Great discussion.

[Huntnful]

I love to shoot long. But bow hunting up close gets my heart revved up more than a rifle ever could. Unless we consider dangerous game charging.

Haha awesome!! I get just as jacked up getting ready to kill and animal with my rifle, as I do with my bow. I know that’s definitely not normal, but I can tell no difference for some reason lol. So now I mostly just rifle hunt. I like to say “I only bow hunt when I have to” haha

 

[jamie eaton]

The two cousins that got me into hunting ( they were +20 years on me in age ) and my best friend that I hunted with all died within the year of 2016 . It's been real hard to get back into it . It also makes it hard to do any of the things you once enjoyed . I lost the place I hunted with them so I need to get the bow out and get ready for some state land hunting . To many people out during gun season !

 

[Turpentine21]

I'm same way. I broke my back in a treestand accident and that pretty much put me out of the Bowhunting game. I sure do miss it. Whether it was hogs or deer really didn't matter. I loved it and still have vivid memories etched in my brain from some of those encounters.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

It’s extra satisfying to use my own creations (loads) and guns making good shots.
Doesn’t have to be big game, either.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

Turp, there is a very satisfying feeling when those broad heads crack ribs too!
A sound unlike any other.
I haven’t shot my bow in 3-4yrs. Too many guns to play with and we seem to farm until rifle opener these days, or close.

 

[Huntnful]

I guess now I can share my own PERSONAL CHOICES, instead of just general data that I found interesting.

If I was mostly an elk hunter, or had a dedicated elk rifle, or even possibly just a premium bull tag. I would shoot an 11lb 300 NMI with a 26” barrel, and either 225 ELDM’s at 3050fps or 245 LRHT’s at 2950fps.

My reasoning would be; I want no limitations on shooting 1000+ yards. That platform and weight is still very shootable and packable. And the bullets provide great wound channels as well as high BC’s for long range shots. Probably would be partial to the 225 ELDM, after seeing what it did on my bull last year.



With all that said, I just don’t care that much about elk anymore, and spend most of my time focusing on mule deer. So I went down to a 7-300 NMI shooting 180 ELDM’s at 3160fps. This allowed me to drop my rifle weight down to 10lbs, while still maintaining slightly less recoil than the 300 NMI. The 180 ELDM still provides a devastating wound channel, and has a high enough BC that it actually outperforms the 300 NMI with most bullets, out to some pretty far yardages. And I still wouldn’t really hesitate to kill 1 bull year or so with it. Taking a little extra time to put myself in a position to make a nice broadside lung shot.

Then a have a 6 PRC, which is just a 600 yard (my personal limitation with it) backup deer rifle. I killed a buck with it to make sure it works, and it does lol. It’s a fun cartridge and actually does have excellent terminal performance shooting a 109 ELDM at 3300fps. I would also shoot an elk with it if I HAD TO. It goes on most of my hunts in case my main gun has issues for some reason. If my main gun went down on an elk hunt, I would not go home. I would grab the 6 PRC and make a good shot on a bull at a moderate range and kill it IMO.

Those are just my personal thoughts and justifications and reasonings.

I think everyone is entitled to their own views and opinions, whether it is small or large cartridges/calibers. Especially if they have the kills and experiences to back up those view points and reasonings.

 

[Muddybuddy]

Here’s my take on it.

I don’t think the small caliber guys are saying they kill just as well. I think they’re saying that the advantages, faster follow up, less flinch, potentially more range time, spotting shots, outweighs the advantage of a bigger caliber, which is better success on marginal shots. Put a bullet through both lungs or the heart and it doesn’t matter, but put one in the paunch and the bigger caliber will shine.

Like most things, it’s a give and take.

And if anyone cares, @E4aker, just built me a 300nmi shooting 245 hybrids at 2825 out of a 22” barrel. I’d love to see what a 5 shot group would look like out of a 6mm that’s better than what this rifle is doing. This is my first 5 shot group with this load, no cherry picking.

 

[Huntnful]

Here’s my take on it.

I don’t think the small caliber guys are saying they kill just as well. I think they’re saying that the advantages, faster follow up, less flinch, potentially more range time, spotting shots, outweighs the advantage of a bigger caliber, which is better success on marginal shots. Put a bullet through both lungs or the heart and it doesn’t matter, but put one in the paunch and the bigger caliber will shine.

Like most things, it’s a give and take.

And if anyone cares, @E4aker, just built me a 300nmi shooting 245 hybrids at 2825 out of a 22” barrel. I’d love to see what a 5 shot group would look like out of a 6mm that’s better than what this rifle is doing. This is my first 5 shot group with this load, no cherry picking.View attachment 581736

Very well articulated. Basically what I’ve been trying to say the whole time, but you did a much better job of it .

And that’s always a beautiful sight when you shoot a group like that with zero load work. Love it!

 

[Phil Rizzo]

Very well articulated. Basically what I’ve been trying to say the whole time, but you did a much better job of it .

And that’s always a beautiful sight when you shoot a group like that with zero load work. Love it!

Got a question- do you like 6011, 7018 or 7024 better?
Kinda parallels the cartridge size debate hahahahaha.
You may be a tig man for all I know, just making a laugh here.

 

[Muddybuddy]

Very well articulated. Basically what I’ve been trying to say the whole time, but you did a much better job of it .

And that’s always a beautiful sight when you shoot a group like that with zero load work. Love it!

To expand, I understand what a couple of guys are saying on here, but the reality is most of us aren’t your average shooter or hunter. @E4aker is a perfect example, he lives it daily. His 13 year old daughter would outshoot 99% of this forum, let alone Joe public hunter!

But, if you take Joe public hunter who is going to go out the weekend before the season and put half a box of ammo through his rifle trying to get on paper, shoot a 3” group and call it good, it’s hard to argue that guy wouldn’t be better off with a 6cm than his trusty 300wm. Hell, I went on 2 hunts last year where guys were shooting guns at dusk the evening before the opener trying to get their rifles sighted in! He's going to shoot a 6cm better with less flinching, and he’s going to have a faster follow up.

@E4aker when are you building me a hat 16.5” 6prc? I need to kill an elk with it and prove you wrong!

 

[Huntnful]

Got a question- do you like 6011, 7018 or 7024 better?
Kinda parallels the cartridge size debate hahahahaha.
You may be a tig man for all I know, just making a laugh here.

Hahaha I like cellulose more sure. 6010/6011, 7010 & 8010.

My neck gets used to welding downhill cellulose, and then when I get on a big 7018 job, my neck is sore for a couple of days from welding in reverse haha.

I actually just retested the other day. This was the 12” .375” 7010

 

[Huntnful]

To expand, I understand what a couple of guys are saying on here, but the reality is most of us aren’t your average shooter or hunter. @E4aker is a perfect example, he lives it daily. His 13 year old daughter would outshoot 99% of this forum, let alone Joe public hunter!

But, if you take Joe public hunter who is going to go out the weekend before the season and put half a box of ammo through his rifle trying to get on paper, shoot a 3” group and call it good, it’s hard to argue that guy wouldn’t be better off with a 6cm than his trusty 300wm. Hell, I went on 2 hunts last year where guys were shooting guns at dusk the evening before the opener trying to get their rifles sighted in! He's going to shoot a 6cm better with less flinching, and he’s going to have a faster follow up.

@E4aker when are you building me a hat 16.5” 6prc? I need to kill an elk with it and prove you wrong!

I got the reamer!! Say when

 

[wasskeet]

Hahaha I like cellulose more sure. 6010/6011, 7010 & 8010.

My neck gets used to welding downhill cellulose, and then when I get on a big 7018 job, my neck is sore for a couple of days from welding in reverse haha.

I actually just retested the other day. This was the 12” .375” 7010
View attachment 581737

Very nice work! I'm too shaky to come close to that any more.

 

[E4aker]

@E4aker when are you building me a hat 16.5” 6prc? I need to kill an elk with it and prove you wrong!

Hahaha…some folks gotta learn the hard way