I end up shooting wolves with whatever is in my hand when I see 'em.......2 with a 7 mag, one with 338 WM, one with 340 Wby, one with 300 WM and one with 300 Wby, a couple with 243 and a couple I don't remember what I had, likely 7 mag or 300 mag. Lost one with a front on body shot with the hornet, no snow..........he's dead for sure just couldn't find him. When I'm specifically out for dogs in the winter I take my 700 BDL 243 with 80 gn bullets.
Wolf Hunting Rifle/Cal.
- Thread starter RT
- Start date
- Location
- kingston Ontario
If you happen to want to part with the 257 dies Message me please .. brass would be nice tooSo quite a few have mentioned the .257 BOB as the "classic"....so last night Im cleaning out a bunch of reloading stuff that I havnt seen in years and I open a box with a new set of .257 dies and about 60 brass.....maybe its a sign!
I kinda like the 220 swift idea tho
Many of them for extreme accuracy for target shooters.
I'm sure it would depend on the manufacturer and I'm sure the manufacturer could help you with the answer.
Applefarmer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Lime Stone City
American Eagle FMJ seem to blow apart quite nicely.
Because most do not expand. I suppose if you found a brand that expanded reliably it may well be the perfect choice. I was talking in general terms of how most perform....as always there are no absolutes.
I said I think they are a poor choice and I still do. Actually I just agreed with a couple other posters that expressed that opinion so maybe they can share some more insight. I've killed many wolves with a variety of bullets and calibres so that's how I came to my conclusion that I prefer expanding bullets. If you think fmj bullets are a good choice based on your experience and they are legal where you hunt wolves then feel free to use them. I was just expressing my personal opinion, not telling you what you should do. Knock yourself out.
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There is a certain vogue these days for using target bullets on game with seemingly good results, I am not convinced that covering a bullet with a few thousands of an inch of copper makes it necessarily a poor choice at high speed on a smallish animal. I not looking to try it as I will just use my regular hunting rifle.
FMJ and the target bullets that are in vougue for hunting are not necessarily the same thing.
If you are not willing to be sure of your bullet making a clean kill in spite of your doubts yet you insist on using sub par bullets until proven otherwise you shouldnt be hunting..... when you can provide hundreds of rounds of examples with backed up proof then you have a stance.... to me one wounded and suffering animal by my hands far outweighs a couple hundred bucks I saved cheaping out on ammo....
The comment has been made that "some" bullets have been designed to "tumble" on impact and at the same time are designed for accuracy... Perhaps someone can enlighten me on the nuance of bullet design that would allow it to retain stability in one medium (air) and then specifically "destabilize" in another medium (flesh)... The idea seems incongruous with the laws of physics...
I don't insist on using anything. My friend with the Mini 14 and the $6/50 FMJ ammo was circa 1988. It is illegal to use FMJ in BC so it is really a non-issue for me, but people are very quick to assume that all FMJ are equal and all are bad ideas and condemn those that might use them.
A void/air space in the tip of the bullet if I remember correctly.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
The reason we have FMJ bullets or "solids" is thanks to the Hague Convention of 1899 and in regards to militaries which signed this accord having to use bullets which incapacitate, not cause death or unnecessary suffering.
They are not inherently more accurate, in fact hollow points can generally be made more accurate. Some people use them for hunting furbearers as they are thought to be more "pelt friendly" than soft points, which they often are, but their performance is erratic on larger animals. They're also used when penetration is paramount, such as head shots or body shots on large thick skinned game like elephant. These are the reasons they're available in nearly every caliber.
Bottom line: All FMJ/FMC/Solids are designed to NOT expand. I have recovered some which were deformed, but none which were mushroomed.
They are not inherently more accurate, in fact hollow points can generally be made more accurate. Some people use them for hunting furbearers as they are thought to be more "pelt friendly" than soft points, which they often are, but their performance is erratic on larger animals. They're also used when penetration is paramount, such as head shots or body shots on large thick skinned game like elephant. These are the reasons they're available in nearly every caliber.
Bottom line: All FMJ/FMC/Solids are designed to NOT expand. I have recovered some which were deformed, but none which were mushroomed.
That was the idea for sure but then they got inventive and incorporated the tendency to tumble to maximize damage in many of those designed for use in battle.
