Do you actually use the best most optimal firearm/cartridge you have access to when hunting?

I absolutely do not, what's the fun in that. I've always preferred obscure or obsolete guns/cartridges and have used quite a few of those for hunting, all the while owning "better" modern guns.

That being said, I do understand the limits of those guns and cartridges and pick my shots and the hunting scenarios accordingly, meaning I wouldn't have chosen to take my Martini-Henry out hunting for pigs in thick brush or use it for deer from my shooting house with 400+ yard shots being possible.

Were I a "serious" meat hunter, I would probably choose something like the .257 Weatherby, for flat trajectory and good terminal effect. It has been a long time since I wanted to make hunting as easy as possible, though, and my habit over the last few decades has been to choose either something to intentionally make the hunt more difficult, or something that I simply want to walk around with for the day. "Best" cartridge for the task just doesn't enter into it, especially considering how few genuinely "bad" cartridges are out there - not to mention how many almost identical cartridges there are. I mean, I personally can barely tell the functional difference between a .308 and a .30-'06, or between either of them and a .270, and have never met a whitetail that could either. It's a fine topic for arguing about on the internet, but otherwise...

I have multiple rifles very capable of taking Whitetails. Many times I have more rifle, bullet, and powder combinations I want to try, then opportunities. For the past 2 years I have wanted to use my Henry SS in .357 Max, with a 180 grain wfn bullet. Our deer population is way down due to 'EHD',which has become more of a problem due to our long term drought.

I use big slow cast lead bullets.

No, I am always testing. I suppose if I stuck with that 30-06 when I was a kid and never added any other firearms, I could say yes. Nothing else to choose from would make it simple.

I have so many flavors now, at best it would be subjective do even declare a winner between many of them. There are lots of things that work great.

Depends. In muzzleloader season I prefer to hunt with round ball and a percussion rifle. Is that less optimal than an inline? Probably not for the river bottom I hunt in this season where shots rarely extend to 100 yards.

At other times, yeah, I pick what I fancy over function sometimes. I'll hunt with dad's Marlin this fall even though I might well be better off with something with a bit more range.

Do I always use the best/ most optimal firearm/cartridge I have access to when hunting?

Where's the fun/challenge in that?

I do know to not exceed my capabilities with whatever I'm hunting with. I've passed up a lot of shots others would have taken over the years because of this self-imposed rule.

I like variety and use different guns depending on my mood. I want to kill a deer with every gun I own.

The words "access to" are the key. I consider it to mean, "of the ones I own" vs "of all the ones I could buy in the store currently" and by that definition I would have to say yes.

I voted no. For many years I killed most of my deer with my Model 94ae. 30-30. But I've always tried to experiment a little each year. This last season I took one with my CVA Wolf, two with my Ruger .308, and one with the 94.
The year before I took deer with my Wolf, 700lr 300wm, and Howa 30-06. These days I just like trying different rifles and bullet combo's to see what else works.
Next year I'll be using my CVA Optima, Savage 110 in 6.5 cm, X-bolt 300wm, Henry 45Lc, and possibly an A-bolt .270, in addition to the trusty 94ae of course.

Yes!.....No!.... Maybe?

Sometimes yes, when i absolutely need meat or to kill something, ill choose the most effective tool that i have on hand.

Mostly no, i use what interests me that day

mcb said:

This is a spin off of the Best Whitetail deer cartridge 2023 thread. ( https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/best-whitetail-deer-cartridge-2023.916697/)

When you pick your hunting firearm/cartridge for a hunt do you actually look at your available firearms and pick out the firearm/cartridge that you believe is the absolute best choice available for the game you are hunting or do you pick your firearm based at least partially on other criteria than what is best/optimal? ie I want to hunt with a particular action type, or a really old cartridge, or a really new cartridge, or a gun with some sentimental value, despite it not being the best most-optimal possible choice from those available to you.

Click to expand...

Define available. Available as in, I already own it, and it's in my safe? Then yes. (As in, I use the best cartridge I own.) Available as in I don't already own it but it's in stock at the LGS and I should go buy it? Then no. (As in, I'm not going to go out and spend a bunch of money on yet another gun. I'll make do with what I already have.)

I like to do a little of everything. I will say I do think hunting with iron sights when appropriate is really cool. To me it really depends on what kind of hunt, what my objectives are, the terrain, etc.

I chose yes.
I have a Win. Model 94, 30-30.
It’s a great woods gun in my opinion.
But my eyes are getting old and it’s hard to “see” the iron sights.
I absolutely refuse to put a scope on it, so it is my nostalgia gun for the time being.
My first rifle was my Remington 700, 30-06. Love this rifle for many reasons. It has taken the most deer, BUT it is heavy. So it is my relegated field rifle.
I recently purchased a Tikka T3x lite in 308 Win. I really wanted it in 7-08 but the availability of components at the time was very limited. so I went with the 308. Short action, and availability of components. Heck, I already had bullets and powder that could work because of my 30-06.
I got the Tikka as a replacement for my woods gun, put a 1.75-5 x 33 scope on it and unloaded weighs 6.5 lbs and is a half inch or so longer than my model 94.
Much easier to carry around still hunting than my 700 and I can see very well with the scope.

I essentially have access to any firearm because I have a steady income but I get the spirit of the point made above.

Still though, I feel as though I have pretty good options.

300 Win Mag for deer is a bit much I admit but it is highly effective.

I have what I believe is the best options for straight wall areas. Those are a 444 Marlin for the unrestricted straight wall areas and 450 Bushmaster for the restricted straight wall areas.

But I use a muzzleloader a lot of the time anymore and this year I plan to use 20 ga foster slugs from my Turkey gun.

The first thing we do is define the mission and then select the tool for the job.

Pretty simple.

mcb said:

Actually I reverse that sometimes. I buy some new gun, or an old gun that is new to me, because it or the cartridge it's chambered in is of interest. Only after buying it, and getting it working to my satisfaction do I then go and figure out what I might hunt or compete or otherwise do with it.

Click to expand...

That makes you backwards from the marine sniper manual. ( humor) actually our guns are mainly tools that keep us fed or safe.

Yes.. most of the time.

I've assembled a big game "battery" that covers most of the bases of how/where I hunt. Examples:

Whitetail:

Open country: shots out to 600yds: Nosler M48 270Win 24" barrel 2-12x42 Leupold VX6HD, 130 ABs at 3170FPS, back-up Rem M700, 300WM 24" barrel, Leupold VX6Hd 3-18X50, Nosler 168 ABLR at 3150 (also works for Mulies)

Blinds & Stands: shots under 200: Rem M7, 260 Rem, 20" barrel, 130 ABs at 2830FPS, Leupold 2.5-8x36 with CDS. Back-up Rem M7 in 350RM, 200 Hornady at 2830, Leupold 2.5-8X36

Drives/still hunting woods: Rem M7 .350RM with Hornady load, swap scope to Swarovski 1.25-54X. Back-up...nothing really, I could use the .260RM, but I'm looking for a Rem 760/7600 to customize.

Elk:

Open country: Steyr Mannlicher Mod S 8x68S, 2.2-9x42 Swarovski, or Rem 700 in .300 Win Mag
Timber: Rem M7 350 RM, loaded with 225 Nolser partition at 2730

I really don't do the nostalgia thing, most of my hunting stuff is stainless/synthetic, except for the Steyr and that's probably moving on in a year or two.

Nope. I've only killed 5 deer in my life. 3 were with Handi Rifle in 45-70 with a 405gr cast bullet (by me) over 16gr. Unique. 2 were with a M91 N.E.W. Mosin with a Speer Hot-Cor 150gr. over IMR4350. Both iron sights, both kind of odd choices when I have way better options.

For me there are multiple factors I consider when selecting my firearm. Species being hunted, cover and terrain I will be hunting, weather expected during the hunt. Ranges expected to be encountered. Weight of rifle. I could go on and on so maybe an example. Hunting bear in the Catskills mountains of NY in October. Rifle of at least 35 caliber with scope weighing 8lbs and under.