Do you still hunt with larger cartridges?

[Macintosh]

The rifle I’ve carried for 25 years is irreplaceable. Its maybe not what Id choose if I did it all over again today, but its not going anywhere and it works the same now as it did then. Of course I carry it sometimes. Its not all about perfect functionality.

 

[missjordan]

Yes, my husband and i hunt with a 338 Lapua. Personally I’ve never been a person that’s hung up on recoil.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wrench]

As much as I have had wonderful success with my 6mm's they simply do not offer the blood trails that my big stuff does on elk. If I were hunting big bulls in brush country....I like big leaks.

 

[Lucasraymond]

Started with 30-06 then went to 6.5 CM; sold both of them after getting a 6.5 PRC. Bought a 300 WSM barrel to use with the 6.5 PRC and recently picked up a 45-70 1895 and 300blk pistol for subsonics and finally my most recent is a 6CM. For PA whitetail hunting I killed with the 6CM, 45-70 this year and 300 WSM this year. Try to show the love to all but if I had to choose one out of all I would stick with the 6.5 prc.

 

[JRay]

Going back to larger 30 cal this year to push monos faster. I want to see for myself if I can reduce meat damage and still be an effective killer.

 

[AZ_Hunter]

As much as I have had wonderful success with my 6mm's they simply do not offer the blood trails that my big stuff does on elk. If I were hunting big bulls in brush country....I like big leaks.

What are you using to get the big leaks?

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Yes, my 7mag and 300win mag. On occasion my 375 H&H mag.

 

[elkguide]

Even though I have "several" options in the .22s, .24s, .25s, .26s, .27s, .28s, when I head out to hunt, I seem to always grab a .300 Win Mag.

 

[Deadspace]

I stared hunting as a kid with a 270. Upgraded to a 30-06 for a while, went to a 6.5PRC and now for the last couple of seasons I’ve been using a 6 creed. So far it’s killed a couple elk and a moose with no issues and I see no reason to go back to my bigger guns.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Yes, I carried a .25-06 most of this past season. And my backup-backup rifle is a .270.

Next year, I am going to take my Tikka M690 9.3x62 whitetail hunting. I think Speer 270-grain semi-spitzers going 2600 FPS should have enough wallop to put a deer DRT if I CNS hit him. Or enough authority to drop him within 100 yards if I do my part and double-lung hit him. But if I don’t get a good blood trail, I will use something smaller for the next one.

 

[Long84]

I occasionally go back to the bigger calibers. Some times it's sentimental value of the rifle, other times it's to mix things up a little.

Having been a .30-06 guy for most of my life. I have really enjoyed the decision to try a 6mm creedmoor this year. I shoot it more, better, and my confidence beyond 200yds is growing.

 

[handwerk]

My biggest cartridge is 300 H&H, a customized pre 64 model 70 which has killed almost all my elk, it will continue to get hunted as well as my 30’06, 7x57, 280 AI and .270 all model 70s.
I enjoyed putting these rifles together and am emotionally tied to them, I guess I’m a gun nut.
But I certainly enjoy my new Kimber builds in 6.5 CM and 6 CM, lately I shoot them more and they use less powder, being a hand loader that’s a good thing.
In the end I like and enjoy them all, I’m ok with that.

 

[Wrench]

What are you using to get the big leaks?

30 cal 200 class bullets have exited from every angle I've shot out to the 700 line. 140s in 6.5 have exited 90% of the time on broadside....but quartering shots are more like 25%.

 

[Laramie]

I used to hunt with a 30-06 or a 7 Mag but decided to try the 6.5 PRC after seeing a lot of success in our main elk group. I honestly haven't hunted with anything else since. Guessing I'll "retire" with the 6.5 PRC with 156 grain Bergers.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

YES!!

 

[freezerfull]

Yes. If I drop prone and shoot 3 rounds off my pack as fast as possible at 200 yards I really see little difference in accuracy or group size between any cartridge from. 243 win to .300 win mag. I just take out whatever I feel like for that trip, day or season. For bears I pretty much always go with a .308 diameter cartridge as a personal preference, not that small diameter bores won’t work.

 

[TaperPin]

I love still hunting posts. Oh, not that kind of still hunting.

Isn’t it human nature to like variety? Most kids enjoy whacking animals with different guns if given a variety to choose from. Adults are 99% big kids.

 

[JLH3]

For years I went between a .300 Mag of some sort & my .257Wby. 2 years ago I dropped from the .300's to a .270Wby. Now I'm not sure I'd ever take one of my .300's out again.

It helps my .270Wby may be the most accurate hunting rifle I own.

 

[barrister]

I've never had an issue with recoil with the rifles I have traditionally used. I use a 30-06 as my do all rifle for everything from whitetail to moose. For fun, I also use a 1960s Marlin 30-30 lever action and a late 1950s Savage 99 lever action in 300 Savage for whitetail. In straight wall cartridge limited areas I hunt, I use a custom 450 Bushmaster bolt action and a Marlin 45-70 lever action for whitetail. I do have a 223 I use for varmints and I'm setting up a semi-custom 6.5 CM.

 

[KHntr]

I got to the point where I was justifying some rifles for specific seasons/animals. August was the 280AI/Mountain Ascent for stones and caribou, late August a 7wsm Montana for moose, September was a 300 Ultra or Win Mag for elk, October and November was a 223AI 1:9 twist Montana with 75’s for yard whitetails and some muley spots, and 243AI with 105’s for whitetails and muleys in other spots. April and May was 223AI/243AI/bows/spears for black bears.

Then it pared down to the 280AI for sheep/moose/elk and the 223AI/243AI for deer. Then once I got a 223AI 1:7 with 88’s, it was that for everything except stone sheep and caribou and elk.

Then, the 1:7 Montana 22 Creed with 88’s, that just got carried for everything this year - stone sheep, grizzlies, elk, moose, deer, coyotes.

Next year I will probably alternate between the 223AI and the 22 Creed.