Q: I have noticed that you favour cartridges that many hunters consider to be marginal or even inadequate for much of your deer hunting. However, I realise that there are significant differences in rifles, cartridges and bullets that make them more suitable for various sizes of game and for certain situations than others.
Nearly every hunter has a favourite cartridge and is vocal about its performance compared to others. For my own part I am a strong believer in adequate cartridges and using the correct bullets for the game to be hunted, and if anything I lean toward the heavy side of the equation.
But I also realise that if you don’t land your bullet in the right place it doesn’t matter how powerful a rifle you are using, you will wound your game and not be able to recover it.
This is not a critique, since you seem be a good marksman who generally shoots well. I’d just like you to comment on the subject for those who think you are under-gunned.
Ted Knight
A: My Ruger .257 Roberts accounted for over 30 trophy deer, almost all with a single shot with Barnes’ 100gn TSX BT. Only one ran off for about 100m before it dropped, and only one needed a second shot. This happened because the red stag was standing among his does and if I had gone for a heart-lung shot the bullet would have struck a doe standing behind him, so I had to aim a little farther back.
The stag dropped but got up and began staggering away. I shot him again, but it wasn’t necessary as he was already on his way to the ground.
My recent acquisition of a deer rifle is a Kimber .25-06 which is just a little bit more of a good thing.
By placing their shots properly, skilled marksmen can take game successfully throughout their careers while using fairly light cartridges that many hunters would swear are marginal or even inadequate for the size of the game being hunted.
By the same token, many hunters miss or wound game with cartridges that are definitely adequate, even overly powerful.
Les Bowman once told me that often one of his elk hunters would turn up with a powerful magnum rifle that he couldn’t handle. This made him flinch and miss the game so Les would hand them a 6mm Remington with which they’d take the animal down cleanly and as quickly as possible.
I have been shooting professionally for over 60 years and have spent time culling feral animals and guiding buffalo hunters. But I’m a gun nut as well as a pure hunter and spend a lot of time at the range, not only sighting in and testing firearms, but using different rifles.
Part of my livelihood is derived from extolling the virtue of one cartridge or another, or which cartridges, bullets and rifles are best for various game and hunting situations.
I generally shoot well in the field, but nothing is as important as shot placement. By placing shots precisely, a skilled marksman can take game successfully while using a fairly light cartridge that many shooters would think lacked enough power.
Many shooters are fairly inexperienced, having had very little practice with a powerful rifle, and would do better with something which develops less recoil.
In conclusion: you should make certain that your cartridge has sufficient power and your bullet is toughly enough constructed to guarantee sufficient penetration.
My own preference is for a bullet that will exit with classic broadside shots on deer-sized game with lung shots and leave a blood trail that’s easy to follow. It will also penetrate far enough to reach vital organs on any angling shot.
Those are my own opinions based on over 70 years spent hunting and shooting, but I still respect the views of anyone who might think differently.
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