Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Who here uses "too much rifle"

I've been useing a 6.5 Swede for most of my hunting. Think I might downsize to a 243

If that's still to much I'll go 223

Jericho

Some guys have gone to Lace on their Nylon panties !!

I’m 70 and in the last 5 yrs I’ve come to choose the 7 RM as my
ONE for all game.

I hunted WT the last 2 yrs with a new 7 and plan to again this Fall

When do they get Too Dead ?


Jerry

I like to shoot. I have used various rifles to kill game and varmints but I shot what was fun most times. There are times I shoot guns and bullets perfectly matched to the game I want to kill like when I was shooting hides for money. I did NOT want large holes in them.

But for the most part, I use bullet that don't blow up for any game I want to eat, and I don't pay as much attention to the chambering as many other do. I have killed deer with guns as small as a 22 WMR and the most powerful rifle I ever killed a deer with was a 460 G&A. I have head shot cotton-tails for food with a 375H&H, and also shot the heads off grouse and chucker with that gun. I killed 3 mule deer does with a 458.

I am on my 3rd barrel in one of my 270s and on my 2nd barrel in my 375H&H.

As you may guess, the 375 was not shot out killing elk and moose or elephants and buffalo. Most of the bore erosion in my 270 was not done killing deer, elk and antelope either. What they did get used for a LOT was jack rabbits and rock chucks. But I did learn the trajectories REALLY well, as well as windage holds, and I got to be a very good shot with those 2 rifles. So when I fired at a deer, elk, antelope, bear or moose I hit them where I wanted to. The large number of my misses were shot at running rabbits and Rock Chucks at long distances. Get good that hitting them and a deer gets pretty easy.

So shooting a lot with a big gun often means you are shooting more power than you need. Looking back over the 54 years I have hunted I can only count 1 time I ever fired a 270 two times at an animal (both hits) and only shot 2 times (also both hits) with my 375H&H at a moose. ALL the other shots at big game animals with those 2 rifles were one shot kills as far as I can recall. ( With those 2 rifles. I can't say that with some others I have owned) I expect good results with both rounds, but placing the bullets either exactly where I wanted to, or "very close to exactly", I believe my supper high success rate with those 2 rounds is not because there is some kind of magic inherent the cartridges, but because shooting the 375 about 11,000 times and the 270 about 21,000 times, I got to be VERY good at bullet placement.

Are they "too much gun" for most of the kills? Yes. So what? Why would that matter?

My 270s have killed every big game animal I have ever shot with them and so did my 375. Are they "too much gun" for marmots and grouse ? Yup.

But that didn't kill them any less than a 22-250 or 222 Remington---------- and they never lodged a single formal complaints,--- least wise none I ever got.

I think my biggest mismatch was a doe antelope and a wolf with a .375 H&H with a 260 partition.

LMFAO

😎

I probably fall in that category most of the time. A really big mature buck where I hunt goes 160 on the hoof. I generally use a 30-06 with Hornady IL 180's. I've killed everything from Fox to 400 pound boar hogs with it during deer season and it's effective.

I do plan to go completely overkill at some point and I will either have a 9.3x62 or a 9.3x74.

Many campfire members seem think that any cartridge that recoils more than a .223 is just way too brutal to endure, but there are a select few than can stand the recoil of the 6.5 creedmoor. This mighty cartridge can easily kill any animal that walks up to and including a T-Rex (with the right bullet of course) 😁......Hb

I've been shooting deer the last few years with a 9.3x62 and it works a trick. Very little wasted meat.

szihn, Thanks for reminding me about the numerous grouse that have fallen via headshots with both my .375 H&H and my AI.....along with quite a few Prairie Dogs ( most when fire-forming brass for my AI), a fox and a few coyotes. Some of the coyotes were called-in, most were just shots of opportunity! memtb

I had amy .22-250 open a coyote up like that. 40g V-MAX or BT.

One instance that comes to mind where I do believe I used "too much rifle"..................




This bobcat was a target of opportunity, I was hunting pigs with a NEF 12 gauge slug gun. IIRC a one ounce slug would be the equivalent of 437 grains. I took him at 17 paces. Not only did it knock him cross-eyed, but it removed most of his spots. Consequently I began referring to that firearm as my "spot remover".

ya!

GWB

I'd rather use "too much gun" than "too little".. Don't need my 7mm RM for antelope but it works as well as my .257 Roberts. Killed one antelope with a .375 Winchester. Killed lots of prairie dogs and coyotes with my 7mm RM - good practice.

After reading some of these posts I feel like a piker using a 375H&H on blacktails and coyote. I think I need to up my game.

Would a 416 Bee on antelope qualify? 300 X at 3150 fps. Shot at 363 yads




entrance


Exit



Or 378 Bee on elk? 778 yards 270 Hornady at 3155 fps via MRP

Digital Dan kills hogs with a .22 short, so I guess we all use too much gun.

[quote=baldhunter]I think the 30-06 is perfect varmints.The 165gr Ballistic Tip worked great.If you look close at the top of the hole,you can see the little green tip.


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On the flip side of this discussion....I'm not changing my story but I found a PERFECT bullet for fur bearers in the 6mm Rem.
I have a stock of these so I don't know if they're available any more.

In 6mm Rem, >>> 80 gr Speer H P are Fur Friendly. I use (also stocked up) H 450 and vel is @ 3200 fps <<<. I have to look at records for the powder charge. Most won't use H 450 since it's out of production.

Every coyote I shot ONLY had an entrance hole.....NO exit.

This was before cell phone cams so unfortunately NO pix. sorry Wish I had a few.

Jerry

Been hunting whitetails here in Georgia with a 338 Win Mag for a couple of seasons now. Loaded with 180 Grain Accubonds. Blood trails have been great, and less than 12". Had similar results with my 300 Win Mag, 300 Weatherby Mag, and 7mm Mag. I don't believe in "to much gun".

There is only one degree of dead so if it gets them dead it was just right. Myself I like two holes and copious blood trails. Very, short, blood trails.

Fotis, you are over the top. 😀

Fotis

I bow to your Excellence !!!


Jerry