Over gunned is there such?

[BT]

Today one of my buddys was going on about how i use cannions to deer hunt with.

The way the discussion was started he ask me if i had bought any new hunting guns latly.
i said not realy but i was thinking of having the 721 30-06 rechamberd to 338-06 or 35 whelen.

He said you all ready use a 45-70 and 338 on deer now what do you need another cannion for.

try some thing like a 25-06 ,243,7mm something normal for deer.

My ? can a gun be to big?
I say no.
my reasions for using the cannions as he calles them are simple.

with my leg i realy cant track they well any more and i like the deer to fall in there tracks.

so far with the big guns that worked.

i dont think it will with the littler cals.

I handle the reiciol so i shot just as accutrly with the big ones so why not use them.

during bow seasion when you expect to track i hunt with my cousion that does most of the tracking.

So why use small guns when you can use big ones?

[deerslayer11]

I think its more about the bullet than the gun. I really didnt love my 270 until I changed from Core-locts to Federal Premiums.
Ive dropped every deer Ive shot in its tracks with my little 260.
I think it all boils down to what YOU have faith in. I was so dissapointed with my 270 that I started missing alot, and I think it was because I didnt trust the caliber.

[noonebil]

The only problem I have with large calibers is the meat they tend to destroy. My Bro-in-law shot a small doe with a 300 win mag & literally blew the opposite side off the deer. It didn't run, but there wasn't much left that was usable.

I have dropped most deer in their tracks with a 30-06 using 150gr ballistic tipped bullets or a 243 using 100 gr soft point bullets. The ones that did run have left excellent short blood trails.

[BT]

The meat dammage is not normaly due to cal.
its due more towards volisity.

what bulliet was he using in the 300?

I dont concider the 300 big it uses the same size bulliet that you 30-06 does. its .308 the 300 depending on which 300 "win,h@h,or weatherby or now rem" moves the same cal. ".308" as your 06 just 150-350FPS faster.

Most of the shots i have taken with the 45-70,44mag,45 all just pushed stright through.
with out expanding using weight and penatration and origanal diamiter for its killing power.

whith them you can eat right up to the hole.

The big exception would be a close shot with the 338 now it would do coniderible meat damage.

but from my experince the big guns "bore damiter" dot do as much dammage as high volicity small bores do.

the worst shot up deer i have ever sean was shot with a 7mm mag bilistic tip at about 25 feet. the whole front end was blood shot.

The way i clasifly gun cal is kindal like Elmer Keith any thing under 30 is small,then the standerd 30 cals,the,middle bores 31-40 cals

[hunt4fun1]

Bro, you're shooting a .338 Lupua at deer?

That's a whole lotta Rosie there.

If that's what you like to shoot and you feel ok with it, I see no problem with it. But why shoot a .338 Lupua or .416 Rigby when you can shoot something just as effective (on any thing in North America) in a smaller caliber? Like...7mm, .30-06, .300 Win. Mag....etc.

I have more confidence in my 7mm than any other gun I have ever owned when it comes to knock down.
If you find that same confidence in a .338, that's ok.

[BlueNorther]

What ever floats your boat ;D.A friend of mine hunts everything with his 338.He's pushing a 225gr bullet at over 3000 fps .Where he has it over my 7 mag is the cross canyon shots on elk over 400 yards.When that hunk of metel hits em it knocks em down and keeps um down.It does have heavy punishing recoil and that's it's downfall to me.

[BT]

I use a 338 win mag not the lupua my cousin uses the 338 rem ultra mag..
My loads and his are taylored a little diffentrly.
I use a 200-250 gr bullet for knockdown at medium range 200-300 when i shot long range.

his hand load is a 180gr blistic tip laded to max volisity by one of his buddys. he is debating about trying the barns 165gr ".338" to try to get it eaven flatter.

where he uses it at is big agg filds some top out at 800 or so acers. he shots long range alot.

[BT]

H4

From my experinces the smaller cal are not as effictive.

I have use alot of the coman cartages at one time or another.
They dont seam to drop the deer on the spot.

now thay normaly droped in less than 100yd and most with in 50yds but not in there tracks.

The heaver cals espicaly 45-70,44,mag and 45 colt.
they have all drope with out going more than 2 feet.

The only deer that has moved after being hit by my 45-70 was a doe last year.
i shot through a unsean tree limb about 2-3in thick

she only made it about 50feet and left a big blood trail.

The only one that has moved after the shot with the 338 was my cousions doe last year it was a little far back but with that cal she did not go but about 25yds
with the same shot placement i dont knlow how far that deer would have made it with a 30-06

[hunt4fun1]

BT said:

H4

From my experinces the smaller cal are not as effictive.

I think I may agree with that. I have a buddy that was REAL unlucky last fall with a .243 more than once. I say shot placement, he says round. I have to think it's a combination of the 2.


You don't shoot rabbits with a .50BMG and you don't shoot bears with a .22LR.
There is a medium I believe.

[rjk187]

Ive had alot more luck with my .270 than my .243 but that also could because im wiser and alot better shot now. But when i shoot the .270 im confident i know that deer aint goin far if anywhere

[BT]

As far as the 243 goes i dont persionaly like them at all.
i have sean to many deer get up and leave after being hit by one.
"

i know i bought lisa a 6mm and there ant much differince but it was the one she could shoot."

I realy think the 6 "243" are a bit small.
and dont leave much room for mistakes.

But one of the bigest problems i have sean realy wasent the cartages foult.

its the idea of a dule perpious cart. that braings up theas problems the 6mm,243,25-06,257 and such all have the same problem.

The factory ammo is loaded withe 2 tipes of bullets one for varments "lest say under 60lbs" and then they have ammo loaded for deer.

If the persion knows what should be used and knowes bullets and cartages they normaly dont have problems.

but lets face it we have a lot more hunters that shoot just to make sure the gun is sited an d then just at game and use what ever bullet there loacle ammo place has on hand at the best price.

So some one hunting deer taht does not know any better could easly use a varmet load and wonder why a big deer got away with a good shot placement.

the 30-06 with the exp of the acelator load in factory ammo is capable of taken deer. same with most of the biger cals like 7mm,270,308 an dsuch and deffintly in 338.

Know i cant realy blam the hunter 100% if they make that mistake if it was never expland to them.

I do how ever hold the ammo makers some what responcible .

Win is doing a good job now with there cpx-numbers telling what the ammo should be used on i wish more companys would do that.

Then is some one uses a 55 BT in 243 on deer it there foult and not just a mistake.

I have on may acasion sean people buy / use unsutible load on deer "varmet loads' one guy in my old hunting club did just that with a 243 using 55gr bullets he shot a big i mean huge deer by fl standers. 3 times the first to shot would have been deadly if the right bulleyt was used or a biger cal.
i saw the shots.
we never forun that deer.

[deerslayer11]

If you can take the recoil I would assume you dont have a flinch. If I were in that situation I think I would take head and neck shots before going to a larger round. But I cant say much since Ive been wanting a 338 or 450... Ive killed deer with everything from a 260 to a 300winmag to a 12ga to a 7mmbr.
I busted a doe square in the guts with my 300 mag at over 250 yards and she only went 25yds before dying. Then again I shot an 8pt in the heart at about 25yards and had to track him a couple hundred yards into the thickest crap around... I think think some deer are just tougher than others like people are. Hell Ive even dropped a buck dead in his tracks with a lung shot from the bow.

[benhuntin]

Under your circumstance I can understand why you would want to use a cannon on deer. What I dont understand is the fellas out there that always brag about shooting deer and blowing off the opposite shoulder. A 30-06 will drop just about every wild animal on the continent in its tracks. Here in Florida where the deer are smaller bodied and most shots are well under a 100 yards, It makes no sense to me for someone to shoot a 300 mag. It just seems like overkill. But each to his/her own.

[BT]

As far as the head / neck shots go.
i have never liked them. There is just to much chance with you target to move.
I have a buddy he was on the CERT with me.
all he takes is head shots on deer and hogs. he uses a 233 for his hunting.

But to me there is just to much chance on taking head/neck shots on a reauglar bacies

Limeted to un-alert animal at close range its ok but pushing the range or a nervious animal just gives to much chance for the animal to move.

[rjk187]

i have to disagree bout the head shots for does i love them the past four or five does ive shot were head shots. two of them were on high alert cause they just saw there freind get dropped so they were bobbin and weavin all over the place you just gotta pick the right shot