What is YOUR Small Caliber on Big Game Experience?

[mt terry d]

Shot a massive hog here with a .223 - forgot which bullet though. Had great shot placement, but he just flailed around and ran off never to be found again.

Don’t trust the small calibers myself.

I was with a guy that shot an antelope doe 5 times with a 243 before killing it
Looked like a chainsaw massacre
Bullets didn’t enter just splashed on contact
They had worked perfectly shooting prairie dogs the week before
No 243 for me

 

[HandgunHTR]

Link?!?!? I haven’t been over to LRH for at least 5 years…

Still looking for the thread I remember, but here is a very similar one that has a multitude of “typical” responses.

What is the perfect 300 Yard Deer Cartridge with low recoil?

Considering your average Cartridge performs admirably at 300 yards, which one has the least recoil? How heavy of a projectile do you need, and is Ballistic Coefficient important at such close range? I'd like it to be a non-lead bullet as well. Are we talking 7mm-08, or can something as light as...

www.longrangehunting.com

 

[HandgunHTR]

Here is another good one.

Do you hunt deer with a 22 centerfire and if so why?

Not a criticism, just puzzled.…..what is the reasoning?

www.longrangehunting.com

 

[Chris in TN]

Shot a massive hog here with a .223 - forgot which bullet though. Had great shot placement, but he just flailed around and ran off never to be found again.

Don’t trust the small calibers myself.

Did you manage to get photos of the shot placement before it ran off?

Asking because I’m not sure how else you’d know, without a carcass.

 

[Texas270]

Did you manage to get photos of the shot placement before it ran off?

Asking because I’m not sure how else you’d know, without a carcass.

No but it was a shorter shot (not a problem for me) and my FIL had binoculars (we were in the thick woods) and he saw the impact.

What bullet do you typically use? The bullet choice is legitimately the most important aspect of using a small caliber for medium or large game.

I wouldn’t say that I took seven strokes on a par 3 and then not know what golf club sizes I was playing with.

I typically run a Speer gold Dot 77gr in my AR15. But I don’t have a clue what I was running that day. All I know is that the damn hog ate it for lunch

 

[Pharmseller]

I was with a guy that shot an antelope doe 5 times with a 243 before killing it
Looked like a chainsaw massacre
Bullets didn’t enter just splashed on contact
They had worked perfectly shooting prairie dogs the week before
No 243 for me

Maybe using the wrong bullet for antelope?

 

[Deere_Man]

No but it was a shorter shot (not a problem for me) and my FIL had binoculars (we were in the thick woods) and he saw the impact.

I typically run a Speer gold Dot 77gr in my AR15. But I don’t have a clue what I was running that day. All I know is that the damn hog ate it for lunch

I hear ya. I once shot a deer with a 308 Win that we never found. It was putting good blood on the ground for a while. Then it just gave out. Sometimes bullets so funny things on impact.

 

[mt terry d]

Maybe using the wrong bullet for antelope?

I was trying to get texas 270 to see the flaw in his conclusion without stating it directly:
bullets matter.

But, yeah, my friend didn't realize he'd grabbed the wrong
bullets for this hunt. Would have made the greatest anti-hunting video of all time.

 

[Mtndawger]

I’m totally open to the idea and have read all the threads about overall effectiveness. I guess where I lack confidence is if I’m using a mono or a bonded bullet. I can see the damage done with match bullets but I really don't want to destroy so much meat. The bloodshot and the lead fragmentation is a no bueno for me.

 

[Chris in TN]

No but it was a shorter shot (not a problem for me) and my FIL had binoculars (we were in the thick woods) and he saw the impact.

I typically run a Speer gold Dot 77gr in my AR15. But I don’t have a clue what I was running that day. All I know is that the damn hog ate it for lunch

Outliers are a thing.

At the end of the day you don’t ‘know’ where you hit it or with what. That doesn’t give you much to go by.

You said it dropped and flopped then got up. That sounds like a high hit in the spinal processes. I’ve seen deer hit with much larger calibers drop then vanish, from what I believe to be similar shots. I’m not criticizing your skills, just observing that such an anecdote is awfully easy to explain away.

 

[omicron1792]

I’m totally open to the idea and have read all the threads about overall effectiveness. I guess where I lack confidence is if I’m using a mono or a bonded bullet. I can see the damage done with match bullets but I really don't want to destroy so much meat. The bloodshot and the lead fragmentation is a no bueno for me.

You can see how it’s funny the two extremes in this situation.

1. “223 is way too small for deer or elk. Not enough energy or whallop. The animal deserves a quick death”

2. “The damage is too great. We got to save every inch of that meat!”

 

[Texas270]

I don’t know why people are so defensive of their .223… I love mine, but bigger is ultimately better. My .30-06 will always be more lethal. It’s just what it is.

 

[Xycod]

Good well filmed video. It’s also the reason I don’t use small calibers on large game and believe there’s a tool for every job, you don’t drive railroad spikes with a kitchen hammer made for hanging photos kinda thing. As long as it’s legal to each their own.

Guy makes a good shot with a 6.5 and no pass through and no blood, lucky he found it according to his guide.

 

[Pharmseller]

I’m totally open to the idea and have read all the threads about overall effectiveness. I guess where I lack confidence is if I’m using a mono or a bonded bullet. I can see the damage done with match bullets but I really don't want to destroy so much meat. The bloodshot and the lead fragmentation is a no bueno for me.

I don’t eat lungs.

 

[Pharmseller]

I don’t know why people are so defensive of their .223… I love mine, but bigger is ultimately better. My .30-06 will always be more lethal. It’s just what it is.

Absolutely correct. When you shoot something with a .223 it’s only mostly dead.

Remember, there are degrees of dead. If you want really dead, use a 30-06. It’s just what it is.

 

[Chris in TN]

Good well filmed video. It’s also the reason I don’t use small calibers on large game and believe there’s a tool for every job, you don’t drive railroad spikes with a kitchen hammer made for hanging photos kinda thing. As long as it’s legal to each their own.

Guy makes a good shot with a 6.5 and no pass through and no blood, lucky he found it according to his guide.

I've got pass-throughs with .284/160 Accubonds twice on elk and neither left any significant blood trails. Both were solid lung shots and one of them was fairly low in the chest. Certainly not enough blood to follow, had they made it out of sight (neither did so).

People don't realize that it takes a YUGE exit hole to guarantee a blood trail from an elk, just because of the thickness of the hair and hide. Doubly so if the exit goes through the off shoulder or if the leg is extended forward when the exit happens, then the skin slides back to plug it. The sort of bullet you expect to exit - because it doesn't expand too much - is very likely to not leave a hole big enough to leak. So choosing a larger or more controlled expansion bullet for blood-trailing is highly likely to not work out for you.

 

[ColoradoV]

This bull went all of 20 yds after my wife got 2 good shots in it w her .257 weatherby mag.. I think it was w 120gr nosler partitions, at 310 yds, and both bullets were found against the back skin. Not sure if that qualifies for small caliber or not.

 

[Sully_44]

I was with a guy that shot an antelope doe 5 times with a 243 before killing it
Looked like a chainsaw massacre
Bullets didn’t enter just splashed on contact
They had worked perfectly shooting prairie dogs the week before
No 243 for me

Sounds like an issue with using the wrong bullet.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Good well filmed video. It’s also the reason I don’t use small calibers on large game and believe there’s a tool for every job, you don’t drive railroad spikes with a kitchen hammer made for hanging photos kinda thing. As long as it’s legal to each their own.

Guy makes a good shot with a 6.5 and no pass through and no blood, lucky he found it according to his guide.

Nowhere in that video does it say what bullet he was using. Chances are it was one of the ones “designed for hunting”, which means it didn’t create a great wound channel.