I guess we all have a different perspective, on ideal hunting rifles

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
Maybe its because I have this personality flaw, that makes me always want to delve into the how & why on things mechanical, but I've always liked fast cars, powerful engines and larger caliber accurate rifles.
I guess we all have a different perspective, on ideal hunting rifles, and Ive always held the belief, that you should more than likely try to find and use the best tools you could afford for any job that you intend to do!
when I first started hunting , back in the late 1960s, I took the time to research the subject a great deal and I asked several older more experienced hunters what they would suggest I get, I also looking into several rifle and hunting clubs and started reading damn near every magazine and book I could find in book stores, the library or borrow from friends long enough to read
obviously if you do things like that you get a wealth of random and at times info that might conflict.
I gained experience over the next 45 years ,by making over 40 out of state elk and deer hunts , almost every year I took, or made one and occasionally two hunts.
almost unanimously, I was told all I needed was a good 30/06 and a good supply of 180 grain soft point ammo and that learning to hand load would eventually save me money and get me access to more accurate ammo if I learned how to hand load correctly.
I grabbed ,& read hundreds of books like these,

http://www.amazon.com/The-Accurate-Rifle-Warren-Page/dp/0876911025/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=61YdS17n3iL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR105,160_&refRID=1NFA0YQFG8B49JRZGYJ7

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Game-Rifle-Jack-OConnor/dp/1571570004/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451686224&sr=1-5&keywords=books+on+rifles/connor

http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Rifle-Jack-OConnor/dp/087691007X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451686224&sr=1-6&keywords=books+on+rifles/connor

http://www.amazon.com/African-Rifles-Cartridges-John-Taylor/dp/1940001013/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451686490&sr=1-1&keywords=books+on+rifles/taylor

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Game-Rifles/dp/0940143879/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451686505&sr=1-2&keywords=books+on+rifles/taylor

http://www.amazon.com/Jim-Carmichel...d=1451686595&sr=1-17&keywords=books+on+rifles

http://www.amazon.com/German-Automa...d=1451686661&sr=1-45&keywords=books+on+rifles

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Rifles-C...451686762&sr=1-6&keywords=books+on+elk+rifles

http://www.amazon.com/Rifles-Rifle-...51686786&sr=1-10&keywords=books+on+elk+rifles

http://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Hu...451686786&sr=1-8&keywords=books+on+elk+rifles

http://www.amazon.com/Keiths-Rifles...51686786&sr=1-12&keywords=books+on+elk+rifles

http://www.amazon.com/Rifles-Cartri...51686908&sr=1-14&keywords=books+on+elk+rifles

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Long-Gr...+in+the+long+grass+by+peter+hathaway+capstick

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-the-effort-to-properly-fit-your-rifle.14722/

I rather quickly developed the idea, or came to realize that there was a great deal more to be learned, on the related subjects of hunting, riflery and hand-loading, that it was all too obvious that even my experienced mentors had limited experience in several areas, of experience while they had a reasonable level in others.
now having that back ground I find it hard to comprehend the choices lots of guys make in hunting rifles, but obviously what I feel might be ideal will not be what many other people decide is ideal for their use, and I have zero problem with that, in-fact , As I gained experience I found that within reasonable limits the rifle or caliber used seems to be far less important than the skill and experience level of the guy using it!
but that hardly means that some choices are not far superior to others.
so I always wonder why I see some guys , on both extremes,
one group of hunters,
buys a rifle and sticks with the first choice in armaments, made, for nearly a lifetime, never seeming to even consider that there might be something far better available, and a second group that seems to change rifles and calibers almost monthly, never seeming to find anything they feel comfortable using, as if only the next and newest choice is the answer, only to be disappointed and move on to the next choice as soon as its advertised, and trading off or selling last months darling as if it was so much used toilet tissue.
I shake my head, and wonder what both groups might think, I tried a bunch of my friends rifles and bought several, but I rather quickly found obvious trends and the laws of physics and ballistics in my mind limit the best and most effective choices , to a rather limited range, based on the game, the terrain, likely conditions and ranges and the games anatomy, plus what weight and size and recoil limitations I'm willing to put up with, and what I personally feel is ideal.
so in my mind I don,t see how you don,t at least try several choices and find what suits you and only then stick with it based on your experiences.
I can tell you that I've found shot placement ,
and the projectile you select ,
is far more critical than the info stamped on the brass case heads,.
its your physical condition, your ability to spend the time and effort,
to hunt as long and as hard as required, your persistence,
your ability to get into range and place your shots precisely that the key.
I've spent a respectable amount of time hunting deer and elk,
I've used a,
30/06,(190 grain)
270 win,(150 grain
35 whelen,(250 grain)
338 win,(225 grain)
45/70,(405 grain)
340 wby,(250 grain)
358 win (250 grain)
375 H&H,(270 grain)
and a 458 win,(405 grain)
on several hunts.
if you place your shots well,
know the games anatomy ,
and use reasonably heavy for caliber bullets...
.they all worked, and all produced lethal wounds,
and dead deer/ and elk.
you can spend a good deal of time and effort sorting out, or worrying about your rifle and ammo,
but from the results I've seen, if you just select the most accurate and largest caliber rifle,
and select,decent ammo, that your confident in, using
that you feel comfortable with, and understand the games anatomy you'll do reasonably well.
personally I think the two best are the 340 wby and the 375 H&H, but they have all worked.
running stairs frequently with a 40 lb back pack,
and practice at the local range , shooting from field positions ,
not shooting off the bench rest ,
will do you a lot more good than worrying about whats stamped on those brass cartridge cases

your thoughts gentlemen?
 
Last edited:
Back
Top