Theres reliable and then theres reliable. Hence why Phil as a guide prefers to carry a .458win and has been doing that consistently for some decades.
He ALSO said ...
Originally Posted by 458Win
Most modern, up to date, rifleman consider the 30-06 with a 4x scope a primitive weapon. Although most have never given it a fair trial.
Jerry
Based on my experiences at the range and in the field, many, if not most, "modern riflemen" are pretty clueless.
I can't count the number of times I've asked a hunter what load they were using and they were unable to tell me. Ask them about trajectories and they get glassy-eyed. Ask them to estimate a particular range and they aren't even close. (OK, I'm wrong on that a lot as well, which is why I carry a laser.)
Multiple times I've talked to a hunter in the field who was using a new rifle that they had never fired before. In some cases it was just bore sighted by the dealer, in others it had been zeroed by someone else.
Two or three years ago I talked to a hunter who killed an antelope doe at a claimed 400 yards with the then new, 16.1" barreled .308 Ruger Scout. I asked about the holdover and he said he held "right on it". When I asked about the load he had no idea what he was using. With typical ammo, a 400 yard zero with MY 16.1" Ruger 308 Scout would mean the bullet is about 10-12" above line of sight between say 150 to 300 yards, give or take a few. Maybe he had a magic load but I think the only thing he got right was he killed a doe.
A few weeks ago I was at a gun show in Colorado Springs and overheard a conversation at one of the tables. An attendee was trying to sell a dealer a box or two of 30-378 Weatherby ammo. The attendee claimed it had a velocity over 5,000fps. No typo, 5,000fps. With a 5 and three zeros. The dealer and I had a good laugh after the attendee left.
When I go to the range and see what some hunters are willing to settle for in terms of accuracy I often feel sorry for whatever unfortunate critters they might try to shoot later. It is not at all uncommon for their 100-yard targets to look like something a decent shooter might end up with at a much, much greater distance. For them a clean kill is an accident as much as anything.
Most hunters could use a .30-06 and a 4x scope and never need more if they stay within the ranges where they are actually well prepared to shoot.
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.
