In general, it is a mystery to me...

If I was heading down to Mississippi to hunt deer with the ole boys from the neighboring elk camp and my southern host said, " Listen, it' s a different ball game down here than out in Colorado, this is a close action game and just getting around is very difficult, you need something short and quick and it don' t take much to knock these deer over, handling is what you need, so bring your dad' s old M94 30-30 (got one) down. We leave our magnums in the closet for deer and leave your magnums at home too." I' d do it, I' ve never hunted their before, experience is always key.

If I was heading over to Africa and the PH said bring a 375HH for yourself and 458WinMag for the gunbearer to carry so you can swap out in case things get to looking a little hairy, then I' d do it, I' ve never hunted there before, experience is key. Who am I to argue with him when I am a total greenhorn to that caliber (and risk level) of hunting?

So why is it when folks in the lower 48 shift their quarry up to something bigger than deer and one recommends that they even consider shifting their firearm upwards along with their increased ambitions that they come unglued at the seams and get really defensive? What is with this emotional attachment to firearms regardless of its suitability to the task? Search the subject on this forum. Even those that have used a 30-30 on elk, very few do it any more, as even they have moved up their level of play a notch.

I hope we can just save one new elk hunter from finding out the hard way what many of us have found out first hand about an elk' s durability --- especially under less than desirable/ideal circumstances. These ain' t deer.

Never Go Undergunned, Always Check The Sight In, and Perform At Showtime,
EKM