Overkill?
 

Is there such thing as overkill? Any stories out there of someone who uses WAY too much gun for the prey?

No, there is no such thing as over kill. I've never seen one animal more dead than another based on the cartridge they were shot with.

You can obviously use more gun than you need but dead is dead.

Although there isn't much arguing that "dead is dead," I could also draw the comparison between using a brad hammer to hang my wife's art on the wall, or I could use the 4 lb hammer out in the shop. Sure, there isn't much that 4 lb hammer won't drive through drywall, but it isn't going to be pretty. And I'll take a framing hammer over that 4-pounder for sure if I'm going to swing it all day.

I know far more people than I'd like to who arm themselves not so much with "more gun" than the game requires, but with enough gun to bestow upon them an attitude that they no longer need to be as precise in their shooting, or that those half-mile shots they used to miss all the time were now going to be a piece of cake.

Let's take elk. I've personally used a .375 H&H, a .300 Wby Mag, a .30-06, and a .243 to kill elk. Broadside pass-throughs, head-on, and quartering both to and away. That's right - dead IS dead. One bull took a 300 grain bullet through both lungs and heart and still made it 100 yards in the direction I preferred he not go. Another took a 100 grain bullet through the heart and dropped in his tracks.

A few years ago I was hunting with a friend who was using his new .300 Win Mag, I'd brought my .300 Wby Mag. We both took elk at just under 200 yards - and both were quartering shots. His took three shots to finally put down. Mine took just one, but he made it 50 yards or so back into the timber, nonetheless proving the superiority of the Weatherby over the Winchester (not). A bit disgusted, we re-zeroed his rifle ("dam* scope must've gotten knocked off zero, y'know?"). His problem wasn't the scope, or his caliber, it was his "zero", and I'm being generous. His problem was that he was all over the map, more likely than not because he was VISIBLY flinching. Unfortunately, he's not the only one I know to do that (heck, I flinch myself sometimes with a .338 or .375). And I know guys who flinch with .30-06s and .270s as well.

No, I'd have to agree that "dead is dead," but I believe there are hunters out there who'd find themselves in a much more productive relationship if they were using a "lighter" or "milder" chambering. Maybe this season will prove me wrong, but I've never had an elk drop in its tracks with the .375, .300 Wby, or the .30-06. Since I own all three though, it'd be silly to take the .243 again - wouldn't it?

I agree with big bulls.

Dont reckon I've ever seen something "to dead"... well there WAS this one time out of frustration I shot a squirrel with a 45acp. The "remains" were quite messy, but he was equally dead as anyother tree rat I've ever killed! :p

Some find heavy recoil a problem and as a result don't practice as much as they should. As long as you can handle the recoil and blast, shoot what you want. Extra power, however, will not be a substitute for good shooting. A gutshot elk will travel just as far whether it's hit with a 375 H&H or a 30-06. You can't miss 'em fast enough to kill 'em. Also, be prepared to pay some premium prices for the ammunition to feed the magnums.

I use my 338 mag for varmits a few times a year. Most people say that is over kill but its good practice for big game.

In most cases, no. Better to have a little extra firepower than to show up under-gunned.

Having said that, I've shot a couple whitetails with a .300 Win mag. Big exit hole on the way out, wasted more meat than I was happy with. A little too much firepower for deer.

Unless of course you are concerned about meat and it's survivability. One hits deer in the middle of the hind-quarters with say a 300 grain softpoint bullet from say a 300 RUM...while I agree dead is dead...the lack of usable meat in this scenario will be self evident upon skinning the animal...overkill exists and is real.

i disagree...a 30-06 hole waste more meat than a 223. the hole comparison was day and nite. i had one and a half more shoulders than my buddy. he bought a 243..because 223 was to small cal for him

Poor shooting and poor shot placement exist. Killed dozens of antelope with a 300 win mag and seldom lose much meat.

No such thing as over kill. Good luck.

a few years ago i sold my 22 lr for a 22 wmr. with the old 22 lr and subsonics on grouse i could aim just about anywhere in the vitals or head/neck and the meat would be fine, i even ate the "shot" meat because it was really just a tiny hole in the meat if i accidentally let the shot drift low. with the 22 wmr ive tried light bullets, heavy bullets even fmj's and it still cuts a grouse in half if i hit anywhere but the head/neck. same thing happens with goose loads from the pump gun at short range. in the context of smallgame, yes you can overgun it. with big game and varmint bullet selection means alot more then caliber. send a swift a frame or woodleigh out of a 30-378 at a deer and it will look like it was hit with a normal .270 deer bullet. send a 110 vmax from a 308 and it will look like it was hit with a 338 lapua. bullets are no different then the tires on a car. run dirt tires on a mitsubishi evo and youv got a rally machine. run goodyear falcons and youv got a street machine. of course there is limitations to this (like my 22 wmr vs grouse) but when it comes down to it your brass powder and primer arent punching a hole in anything.

i also second homers post, its a wild world out there and injured animals can do anything. might as well be sure you can handle whatever you brought to the woods.

Large caliber vs small caliber. Heavy bullet vs. light bullet. It all boils down to one thing on most game animals of the world. Shot placement. If you can shoot it accurately your not over gunned.

Of course there a such a thing as overkill. It is dictated by how much you care about what other people think.

That's right. If you're carrying a .30-378 and your deer has a nice hole through the boiler room, I'm going to think you're a competent marksman. On the other hand, if it looks more like he bled to death overnight from the three bullet wounds you inflicted, I'm going to think you're just another mall ninja with a big rifle.

Nope...if you can shot it and kill humanely then all is good

here in Texas we hunt feeders and use box blinds, some of the set ups i hunt are a mere 50 yds to the feeder. I feel stupid using my 7-08 in these circumstances, i use my 22 hornet on those times. In fact i use it more than my 7. very rarely do i use the 7-08 but i do and it has its place. 50 yds to a deer or hog with its head buried in a pile of corn aint one.

Yes but in a Counterpoint, he would have to care what you thought in the first place.

Quite true. Many people today DON'T care what anyone else thinks of them, even if they're flaming bungholes.

Just yesterday, I disqualified a young, well-qualified, smartly-dressed applicant for a position I was hiring because I'd watched him crowd an older lady from the firm next door to us away from the elevator door. Maybe it was a bad move for us, given his credentials. But I'll be da*ned if I'll hire someone I think is a punk.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Not caring what other people might think isn't a very good position to act upon that from. It doesn't matter if you're applying for a position in our firm, or if you're hoping to gain access to a rancher's property to hunt.

So, maybe we should expand on that a little?

IMO there is no such thing as overkill. As BB said..dead is dead. But you do have to look at the meat destruction issue too if that is what you're hunting for. But there is also a safety factor...Let's say elk or moose hunting in grizzly country. True a .375 H&H is more than enough gun for elk or moose but it sure is comforting to have along.