Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game .270Win. worst cartridge ever!

I am of the opinion that the shell makes a lot less difference then the bullet that makes the hole.

Bullet HOLES kill, not shells and not even bullets. A bullet that misses the vitals doesn't kill. Many vet are walking around today because of that fact. Anyone thing a vet wounded with an AK47 means the AK47 just isn't good for killing?

A good bonded, Solid Expanding or Partition bullet in a 223 makes a good deer rifle out of a small shell.

But I have seen a 9.3X74R with the wrong bullet only go 5" deep into a small white tail buck. ("Seen" meaning I shot that deer myself with my own rifle.)

In my opinion any shell that launches any bullet that gives a would channel of 5/8" diameter or larger, and goes clear through and exits is a good deer shell.

In my 50 years as a hunter and a guide I have seen many dozens of hits on various game animals that seemed to be perfectly placed, yet the game ran off and had to be tracked down. What I think is interesting is that the 2 calibers that have given me that result more then any others (and really, as many as all others combined) have been the 7MM Remington Mag and the 300 Winchester Mag. In most cases the long runs and tracking jobs were the result of a poorly placed bullet, but in maybe 40% of those times it was from using a bullet that came apart and penetrated less then it should, or veered off course in the game and missed the things on the inside it was supposed to hit.

But only a fool would say the 7Mag or the 300 Mag are too small or weak for deer. They are excellent even with standard Cup and Core bullets, as long as those bullet go clear through in a fairly straight line.

About any powder bottle you like from a 223 up is fine for deer, if you shoot a bullet that expands and yet doesn't come apart.

It really about bullet HOLES. Where are they placed ............and do they go straight through.