Bigfishonafly
Active Member
The minimum for jack rabbits should start with a 30. 
-
If you are being asked to change your password, and unsure how to do it, follow these instructions. Click here
Too much gun?
- Thread starter wilkup
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
FIGJAM
Well-Known Member
I know a couple of my hunting buddies frequent this site and can't shoot for **** to begin with which means they really can't shoot their 300 winny's they are always bragging about....they know who they are
FIGJAM
Well-Known Member
And end with a magnum!The minimum for jack rabbits should start with a 30.
As long as there are 2 or more choices, we will be arguing which is best. Some believe the only caliber and make of weapon are the ones they own. I am not a supporter of any caliber or maker, but I do have some of each that I would never own. Not they there is anything wrong with them, just not my thing. I dont see me with a glock or the magical 6.5......although I did just purchase a Smith&Weeson recently. something I said I would never own....I am one mixed up puppy to say the least
Too much gun? I really believe there is no such thing as long as the shooter can handle the rifle safely and accurately. These days, I do nearly all of my hunting with a 340 Wby and while I will occasionally use something else, I simply like working with this particular rifle, and it is deadly in my hands. Its taken everything from coyotes to elk and sable quite effectively with minimal meal loss.
Conversely, I do believe we are moving into a realm of not using enough gun. (I can hear the comments now coming from this statement). I was brought up shooting a 308, then a 30-06. What I was taught is a simple and valuable lesson...your first shot will be the best one you're going to get, but there will be a time when you are going to need a second shot, just make sure you have enough gun to reach the vitals from any angle the animal gives you.
Conversely, I do believe we are moving into a realm of not using enough gun. (I can hear the comments now coming from this statement). I was brought up shooting a 308, then a 30-06. What I was taught is a simple and valuable lesson...your first shot will be the best one you're going to get, but there will be a time when you are going to need a second shot, just make sure you have enough gun to reach the vitals from any angle the animal gives you.
Not if you reload. The 45-70 is not that far behind the 458 win. mag. Bullet choice makes a big difference. If you can shoot it well and like it and use the right bullet for the job your good.
Jack O'Conner loved the .270 Win. and so do I, he also said elk where approaching .375 H&H territory. Elmer Keith like big guns with big bullets, but he in later years admitted that a .270 Win. was fine for elk in the hands of a skilled shooter/hunter. So the best think to do is pick the one (or one's) you like the best and learn to shoot it well.
Playtimefun
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2017
- Messages
- 332
As a complete gun nut (wife just says a certified nut) I take 3 guns with me in the truck on every day of hunting. (Plus a shotgun in case for things that fly) I hunt with 1 for 3 hours and then I switch... if it doesn't shoot something, I switch again.
I generally do this with my purchases for the year and if one shoots something it then gets put in the safe for a long time lol. I am sitting at about 65 rifles and I love tuning and tweaking them... Reloading for them...
I agree with sentiments that I have read here that shot placement is everything. Friend of the family in Manitoba owns 2 rifles... bolt actions in 222 and 223. That's what he uses for deer, elk and moose which in that province is completely legal. But he is patient, knows his limitations and gets close. But now Saskatchewan has gone to allowing this and it scares me as I talked to a guy who had his 22-250 out for whitetail and I asked what he was using for a bullet and he just shrugged and said same thing I shoot coyotes with.
So I agree with the sentiment that there is a pendulum swing towards shooting "too low powered" of cartridges for game. Now anything and everything will work on any kind of game. The third largest polar bear ever shot was killed by an Inuit woman with 11 shots from her single shot 22.
So in the end, I try to take what I think is the appropriate gun for the hunting situation and the game. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. A couple of years ago I used 284 Win in a savage 99 and 284 in my Winchester 88 for my deer. I just got a Sako Finnwolf in 243. It's **** near as accurate as any bolt action. Would I take these for long range elk hunting? No way. But if I was in a stand for a max 200-250 yard shot, I wouldnt be as confident, but I would do it. Because I know the trajectories well enough to hit where I need to but also close enough that the bullet is still fast enough that it will penetrate solidly enough to anchor the animal.
So to me, you shoot as big of a gun that's comfortable and you can shoot accurately and I am not talking about it being locked into a lead sled either. Put a good bullet in it and it will perform.
The guy who owned the BAR 270 I now have shot his 300 Win Mag until he passed away at 84. His best friend went from a 300 Win mag to a 300 Weatherby anout 10 years earlier and he basically stopped hunting when his friend passed away but He was still shooting that 300!!!
In another thread I mentioned that my 270 destroyed more meat than any of my magnums. Why??? Because I was using a bunch of cheap ammo given to me when I bought the gun from a friend while I had been reloading for my magnums from the second year of hunting when I bought my first 300 Win Mag.
So as I get closer to the possibility of having to move out of the house and to a condo I am starting to debate how would I reduce my collection and just what would I keep? I sort of decided that maybe that's when I get a really nice one gun setup for all like a Blaser R8 or custom Fierce, Christiansen Arms etc. Etc. Etc. With a really nice scope. And then I started to think about calibers... the only thing I could come up with was one of the magnums like the 28 or 30 Nosler, 300 RUM or 300 Weatherby. Why???? The exact question you posed.... you put a good quality 160 or 180 grain bullet in it (depending if you want a long range gun then 200 etc) and you shoot EVERYTHING in North America with it. Sure it may be overkill on an antelope, or filling the whitetail for tag, but last time I checked dead is dead... and as long as the bullet doesn't explode upon impact and performs as it should, can you ask for anything more???
I generally do this with my purchases for the year and if one shoots something it then gets put in the safe for a long time lol. I am sitting at about 65 rifles and I love tuning and tweaking them... Reloading for them...
I agree with sentiments that I have read here that shot placement is everything. Friend of the family in Manitoba owns 2 rifles... bolt actions in 222 and 223. That's what he uses for deer, elk and moose which in that province is completely legal. But he is patient, knows his limitations and gets close. But now Saskatchewan has gone to allowing this and it scares me as I talked to a guy who had his 22-250 out for whitetail and I asked what he was using for a bullet and he just shrugged and said same thing I shoot coyotes with.
So I agree with the sentiment that there is a pendulum swing towards shooting "too low powered" of cartridges for game. Now anything and everything will work on any kind of game. The third largest polar bear ever shot was killed by an Inuit woman with 11 shots from her single shot 22.
So in the end, I try to take what I think is the appropriate gun for the hunting situation and the game. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. A couple of years ago I used 284 Win in a savage 99 and 284 in my Winchester 88 for my deer. I just got a Sako Finnwolf in 243. It's **** near as accurate as any bolt action. Would I take these for long range elk hunting? No way. But if I was in a stand for a max 200-250 yard shot, I wouldnt be as confident, but I would do it. Because I know the trajectories well enough to hit where I need to but also close enough that the bullet is still fast enough that it will penetrate solidly enough to anchor the animal.
So to me, you shoot as big of a gun that's comfortable and you can shoot accurately and I am not talking about it being locked into a lead sled either. Put a good bullet in it and it will perform.
The guy who owned the BAR 270 I now have shot his 300 Win Mag until he passed away at 84. His best friend went from a 300 Win mag to a 300 Weatherby anout 10 years earlier and he basically stopped hunting when his friend passed away but He was still shooting that 300!!!
In another thread I mentioned that my 270 destroyed more meat than any of my magnums. Why??? Because I was using a bunch of cheap ammo given to me when I bought the gun from a friend while I had been reloading for my magnums from the second year of hunting when I bought my first 300 Win Mag.
So as I get closer to the possibility of having to move out of the house and to a condo I am starting to debate how would I reduce my collection and just what would I keep? I sort of decided that maybe that's when I get a really nice one gun setup for all like a Blaser R8 or custom Fierce, Christiansen Arms etc. Etc. Etc. With a really nice scope. And then I started to think about calibers... the only thing I could come up with was one of the magnums like the 28 or 30 Nosler, 300 RUM or 300 Weatherby. Why???? The exact question you posed.... you put a good quality 160 or 180 grain bullet in it (depending if you want a long range gun then 200 etc) and you shoot EVERYTHING in North America with it. Sure it may be overkill on an antelope, or filling the whitetail for tag, but last time I checked dead is dead... and as long as the bullet doesn't explode upon impact and performs as it should, can you ask for anything more???
Here in Montana .22 center fires are legal for big game too. The biggest problem with them is most .224 bullets are made for varmints and too many people do not understand that.
HARPERC
Well-Known Member
No such thing as too big, or too small, only that which is misapplied. Shooting rock chucks with a .338 RUM usually gets chuckles until one does it with a properly built and loaded rifle for the task. A .223 may seem like a more "appropriate" choice, but when the targets are showing up at the fare end of the bluff, it's not nearly as useful.
Being a product of the 60's, I have always tended towards the Jack O'Connor school of thought, but, also respected the "big-bore" logic of Elmer Keith. Both men were successful in their endeavors. I think the concept "too much(or little) gun" can fall into one or a combination of different definitions...power,, caliber, weight, recoil, bulk, etc). Motivations for one's choice of rifle can range from simple to complex. While I have developed my own personal preferences, which might be subject to criticism, I tend to focus on the individuals skill and success at accomplishing the task at hand with their choice of rifle....being surprised more often the not with one's mastery with their choice of rifle. If the choice is a deterrent to one's success, or they are looking for advancement, most figure it out eventually, or seek advise.
"Nothing is so well learned as when one figures it out for themselves"
-R. Sloma
"Nothing is so well learned as when one figures it out for themselves"
-R. Sloma
If you can own a selection of hammers a guy would have everything from an 8 ounce finishing hammer to a 3 lb framing one. If you can only own one you probably need to buy a 24-28 ounce framer and be VERY careful when doing finishing work. Can't really drive a 4" spike with an 8 ounce hammer. Same is true of guns, if I could only have one it would be a 375 Ruger. Since I can own many, I pull the right one off the rack for the job at hand.
Most of the time I hunt with a 308 Win. but I killed a ton of game with a 7 Rem mag too. Both are middle of the road choices. The 375 Ruger I use on bear, moose, African game but also used it on the odd deer and grouse cause that is what popped up while I was carrying it. Whatever I shot with whatever I had in hand didn't really seem to care what I killed it with.
Most of the time I hunt with a 308 Win. but I killed a ton of game with a 7 Rem mag too. Both are middle of the road choices. The 375 Ruger I use on bear, moose, African game but also used it on the odd deer and grouse cause that is what popped up while I was carrying it. Whatever I shot with whatever I had in hand didn't really seem to care what I killed it with.
