .321 bore, and I want to pick up a decent mold for each of them and take another
deer with cast lead. The last 3 deer I've knocked over at my place have all been within 30 yards, so I don't need a long range blaster.
Heck, I could shoot them with a pistol or a bow and arrow and have meat hanging.
If you're a true miser, you won't be shooting, you'll be buying black market meat from the back of a pickup truck and saving the time you
spent hunting to do other things that make you money and other people poor.
 
I would go 30-06… just because it has so much choices from light and fast to heavy and somewhat fast to cast bullets, legal(up here) for everything! Brass are everywhere, you can use with regular primers or magnum, shoot well with 20” barrel as well as 24”+ if you wish! Can be shot from light to heavy rifles, recoil is not bad and can be managed by most!
 
308. You can get brass off the ground at the range, bullets are everywhere and easy to find from 120-200gr. and it can be loaded with so many different powders, you could score cheap gun show stuff pretty easy.
 
A real miser would be kicking himself in the ass if a moose stepped out at 400 yards and he never had a cartridge capable of that range and the opportunity to fill his freezer. 30-06 for everything. One bullet for 500lbs of meat. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom