coloradokevin
Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2008
- Messages
- 3,285
Short answer: I think 1,000 ft/lbs is plenty of energy for a whitetail deer.
Long answer:
I also follow the belief that most hunters are overgunned here in the United States. I don't subscribe to the theory that this results in a wanton destruction of usable meat, at least in most cases (though I imagine a .50 BMG must leave a mark). The biggest problem I see with carrying a too-large gun is that many folks aren't comfortable shooting those ultra-mags! Within reason, shot placement will always trump cartridge size.
I can't throw out a specific number that is needed for killing a deer, but it isn't all that much. Whitetails aren't really much harder to kill than humans from an anatomical perspective (they may not even be as hard to kill, depending on the size of any given specimen).
Elk and moose are MUCH larger animals, and they are thicker skinned and tougher to kill, but they certainly aren't immortal either. I've known some old timers who have hunted many elk with rifles chambered in the .243 to .270 range (smaller bullets, and non-magnums). But, these old timers were shooters, and they knew how to place the bullet where it needed to be.
In complete fairness, I haven't hunted elk yet myself, but I have every intention of using my .308 Win for that task. Some folks have said the .308 is too small for elk, but I disagree based on my knowledge of the cartridge, and my prey. I can comfortably shoot my .308 to beyond 600 yards, but I would limit my game shots to 400 yards or less (perhaps less than that depending on weather conditions and shooting position).
Honestly, most of the ultra-mag carrying hunters who brag the loudest on this subject are also incapable of making a reliable 400 yard shot, though some can do so all day long. Regardless, I once had a guy at a gun store scoff at the idea that I was thinking of using my .308 Win for elk hunting. He apparently carried a .300 Ultra Mag, and explained how his rifle could take an elk to 800 yards and beyond. I asked him what kind of elevation he had to dial for that 800 yard shot with his rifle, and he stood there blinking at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. Obviously he had some idea what I was asking about, but the response he ultimately gave was something along the lines of: "Oh, you just line up the crosshairs and pull the trigger... don't need to make any adjustments. That gun is a flat shooter".
Of course, a quick check of a ballistic table shows that a 180 grain load from the beefy .300 Ultra still drops over 30 inches by the time it reaches the 500 yard mark. I'd LOVE to see that guy take the uncorrected shot at 800 yards that he was bragging about. I'm sure he'd be the type to blame his miss on bad ammo!
Long answer:
I also follow the belief that most hunters are overgunned here in the United States. I don't subscribe to the theory that this results in a wanton destruction of usable meat, at least in most cases (though I imagine a .50 BMG must leave a mark). The biggest problem I see with carrying a too-large gun is that many folks aren't comfortable shooting those ultra-mags! Within reason, shot placement will always trump cartridge size.
I can't throw out a specific number that is needed for killing a deer, but it isn't all that much. Whitetails aren't really much harder to kill than humans from an anatomical perspective (they may not even be as hard to kill, depending on the size of any given specimen).
Elk and moose are MUCH larger animals, and they are thicker skinned and tougher to kill, but they certainly aren't immortal either. I've known some old timers who have hunted many elk with rifles chambered in the .243 to .270 range (smaller bullets, and non-magnums). But, these old timers were shooters, and they knew how to place the bullet where it needed to be.
In complete fairness, I haven't hunted elk yet myself, but I have every intention of using my .308 Win for that task. Some folks have said the .308 is too small for elk, but I disagree based on my knowledge of the cartridge, and my prey. I can comfortably shoot my .308 to beyond 600 yards, but I would limit my game shots to 400 yards or less (perhaps less than that depending on weather conditions and shooting position).
Honestly, most of the ultra-mag carrying hunters who brag the loudest on this subject are also incapable of making a reliable 400 yard shot, though some can do so all day long. Regardless, I once had a guy at a gun store scoff at the idea that I was thinking of using my .308 Win for elk hunting. He apparently carried a .300 Ultra Mag, and explained how his rifle could take an elk to 800 yards and beyond. I asked him what kind of elevation he had to dial for that 800 yard shot with his rifle, and he stood there blinking at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. Obviously he had some idea what I was asking about, but the response he ultimately gave was something along the lines of: "Oh, you just line up the crosshairs and pull the trigger... don't need to make any adjustments. That gun is a flat shooter".
Of course, a quick check of a ballistic table shows that a 180 grain load from the beefy .300 Ultra still drops over 30 inches by the time it reaches the 500 yard mark. I'd LOVE to see that guy take the uncorrected shot at 800 yards that he was bragging about. I'm sure he'd be the type to blame his miss on bad ammo!
