Overkill?

[bigmoose]

I agree that a .270 is probably a better choice for deer and antelope sized game. For a one gun meets all needs in the continental U.S you can't beat a 7mm or .300 win mag

+1...well said

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I agree that a .270 is probably a better choice for deer and antelope sized game. For a one gun meets all needs in the continental U.S you can't beat a 7mm or .300 win mag

While you are probably correct in most cases, there are some legitimate reasons to go with a smaller caliber. Women, small stature men and kids generally are less tolerant to magnum recoil. Yes I know there are ways around this (muzzle brake, light loads come to mind), but these lighter calibers have a place for big game hunters as a solo rifle.

 

[ThreeTikkas]

I've shot groundhogs here in PA with the 338 Win mag,300 Win mag,300 Ultra mag and the 375 H&H. If there ever was such a thing as overkill,that's it. You know,they all died just the same amount as the ones I shot in the yard with the .22 rim fire. Come fall though there were no surprises in the big bore dept. Everything was working just fine and right on the mark.

 

[ivorytip]

shot a cow elk 3 years ago with my .338, 10 yards away! no jk. thing caught me by surprise. that thing had a monster hole in it but there were no worries of her getting away, she slammed into the tree behind her and thats where she stayed. overkill? maybe, but it worked. its the guys using .223's on elk that get me wondering what the heck they are doing. i personaly allways stick to my .270, i love it! and never lets me down, well, it did last year but we wont talk bout that one.....

 

[xtreme]

Shot a bear with a 223, one shot kill, drt, well 30yds. Bear was large. My choice for one gun is the 7mm, however I will almost always use the 243wssm for everything. I shot a bear with that too. I know the 25-06 might be a better choice but it wont varmint hunt quit as well, Spot and stalk bear will be the 7mm, anything less is just too dangerous. I don't have a 30-06 but that would be a good one caliber gun.

 

[NDHunter]

Soooooooo. What's better, Chevy or Ford?

 

[Conrad8899]

My little brother. And his father inlaw were at a local shop. Here in Nw Pa. Looking at a new tikka t3 lite 270. For the father inlaw. He said he was going to hunt mule deer and elk. With the new gun. He said it was a tomato stake. And he would never take it out west. Nothing less than a 300 mag. He said. Now his father in law is well into his 70s.

 

[Musket Man]

What exactly is the definition of ''overkill''. If I kill a deer clean with 1 shot with a 22lr does it mean that any larger caliber I used to shoot that deer would be overkill? While the 22lr did the job as well as any caliber could of it doesnt mean its the best choice. (for the record I an not in favor of shooting deer with a 22lr). The debate on what caliber is best for what game will go on forever. While a 300 mag may be more gun then is needed to kill some things that doesnt mean it is a bad choice. Personally I shoot a 270 win at everything bigger then a coyote (well guess I have shot plenty of coyotes with it too lol). Is it always the best caliber? overkill? underkill? Probabally not. What I do know is I have alot of clean 1 shot kills with it and that is the goal so it must work! IMO It doesnt matter if you choose a 243 win or a 460 mag, just find a gun you can shoot well and go hunting

 

[Shane13]

o·ver·kill (vr-kl)
n.
1. Destructive nuclear capacity exceeding the amount needed to destroy an enemy.
2. Excessive killing.
3. An excess of what is necessary or appropriate for a particular end: "government overkill in dealing with dissent".
4. Moron gunstore sales clerk spending way too much valuable time and energy worrying that a gun might somehow be too big to kill a deer with.

Overkill.

 

[ThreeTikkas]

Soooooooo. What's better, Chevy or Ford?

Dodge!

 

[Musket Man]

o·ver·kill (vr-kl)
n.
1. Destructive nuclear capacity exceeding the amount needed to destroy an enemy.
2. Excessive killing.
3. An excess of what is necessary or appropriate for a particular end: "government overkill in dealing with dissent".
4. Moron gunstore sales clerk spending way too much valuable time and energy worrying that a gun might somehow be too big to kill a deer with.

Overkill.

So as long as you dont use a nuke, patriot missile, mortar, RPG, or kill more animals then intended it would not be overkill

 

[Aught6Fan]

...He said it was a tomato stake. And he would never take it out west. Nothing less than a 300 mag. He said. Now his father in law is well into his 70s.

Yes. The dreaded "under kill," you wouldn't want that.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

My Dad used to have a sporting goods/gun shop for years in Calif. (sold it in 1975) I used to work in it PT from the time I was about 12 until he sold it. Started just sweeping, dusting and windows. He used to drill into me "The customer is right (not always!) and help/suggest if asked.

I remember men coming in wanting to buy a "self defense" gun for their wives. First thing I would ask is "Are you and your wife willing to kill an intruder or do you just want to scare them?" If they said...just scare them, I would tell them to go get a baseball bat and don't buy a gun. Then if they could get by the question and really wanted/needed a gun, I would tell advise them not to but a "pea shooter", buy something big enough to get the job done. I usually suggested a shotgun, not a hand gun. Easy to shoot and the person shot usually doesn't get up! Probably overkill, but surely got the job done.

Point is that not everyone is educated enough to really know what they need. But this can only be discussed at their suggestion! In the situation mentioned, the salesman was way out of line...IMHO!

 

[HuntWYODon]

I'm certainly no expert but my only thought is that if a guy uses the same bullet on elk as he does on say an antelope, the bullet might just blow through the animal without hardly opening up. Like if you were using a Barnes TSX or something like that. Can somebody with more knowledge give me their thoughts on that? Even so, your setup for deer seems fine to me.

Hey ND,
I used a Rem 7 mag for many yrs. on everything up to elk. Never had a problem with under or over kill as long as I did my part.
Been shooting a 300 RUM for many yrs now and the same thing. I love it. I use it for everything and like extra everrything. I shoot almost exclusively Barnes TTSX and TSX. They are most accurate out of my rifle and drop lopes,deer and elk DRT. The only other caliber I have killed any big game with was a .243 on an antelope buck at about 100 yds. with a partition. It dropped DRT also.
I like overkill unless it's blowing a couple pounds of meat away. That salesman knew nothing. Probably never shot anything.
Stick with what you shoot best.

 

[Musket Man]

I'm certainly no expert but my only thought is that if a guy uses the same bullet on elk as he does on say an antelope, the bullet might just blow through the animal without hardly opening up. Like if you were using a Barnes TSX or something like that. Can somebody with more knowledge give me their thoughts on that?

True different bullets are designed to react differently when they hit. Example a ballistic tip works great on varmints but would not be a good choice for bigger game because they are not designed to explode on impact and not for deep penetration. Bullet choice is also more important at higher velocities. That said I havent found anything a 130 grain Remington core-lokt from a .270 Win wont kill with a well placed shot

 

[packmule]

A tsx passing through is going to cause a wee bit of hydrostatic shock. Shot a bunch of 100gr out of a 257Roy @ 3700 at small critters and they react like water filled milk jugs = FUBAR. Might not expand for the exits, but the soft tissue is obliterated.

 

[Old Hunter]

If you don't hunt anything bigger than deer. The .270 with a 130gr bullet is perfect. If you don't shoot past 150yds. A 30-30 might be even better.

 

[diyhntr]

I think your just fine with your 300. If your comfortable with it and shoot it well go for it. Just my personal opinion the main thing is putting the bullet in the boiler room. If you shoot a 338 and can't put the bullet in the boiler room then what good does it do you no matter what the species.

 

[Sawfish]

No such thing as killing something too dead! Especially in Colorado where an elk that does not hit the "ground graveyard dead" will provide lots more shooting and tagging opportunities for every hunter within hearing distance. Kill 'em where they stand.

 

[jims]

I think the .300 WSM is a great hunting caliber especially for hunting out west.. I use it for antelope and mule deer. I shoot 150 grain Accubonds. For whitetail hunting in my home state of MO, I use a .358 Winchester. I like big calibers.