caliber or bullet weight
 

I read a lot of guys sating bigger is better..?? yet I have taken a lot of hunters out into the woods where most that go bigger, can't shoot accurately; which starts the question..... At what point do you stop going bigger and go back to the basis to shoot better, as it is our obligation to kill efficiently and humanly.. I don't care about bullet weight or trajectory The Question Is:(At what point do you stop going bigger and go back to the basis to shoot better?)

RE: caliber or bullet weight
 

It seems like most hunters I hear of who've reach their 50's and 60's, have begun moving from magnums back to standard cartridges at or below .30-06. Maybe they don't like the muzzle blast or recoil. Maybe they've proven to themselves that burning more powder didn't do anything more to game animals than the standard cartridges. Maybe they were able to work on their shot placement over all their years of hunting, & found they could be just as effective with less "boom". Maybe they can't drag a heavy rifle around as well as they used to, & they don't care for touching-off a 6½ lb. rifle in .338 WM. It could be that, too, that at such a ripe old age, they're not particularly internet-savvy, and haven't learned that mild cartridges don't kill animals anymore.

FC

RE: caliber or bullet weight
 

At the point the shooter canno longerhit the target consistantly.Each to there own, everyonehas diffent skill level to theweapon of choice.

RE: caliber or bullet weight
 

so what your telling me is bigger is better??? you beet around the bush on saying that mild cartridges don't kill animals anymore....but they do I seen more hunters kill with middle calibers or mild cartridges than i do with a 300 or 338... so when is it that you change back to the smaller caliber... when shooting more.. shooting closer distance....or cant take the recoil????? I don't understand why elk hunters go out in to the woods with 300s and bigger trying to take an animal that I have seen My mother shoot with a 25-06 and kill it dead within 50 yrds..SO WHEN IS BIGGER NOT BETTER?? I guess what I should be asking is,.. at what range do you feel shooting big game with smaller calibers??

RE: caliber or bullet weight
 

I bet you will get alot of interesting replies to your question. Its a loaded question that has been debated many times. When my mother use to hunt elk she used a 257 Roberts. Would I suggest this to hunt elk with, No, not in my opinion. But she did not want to shot a rifle thatkicked anymore than her Roberts. However, she never shot over 1 shot at any of the elk she has killed. But she never took iffy shots or long range shots either. Range will vary depending on the round, the bullet choice, and the person pulling the trigger.

RE: caliber or bullet weight
 

I agree with chickenrunn SHOT PLACEMENT is what counts.We spend countless hour preparing for hunts,siteing in our rifles,preparing our equipment,scouting & so on. Let the animal present it's self so you can get the right shot.
I never pulled the trigger unless is 100% sure I was gonna kill the animal cleanly.I have had situations{bow hunting mainly} where I had to let nice animals walk because the animal did presnt a opportunity that I was confident with.
I think you have to stay with a gun & caliber that you can shot with confidence.If you can shoot the magnums good by all means go for it!
Does it mean you should be using a .243 @ 300 yds. on an elk because that's what your comfortable with,NO NOT AT ALL!! You got to keep it within reason.The flip side is do ya have to use a 300 win mag because "eddie the elk hunter" says it's good NO NOT AT ALL!!
Next year I'll be hunting deer for the 1st time in about 10yrs.@ 52 I just went & bought a .243,I use to use a 30.06,nothing wrong w/ the.06 don't get me wrong,I just wanted something a little eaiser on my shoulder.

RE: caliber or bullet weight
 

maybe a .270 kicks less than a .30-06, but same case i figure they're very close, also being a semi auto may reduce kick even more, but I could shoot my .270

Personally I feel especially in the field I can shoot any gun least to date, which goes up to a .340wby without a problem. I tend tot hink larger calibers are less accurate. But I'm of the belief big game, big gun, so for elk etc...I'd prefer a .300 or 338 mag...over a .270, course up close, or perfect shot no worries.

But i think if a person can be honest with themself that they cant shoot a magnum well, then there's little you can do. Big game, i say shoot the biggest thing you can thats animal appropriate.

RE: caliber or bullet weight
 

It looks like you missed my sarcasm about the bigger cartridges not killing anymore. In fact, they do. My favorite rifle is a 7x57. It'll kill anything that needs killing, without killing my shoulder. My .30-06 and .35 Whelen are excellent rifles, chambered in extremely capable cartridges. But I highly doubt there's anything those 2 rifles could kill, that the 7x57 couldn't.

When is bigger not better? I'd argue that bigger is seldom better, when hunting critters without teeth, or under 800 lbs., or both.

At what range? Since I can't see much past 200 yards, I try not to shoot that far, regardless of what cartridge I'm using.

If a hunter begins with a mild cartridge, & sticks with it for a lifetime without ever trying higher powered offerings, I figure he's either A) too poor to go buy more rifles, or B) far wiser than the rest of us, with remarkable self control.

FC

RE: caliber or bullet weight
 

I believe alot of people get into the theory of having to have a new rifle to go hunt a new species of game. And most do this right before the hunt. Which leaves them little time to prepare and familarize themselves with that particular rifle and how it shoots. Especially scope adjustments and trigger pull. Most would do themselves a big favor of taking what they use on deer to go hunt elk or similar animals. The state put the minimum calibers in the regs for a reason. With good shoot placement and range capabilities of the rifle all will kill just as fast and as clean. But I do understand wanting to purchase a new firearm for things maybe as big as moose or brown bear. Maybe not so much on moose, but a brown bear one would hope a larger bullet even if placed bad may be enough to save ya butt but I doubt it. It's all shot placement nothing else matters. Not caliber nor weight of the bullet.

RE: caliber or bullet weight
 

I vote "Bullet Type". I think a smaller caliber premium bullet out of a 7mm Rem Mag is going to perform better than a regular soft point bullet coming out of a .30-06.

I think a .270 shooting a premium bullet might even be better than a .30-06 shooting a soft point.

You constantly see discussion over caliber and bullet weight but rarely see much discussion of bullet construction and type.