ORIGINAL: mongorunner
ORIGINAL: bcward
I beg to differ about the larger caliber not making up for poor shot placement. I hunt with a 243wssm, but my brother hunts with a rem. 300 ultra mag. I believe that he could shoot one in the hoof and it would drop in its tracks, the cartriges look like missles.lol
two seasons ago my buddy popped a doe with his 300 ultra, the entrance hole was tiny but the exit hole looked like a waterbuffalo had just trampled through it... the doe ran around in circles for about 15 second before falling over...
while this was going on i managed to pop another larger doe, and a buck... both dropped in their tracks... with, my .243
i've killed many a colorado mulie with it, and have made a few 350+ yd shots with it with no problems...
i contemplated buying a .308 to replace it but WHY, when it works oh so well
You never know how far a deer will run unless you're skilled and confident enough to shoot it in the brain or spinal chord in the neck. Otherwise, you can hit a deer double lung + heart with a 300 mag and it can still run an unbelievable distance. Or it might drop in its tracks. Case in point (but with a 3006, not a mag):
A half dozen deer run up through the woods as I watch. I decide to shoot the first one that stops (too excited to "pick the big one"). One stops broadside, and I nail a good chest shot. It runs 50-100 feet, hits a tree and falls over thrashing. The rest of the deer run off except for one that stops facing me. I take my time and hit her in the center of the chest. She drops on the spot and doesn't twitch.
First deer was TINY doe. (yearling I'm sure). The lungs were a bloody mess, totally destroyed. Huge wound (luckily no meat damaged though). Still it ran.
Second deer: one lung hit, no heart damage. Small, .30" wound and thumb sized exit. Dropped dead.
Why? I have no idea, but I've seen so much variability in what an animal does after it's hit well that I never think that "drop it" is a criterion for a successful caliber or bullet. The only animals that consistently drop on the spot - regardless of caliber - are spine shots, forward enough to either kill it or take the legs out.