Originally Posted by SansSouci
Originally Posted by HuntnShoot
This thread was an entertaining read, until the bullshit about only guys who can't shoot can't shoot magnums well. Some of you need to read what you've written to see if you actually agree with it.


HuntnShoot,

It's not about shooting magnums well. It's about utility of magnums.

I'm good with what anyone wants to use. However, I have met very few hunters who have been able to shoot magnums well. I have seen hunters flinch like hell while sighting in .300 Win Mag from a bench. I'd bet that you have, too.

One of the best hunters I knew used a custom made .243 Win. He shot a crow out of the air with it. He was probably the be natural shot I knew. While he had other guns, he hunted only with his custom .243 Win. On one deer hunt, he brought only 3 cartridges with him.

People buy magnums for a lot of reasons. But they will not kill any deader than a 7MM-08 Rem provided bullets from either stop oxygenated blood flow to a animal's brain. When that happens, animals WILL die. Biology, not bullets, is controlling.

The absolutely most miserable rifle I have ever fired, and I have fired more that a few magnums, was a .45/70 Guide Gun with max hand loads and 400 grain Speer bullets. I have a feeling that three shots from that gun will have you rethinking big guns in a hurry.


I agree that magnums are all about utility. I have seen that first-hand. The common talk here at the fire is that shots are unethical past a certain distance. The utility of magnums rarely comes into play within the distance usually named. I've shot several, and I've seen many shot, usually poorly. Not coincidentally, every rodeo that I've seen was due to poor shooting by someone with a magnum of some flavor. And I know and have known of many guys that can shoot big boomers well. Many of those guys are on forums like Long Range Hunting. Many are here.

I admit that at a certain recoil and noise level, practice doesn't make me better; it makes me flinch more. I know where that level is, and I shoot a lot, right up to that level. Every now and then I'll take a few shots with something bigger. I generally shoot those few well. If I go for a few groups, it gets less pretty. I submit that everyone has a recoil tolerance level, and that practice only changes that to a certain point. For some of us, that point is below magnum calibers. That doesn't mean that I am a poor shot. Just that I know my limitations. I wish some others had a desire to know theirs. I for one don't think more power gets it done better, especially if we are talking hunting.

I belong on eroding granite, among the pines.