Big Game Rifle...What Caliber???
10-21-2012, 12:06 PM
#51
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 360
Page 12:
1. CEN TERFIRE RIFLES
a. Must be minimum of .24 caliber (6 mm).
b. Must have a minimum 16-inch barrel and be at least 26 inches long.
c. If semiautomatic, they can hold a maximum of six rounds in the magazine
and chamber combined.
d. Must use expanding bullets that weigh minimum 70 grains for deer,
pronghorn and bear, 85 grains for elk and moose, and have an impact
energy (at 100 yards) of 1,000-ft. pounds as rated by manufacturer.
e. It is illegal to hunt game birds, small-game mammals or furbearers with a
centerfire rifle larger than .23 caliber during regular rifle deer and elk seasons
west of I-25, without an unfilled deer or elk license for the season. A
small-game, furbearer or unfilled big-game license is requiredb. Must have a minimum 16-inch barrel and be at least 26 inches long.
c. If semiautomatic, they can hold a maximum of six rounds in the magazine
and chamber combined.
d. Must use expanding bullets that weigh minimum 70 grains for deer,
pronghorn and bear, 85 grains for elk and moose, and have an impact
energy (at 100 yards) of 1,000-ft. pounds as rated by manufacturer.
e. It is illegal to hunt game birds, small-game mammals or furbearers with a
centerfire rifle larger than .23 caliber during regular rifle deer and elk seasons
west of I-25, without an unfilled deer or elk license for the season. A
10-21-2012, 03:56 PM
#54
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 360
10-22-2012, 07:18 PM
#57
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 360
Get any of what you have listed. The 308 is a short action, the rest will be long action guns. You cant go wrong with any of them. I would not hesitate to take any of them hunting. I will say, if the argument of meat loss comes up, you will see that with any high velocity round, and of those listed, the 308 would have the least amount of damage to meat, as it is the slowest of the bunch. Me, Ill give up a little meat to anchor an elk.
10-23-2012, 11:36 AM
#59
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
I might want to have a sports car with a 400 HP engine even if I'm only going to use if for taking the kids to school and driving a suburban commute to work.
Maybe the poster wanted to have a rifle that COULD perform at the maximum realistic hunting range of 500 yards? Now we can debate what the maximum realistic hunting range is, but it seems to me I've read that many feel an elk hunter ought to be ready to take 300+ yard shots in some elk hunting environments. I've taken two elk -- one at about 50 yards and the other at maybe 200 yards. My hunting partners have taken 4 other elk at ranges between these yardage values while I was taking my two elk. But that doesn't mean that some times, somewhere someone may not be constrainted to a shot longer than this range.
I read that many think that the Winchester .338 Magnum is an excellent long range elk rifle. One book I read referred to it as the "King of the Elk Cartridges." I don't know if that is on point or not, but it makes me want to own one of these, maybe in a nice Winchester Super Grade with a 26" barrel. Sigh. Until my ship comes in, however, I will just have to keep killing elk with my .30-06.
Maybe the poster wanted to have a rifle that COULD perform at the maximum realistic hunting range of 500 yards? Now we can debate what the maximum realistic hunting range is, but it seems to me I've read that many feel an elk hunter ought to be ready to take 300+ yard shots in some elk hunting environments. I've taken two elk -- one at about 50 yards and the other at maybe 200 yards. My hunting partners have taken 4 other elk at ranges between these yardage values while I was taking my two elk. But that doesn't mean that some times, somewhere someone may not be constrainted to a shot longer than this range.
I read that many think that the Winchester .338 Magnum is an excellent long range elk rifle. One book I read referred to it as the "King of the Elk Cartridges." I don't know if that is on point or not, but it makes me want to own one of these, maybe in a nice Winchester Super Grade with a 26" barrel. Sigh. Until my ship comes in, however, I will just have to keep killing elk with my .30-06.