RE: 284 win
I owned and shot the .284 Win for many years. I consider it to be one of the finest all-around big game cartridges for hunting our hooved game here in North America.
Mine was a Browning BLR 81. It wore a Leupold 2x7 scope. In a brief lapse of sanity, I sold it. Very stupid decision.
Mine seemed to like 150gr Nosler Partition bullets best, so I ended up using those exclusively.
Anyway, I have used everything from 139-160gr bullets in it, and all have performed admirably. I shot three deer and three elk with the .284 Win. One deer was killed with a 139gr Hornady Spire point bullet at 125 yards. Didn't take a step. Deer number two took a heart/lung hit from a 140gr Nosler Partition at 45 yards, went about 20 yards and piled up very conveniently in a nice little clearing. The third deer was hit on the front shoulder with a 150gr Partition. It actually lifted the animal up off its feet and deposited him on his side. It never twitched. This shot was taken at 80 yards.
The first elk was hit while quartering away just behind the shoulder with a 160gr Partition from about 75 yards. It went no more than 50 yards before giving up the ghost. Elk number two dropped at the shot when hit in the shoulder from 175 yards with a 150gr Partition. The third also took a 150gr Partition, this time from 100 yards, right smack dab through the chest. It staggered for a second, then went down for good.
I've never had to track an animal I hit with it.
In reality, the .284 Win is much more similar to the .280 Rem than the 7x57 Mauser. It was indeed way ahead of its time. If it were released today, it may have enjoyed some popularity. However, accuracy nuts have long known that its short, fat case is both efficient and very accurate, and many wildcats have been spun off it. My personal favorite is the 6.5mm/.284.
If you have a hankering to get one, congratulations. You have discovered what the bulk of American hunters never realized: The .284 Win is nearly a perfect big game cartridge.
Good Dogwork and Good Hunting
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Good Dogwork and Good Hunting
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