Ive consistently seen that theres an obvious double standard in selecting the correct caliber, if you look at the wide difference in the calibers you see suggested as ideal for hunting most big game.
lets say you ask whats ideal for hunting deer and elk, or even moose youll usually get a suggested caliber range from about the 270 win to the 340 wby, and your looking at animals that range from about 120lbs to maybe 1750 plus lbs on average
ranges are frequently discussed extending well past 350 to even 600 yards, and at those ranges energy figures drop to below 1000 ft lbs in some cases.muzzle energy seldom is over 4300ft lbs
ask about a rifle to use on leopard, cougar and lion, and brown bear and you get suggestions, starting at the 300 mags up thru the 375H&H going up to a 458 LOTT, on animals that range from maybe 120lbs to maybe 800lbs
now obviously the ranges tend to be shorter over which you'll reasonably engage dangerous game, mostly because your shot placement becomes far more critical because if you fail to drop the animal it can and sometimes will cause you severe bodily harm,ranges tend to be shorter so in theory the rifles retain even more of their muzzle energy, in fact muzzle energy figures tend to start in the 4000 ft lb ranges , ranges discussed tend to remain well under 100 yards and 30-60 yards are far more common
so obviously the dangerous game rifle caliber selection tends to favor a good deal more energy and bullet weight, placed on the target and its obviously more important that you quickly drop the game.
so the rather obvious conclusion is that because ELK and deer, and moose rarely attempt to kill hunters its far less important that you drop them on the spot!
well having hunted big game for 40 plus years Id suggest that most hunters would be far better off thinking about caliber selection and ranges they can effectively use those rifles at with a good deal more of that large dangerous game mentality
a great deal of the problems guys have with bullets results from trying to push a smaller and lighter in weight than ideal projectile to higher velocities than many bullet designs can reliably function at, you might be amazed at how consistent most cup & core bullet designs work if bullets are at least a .270 sectional density and if you don,t exceed 3000fps at the muzzle .
Its been my experience that its a darn rare hunter that under field conditions can accurately place his shot at over about 200 yards, and most would be far better hunters if they limited their shots to shorter distances, and perhaps carried a bit larger caliber
your thoughts gentlemen?
lets say you ask whats ideal for hunting deer and elk, or even moose youll usually get a suggested caliber range from about the 270 win to the 340 wby, and your looking at animals that range from about 120lbs to maybe 1750 plus lbs on average
ranges are frequently discussed extending well past 350 to even 600 yards, and at those ranges energy figures drop to below 1000 ft lbs in some cases.muzzle energy seldom is over 4300ft lbs
ask about a rifle to use on leopard, cougar and lion, and brown bear and you get suggestions, starting at the 300 mags up thru the 375H&H going up to a 458 LOTT, on animals that range from maybe 120lbs to maybe 800lbs
now obviously the ranges tend to be shorter over which you'll reasonably engage dangerous game, mostly because your shot placement becomes far more critical because if you fail to drop the animal it can and sometimes will cause you severe bodily harm,ranges tend to be shorter so in theory the rifles retain even more of their muzzle energy, in fact muzzle energy figures tend to start in the 4000 ft lb ranges , ranges discussed tend to remain well under 100 yards and 30-60 yards are far more common
so obviously the dangerous game rifle caliber selection tends to favor a good deal more energy and bullet weight, placed on the target and its obviously more important that you quickly drop the game.
so the rather obvious conclusion is that because ELK and deer, and moose rarely attempt to kill hunters its far less important that you drop them on the spot!
well having hunted big game for 40 plus years Id suggest that most hunters would be far better off thinking about caliber selection and ranges they can effectively use those rifles at with a good deal more of that large dangerous game mentality
a great deal of the problems guys have with bullets results from trying to push a smaller and lighter in weight than ideal projectile to higher velocities than many bullet designs can reliably function at, you might be amazed at how consistent most cup & core bullet designs work if bullets are at least a .270 sectional density and if you don,t exceed 3000fps at the muzzle .
Its been my experience that its a darn rare hunter that under field conditions can accurately place his shot at over about 200 yards, and most would be far better hunters if they limited their shots to shorter distances, and perhaps carried a bit larger caliber
your thoughts gentlemen?