Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Riddle me this...

I get the fascination with high BC heavy bullets for long range shooting. I get the attraction of smaller cartridges with less recoil. What I don’t get is when a guy uses a rifle for hunting, hunts an area where shots are under 500 yards and sometimes well under that, he feels the need to go to a smaller bore for less recoil and still wants high BC bullets. What is wrong with a .308 with a 130 or even 110 TTSX, or a 125 NBT or Accubond? The larger bore gets more velocity for the weight of the bullet, and thus should shoot flatter and hit harder inside 4-500 yards. Recoil is reduced, trajectory is flattened, and energy is increased.

So why sell a 308 to get a 243 or similar? Why not simply load lightweight bullets in the 308 and roll on? Asking this mostly out of simple curiosity after hearing guys at the LGS trading into smaller bore rifles to get higher BC and less recoil, here where a shot over 300 yards is a rarity. Is there.a good reason for this, or is it just loonyism?

You don’t have to “get it”
People do what they want

I am all for people getting what they want. Moreso than most. I am simply wondering if I am missing something about this. Because I don’t just assume I know and understand everything.

Two words-- sectional density of longer smaller calibre for penetration while still getting relatively flat flight paths and reduced recoil. (Actually that was more than two words. )

Two more words --personal preference.

Is my 30-30 with 170's ok? Bein a lightweight model with a half mag and 18" barrel it do kick a bit more than a 243. It's a short range proposition. Nice little rifle for sneakin around in the woods with. And walkin up on a sounder in the tall cane grass can be fast action.

But I got a 243 too, for campin out on the edges. I don't hunt elk. Sometimes I do think about getting a more powerful rifle in case I can make it to New Mexico for free range aoudad. Although a good deal of folks around this site hunt whitetails and hogs with a 223 and 53 to 65 grain bullets.

No idea, but then again I used a 9.3X62 for a dozen Whitetails in the Pine Ridge area of Nebraska. Shots were mostly under 50 yards. Seemed to work very well. A Norma 232 is not a high BC bullet.

What I don’t get is bolt knobs as big as WWII hand grenades.

Please dont ask me.to explain any logic I may employ in a gun prchase........I'd likely be mistaken for uncle joe.

Two more words -- Any excuse!

I don't get why you would care?

They also slow down faster, and penetrate less. Anytime you're shooting similar bullet weights from different caliber rifles you always get better performance and penetration from the smaller caliber rifle. Assuming similar bullet construction.

Its all mental masturbation and the conjuring up rationale to buy a new/different rifle etc.

My thoughts exactly. Extremely low SD bullets are a non starter for me for big game hunting.

.......................Well you bring up some interesting points. However freedom of choice rules the day regardless of whether game is taken at 50 yards or at 500 yards.

You can go places in a Rolls Royce or in a tiny Smart (aka a STUPID) Car or with any vehicle in between at hundreds of different price points.

For the most part, there are no rules of "cartridge/caliber" thumb within the shooting/hunting world. But there should be common sense. With that stated, there is always a better cartridge/ bullet choice for any particular individual task other than what some may choose that balance performance along with recoil for the task at hand.

for me it was combining a SS scope w/ an MQ reticle, a LRF and an accurate 308w rifle w/ ballistic program and a little instruction. Now I want a rifle w/ which I can see my hits through the scope. Who says you can't have it all? Can I kill a wolf at 600 yards w/ a 6 creed and a SS 3-9 HD. I may soon find out. What I do know for sure is that being able to dial range or see it in the scope has added a ton of fun to my shooting. But it will cause you to buy more steel. It does add spice to social distancing


mike r

Lighter the recoil, the more you shoot. The more you shoot, the better you get.

Also, the wind can make for a rodeo on the mountain at 4-500 yards.

Let me clarify. This is occurring in southern MO. Low elevation, wooded hills and pastures. Shots over 300 yards are rare, 1-200 is most common, 500 is hard to find. Most of my deer have been killed at under 50 yards, many under half that. I use a 308 for the rare occasion I see a deer across a pasture. Farthest shot I have ever had presented here was at 400. The deer died right there. I do use a .223 for coyotes and other vermin. What I am talking about is guys hunting WT deer with small bore rifles and wanting high BC bullets, and trading 308’s and 270’s off at a loss to:do it.

Others hunt differently, and I understand people have their own reasons for choosing a rifle and cartridge. What I am trying to ask is if I am missing some factor in the decision to move to smaller caliber rifles with a stated desire to use high BC bullets in this environment. Seeing impacts in the scope has been mentioned, as well as sectional density. Both those make sense, although I feel the SD argument is somewhat moot when using monos like the TTSX.

To me, the attraction of high BC bullets is purely for long range use, target shooting and hunting past 400 yards or so. Out west and in the croplands, this makes sense if one plans to shoot that far. Where I am, it works fine, but the utility of it is not realized. I usually opt for a load that allows me to point and shoot to 300 and hold over to 400, and this covers every shot I can possibly see in my area. Wondering what I am missing, if anything. I am leaning toward the idea that it’s just guys wanting something different, but the frequency of it got me to wondering if there was something I had missed,

It's a fad. Just keep doing what you're doing.

+ 2. I have followed this thread. What you are doing WORKS for you.

My fav, is... If it ain’t broke.......

You are correct about Hi BC. They aren’t needed in the scenario you describe where
you hunt.

For myself, 110 & 130 gr. 30 cal have a similar BC to saucers.

You aren’t missing anything except the “new thing”.

Jerry

This ^^^......Some guys just got to have the latest greatest cartridge of the month, it really dont have to make much sense....I know as I have come up with some mighty flimsy excuses to buy a another new rifle but I have never used the BC excuse...Yet 😂.....Hb