One Gun Hunters

[freddiej]

For a short time, 4 years, I did use one gun for Deer, Elk, Goats/Pronghorn, and coyotes.
I used an older wildcat 270 off the 264 W/M-7MM rem mag case.
I used 90 grain Speer and 100 grain Hornady for coyotes with a rather low performance load.
I used Barnes and Hornady 120's for Deer and "speed goats"/Pronghorn.
I used Barnes 140's and 150's for Elk. Okay for a very short season I did use Nosler AB's with rather excellent results.
IF I was to do it all over again; I would in a heartbeat. Now we have better slug selection out there. Berger 150 - 175 grain VLD hunters. Barnes still makes the hollow point boat tails in 140 and 150 grain. Nosler and Winchester have their "Combined Tech" slugs, Nosler has VLD and extended range Accu-Bond. I would not hesitate to build and use my 270-264 Win Mag.

the only hesitation I have is Bear, Moose, and coyotes. the Bear and Moose are too big for the 270 slugs, in my opinion. and coyotes explode when hit by a 90 grain varmint slug from speer, varmint 100 or 110 grain slug from Hornady. IF I shoot a coyote I want to save the hide.

I now have other calibers I would rather use for Bear and Moose. I have smaller calibers for coyote. but for Deer, Elk, and Goats.. I can not think of any better caliber than the 270-264 W/M I have ever shot to use for those three species.

to answer the question if I re-zero, yes, I do and I have it down to a science. or did. my old shooting log book has the 90 through 110 grain varmint loads at 1/4" low at 100 yards, my 120 deer/pronghorn load at zero at 100 yards, my 140/15 Elk loads at 1/8" low at 100 yards. so not much re-zeroing. then I have a set of drop cards for every 50 yards from 200 yards out to 1,200 yards. It looks like I was also working up a card for 140 and 150 grain AB's.

 

[griz375]

For those of you that hunt all your western game with one firearm. Do you use the same bullet for all big game you hunt or do you change the bullet grain depending on the animal your hunting (150 gr. for deer, 180-220 for elk)? I have a few hunting rifles, but I'm contemplating selling and using the 300 Winchester for everything.

Today I shoot the 168 Barnes tsx for everything from deer to moose. 30 years ago I shot the plain old 165gr Hornady. I have found cup and core bullets 150 and lighter to be very destructive on deer at 300 magnum velocities.

 

[Tom Wright]

For those of you that hunt all your western game with one firearm. Do you use the same bullet for all big game you hunt or do you change the bullet grain depending on the animal your hunting (150 gr. for deer, 180-220 for elk)? I have a few hunting rifles, but I'm contemplating selling and using the 300 Winchester for everything.

A bunch of years ago I bought a Browning xbolt in 300WM before a Canadian whitetail hunt, during which I took a 300+lb. deer. Since that time is has become my go-to rifle, having made three tips to Spain, four to South Africa and trips out west to Montana, Wyoming,New Mexico and Texas. With it I have taken 60+ plus trophies from steenbuck and klipspringer, to kudu, eland, wildebeest and nilgai, with prong horn and mule deer thrown in. For the smaller game I've used 150 and 165 grain Bullets, and the larger 180, 185 and 200 grain. For antelope and western deer I use 165 grain, and prefer Swift a-frame 180 grain for the bigger species. Most were one shot kills, unless I screed up—never the rifle or bullet's fault. The big thing is that being a primarily one gun hunter, everything is automatic. Good luck; hope it works for you. A few pics to back up the verbiage.

 

[tooth doc]

For those of you that hunt all your western game with one firearm. Do you use the same bullet for all big game you hunt or do you change the bullet grain depending on the animal your hunting (150 gr. for deer, 180-220 for elk)? I have a few hunting rifles, but I'm contemplating selling and using the 300 Winchester for everything.

i have many, and use different guns and calibers. if i were to use one gun for all, with one load, it would be my winchester 70. 300 wsm, with 26 in benchmark barrel. and a load using barnes 168 gr ttsx at 3260 fps. i have used this for all game in western us. deer. elk, black bear etc. it may be more than needed for some but not underpowered for anything that moves in the us. i use one load because it holds about .5 moa, and i have shot it a lot on literally over 250 big game in us and africa. 23 safaris to africa has taken everything it was used on up to eland, zebra, blue wildebeast, kudu, pigs, roan, sable, and much more. usually 95% with one shot. i know this gun well and is my most used hunting rifle because it has never failed me if i did my part, and because i know it so well. the load i dont mess with, ever!

 

[270winmuley]

Not a single game animal on the planet that won't fall to a 180 Nosler partition from a .300 Win. That's what I would go with.

 

[JohnGood]

Everything same load.

One load always shoot better than the rest. Say what you will about knock down and energy etc, but nothing survives getting shot in the heart or a double lung colapse.

 

[Moose Whacker]

Where I hunt the grizzlies roam, I pack a .338 WM 225 gr. Barns which is good for anything that I can eat. Less meat damage on blacktail than my buddie's 30-06 and moose can't hit the dirt quick enough. I have a griz rug on my wall one shot at less than 3 yds.
Beware of the one-gun man!

 

[Highlander44]

For those of you that hunt all your western game with one firearm. Do you use the same bullet for all big game you hunt or do you change the bullet grain depending on the animal your hunting (150 gr. for deer, 180-220 for elk)? I have a few hunting rifles, but I'm contemplating selling and using the 300 Winchester for everything.

One Bullet, 1 set of dial ups, 1 load development, 1 zero. No such thing as an animal being "too dead". Heavy for caliber for everything

 

[340Wby-4-everything]

Given the thread, I just thought about this. I haven't hunted with it in a decade, but it is indeed a diamond in the rough. I have a 60's vintage 742 Remington 308 Carbine that will shoot everything from 125 to 180 grs (and I mean everything 125,140, 150, 165 and 180 of whatever you want to put in it) into 1.25" and some much smaller groups at 100yds and with 165grs 1/2" groups all day) . Have taken dozens of antelope with it with some of all those except the 180s, it has taken dozens of whitetails and a handful of turkeys with head/neck shots from 40-120yds. Its pretty amazing to have any one gun that diverse and that has never been picky about factory or handloaded ammo of any kind, but I have heard of it a few times, however, never with a semi-auto of any brand. My mom (God Bless and rest her) took me to buy this rifle when I was about 15, maybe 16 and when we were checking it out she shot a 1.5" group of 3 at 100yds with open sights, so it will clearly shoot. I may have to dig her out of the back of the safe and put her back to work and try 175s, 200s and 220s!

 

[RAGGED EDGE]

When I was 24, I started out with 7mm Rem magnum 160gr Federal Premium Nosler Partitions for muleys. I quit deer hunting shortly after that and switched to elk. 20+ elk later, that same ammo is my favorite round.

You just CAN'T go wrong with a 7RM. (Old guy's opinion.)

 

[memtb]

That will work for elk as well

Counting on it.....that's what my granddaughter uses! memtb

 

[Ranger Rick]

You just CAN'T go wrong with a 7RM. (Old guy's opinion.)

I turn 70 in December, so I second that

 

[Allen Kitts]

I hunted for years in Montana with my 7Mag and 139 Grain Hornady bullets only. Killed everything from Coyotes to Bull Elk. I never lost an animal because of the rifle or bullet combination. Its fun to tinker and switch bullets, loads, scopes etc. if you can afford it but I honestly do not think it is necessary. I have two safes full of Firearms and every hunting season I take out my 7LRM and head to the woods because IO know when it goes ban stuff dies. To each his own.

 

[Rflshootr]

Keep your guns......one day you may wish you did.