swampchopper

I use the Mossberg 835 Ulti Mag 12 gauge 28 inch barrel, also have the slug barrel to.
Swampchopper

ELKampMaster

Never? Where? That is a shade provincial isn' t it? Depends on how big or how small one' s world is and what definition of " big game" one aspires to. Practicing on deer with " magnums" before " moving up" the big game ladder doesn' t hurt anything -- except the deer of course.

[Standby for Myth #3 -- If you shoot a magnum, you can' t be accurate and you will gut shoot everything you shoot at.]

Nothing wrong with being enthusiastic about what you' ve got regardless of size (no joke intended). Just because a choice of rifle and cartridge is not one person' s cup of tea doesn' t mean it' s not fine for someone else as long as they can use it to take game cleanly. (This " cuts" both ways.)

If the cost of ammo at Walmart is a significant barrier to one' s current or upcoming adventures, then -- well, ouch -- things may be a bit limited in the adventure department. [:' (]

Ah, this forum could use a Big Bore section something fierce. [>:]

Side Note: Jack O' Connor, " Mr. 270" , used a 416 Rigby on most of the Big Five in Africa --- even though I' m not a big Jack O' Connor fan, I' ve got to give him credit, in that situation, even he saw the importance of matching the cartridge/rifle to the game being pursued.
(BTW -- probably a good idea to practice on the " small stuff" back home before getting into a dangerous game " show time" situation far from home, with your life and mucho $$$ at play.)

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

bentbarrel

Uh oh...here we go again. The great cartridge debate! This should get good.

oldelkhunter

After years of experimenting with every standard and magnum caliber I could possibly find and a 300 wsm.. I have settled on the 7 rem mag for medium game . I have owned more of them than I have 06 ,308 , 270 wins and 300 mags of all sorts(except Ultra) always go back to it. For large game the .338 win and if on a combo mule deer/Elk hunt that comes along and I will start using it in some of the thick spots i whitetail hunt in .

neweboarhunter

I agree we need a section for big bore hunting. What caliber would be the starting point?

Also instead of asking what' s your favorite" big game gun" , how about defineing " big game" and the conditions where you hunt. You can have a 26" bolt action 30/06 for open country hunting, and have a 20" levergun 30/06 for woods hunting, same cartridge different gun for different task.

dodger02

Browning A-Bolt Synthetic Stalker in .270Win with a Leupold VX2 3-9X40.

130 grain Federal BTSPs for whitetails and hogs in central and south Texas.

ELKampMaster

Neweboarhunter,

Some sites put the dividing line at " .40 caliber AND 4000 ft. lbs. at the muzzle" others simply divide things at .375 caliber centerfires with no restriction on energy. [X(]

This site seems to lean towards the small bore side, seems like anything larger than a 300 WinMag is commonly deemed as " excessively heavy, expensive, unmanagable, massive, mule kicking overkill" hence 8mm RemMag on up might be an acceptable dividing line.

Don' t think it' s going to happen though.
I like bearhuntr' s line, " Deer is big game?"

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

Judson

You can' t get them there, at present the .366 D.G.W. is a hand loading proposition. Then again they do not have wally world in Africa so I do not care, and here in Maine I load my own. We do need a big bore thread I would go for the idea of either over 30 cal and up or the idea of 8mm and up. The guys with the needle blowers can have their own thread. Lets start one for the big stuff.
As to solutions for problems that do not exist lets look at the rash of new redundant cartridges. A short .270 that equals the .270, a short .30 that does not quite equal the .300 Win. mag or the .308 Norma, a rash of short 7mms that do nothing the 7mm Rem mag, 7mm Weatherby, S.T.W. can' t do better. Then of course there is the Ultra famly which can not beat the Weatherby offerings and just squeek by what is already out there. Oh, by the way did you notice that with current offerings, you jump from .338 to .375, yes there are a couple of .358 diameters in there but not many. The .366 diameter slug slides in between these nocely and is legal for dangerous game in parts of Africa. If you do your homework you will find that with the S.D. and ballistic cof. of .366, or 9.3 diameter bullets the D.G.W. will out penertrate and shoot flatter then anything out there including the .338 Lapua, .338/378 Weatherby, or the .378 Weatherby. Is the .366 D.G.W. needed? No. Wanted? by the # I have built and the fact that it is in cartridges of the world, I would say yes.
After all, it is not what you kill game with that is important, it is how you hunt that matters.

Your Friend
Jud

James B

If I did need that kind of performance I quess I would opt for the 378 Weatherby. At least I could buy shells for it and the rifle also without going custom. I have not a thing against big bores as the 45-70 is one of my favorite cartridges. It also would dispatch of any gritter on earth. I have burned a lot of powder through the 416 Rem Mag as well. When it cracked my collar bone I traded it off. Most of my big game hunting now is done with my 6.5x55 sewdish Mauser. I also hunt some with my 303 British. I quess for just deer though my 250-3000 Savage rifle my 700 Rem is a favorite as well.

ELKampMaster

James B,
I' m turning 50 this year. I can foresee a point where my favorites might start working their way down the caliber list instead of up it. Sincerely, if I may ask, was there anything " special" about the 416RemMag cracking your collar bone -- prone shot, awkward angle, or just plain every day wear and tear?

Best Regards,
EKM