Id point out right up front, that we all, have preferences based on our personal experience's
but there are basic standards ,we all need to judge our choices by,
in reliability, carry weight, fit, function, consistent ,repeatable accuracy,
and physical laws that govern getting consistent results.
having a decent amount of power (energy and penetration)
and a reasonably flat trajectory are benefits ,
but the area you hunt and the game hunted may not require you to maximize either characteristic.
understand there's a huge difference between what might prove lethal in skilled hands,
with perfect shot placement,
and what works almost every time with a decent shot made by your average hunter.
most of these discussions are rather pointless as its the skill of the user and his knowledge ,and acceptance of,
of each rifles accuracy and range limitations, and the projectile selected,
rather than the cartridge that makes or breaks the combos effective use!
check the used gun rack at many gun-shops,
there are occasionally bargains to be had in ,
older high quality rifles,
that spent far more time in a gun safe,
than out hunting.
I get asked rather frequently what my choices in rifles and cartridges are,
and while my choice may not match yours ,
there are some basic guide lines to use!
we all have preferences in cartridges we have used successfully,
its hard to ignore physics and there are some limits to what will work,
but experience and the skill, knowledge and experience .
of the person wielding the firearm had a huge effect on the likely results.
you can certainly use something that's not even close to ideal,
and you'll get good results if you have the skill's, and experience to compensate,
for your rifles lack of range or accuracy or penetration,
and you use those skills to compensate by getting in close to shoot.
select the area you hunt ,shorten the average ranges you shoot at,
and ,the game you choose should obviously have a big effect on the best cartridge/bullet and rifle choice,
and many people are far more concerned with recoil levels than you might imagine.
its been my experience that shots taken , or even the opportunity, to take a shot at game,
at over 300 yards are rather rare.
cartridges like a 45/70 or 444 marlin certainly have the required power and penetration at under 150 yards but rapidly loose the more ideal, flat trajectory much past that range,
cartridges like a 243 or 257 Roberts certainly shoot flat,
but past about 200 yards they are a bit low on power/penetration,
compared to other choices in common or at least available cartridges like a, 154 grain in a 280 rem,150 grain 270 win,
165 grain in a 30/06, or 308 win, or a 338/06 with a 200 grain bullet.
action type is generally based on your experience and personal preferences,
but most people prefer bolt actions, lever actions, for reliable and consistent, function,
with semi auto and pump actions and single shots ,
being a bit less popular but just as effective in skilled hands.
Id strongly suggest you select a cartridge/rifle combo that provides at least 2500-2600 fps at the muzzle and at least a 150 grain bullet weight minimum in a decent cartridge,
and anything over 250 grains in projectile weight seems a bit of over/kill.
in a rifle combo in a deer/elk rifle,
and ideally in a rifle that weights less than 9 lbs with a scope mounted.
the smallest bore diameter, Id suggest would be 6.5 mm,
(and yeah a friend of mine uses a 257 roberts and 100 grain bullets to kill elk, but he won't consider taking a shot over 200 yards)
and I don't think you need anything over .358 to get the job done reliably, but several guys I know hunt with marlin 45/70 rifles.
for ease of access to ammo or reloading component availability,
easy reloading, and decent power at lower cost,
Id suggest a cartridge based on the 30/06 case ,
examples,
(but your certainly not limited too..)
270 win,
280 rem,
30/06,
338/06,
35 whelen, and selecting bullets with a minimum of a
,240 sectional density,
and above 250 in sectional density being preferred
theres nothing in north America a consistently accurate shot,
in the hands of a good experienced hunter,
using something along those guide lines can't reliably kill,
with a single precisely placed shot using high quality bullets.
and yeah I personally prefer the Weatherby, tikka, sako, Browning and Mauser
actions
https://www.chuckhawks.com/sd_beginners.htm#:~:text=It's calculated as follows: Sectional Density = (bullet,must increase accordingly to achieve the same penetration.
https://www.vcalc.com/equation/?uuid=951b9e0f-4057-11e3-83ad-bc764e049c3d
https://www.hornady.com/team-hornady/ballistic-calculators/#!/
I think many people would be rather amazed to find a cartridge like a 6.5mm 147 grain bullet
pushed from something like a 6.5mm Swedish Mauser,or a 150 grain bullet from a 270 win,
(both combo's known for flat trajectory)
are not all that much flatter in trajectory ,
than a 225 grain bullet fired from a 35 whelen,
over the first 300 yards where most game is taken,
if all three rifles have a 200 yard zero
what are your thoughts on the ideal cartridge and rifle combo.
what action type and scope would you consider ideal.
related videos
personally I prefer the 340 wby and 375 H&H over all the other cartridges
,that I've used with complete confidence, for the past 5 decades
I have used, those two cartridges for 5 decades, and I'm very pleased with the results,
but the cost of the magnum length actions , and use of either Weatherby mark V,
or sako actions and recoil levels, and weight of the rifles chambered in those cartridges , and the increased cost of related ammo, are reasons most people won't be purchasing similar rifles,
personally I don't feel the few extra few ounces of weight, marginally longer action length, or obviously increased recoil are too high a price to pay for the very effective results,
that pushing a 250-300 grain .338-375 caliber projectile have, as I have complete confidence in the results I've seen., which in my opinion justifies the minor "problems" many people seem to have with those choices.
to me , personal confidence in what I carry ,
and the results I've seen makes the other factors trivial at best.
and yes I'm very aware that I could more than likely have used a 35 whelen and had very similar results,
no you certainly do not NEED that extra power and penetration potential,
as thousands of elk are killed every year with 270 win and 30/06 power level rifles,
but it certainly does not hurt either.
But Ill stick with the 338 win, 340 wby , 35 whelen and 375 H&H over all the other cartridges
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...splitting-hairs-on-cartridge-selection.16404/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ange-calibers-for-elk-are-not-mandatory.1275/
but there are basic standards ,we all need to judge our choices by,
in reliability, carry weight, fit, function, consistent ,repeatable accuracy,
and physical laws that govern getting consistent results.
having a decent amount of power (energy and penetration)
and a reasonably flat trajectory are benefits ,
but the area you hunt and the game hunted may not require you to maximize either characteristic.
understand there's a huge difference between what might prove lethal in skilled hands,
with perfect shot placement,
and what works almost every time with a decent shot made by your average hunter.
most of these discussions are rather pointless as its the skill of the user and his knowledge ,and acceptance of,
of each rifles accuracy and range limitations, and the projectile selected,
rather than the cartridge that makes or breaks the combos effective use!
check the used gun rack at many gun-shops,
there are occasionally bargains to be had in ,
older high quality rifles,
that spent far more time in a gun safe,
than out hunting.
I get asked rather frequently what my choices in rifles and cartridges are,
and while my choice may not match yours ,
there are some basic guide lines to use!
we all have preferences in cartridges we have used successfully,
its hard to ignore physics and there are some limits to what will work,
but experience and the skill, knowledge and experience .
of the person wielding the firearm had a huge effect on the likely results.
you can certainly use something that's not even close to ideal,
and you'll get good results if you have the skill's, and experience to compensate,
for your rifles lack of range or accuracy or penetration,
and you use those skills to compensate by getting in close to shoot.
select the area you hunt ,shorten the average ranges you shoot at,
and ,the game you choose should obviously have a big effect on the best cartridge/bullet and rifle choice,
and many people are far more concerned with recoil levels than you might imagine.
its been my experience that shots taken , or even the opportunity, to take a shot at game,
at over 300 yards are rather rare.
cartridges like a 45/70 or 444 marlin certainly have the required power and penetration at under 150 yards but rapidly loose the more ideal, flat trajectory much past that range,
cartridges like a 243 or 257 Roberts certainly shoot flat,
but past about 200 yards they are a bit low on power/penetration,
compared to other choices in common or at least available cartridges like a, 154 grain in a 280 rem,150 grain 270 win,
165 grain in a 30/06, or 308 win, or a 338/06 with a 200 grain bullet.
action type is generally based on your experience and personal preferences,
but most people prefer bolt actions, lever actions, for reliable and consistent, function,
with semi auto and pump actions and single shots ,
being a bit less popular but just as effective in skilled hands.
Id strongly suggest you select a cartridge/rifle combo that provides at least 2500-2600 fps at the muzzle and at least a 150 grain bullet weight minimum in a decent cartridge,
and anything over 250 grains in projectile weight seems a bit of over/kill.
in a rifle combo in a deer/elk rifle,
and ideally in a rifle that weights less than 9 lbs with a scope mounted.
the smallest bore diameter, Id suggest would be 6.5 mm,
(and yeah a friend of mine uses a 257 roberts and 100 grain bullets to kill elk, but he won't consider taking a shot over 200 yards)
and I don't think you need anything over .358 to get the job done reliably, but several guys I know hunt with marlin 45/70 rifles.
for ease of access to ammo or reloading component availability,
easy reloading, and decent power at lower cost,
Id suggest a cartridge based on the 30/06 case ,
examples,
(but your certainly not limited too..)
270 win,
280 rem,
30/06,
338/06,
35 whelen, and selecting bullets with a minimum of a
,240 sectional density,
and above 250 in sectional density being preferred
theres nothing in north America a consistently accurate shot,
in the hands of a good experienced hunter,
using something along those guide lines can't reliably kill,
with a single precisely placed shot using high quality bullets.
and yeah I personally prefer the Weatherby, tikka, sako, Browning and Mauser
actions
https://www.chuckhawks.com/sd_beginners.htm#:~:text=It's calculated as follows: Sectional Density = (bullet,must increase accordingly to achieve the same penetration.
https://www.vcalc.com/equation/?uuid=951b9e0f-4057-11e3-83ad-bc764e049c3d
https://www.hornady.com/team-hornady/ballistic-calculators/#!/
I think many people would be rather amazed to find a cartridge like a 6.5mm 147 grain bullet
pushed from something like a 6.5mm Swedish Mauser,or a 150 grain bullet from a 270 win,
(both combo's known for flat trajectory)
are not all that much flatter in trajectory ,
than a 225 grain bullet fired from a 35 whelen,
over the first 300 yards where most game is taken,
if all three rifles have a 200 yard zero
what are your thoughts on the ideal cartridge and rifle combo.
what action type and scope would you consider ideal.
related videos
personally I prefer the 340 wby and 375 H&H over all the other cartridges
,that I've used with complete confidence, for the past 5 decades
I have used, those two cartridges for 5 decades, and I'm very pleased with the results,
but the cost of the magnum length actions , and use of either Weatherby mark V,
or sako actions and recoil levels, and weight of the rifles chambered in those cartridges , and the increased cost of related ammo, are reasons most people won't be purchasing similar rifles,
personally I don't feel the few extra few ounces of weight, marginally longer action length, or obviously increased recoil are too high a price to pay for the very effective results,
that pushing a 250-300 grain .338-375 caliber projectile have, as I have complete confidence in the results I've seen., which in my opinion justifies the minor "problems" many people seem to have with those choices.
to me , personal confidence in what I carry ,
and the results I've seen makes the other factors trivial at best.
and yes I'm very aware that I could more than likely have used a 35 whelen and had very similar results,
no you certainly do not NEED that extra power and penetration potential,
as thousands of elk are killed every year with 270 win and 30/06 power level rifles,
but it certainly does not hurt either.
But Ill stick with the 338 win, 340 wby , 35 whelen and 375 H&H over all the other cartridges
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...splitting-hairs-on-cartridge-selection.16404/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ange-calibers-for-elk-are-not-mandatory.1275/
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