M1, I get you
MM, I agree the 7's have alot going, and honestly have spent VERY little time behind 30s as Long ago decided a 7/08 was indeed a great round and have not changed that thought.
Yet, you might be shocked that I built my 6BR with 8 twist to add flexibility, not to ONLY shoot the highest BC bullet possible as its not the best choice for hunting, not until you get WAY out there (they behave better/up close they BLOW), yet with 70 tnts at 3400 its very flat and destructive on smaller stuff, and has/will kill deer with shot placement, thru the lungs or neck, but I don't try drilling bone with it NOR the Amax. I think one must get to 400-500 + yds to TRULY see a large difference in low bc/high MV vs. high bc/modest MV, but the fact is for MY shooting MOST opportunities are FAR less then 400-500 yds. I did in a DOE at 400 yds double lunged 105 amax, 6BR, 2850 mv, BUT the second furthest kill of mine was 275 paces.......and then the majority ALL fall at 200 or below. That's just deer, but the point is for my application, MANY bullets would/do work and well, twist aside. Likewise in a 20" 243 #1 Ruger RSI, I damned near tore a doe's head off at 42 yds, yes my buddy later ranged it where it dropped, LOL. Why I picked that 70 TNT at 3500 MV in the 243 to deer hunt that day was SIMPLE. Because THAT is the bullet the rifle was sighted in for, and I elected to use the confidence of KNOWING where my gun would shoot, electing accuracy/shot placement OVER a heavier bullet that would offer FAR more latitude in shot placement. Was that TNT inferior on paper vs. the Amax 105 w/.500 BC? Absolutely! Did it make a damn bit of difference when I KNEW my limitations of a very explosive varmint bullet used up close on a deer? NO, because I KNEW what I was using, it's limitations, and CHOSE to shoot NECK only when that doe stepped out. It truly almost decapitated that deer. I admit feeling inept using a miniscule for 6mm, 70gr bullet, and in a TNT config none the less, yet when the time came to face reality, I KNEW my ONLY shot of choice was a soft lethal vital, the neck, and I placed it well. Another doe at 45 paces was purposefully head shot with an amax 105, as it was DARK thirty and I had no plans to chance trailing a deer in the dark when I could take it out with a DRT hit, as the 105 that close was going to blow, and it did�.half the deer�s head gone. Nasty bullet that amax, headshot a coyote at a ranged 172 yds that year also, all from the 6BR. A 70 TNT, even in a 14 twist would have done the same with duplicate shot placement. Getting a sense of a common denominator? Yes, SHOT placement�.making a hit, where you know that given bullet needs to go to do the job. Success can be had from many ways�..if one knows what they are doing.
What would really shock you and many is that I built a 'modern day/higher tech' fast twist 6BR on a Ruger #1 platform. Seriously, WHO builds a custom accuracy set up on a Ruger #1? Not many, but I did, with a Kepplinger set trigger (8oz set) at that, it was fun.
That said, I think I dropped the jaw on a local who now builds custom guns. Reason being, I shot 3 amaxs UNDER 1/2" at 330 yds one morning at our range, with a 4-16x I might add....
UNCONVENTIONAL action, UNCONVENTIONAL accuracy......but no matter.....the bullets STILL went under 1/2"....which puts that at .1515 inch/per 100 yds however that breaks out on MOA, and THAT is not what you or many might expect from a Ruger #1, Pac-Nor bbl or not. That gun avg. 1/2moa, but the above represents what is possible, and I was �on� that day surely, as I cannot consistently aim/hold or see that well I admit, but I did well that day, and the gun and load showed it�s potential. I do recall shooting smaller 100 yd groups than a guy at the range with a Full blown custom BAT in 6mm BRM and Nightforce scope that was next to me�..ya never know.
I just say this all to temper making any 'absolutes' as again, what difference does all this 'Gack' make, IF the shooter of WHATEVER platform they choose, pushing Whatever bullet of choice, hits the intended target, in the intended spot?
All that ballistic talk becomes MOOT. A hit is 95-99% of the equation if it's placed, and the OVERWHELMING factor is the shooter.
Fast twists, High BC bullets, equating to less drift/drop, absolutely, no arguing that at all. Does slower twist and lesser BC bullets yet at higher MV mean it's inferior? ONLY when the bullet fails to connect.
Think of just how �old tech� those Buffalo hunters were, yet they nearly made the Buffalo extinct, kills of very long distances were documented. The hunters/shooters KNEW their rifles, thru experience.
Taking advantage of the highest tech is nice, but not always necessary to get the job done. I normally try getting the most out of my gear by trying to select the best of components, quality and spec, but in the end, I am the deciding factor or success or lack thereof.
The best equipment cannot replace poor operator error. Nor does anything other than the �best� equipment need to take a backseat when the operator knows and uses that equipment just as effectively because they know what they are doing.
I think I beat this horse�..but good safe shooting and hunting to all.
Oh, I guess I did real good shooting with an 1872 Farquharson Rifle styled action�..
