Originally Posted by
hardcastonly
do any of the people reading this thread think their success or failure, on most hunts, would be greatly reduced if they were forced to use one of the more common rifle calibers, like a 270 win ,308 win, or 7mm mag or 30/06 vs what they currently use on deer hunts,
This question, frankly, doesn’t make much sense. I could ask, “does anyone think their life would really be changed if suddenly their whatever brand truck disappeared from their driveway and was replaced with an F-150. Are we a socialist country with a dress code? Why should we all be relegated to the milquetoast selection of a few cartridges?
I can and have killed game with a great number of cartridges. Over a hundred deer in a dozen or so states, with a couple dozen cartridges. Even more hogs, a few elk, a couple black bear and bison, antelope, and water buffalo. In any given year, I take somewhere between 1 and a dozen shots on big game, not including bulk volume hog, coyote, prairie dog, and coon, or other varmints, and have for the last ~27yrs. But 99% of my shooting is NOT done at big game. Really more than that - this year I will cover about 8,000rnds, and so far I’ve taken about 40 total animals, and only 6 big game animals. So big game makes up about 0.075% of my shooting this year.
What I do know about my rifles and handguns: I’m a he11 of a lot more interested in shooting my firearms which are NOT the milquetoast hunting cartridges you’re talking about during the rest of the year. As I raise my son to be a shooter, not just a guy who owns a rifle hidden under his bed which never gets shot save once or twice a year before deer season - why would I tell him he needs a 30-06 in his life? Why would he buy another rifle just to use for 1-12 rounds per year instead of using his other rifles which he might shoot a few THOUSAND rounds per year for other, higher use applications?
If you’re just a hunter who shoots a couple deer and a box or two in a couple years, sure. Buy your rifle based on what ammo is available at Walmart, and stick with one of a handful of “staple cartridges” which top the popularity/commonality charts. If you want to do anything else to make use of your rifle more than a few days or weeks per year, there are THOUSANDS of other options to be enjoyed.
So from the standpoint of a SHOOTER, I’d much rather NOT own extra rifles which rarely get used. I’d rather ask my purpose built rifles I shoot every week to kill a couple deer every winter.