I take some of what he has to say with a grain of salt, but agree with him on the 338.
I often shoot a 338 for elk and 7 mag for deer just because the angle of the shot doesn’t matter as much.
Hitting the base of the tail will anchor an animal quite well.
This topic comes up every year. It’s entertaining to hear all the wild assumptions from a lack of understanding of basic anatomy, to a lack of understanding what exactly is being disrupted or what has to be shot through to be fatal. Pretty rare does anyone admit to having an interest in having a rear shot in the tool kit, as if it makes sense to pass up an easy 100 yard shot like this just on principle and watch them slowly walk off. Then there are those who don’t know what they are doing and just hold center of mass and complain afterward. lol
View attachment 997181
Here’s an actual spine and pelvis. It’s pretty clear the base of the tail is quite high in line with the spine. If you’re shooting through the paunch you’re doing it wrong. Depending on the angle it might be easier to shoot the neck or head. If you’re steady and the animal is close, hitting the spine anywhere from end to end is about the same difficulty.
View attachment 997205
I hate that I'm responding to your trolling, but I can't let this kind of shit go unanswered lest someone follow your advice.
When was the last deer or elk that you killed? Do you have any pictures of the kill, bullet performance, anything? I just went outside to the bone piles here and took a few pictures using your favorite metric of accuracy, a paper plate. I included a tape measure for those that use real measurements.
So your assertion, across multiple threads, is that the above shot on a once-in-a-lifetime bull is valid and ethical. You can reliably hit a 2-3 MOA moving target? From what positions & ranges can you reliably shoot that well? How many elk or deer have you killed with that shot? How many have you wounded and lost? Average shot distance, average number of shots required to kill the animal?
There are plenty of stories and experiences with elk and deer where a broadside shot is pulled and spines them above the stomach or just in front of the pelvis. The result is an animal that is still very much alive, usually trying to get back up on it's front feet while paralyzed from the impact location back. What happens then is the shooter gets into a position where they can make a shot into the vitals or to the CNS above or in front of the shoulder. Sometimes that takes 3 seconds, sometimes that takes 30 minutes.
Somehow a sub-6.5mm caliber is marginal for going through an elk shoulder, yet a .338 or 7mag can go through 3+ feet of spine and stomach to reach the vitals? Or are you just banging away at the animal, hoping to knock it down then be able to go finish it off? That's ethical to you?
If that's your hunting style, what is the difference between that and just hammering away at a rear quarter broadside when you get a glimpse of brown fur? The result will be similar, as breaking the pelvis tends to be a fatal wound regardless of the mechanism that caused it.
The difference is that for an ethical hunter, we want a fast expiration both for the animals' sake and for the quality of meat recovered; which is why gut shots are frowned upon by hunters that take themselves seriously.
You bag on influencers and social media hunters (rightfully so in many cases), yet will advocate taking that shot on a BOAL. The driver behind hunting for social media clout and ass-shooting a BOAL is the same; it's just ego. Taking that shot (or bragging about it) in any outfitter I have worked for or hunting camp I have been in would lead to that being your last trip with us.
First picture is a cow elk spine, 3" in diameter. Spinal column itself is about an inch.
Second picture, same spine with a plate.
Third picture is a mule deer buck spine with a plate.
Fourth picture is looking down that mulie's spine, showing the spinal column itself is under .75".
Fifth picture is the pelvis, showing a total width from femur socket to femur socket of 5".
Last picture is a cow elk, showing over 3 feet of penetration needed to reach into the vitals from behind.
PS- Did you kill a deer yet with your 6mm? Or take any cousins/nephews/neighbors/women/children hunting this year and have them shoot a 6mm? What were the results?
Before the 6 ARC came along I’ve had a fast twist 6BR that shoots heavy bullets quite well. I tell the kids any time they want to smoke a deer with it they are welcome, but the next big game I take with 6mm will be the new to me 28” 6mm-06 that makes a 6 creed look slow. Somehow it’s me that is stuck 40 years ago?
don’t see myself changing in the near future. It simply continues to perform and notched another one. Also, I’m never taking a Texas heart shot as my first shot, and only as a follow-up shot to get another bullet in one. I’ve always followed the motto keep shooting until your standing over them. Too many horror stories when not done.
