John Wayne tells me I need a magnum

[1Heavyhitr]

lol

[Donny Bear]

Well ha ha ha pilgrim

[bb356]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5wxqFQj76U

[just_dave]

Tire chains are useless on ice... a tool salesman once told me while I was buying tire chains in a parts store while we were surrounded by truck drivers that chained up almost everyday in the winter.

I left before the salesman was torn apart by the ornery truckers.

[wssmwhistler]

I think ppl that are strictly big big magnums are there own syndrome or don't know how to shoot or something. Magnums are nice fun and help with the long rang but hey any calibre under 350 or 400 is sutible. I was a 270 and 7 mag fan all growing up but in 2006 I think I bought my 243 wssm and shot every thing but sheep with it and kinda is my fav gun to shoot .took a moose. 4 elk. And antelope with it with no complains at all. Next I bought my better half a 7-08 and well it fun easy light and kills moose and deer just fine so as to 308 it a great gun too. My hunting buddy is all about 308 and never went away from it.pluse has bit more energy on the get go than most lol. And don't get me wrong I have almost every common or say popular caliber too. That's my 2 cents

[Bigmountainrider]

Originally Posted by Bolete

I've managed to kill moose with an arrow at less than 300fps. I'm pretty sure a .308 can top that.

Love it, Great perspective. Last elk shot was a little over 200yards, 150gr Hornady SST passed straight through.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by 1Heavyhitr

John Wayne proceeded to tell me that he's seen more than a few Elk and a couple of swamp donkeys lost or die slow deaths all due to the .308??

Funny, I read the blog the other day of a Montana elk guide. He said more elk are lost to magnums. Reason? Many people can't shoot them properly. If you CAN shoot one well, they are fine. His preference is for a .270 or .30-06 for elk. As for the .308, he called it the "high-powered Izuzu". LOL

http://montanaelkhunting.blogspot.ca...er%27s%20Rifle

[savagewsm]

The .308 can be used to take any game animal ? This information must die right now. Every game animal requires it's own specialized firearm. Magnums for Elk and moose. Fast flat shooting rifles for antelopes and open country deer.
Bush busting 45 70's for the thick stuff and don't get me stated for what you need for gophers and coyotes.

If my wife ever hears that one rifle can do almost everything I am royally screwed. So pipe down all of

[Hogie135]

Originally Posted by savagewsm

The .308 can be used to take any game animal ? This information must die right now. Every game animal requires it's own specialized firearm. Magnums for Elk and moose. Fast flat shooting rifles for antelopes and open country deer.
Bush busting 45 70's for the thick stuff and don't get me stated for what you need for gophers and coyotes.

If my wife ever hears that one rifle can do almost everything I am royally screwed. So pipe down all of

Hahahaha

[brohymn2]

Originally Posted by savagewsm

The .308 can be used to take any game animal ? This information must die right now. Every game animal requires it's own specialized firearm. Magnums for Elk and moose. Fast flat shooting rifles for antelopes and open country deer.
Bush busting 45 70's for the thick stuff and don't get me stated for what you need for gophers and coyotes.

If my wife ever hears that one rifle can do almost everything I am royally screwed. So pipe down all of

lol

[303carbine]

The 308 will do what is needed as far as hunting is concerned, I have never listened to the John Wayne's of the shooting world.
I have put more moose and deer meat in the freezer with the 270, 7x57 and the old faithful 303 Brit.
Tell John Wayne to go home......

[kayaker]

I always like the claims that a .308 is marginal for moose/elk but a .300Win will flatten them at extended ranges. For some reason a 180gr .308" bullet from a .300 is perfect at 500 yards but the same bullet from .308Win is sketchy at much closer ranges (where it might be moving as fast or faster).

Physics: bows to the superiority of magnums...

[mgvande]

The Swedes have been using there 6.5mm for about a 100 yrs+ for there moose.

[twofifty]

Their you go.

[Juliian]

I shoot a 308 win with Federal high energy ammo with a 165 grain Trophy bonded bear claw bullet at 2750 ft per second . Shoot elk or moose and watch things stop happening. Great cartridge / bullet combination.

[Muy Grande]

Using premium bullets in the heavier weight category; the .308 is quite adequate for taking elk or moose IMHO. My son has shot numerous moose and elk with his .308 using 180 grain Nosler ballistic tips....

[Huntsman]

-When I was stationed in Wainwright I hunted with my Dads Win 88 with a box of Dominion 180gr Saber Tips, With out fail two moose ended up in my freezer as well as many white tail deer and mulies in the 9yrs I was there.
-My compound bow with a 125gr broadhead shot a moose at 11 yards and he ran 7yds and dropped.
-The same rifle dropped a cow elk with a 165gr Remington CL.
The flavor of cartridge in the shop was 7mm STW and anything in the .300 ultra super whiz bang or bigger caliber by the bigger better local hunters.

I've only used a .300 Win mag once(TC Pro-Hunter) and that was last years moose hunt in northern Ontario. It was succesful but the shot could have easily been taken with my Dads 88 with an 80yd shot.
This fall will be hunted with my bow again and my .243 and .54 black powder gun.

"Is that you John Wayne..Is this me?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgIeru8ZD94

[bdub]

Nothing wrong with the big magnums or the lesser cartridges. The problem is the folks that fool themselves into thinking they need the magnums but can't handle the recoil. You see it all the time, new hunters starting out with a 300 mag or similar for a first rifle and can't hit anything because they are getting beat up so bad by the rifle. Far better to start off with a cartridge of lighter recoil and learn to shoot it well imo. As your shooting develops and your tolerance to recoil increases with experience, move up to the larger cartridges if you feel like it. IMHO

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by bdub

Nothing wrong with the big magnums or the lesser cartridges. The problem is the folks that fool themselves into thinking they need the magnums but can't handle the recoil. You see it all the time, new hunters starting out with a 300 mag or similar for a first rifle and can't hit anything because they are getting beat up so bad by the rifle. Far better to start off with a cartridge of lighter recoil and learn to shoot it well imo. As your shooting develops and your tolerance to recoil increases with experience, move up to the larger cartridges if you feel like it. IMHO

I agree with your post
The recoil is horrible especially when shooting from a bench which for a newbie (some not all) would cause or lead to flinching...not the most desirable principle of marksmanship.

[elkhunter11]

I see nothing wrong with using any cartridge that the person can shoot accurately. I keep hearing over and over how people can't shoot magnum cartridges accurately, but the simple truth is that there are many people that can't shoot any cartridge accurately. I have seen incompetent people with 30-30s, 303s, 270s, 30-06s, and many other cartridges, and I have seen many people that were quite skilled shooting magnum cartridges. You don't need a magnum to kill any game in Alberta, but if you are proficient in using a magnum, go ahead and use one. If you are happy with your non magnum cartridge, and it is working well for you, then by all means, keep on using it.

[bdub]

No doubt, many new hunters and shooters would be well advised to pick themselves up a .22 and shoot 10-20000 rounds through it before their first shot on big game.

[elkhunter11]

No doubt, many new hunters and shooters would be well advised to pick themselves up a .22 and shoot 10-20000 rounds through it before their first shot on big game.

Unfortunately, many people can't be bothered to practice, and the result is that they fire more shots at game that end up being misses, than shots that provide clean kills. Then there are those people that sight in with one load, and hunt with another load, without checking the zero, or people that keep changing loads, to buy whatever is cheapest, without ever verifying the zero of each load. There are many different reasons for missed shots, and wounded animals, and some practice, and preparation can easily eliminate the majority of them.

[gunner72]

180gr NP out of a 308win @ 200yrds 2259fps-2039 fp energy
180gr NP 0ut of a 300win @ 300yds 2289fps-2094 fp energy
I shoot a 300win and wouldn't think twice about taking a shot at something at 300yards. That 308 at 300yds is still over 2000fps and 1700ft-pds with a Nosler Partion. Seems like plenty of gun according to the numbers.

[1Heavyhitr]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Unfortunately, many people can't be bothered to practice, and the result is that they fire more shots at game that end up being misses, than shots that provide clean kills. Then there are those people that sight in with one load, and hunt with another load, without checking the zero, or people that keep changing loads, to buy whatever is cheapest, without ever verifying the zero of each load. There are many different reasons for missed shots, and wounded animals, and some practice, and preparation can easily eliminate the majority of them.

Sad but very true. I know a guy that bought an sks last yr and he used it for whitetail. shots under 100 yards, no problem with that. I almost slapped him upside the head after I offered to lend him my sks sight tool..his answer was "nah it shoots to the left but I'll just compensate" he went out once and shot the gun a few times to determine this (shooting surplus FMJ's) I then asked what bullet/grain he was going to use "whatevers the cheapest" Needless to say he was out in his stand a whole week and came home with no venison. It wasn't due to the lack of deer*

[jethunter]

The tricky part about talking to goofballs is recognizing them early in the conversation and not allowing their bullshootery to get to you. I find that people like your john wayne will shut up if you simply cut them off and tell them that you are too busy to listen to bs at the moment. And you can walk away with a smile on your face.

[Stinky Coyote]

I had 308, 30-06, 7-08, 243, 358, 270 wsm, 7 rem mag, 300 win mag, 6.8 spc, and 270 win.....and likely forgetting some others but my fav of them all is 270 win.

[silver]

What you could do is to talk him into going to the range with you, take a few pie plates and shoot them off hand, you with yours and him with his. If you can't hit a pie plate, hard to hit the vitals on a deer.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by silver

What you could do is to talk him into going to the range with you, take a few pie plates and shoot them off hand, you with yours and him with his. If you can't hit a pie plate, hard to hit the vitals on a deer.

Don't be silly!
Anybody who knows anything, is a far better shot on game animals than some stupid target after all!!


Ow, I just bit my cheek!

[ADH]

Hmm this is all very weird because I have seen many moose and elk shot with a bow and drop less than 100 yards from where the shot was taken... When and how did bows become a magnum????