What would have happened if I had had been using a .243 or even .270? I honestly don’t know. I might have pulled it off. But, at the time especially, I am glad I didn’t have to find out.
Just my own experience and opinion.
My bet is the 270 would have worked well. Mule_Deer has mentioned several times that the quickest kill he has ever witnessed on a moose was made by his wife using a 270 and 150 Partition. Renowned magnum lover, Craig Boddington, has stated one of his quickest bull elk kills was made with a 270 and 150 Nosler Partition.
I have heard countless stories from several guides and outfitters over the years about the rodeos they have seen by hunters coming to camp with magnums they can't shoot. Sometimes the stories end with the hunters going home with their tags. Others where they were able to fill their tag after putting down their rifles and shooting a few practice rounds with the guides rifle, something like 257 Roberts or 7-08.
On the contrary, I have never once heard of a guide or outfitter complain about a hunter that showed up to deer or elk camp under gunned.
Am I saying you should trade in your magnums for 223's, of course not. Use what gives you confidence. But whatever you bring to the field should be a rig that you have become proficient with through practice. The average Joe Hunter will not be able to do that with one of the various Smoke'em Mags.
+1
Great post.
Several weeks ago I watched a good-sized bull moose collapse at the shot to a frontal, non-CNS impact from a 127 LRX/6.5 CM that penetrated several feet. There’s nothing magical about the terminal performance of bullets launched by the 6.5 CM; it does about as well as several other mid-sized cartridges like the 7-08, .270, .308, etc, and with the right bullet they are perfectly sufficient on even very large game. There are a lot of factors influencing how quickly game falls to the shot or gives an indication of a hit, and caliber/impact velocity is one of them somewhere down the list.
Jordan, I watched my kids shoot two mule deer this year with the 6.5 creed and 120gr GMX bullets. Both shots where at very close range and neither was killed very abruptly. My daughters deer dropped at the shot, but got up and staggered a short distance. Flopped around for a far bit before kicking the bucket. My sons deer ran off like nothing happened to it before dropping 75 yards away. No blood was found until just before it dropped from a broadside double lung shot at under 50 yards. That's not magic to me. Magic is a 165 AB and 3450fps. With equal placement both of those deer would have been dead at the shot.
Sounds almost identical to the reaction of two MD I watched get shot this fall at about 180 meters by a 7mm Rem MAGNUM ( ) and 145 LRX at 3200 fps, both broadside. Like I said, there’s nothing magical about the terminal performance of the 6.5 CM. Nor the 7RM. Nor the .300RUM. Short of a CNS or heavy bone hit, there’s no telling how an individual animal will react to a broadside, behind-the-shoulder shot. Some fall, some run. Percentages of runners may vary with different bullets and different impact velocities, but there is no bullet or cartridge that guarantees DRT with a non-CNS, non-heavy bone hit.
) and 145 LRX at 3200 fps, both broadside. Like I said, there’s nothing magical about the terminal performance of the 6.5 CM. Nor the 7RM. Nor the .300RUM. Short of a CNS or heavy bone hit, there’s no telling how an individual animal will react to a broadside, behind-the-shoulder shot. Some fall, some run. Percentages of runners may vary with different bullets and different impact velocities, but there is no bullet or cartridge that guarantees DRT with a non-CNS, non-heavy bone hit.
