Small Calibers for Big Game Hunting

[Timber Stalker]

My Kimber Hunter in .280AI weighs right at 7 lbs with scope and loaded magazine. It is a tough rifle to hold steady but in perfect conditions I would feel confident to 700 yards. The entire set up cost me less that $1300 I see that Kimber discontinued the .280 from hunter series for some reason.
I think the gun manufactures are smart to sell rifles that burn barrels, most guys will just dump the rifle once that happens and go buy a new one. Seems most everything new these days is designed to be disposable.

 

[JimP]

I doubt that most hunters will ever shoot more than a couple hundred rounds out of their rifles.

They buy it and head to the range and perhaps shoot a box of 20, then it goes home and sits in the closet until hunting season shows up. Some will take a couple of sight in shots but most won't. Then 3 or 4 shots at a animal and back into the closet.

Then there are some like us who head to the range a few times a year dragging a number of rifles with us. Shoot a few rounds out of one rifle and then switch over to another one until the barrel on the first one cools off. Perhaps have a couple other rifles with us to also shoot. But once sighted in and having the proper load most hunting rifles get shot very seldom.

I know that with my primary center fire hunting rifles I'll only shoot each of them perhaps 10-20 times a year, and that includes my hunting with them. But then I have certain rifles for the animals that I am hunting. Even with my two trips to South Africa I only shot the rifle that I took around 20 times each trip including my sighting in shots. And that was for 10 animals on my first hunt and 13 on my second.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I think you are right about most shooters. Once I get a new (to me) hunting rifle, I work on developing a custom load for that rifle. Sometimes it may take 50 rounds to do that. I usually go to the range a couple of time a year and shoot my hunting rifles. Once I get the load developed and it sighted in, I probably shoot it less than 50 times a year.

 

[JimP]

I know that years ago I got one heck of a deal on a case of Federal 7mm Rem Mag Premium ammo, what I paid for that case of ammo I couldn't even buy brass and bullets for. Out of that case I still have 3 or 4 boxes and numerous loose rounds that I took out of my pockets and or shell carriers, it seams like I run across them more than any other round.

My 340 Weatherby gets shot just a few times at the range to verify it's zero before I take it out on a elk hunt. It is also what I took to Africa with 60 rounds both times I brought 40 rounds home the first trip and 30 on the second. My 25-06 was shot more this past year getting ready for my pronghorn hunt than any of my rifles, but still it was less than 20 rounds total.

Now that I am switching the majority of my hunts over to the muzzle loader my other rifles will become safe queens. However I do have a 270 Weatherby mag in a Ruger #1 that I plan on shooting this summer to get it ready for a future pronghorn hunt, if I draw.

 

[Timber Stalker]

I have to agree with you Jim, most hunters I know would never burn out a barrel. I’ve been shooting more this year simply because I’ve had the extra time lately.
If I were to use them exclusively for hunting, most of my rifles that would never be fired. I bow hunt for these days for elk and rifle hunt for deer. Here in Oregon if I kill a deer every 5-6 years I’m doing pretty good they are hard to come by anymore.