Guys,
This thread is drifting far from its original question and developing into another caliber thread.
I am partially to blame for daring to mention that I have an M4-gery that I carry when I don't feel like carrying my LR-308. Gasp... I also have a 10/22 that I carry sometimes as well.
As mentioned earlier in this thread, one data point does not develop an accurate picture.
If so, we are in a world of hurt. As much as it disturbs me, .22 rimfire has taken more deer that any of us would be comfortable with.
While caliber is something to consider, the man is far more important than the tool. This thread has elements of SHTF and "survival" in it. Guys, SHTF isn't about being perfect. It is about working with what you have. The MAN makes the tool work.
After all, at some time man somehow managed to take down medium-sized game with a stick that has a sharp rock tied to it.
I'm certain that Cro-magon man didn't sit around the fire discussing the ballistics, wound channel, and terminal performance of their little sharp stick. No. They cooked the meat.
Our desire for absolute perfection is overkill.
My grandfather always stated that 30-30 probably has taken more deer than any other round in the US. I'd wager that this is still the case. And yet, it is not my favorite caliber.
Years ago, people around here would scoff at using a .243 Winchester for taking deer. Yet, every year, I am seeing more and more people using it as their primary rifle. And every year, I am seeing good results with it.
As I've mentioned earlier, we have some around here using both .223 and 22-250 with good results on deer. We have to remember that we are not talking about using FMJ rounds on deer. Not only is it illegal here, but it would not be a fair evaluation. The fact is that a 80 grain .223 with expanding bullet is NOT the same as a 55 grain FMJ.
So am I advocating a smaller caliber over a 30 caliber round? Not at all. I have both.
We have to remember that all "mid-sized" game is not created equally. A Michigan Whitetail looks like something on steriods. A Florida deer looks like a small dog. Both are "Mid-Sized" game. Here in MS, ours are somewhere in the middle of those. While some could use something like 300 Win. Magnum on a deer, doing so around here would destroy too much meat.
Part of being the "man" effectively is knowing and understanding the capabilities of and limitations of a particular "tool."
Even so, there are no guarantees. I personally have never had a deer run in 30 years of hunting whitetails. I consider this somewhat of a combination of skill and luck. At the same time, I've had to track MANY deer with vitals hits using a 30-06 for friends and family members.
This past year, my father LOST a deer he shot with a 30-06 broad-side at 65 yards using 180 grain Remington Cor-Loct. The deer hit water and we lost the trail. Nothing is quite as fun as wading through a swamp at 10:00 PM hoping to find a blood trail exiting a Slue.
Years back, I had to follow a blood trail for 1.5 miles on an eight-point shot by my mother. When we got to the deer, it was a solid shoulder hit and both lungs were hit as well as the heart.
So, you just don't know.
I'll end with this...
He and his family will be the survivors along with me and mine. The rest of you carry them little popgun pistols and poodle shooter rifles all you want.
If this isn't a joke, it is the most asinine statement ever made on a "SHTF-leaning" thread.
I could explain it, but I (and others) have done so several times before. Besides, it would take charts and graphs to fully appreciate.
I'll take a potable water suppy over choice of caliber any day.
-- John
