With the endless debates of "what's the best cartridge, bullet, optic for hunting this or that" ....

[H&Hhunter]

Back when I first started hunting in the early 80’s it seemed like at least once a year we’d have a scope fog up. We used to use 2x7 Redfield wide views. I know people talk them up but in my experience they are pure junk. Rifle failures;
Yes! The worst I ever experienced was hunting Zimbabwe in 2008. The day prior to the hunt my Searcy .470 snapped a main spring on the right barrel. I ran home and grabbed a spare .458Lott that was built by Brockman on a Montana action. It shot great so I hauled buttock to the customs office got it documented then spent most of the night getting new gun permits rearranged on the African side. I get to Africa and the Brockman .458 Lott will not fire due to soft hits. Thank god I had a spare .375 H&H that I finished the hunt with.

Second worst triple weapon failure was hog hunting in Texas.
My dog flushed a sounder of hogs. I shot one and killed it instantly with my .375 H&H. When I ejected the brass I had a case head separation with the main case stuck in the chamber. Rifle is down.
My dog has a big boar bayed up and the fight is on. I draw my .S&W .44 Mag and try to pull the hammer back the cylinder is frozen tight. Turns out that I’d had a snake shot load come apart and the lead shot was jamming it.

So I run over to the fight and go to grab my knife. The knife is gone. It had fallen out of my pocket somewhere during the day. I wound up grabbing a thick mesquite stick and thumping the hog with it as hard as I could, full on Neanderthal style. The only effect that had was breaking off the fight long enough for the hog to take off with the dog in hot pursuit. Several hours later the dog returned and spent the rest of the day giving me shameful looks of disgust.

I’ve said this multiple times about rifles and bullets. The fit, feel and function of your rifle is 100 times more important than the caliber. How does it carry in the field, if you don’t like carrying it you won’t. Is the scope mounted low enough to come naturally to the eye? Are you comfortable and confident with your rifle? Have you shot it enough and worked with it enough that it’s become instinctual to operate? Can you hit where you aim naturally? Do you understand the limitations of your rifle/caliber set up? Do you understand your limitations as a rifleman? Does the rifle fit your style of hunting?

Those things are 99% of what makes a good hunting rifle. Beyond that don’t use varmint bullets for elk and you have the perfect set up for you on any caliber from a 6 MM to a .577.

 

[Milt1]

H&HHunter, for a minute there I thought you were having a bad day!

 

[MidRoad]

Back when I first started hunting in the early 80’s it seemed like at least once a year we’d have a scope fog up. We used to use 2x7 Redfield wide views. I know people talk them up but in my experience they are pure junk. Rifle failures;
Yes! The worst I ever experienced was hunting Zimbabwe in 2008. The day prior to the hunt my Searcy .470 snapped a main spring on the right barrel. I ran home and grabbed a spare .458Lott that was built by Brockman on a Montana action. It shot great so I hauled buttock to the customs office got it documented then spent most of the night getting new gun permits rearranged on the African side. I get to Africa and the Brockman .458 Lott will not fire due to soft hits. Thank god I had a spare .375 H&H that I finished the hunt with.

Second worst triple weapon failure was hog hunting in Texas.
My dog flushed a sounder of hogs. I shot one and killed it instantly with my .375 H&H. When I ejected the brass I had a case head separation with the main case stuck in the chamber. Rifle is down.
My dog has a big boar bayed up and the fight is on. I draw my .S&W .44 Mag and try to pull the hammer back the cylinder is frozen tight. Turns out that I’d had a snake shot load come apart and the lead shot was jamming it.

So I run over to the fight and go to grab my knife. The knife is gone. It had fallen out of my pocket somewhere during the day. I wound up grabbing a thick mesquite stick and thumping the hog with it as hard as I could, full on Neanderthal style. The only effect that had was breaking off the fight long enough for the hog to take off with the dog in hot pursuit. Several hours later the dog returned and spent the rest of the day giving my shameful looks of disgust.

I’ve said this multiple times about rifles and bullets. The fit, feel and function of your rifle is 100 times more important than the caliber. How does it carry in the field, if you don’t like carrying it you won’t. Is the scope mounted low enough to come naturally to the eye? Are you comfortable and confident with your rifle? Have you shot it enough and worked with it enough that it’s become instinctual to operate? Can you hit where you aim naturally? Do you understand the limitations of your rifle/caliber set up? Do you understand your limitations as a rifleman? Does the rifle fit your style of hunting?

Those things are 99% of what makes a good hunting rifle. Beyond that don’t use varmint bullets for elk and you have the perfect set up for you on any caliber from a 6 MM to a .577.

Awesome story,thanks for sharing

 

[woodshunter]

I learned to NEVER scrimp on optics......if they can fail or let you down they will. Swabbing at my scope lenses with a shirttail due to fogging or not able to find that animal in failing light, or a scope that won't hold zero. Optics are what connects you to that game animal and murphy lurks there in the bushes to impose his law when you least expect it. I've never experienced gun or cartridge failure, heck I build em' I could only kick myself if that happened, had a scope ring go another time. Always been optics for me it seems, use zeiss conquests and talley one piece rings now and a 4500 elite with rainguard on my stainless composite gun.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I learned to NEVER scrimp on optics......if they can fail or let you down they will. Swabbing at my scope lenses with a shirttail due to fogging or not able to find that animal in failing light, or a scope that won't hold zero. Optics are what connects you to that game animal and murphy lurks there in the bushes to impose his law when you least expect it. I've never experienced gun or cartridge failure, heck I build em' I could only kick myself if that happened, had a scope ring go another time. Always been optics for me it seems, use zeiss conquests and talley one piece rings now and a 4500 elite with rainguard on my stainless composite gun.

This^^^^ the best rifle in the world is useless without a solid and reliable sighting system. I’ve had way more scope failures than firearm failures in the field.

 

[CraigC]

I have two contributions:

1. Using my M-1 Garand for deer hunting. IMO, the peep sight is a poor choice for hunting. It was snowing wet snow (almost slush) the first year I hunted with it. The peep sight kept getting clogged with snow and I had to blow on it to clear the sight. That's a lot more noise than I want to make in a treestand. I took an 8-point buck the second year I hunted with the Garand, but I almost didn't because the peep sight dramatically reduces the light reaching your eye. The buck appeared shortly after legal shooting. It was less than 25 yards away, but when I looked through the peep I couldn't tell the difference between the deer, the trees, and the ground. I had to peek over the sight a few times and just as I had confidence I was aiming in the vitals, the buck saw me . Hit the buck a few inches too far back in the liver and it ran about 100 yards before dying.

I expect that the peep sight fans are going to arrive and tell me how wrong I am. Do peep sights work? Sure, but I can afford a scope, so I don't have to use a peep. I may hunt with the Garand again, but I'll do it only if I WANT the challenge of using the peep (and only on days when there is no chance of precipitation).

People hunt with peep sights all the time. Myself included. Can't help with the snow but if you're having trouble up close, open your other eye.

 

[H&Hhunter]

People hunt with peep sights all the time. Myself included. Can't help with the snow but if you're having trouble up close, open your other eye.

I don’t hunt at all with a “peep” sight. But I do spend a lot of time behind a ghost ring. They are surprisingly precise and easy on the eyes.

 

[stillquietvoice]

I've had 1 scope fail, but not in the field it was a range trip. My second savage package rifle pitched in 95 or so. The optic was a Simmons 3-9 x32 on a 120 gxp in 3006. The ring retaining the objective lens was loose. Was moving in the bell and the nitrogen leaked out.

 

[Bfh_auto]

I did not say that I agreed with it just that it is the reasoning of the state.
It makes no sense since there are no restrictions on rifles for coyote, Fox or anything else.

A lot of that is the type of people and volume of them deer hunting. There is a much lower amount of people predator hunting and they tend to be gun cranks.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Back when I first started hunting in the early 80’s it seemed like at least once a year we’d have a scope fog up. We used to use 2x7 Redfield wide views. I know people talk them up but in my experience they are pure junk. Rifle failures;
Yes! The worst I ever experienced was hunting Zimbabwe in 2008. The day prior to the hunt my Searcy .470 snapped a main spring on the right barrel. I ran home and grabbed a spare .458Lott that was built by Brockman on a Montana action. It shot great so I hauled buttock to the customs office got it documented then spent most of the night getting new gun permits rearranged on the African side. I get to Africa and the Brockman .458 Lott will not fire due to soft hits. Thank god I had a spare .375 H&H that I finished the hunt with.

Second worst triple weapon failure was hog hunting in Texas.
My dog flushed a sounder of hogs. I shot one and killed it instantly with my .375 H&H. When I ejected the brass I had a case head separation with the main case stuck in the chamber. Rifle is down.
My dog has a big boar bayed up and the fight is on. I draw my .S&W .44 Mag and try to pull the hammer back the cylinder is frozen tight. Turns out that I’d had a snake shot load come apart and the lead shot was jamming it.

So I run over to the fight and go to grab my knife. The knife is gone. It had fallen out of my pocket somewhere during the day. I wound up grabbing a thick mesquite stick and thumping the hog with it as hard as I could, full on Neanderthal style. The only effect that had was breaking off the fight long enough for the hog to take off with the dog in hot pursuit. Several hours later the dog returned and spent the rest of the day giving me shameful looks of disgust.

I’ve said this multiple times about rifles and bullets. The fit, feel and function of your rifle is 100 times more important than the caliber. How does it carry in the field, if you don’t like carrying it you won’t. Is the scope mounted low enough to come naturally to the eye? Are you comfortable and confident with your rifle? Have you shot it enough and worked with it enough that it’s become instinctual to operate? Can you hit where you aim naturally? Do you understand the limitations of your rifle/caliber set up? Do you understand your limitations as a rifleman? Does the rifle fit your style of hunting?

Those things are 99% of what makes a good hunting rifle. Beyond that don’t use varmint bullets for elk and you have the perfect set up for you on any caliber from a 6 MM to a .577.

You should have bought a lottery ticket after that hunt because you sure used up everyone's bad luck that day.
I agree 100% with your post.