Elkman, you can read till your insane with options and opinions and feed back and???
its liekd eer calibers, what is BEST
there isnl;t one period
ALL you can do is use basic logic here and have a caliber that packes what YOU consider enough energy to kill at ranges you plan to shoot at
and then have a rifle capble in YOUR hands of making them shots
killing anything isn;t all about "X" caliber or "X" bullet
there is NO magic one
I have shot deer with calibers from 50 BMG 750 grain soft point hunting bullets and 10,000+ ft lbs of energy
and seen deer hit at under a 100 yards standing still, go thru both shoulders making a hole you could toss a football thru and they RAN over a 150+ yards on VIDEO
I have seen same shot with smaller caliber have same results
some times critters just have a last burst of RUN in them that logic will never figure out!
the whole name of hunting any animal and KILLING it is to hit a vital with either bullet or blade and cause either shock value to organs or actually damaging them with the projectile that hits them!
which simply come down to again having enough energy to get to vitals and you placing the projectile in a vital
people way over think this stuff, and its real easy to get caught up in searching for wanting to BUY the best from day one!
I sold tens of thousands of guns, been about hunters killing thousands of game animals over the decades, from crop damage to hunts across the USA and else where
and seen the same caliber bullet some claim ALWAYS WORKS, fail,. and vice versa seen calibers many say too small or?? work fine
I seen game fall over and run from same calibers and like hits too!
a BAD hit will always be a BAD hit, and in most cases a lost critter, pending HOW bad the hit is
and a GOOD hit will be a DEAD critter, some times they will drop as they stand/sit/lay
others they will run a bit!
Trappers in AK, and I know a few personally(as well as know again several guides and a bunch of hunters that live there)
many carry smaller calibers due to there dispatching critters in traps up close and head shots!
there NOT specifically hunting wolves with them, but many sure will take a chance if they can at a free roaming one!
very few if any NOW sponsored hunters as in hunting TV shows and such, are NOT taking 500-600 yard shots at wolves, unless there taking the shot ONLY due to being there and saying what the HECK why not TRY.
hunters that want to make money off hides are taking shots they KNOW they can make and save the hide from as much damage as possible
shooting far is risking at best from a hunting stand point unless you carrying a lot of gear
I was part of a long range shooting video s series, so I have real experience here, I have also been a 1,000 yard plus shooter since the late 80's
so have decades of experience in long range shooting and hunting!
don't over think things, get a rifle in a caliber you enjoy, and can shoot it well, and pretty much any centerfire rifle will work on wolves, if you do your part right, and that is simply, place a bullet with enough lethal energy , in the animals vitals,
at ranges you KNOW, you can make the shot at, and have done so many times from LIKE shooting positions
the time to know if you can or cannot is NOT when shooting at live animals!
there is a LOT more to shooting far than knowing bullet drop and wind drift
one of the hardest parts to learn is reading the wind, and this is why, I DON"T recommend many honest should eb shooting past 500 yards period at live game unless they have a LOT fo time practicing and know there pwn limits and be honest about them!
NO bash here, just being honest
my info from wolves being killed by friends is NOT 3rd hand, but second hand from folks I trust and have hunted with many times and know there shooting skills well!
the above advice will work if you follow it!