When is 'enough gun' 'too much gun'?

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ratherbefishin

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Where once the moderate velocity/ caliber rifles were the weapon of choice for deer hunting,it seems that nothing less than the latest hyper rifles will do....but I seriously wonder how much real advantage to the average deer hunter they offer? I 'm not talking about special situations where grizzlies are likely to be encountered ,or long shots are more the rule than the exception, but in my own experience,most of my deer were killed well UNDER 50 yards...I knew an old guy who used a Winchestor 25/35 with great success on his wood lot.Compared to that I was 'over gunned' with my 303 on typical coastal Blacktails .Today I pretty much just carry a 6.5x55 swede with a fixed M-8 4x Leopold and just regular SP ammunition and the deer seem to drop just as dead with that as the latest 'must have' rifles capable of shooting deer 1000 yards away..
 
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Yeah, critters seem to have grown bullet-proof armour in the past 50 years. When you consider that thousands of buffalo were killed with the lowly 44-40 (my grandfather traded a 57 Snyder for a brass-framed 44-40 that he used for tens of moose, then he traded that for a 303). The 30-30 has killed tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of moose. So yeah, a nice big .895 Apocalypse Magnum may be great for gopher and rabbit, but the old stand-by's, especially with the new premium bullets, will still take game.

It's amazing that the 100+ year-old Swede is still one of the best cartridges in the world, capable of dropping any animal in North America. It may not be capable of stopping a charging grizzly the way a 375 will, but then, I seriously doubt that this situation arises more than 5 times a year in all of North America.
 
Deer are not hard to kill with a well placed shot within 200 yards. Cartridge selection becomes irrelevant as long as it meets the legal minimum. Use what you want.
 
Dogleg said:
"Mine's smaller" is just another way of saying "Mine's bigger", usually with the implication that "Since mine's smaller I must be better".
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Yessir.

Shoot what you shoot well enough to be confident with and like, as long as you are honest with yourself about the results!

Who cares what anyone else uses. If you are hunting deer with a .243 or a .416 and getting it done? Rock on.
 
My Pops said

Choose a rifle and cartrage that allows you to shoot straight.

Hopefully on your first shot along with a follow up if needed.

It took me 30+ years to figure this out, now I'm back to what I can handle.

Don
 
Scotty454 said:
Little more forgiving for sub-par shooters maybe?
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There is definitely that demographic, but I think a lot of it just falls under the latest/greatest marketing, or the “there’s no such thing as too dead” moto. To each their own though.

I certainly fell into that “bigger is better” mindset a few years back. I was seldom able to get much quality time out in the field, so I was sold that I needed a rifle big enough to better my odds should a less than ideal opportunity present itself.

Then I remembered a 308 is all I need for 90% of my hunting
 
A boat with a hole in it will sink.
A boat with a bigger hole will sink faster.
If you hunt in bush country then all you need are the old standbys, if you hunt in open country then that extra speed translates into extra distance.
I shoot the ever popular 7mm Rem mag because I hunt open country. It does suck a little on the really close shots though.
 
There has to be something in some people that they want the best hardware, for whatever reason.

Go to any trades school and you will see a bunch of students who have spent $$$$ on giant, get-you-to-Mars graphing calculators, purchased after the instructor recommended a $8 calculator from Staples or Walmart. And of course, the graphing calculator comes with a manual equivalent to a math textbook and is never opened so it is only used to divide, subtract, etc.
 
I am reminded of an old saying: "Beware the man with only one gun...he probably knows how to use it!"

I'm not saying that I am an advocate of only owning one gun. My point is that spending more time shooting one firearm improves your skill with THAT firearm. More skill equals dead game regardless of caliber.

I am also reminded of something my Pa used to say: "ALL fish hooks catch suckers. Some from the water, most at the cash register."
The same applies to firearms methinks.

Having said that, I won't discuss how many different firearms I own....lol. I feel that there is something interesting about being able to "browse" through your own gun cabinet and choose a different caliber for today. But the largest caliber that I have ever owned is a .303, although I have shot a number of friends larger calibers for poops and giggles.

But having supreme confidence in the firearm that you are putting to your shoulder knowing that, if you do your part, whatever you are pointing it at down range is going to be dead only comes from a LOT of practice with that firearm. There is no substitute.

That's my nickle's worth....
 
When is 'enough gun' 'too much gun'?

How about when the cartridge grossly exceeds the power needed for the game class being hunted? A .375 H&H Magnum for gophers instead of a .338 Win .Mag.? :p

https://1source.basspro.com/index.php/component/k2/239-hunting-info/2495-use-this-rifle-caliber-chart-to-pick-the-ammo-for-hunting
38190508075_09d3145374_b.jpg
 
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