At what point do you “Up your gun “?

Lots of threads and articles about calibers, bullets and the like.

Here locally ( the THF) we have opinions that range from “ im fine hunting everything with a .243” to the hunters with a wide range of weapons to choose from.

A thread awhile back showed that the majority of people would hunt everything in Texas with a .243, 270 or .30-06, even for animals like elk, aoudad and nilgai.

I shot a .22-250 and a .270 for many years. Now my collection has expanded to include a few magnum rounds and I find myself reaching for these guns in many situations, in large part due to increased confidence.


So, collectively, at what point to you “ choose a bigger bat? Shots over 400 yards, game over 500 lbs, once in a lifetime hunts,, etc?

I really don't know. I've killed elk in Wyoming, white tail in Michigan with the 3006 180 grn. I used to use it here using 150. Step down to 243 then went up to 270 150. Then bought 308, haven't used it yet. So that's all I can say.
My dad did most of his hunting in Michigan with a 32 spc.it did what was needed, I still have it just hard shooting it with open sights, bi-focal glasses.

I guess if that is the criteria, I would take my 338LM

That's the nastiest long range "Bat" I own.
Shots over 400 are definitely in its wheel house and it has plenty of night-night juice for larger game.

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Any excuse to buy a new rifle.

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For the Win!

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I had gotten very comfortable with the 7-08 162g to suit all my needs. This year I’m hunting with a 6.5x55 with a 140g bullet. I now feel like I don’t have enough gun. It’s mental, both deer I’ve shot this year have went down within sight. On at 100ish yards and the other at 510. It’s in my head and it’s on me though to put together a 280ai for next season.

I hunt with a wide variety of calibers. Bigger animals get a bigger gun. However I have found it mostly depends on how I feel that day. I find i take smaller rounds when hunting from a stand then if I decide to stalk. I can wait longer from a stand for a perfect shot. Bigger guns for when shot angles may not be perfect.

I have a .223, 6mm, .270 and .280. The .270 gets used 90% of the time for all my hunting. I do not ever plan on hunting an elk, nilgai or aoudad.

The thing most people don't want to admit is that there is almost no difference in what any of the modern day calibers do. Under ideal conditions, with everything else being the same, all of the popular rounds will do about the same thing. Stick with what you have and either develop a load that you can shoot one inch groups with, or keep buying different brands until you find the one that works the best in our rifle. Spend your money on a great trigger and a scope. And probably the hardest thing to do if you are unable to shoot one inch groups, take some classes and get some training. The Marine Corps can make anybody into a good shot, some better then others, which was huge for me. Breathing, trigger control and waiting for a cold barrel between shots at the range are more important then what caliber you are shooting if you want to improve your results while out hunting. Hang out with some competitive shooters at the range and see what they do. Worse thing in the world is to get into the habit of shooting off a lot of rounds with a hot barrel. You will never have a hot barrel when you take that first shot at an animal, and a hot barrel works totally different on accuracy compared to a cold barrel.

For the record, I largely agree with EddieWalker.

That out of the way, I used to use a .243 WSSM for my hog hunting. Because of the gas system on the rifle (it was an AR), the muzzle velocities ended up running very low: my accurate 105-grain Speer HotCore load only went 2575 fps at the muzzle. For the record, I never lost a hog with the rifle, so it worked perfectly in that sense. On the other hand, when I field dressed larger hogs, I couldn't help but notice the mediocre penetration and the modest wound channel, especially when compared to the damage done by, say, a .30-06.

Put simply, at some point you really are better off using a bigger hammer. Would I have used that WSSM on a Nilgai with a $3500 trophy fee on the line? Heck, no! When the consequences of failure are more than just modest embarrassment, it's best to use every reasonable advantage.

For whitetails, I don't need anything more than my trusty ol' .270 Win. out to 400 yards or more. I also have a .257 Wby Mag for similar duties. For elk, I break out the magnums. 7mm Rem Mag or .300 Wby Mag. If I'm hunting where shots will be 200 yards or less, then I'm good with a 30-30 or an AR in 5.56. I just don't see the need to kill my shoulder or obliterate meat with magnums when they're just not necessary.

The last month I have taken an 5x5 elk at 225 yds with Nosler 165 Accubond. Last week I took 3 wt's with my 7-08 and Barnes 140's. All 3 shots were 100 yds or less, I like the 7-08 because I am old and it is light plus low recoil. Those are my go to guns because I have confidence in them doing the job if I do my part. May be wrong but in my opinion, I think most hunters would be more successful shooting lighter recoil rifles, very few hunters are truly insensitive to recoil.

I started deer huntign with a 30-30 when I got a rifle, most of the deer I have ekilled would have been just as dead if I had continued to use that round. As a young man I got to reading how it was not enough for deer and the rifle developed issues so I sold it and bought a Remington 788 in the then new 7mm-08. I could have stuck with that little rifle for all my hunting and been just as successful as I have been with many others. That bunch of otehr calibers has ranged from 22 Hornet to 7STW, 300 WBY, 350Rem, and 45-70.to name a few. I could have gone on a lot more big time hunts had I just kept and unted with the 7mm-08 and put that $ spent on guns on hunts instead, ah hindsight.

Most of the time when I pulled out the cannons for hunting was on hunts out of state for elk where a long shot might be the difference in getting something or eating an expensive tag and hunt. In reality of my 5 elk only one would I have felt any more confident with the magnum I was hunting with than the 7mm-08.

these days I hunt deer and hogs with a little handy balanced 6.5 Grendel, 357 Mag Marlin, handgun or bow. If I were to go on an expensive Western hunt again for elk or get onthat Moose hunt I would most likely carry a magnum but for the hunting I do whitetail or hogs inside 300 yards the little Grendel is plenty

This.

I've walked this exact path (except on whitetails the .218 Bee was my low end and .416 Rigby the high end). Truth be told, ANY of a wheelbarrow load of different cartridges will kill whitetails very dead at anything approaching responsible ranges for most shooters. Now there is no question that bigger critters can warrant bigger bullets, but that isn't anything APPROACHING a linear progression. Comfortable with 130-150 grains for whitetail but want 225-250 grains for elk? You won't get any argument from me...but it doesn't follow that I have to use 6-800 grains for Cape buffalo or multiple ounces for elephant.

I carry a bunch of different toys afield in the course of a year because they're just that...toys. But the plain truth is that if I picked one good middle-of-the-road cartridge (with one good bullet) and shot the heck out of that rifle 'til we "breathed" together, I'd have a combination that would serve for 95% of the shots I'd make in the course of a season (and on larger animals than we might think).

So long as it isn't a 6.5. The Luddite in me won't allow it!

Mark

I have taken WT., Mule Deer, And Elk. I have guided hunters for many types of exotics. Each of the exotics that were taken could have been taken by me. Non were outstanding shots so if I had been the shooter I would have been the one in the picture. I have not killed a WT in a few years. Now I just shoot a Axis every year to make sausage.. And even then I only take one that I think I can load and take to the house. Usually spikes or at the most 2 year olds. Don't get me wrong most would be sick at the size of the Axis I have passed up get one that meets my weight requirements.I used to hunt with a Rem. Model 760 in 270. It has taken plenty of animals. A great rifle. Now when it is time to make sausage I us a Ruger American Compact 223. I take my time and shoot them in the neck and then the work begins.

I hunted for about ten years with a 223, but I wouldn't take shots at many deer away from the feeder that were 200 yards or so..
So I got a 243, then the deer moved to 300 yards.
So I have a 308 now and use it almost exclusively.
I would only use a bigger caliber now for bigger game. But I have shot red stag, oryx and gemsbok with no problem with the 308.

I leave my 22-250 at the camp house. That’s what I uaually shoot if I’m hunting out of a blind. When I was walking canyons and shooting deer I was a 270 fan and still am. The farthest I ever shot a deer was 482 yards from some rimrock with a 243 and I had to shoot him 4 times and shoot at him 6 times. I’m just not a magnum guy.
My old hunting partner I used to guide with was a big fan of the 300 win mag. We killed a herd of javelina one day while mule deer hunting. We were in a bowl canyon and the javelina kept circling above us. He was shooting the 300 with a muzzle break and I was blasting away with the 270. I was deaf for a week after that. The buddy that let us mule deer hunt his place told us we could hunt and kill whatever we wanted as long as we killed every javelina we saw. We had to go into town and get more ammo twice.

I bought my youngest boy a Grendel.

How do you like it?

270 with hand loaded ammo has always got the job done on WT,Mulies and 3 elk.

It's easy to get caught up in the "I need more guns" mode.
I also went through the reloading stage until the panic ammo shortage caused by the hoarders happened a few years back that broke me of that cycle.
I'm back to the "do I really need all these guns phase," so it's a heck of a lot less expensive and
I still get enjoyment out of my hunting, and bigger or better, isn't always the best.

C'mon, almost no difference? That's laughable.

And how often do we get to hunt and have shots "under ideal conditions, with everything else being the same"? For me, that's pretty much never.

I keep a rifle with me 52 weeks a year. I decided a 7mm-08 A.I. would do anything I needed, and it does. When I go to country with possible long shots, and/or bigger animals, I step up to the 7 Rem Mag with 180's. Those two rifles are probably all I need for the continent. But I have more than that because I can.

If the distance I'm shooting with a particular caliber wont hold the necessary foot pounds of energy, then I up the caliber.

Most people I see up the caliber when they wound something. Its usually their own fault but they blame the caliber. They try to overcome shot placement with more power.

That is often very true.

I guess I have never had to up my gun. Never hunted outside of texas and never shot anything bigger than 180 lb white tail or a 225 lb hog. Killed my first deer with a 270 Winchester and i'd feel comfortable hunting anything in north America with it. I did buy a 300 wby for an anticipated elk hunt when I got out of college that never materialized but im pretty sure I just wanted another gun.

here lately I have been carrying 2 rifles to the stand ... 7mm rem mag that has been my main go to gun for the last 39 years and a 22-250 for hogs and predators. The last 2 deer (does) came out to a feeder about 50 yards, 22-250 high shoulder they dropped straight in their tracks with minimal wasted meat. Although I have taken a lot of deer with a 22-250, I don't second guess the 7mm for the larger bucks & hogs out at farther distances, just something I am overly comfortable with and know the ballistics but the older I get, the less I tolerate the recoil.

I have found no need to. I use a 270 WSM for the majority of my hunting and a 22-250 for the rest. I think it is all personal preference.

I don't claim to be an expert on this subject, but I did talk to a gentleman one time who was. He was a retired multimillionaire oil man who had hunted every species of North American big-game, and pretty much everything in Africa. I asked him "what would be the one caliber you would use for North American game, if you only use one gun". He said unequivocally, a 270.
Personally, I've killed a lot of deer with a .223, 69 gr bullet, but they were all fairly close shots on small deer in Llano. I use a .270 now for pretty much everything.
218 BEE is "right on" .
My 2 cents worth

I usually take 2 guns to the stand a .17 hmr or a .22 mag. for pigs and coyotes and a larger cal. for deer.

I went down. Been using my sons 243. It a lot more fun to shoot.

started off with a .270 and killed lots with it, got a .243 for yotes and really like it so normally pack that and love it. i do grab the open sight 30-30 when in thick brush or just to mix it up. 30-30 is always with me and has proved itself time and time again.

Yep, this is the recipe for success. Pick a good middle-of-the-road caliber, add a good bullet, and shoot the ever-loving heck out of that combination. Before long, nothing seems to survive in front of you...

Went through this VERY exercise with the She-Wolf 30-plus years ago. Set her up with a rifle with an adequate cartridge (in her case a .270 as well, but it could have been any one of dozens of other wonderful cartridges), a stock that puts her eye behind the scope each and every time, and a load with an utterly trustworthy bullet. She's been killing game like the plaque for years with that rig; I believe that her latest string of one shot kills stands at eight (including deer, elk, Kafue Lechwe and Lichtenstein's hartebeest). Suggest a change to HER rifle? That gets me the stink-eye each and every time!

Me? I never seem to head out the door with the same toy twice in a row. I can "bump" up, down, sideways...but when I hear her shoot, I unload and get out my knife. Experience tells me that I've got work to do. Go figure...

Mark

To each their own, but I have no need for anything larger than 308. Even if I was going to Africa.

But I don't need much prodding to add another caliber to the stable. The latest being 6.5 CM.

When you make up for incompetence by doubling your efforts, there's no end to what you can't do.

As true in the shooting world as it is in the business world!

Mark

I think a lot of good comments have been made here and I'm certainly not against having multiple calibers for hunting.

With that being said, I think sometimes hunters reach for a larger caliber in place of upping their marksmanship. I know its not easy and feasible for all hunters to shoot regularly (year round) and become extremely proficient in all conditions and situation. A well placed bullet is better than a larger misplaced hole of a larger caliber. Shooting/range practice just before the season opener doesn't make for expert shooting. As far as larger calibers allowing for further targets, Unless you are truly a great shooter, shots over 300 yards become more luck than skill.

I've been doing the opposite the past 8-9 years. After multiiple 7mags (still have a couple and love 'em) that I used almost exclusively for 35 years, I've come to like less recoil. The 7-08 fits the description to a 'T" for me. There's not alot of game you can't kill cleanly with it and a 140 accubond or partition. I also really, really like the 6.5 CM. 139 scenars at CM speeds are very effective doe (culling some) and hog killers and are stupid accurate.

I've owned several calibers over the years, and sold some and kept some, but the one that I regret getting rid of was the 7-08.
Don't know why, but I just loved that caliber, and it killed many a deer and hogs, and very little recoil and reached out there as far as I cared to shoot.

Same

I have no interest (or need) to shoot over 400 yards at whitetails on my ranch. Longest shot from blind to feeder is 143 yards and my current go-to rifle is a 6.5 Creedmoor.
If the opportunity were to arise for larger animals at greater distances, I would go to my 7.mm Remington Magnum.

I use a 7 rem mag om everything now. I would use something bigger if I got a buffalo or grizzly tag.

I actually just went to the 7-08 as well. I shot a .30-06 for years and loved it. Tried and true. But, after shooting a relatives 7-08, I went and bought one. It is so much more pleasant to shoot at the range. It is very accurate, flat shooting, and doesn't recoil to the point of not wanting to shoot it anymore. Plus, if you are reloading, look at the Sierra GameChanger bullets that just came out. 165 gr. It would be a great round for elk, etc. that are larger than the WT around here.

I own rifles in calibers from .22 LR to .458 Win Mag....but I tend to hunt the majority of game animals with my .300 WSM. I am extremely confident in the rifle and the caliber.