I don’t think it much matters. Put a decent bullet at a decent speed into the vitals and stuff dies.
The emphasis should be on ensuring the bullet is placed into the vitals, which means plenty of practice. More folks would be better off spending less time practicing long range and more time getting into position quickly and making shots at normal hunting ranges from a variety of field positions, as well as recognizing field expedient rests and quickly being able to utilize them. Have seen far more blown shot opportunities from people dicking around not getting into a solid position quickly than I have because of shots missed because of the distance.
The practice issue brings me to the cartridge/bullet subject that is the most valuable in my mind: logistics.
Being able to source a large supply of components that will ensure proper practice and a stash for hunting is a big deal. Having to rely on a boutique bullet maker (or even a company like Nosler, who seems to have a hard time coming up with component bullets) makes that sourcing expensive and difficult.
I’ve gone to using 223s and 308s for most of my hunting because of that emphasis on streamlining of logistics. Make up a whole bunch of ammo in a variant that shoots fine in several rifles, and mass produce it. I also like to match speeds and BCs to where my 223s and 308s have basically the same trajectories and drift (within reason). Makes for easy transition between rifles. I certainly still dabble in experimenting with other rounds, but when it’s time to hit the hills I’ll grab a 223 or 308 the majority of the time.
PG, thanks for your insights.
