ORIGINAL: robbcayman
It seems to me year after year guys who hunt big game try to get a bigger cartridge. I'm sorry, but I just think it is overkill. Plus, there have been countless guys who have taken large grizzly bears with smaller calibers, so surely a 300 win mag type caliberwill do the job with no issue.
Many guys will tell you thatshot placement is the most critical thing, but then they tell you to get some monster recoilcaliber. It would stand to reason the larger the caliber the more recoil, which would reduce accuracy most of the times. A well placed round from a 300 win mag is better than a poorly placed shot from a more powerful cartridge IMHO.
It just seems that every year I here that you need a 700 nitro type caliberto take a grizzly. To me the proof is in the pudding, anda lot of guys have nailed even huge bears with "smaller" cartridges. If I am way off my base please don't hesitate to say so, because it has happened before (see my wife).
As of right now I would have no problem grizzly hunting with a 300 win mag.
I haven't posted here in a while, probably two years but this sparked my interest.
This issue is one that has been a hot topic for as long as I've been a member here and probably will continue to be for as long as we chase critters with firearms.
It's great to see people that can see reality. The one thing I've always felt, in the words ofold Beaver Jack, huntin ain't bench shootin. There are a lot of variables in hunting like wind, uphill and downhill shots, animal movement, mis-judging distance or trajectory and the average guy is just not a military trained sniper so we will make mistakes. The larger cartridges (notice I didn't say caliber, caliber is only half the equation, the powder behind it and bullet selections are the other half) are recommended for the less than perfect shots. It's true that if you gut shoot an elk with a large magnum cartridge it won't make a difference, I'mnot talking about grossly misplaced shots I'm talking about the shots that are just a little off. Do not be fooled by the "shot placement" is everything argument. It's important and we should do all we can to be as good with our rifles, bows, etc as we can be. But mistakes will happen and a larger cartidge will help you punch through the thick part of an elks shoulder or something along those lines.
I think we all agree that a 22 LR isn't enough and a .50 cal Howitzer is a bit much so we will always continue to debate what is and isn't enough.
Here are some pics of a shoulder shot bull that someone didn't find. Didn't find the bullet frags so I can't say for sure but you can make your own judgement. The entire skeleton was present and the bull was hit in the thick part of the shoulder. This is why some recommend larger cartridges.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l310/kmarble9000/ElkShoulder.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l310/kmarble9000/ElkSkeleton.jpg