... The new world record Yukon moose, the largest deer species in North America, was killed a couple years ago with a .303 British.
Pretty irrelevant asa sample of one. I'm reasonably certain the moose would have fallen to a multitudes of cartridges, many much smaller and less powerful than the .308 British.
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What my older friend taught me was that there's hunting and there's shooting. While there are times when closing distance is impossible, in which case hunters have to make crucial decisions, I'd prefer to close distance if possible.
No disagreement there but where the line between hunting and shooting falls will always be subject to debate.
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I own a Belgian Browning .338 Win Mag. I've owned it for at least 3 decades. I've never hunted with it. It's a beautiful gun, but it's far too powerful for everything in North America.
"Far too powerful for anything in North America"? While I've only shot elk with mine, including one at 487 yards, my longest shot ever on big game, I've found it to be quite effective. Not sure which two rifles I'll take elk hunting this fall but the .338 is most likely one of them. I will say it is overkill for clay pigeons on the 600 yard berm but they die quickly.
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... So, the rhetorical or possibly philosophical question would be whether more gun necessarily means better gun. Well, what's a better gun? It becomes subjective pretty darn quickly.
Hunting is supposed to be fun, and it's often a display of a hunter's personality. I've never cared what cartridge a hunter uses. I would never suppose to know what's right for him. My synapses misfire, though, when a hunter tries to tell me that an '06 won't kill a species of big game, that I'd need at minimum a .300 RUM. Nope. I'm good with a lightweight rifle chambered for .270 Win.
Agreed, if a hunter can't shoot a gun well because of the recoil and blast, a gun with less of both is probably a better choice. Daughter #1 is petite and sensitive to recoil so I recommended a .308 Win for her antelope and elk hunting rifle. Until she practices more and can handle longer ranges she won't need anything more. (Since 1982 when I started big game hunting a .308 Win sould have fufficed for every animnal I've taken so I think she is well set for a while at least.) Sons-in-law have gotten a .30-06 as a wedding present with another due in March-April. (That .30-06 is in the safe already.)
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
