The Rabbit Hole of Guns & Cartridges...

[HuskyMusky]

Anyone else feels the more you know about different cartridges, bores, ballistics, the more it becomes a never ending circle or rabbit hole?

Hand Loading vs. Factory loads...

Best Ballistics vs. Most Popular...

Also do you go with an unpopular cartridge and handload, simply to get maybe 200fps more than the popular factory equivalent cartridge?

Also Magnum with much more kick vs. 30.06 that'll do 90% with much less kick and lighter overall package...

Any Insight as to how you choose what cartridge/rifle combo you pick?

There's also that, just buy and use them all, vs. having 1 or 2 rifles that do it all...

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I started shooting big game rifles when I was 12 (I am 77 now). My Dad owned a gun shop and he and all of his friends reloaded. My first deer rifle was a military surplus 03 Springfield (30-06). Back in the early 50's you could by one for about 12 to 15 dollars from the NRA. Everyone sporterized them (alter the bolt for a scope, blue job, drill/tap for a scope and a new stock) for less than a new rifle. I still have it and it still shoots sub moa. It was my only big game rifle for 25 years. I shot a bunch of deer, antelope and a couple of moose with it. I decided to build a couple of rifles as I really like to shoot. I built a 22/250 on a Sako action and a .25-06 on a 03 Springfield action, when both were still wildcats, not factory cartridges and had to make my own brass and reload for them. Shot a few deer and antelope with the 25-06 and really liked it. I ended up giving the 25-06 to my best friend and bought a new Ruger M77 in 25-06. It has been my main go to gun for deer and antelope for over 45 years. When I retired and moved to Colorado, a custom commercial Mauser actioned rifle in .300 Wby was given to me. I have hunted elk with it since then. My 30-06 is my backup gun.

Between the 2 guns I shoot, I definitely don't need anything else, but that hasn't stopped me from building new guns. A few years back I built a .220 AI Swift for prairie dogs and coyotes. Sure my 30-06 would do everything I do, but why not have some fun and experiment with something new? That's why I used to build street rods and drag cars.


Reloaded because it was cheaper than buying new ammo. Used to get surplus powder really cheap. Later I started tinkering with the loads and found I could get a much more accurate reload than factory ammo could shoot. That's the main reason I still reload today and yes it is still cheaper than factory ammo.

 

[kidoggy]

Anyone else feels the more you know about different cartridges, bores, ballistics, the more it becomes a never ending circle or rabbit hole?

Hand Loading vs. Factory loads...

Best Ballistics vs. Most Popular...

Also do you go with an unpopular cartridge and handload, simply to get maybe 200fps more than the popular factory equivalent cartridge?

Also Magnum with much more kick vs. 30.06 that'll do 90% with much less kick and lighter overall package...

Any Insight as to how you choose what cartridge/rifle combo you pick?

There's also that, just buy and use them all, vs. having 1 or 2 rifles that do it all...

I don't waste time with the bullshat. I couldn't tell you the ballistics of any load I ever shot in my entire life.

just pick a caliber go shoot and learn to put the bullet where you wish it to go.it is less important to know what the load is capable of , learn what YOU are or are not capable of!
believe it or not ,it really is exactly that simple.

game don't care about ballistics . even if they do ,if you can do this ,they be daid and opinion is irrelevant.

 

[Big Chief J]

Crawling down rabbit holes is fun.

 

[Timr245]

Its just another hobby, one I thoroughly enjoy at that. As with any hobby, its all about how far you want to go with it.

 

[nv-hunter]

Old saying
Fear the guy with only one gun as he probably knows how to shoot it well.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

"pick a caliber and go shoot"......a bb gun to go elephant hunting! That's as far as I'll go commenting on this post.

 

[Timberstalker]

I?m one who?s a ?if it ain?t broke done fix it? guys. I?ve only had three rifles i the nearly forty years I?ve been hunting newest being a 270AI Kimber Hunter. The others are both Winchester M70?s one in 25-06 the other .300WM. I really didn?t need the new 280, just wanted a lighter rifle. I do reload but Don?t over think it. If it shoots less than 1.5 ? groups I have no problem hunting with it. The longest shot I?ve ever taken was less than 350 yards, I couldn?t get my new hand loads dialed better than 1.5 but went anyway and did just fine. Hunting rifle don?t need to be sub MOA to be deadly.

 

[AKaviator]

Not counting the .22's that I have...I have a 22-250 and a .375H&H and could hunt anything I ever want to hunt with just those two. But I have a bunch of in-between calibers because I can and it's fun. I handload for most of them because I find it relaxing, and it gives me another excuse to go shooting.

 

[Micah S]

It's all personal preference. If you want the ultimate 30 cal you can build a 300 norma improved or a 300 ultra plus p . They perform a little better then the 300 win and 300 weatherby but a animal won't know the difference at 800 yards.

Hand loading is best if you know what your doing. You should always choose bullets with a good bc if you want good down range performance.

Recoil doesn't matter much with the new brakes that are on the market. If you put a APA little bastard on a 300 win it will have the same amount of recoil as a heavy 243.

Pick a cartridge that has knock down power you need at the range you want to shoot. Some of the new cartridges out there will not perform any better then the cartridges that have been around since the 1960's.

 

[88man]

accurate rifles are fascinating but light weight rifles feel so good and classic sporters look so good and heirloom rifles have so many memories and a new build can motivate us to reload and go to the range

 

[Ikeepitcold]

I have everything from a 22 up to 300 win mag.

What I actually shoot it a .223 for predator hunting and 300 win mag for everything else.

I did just put a .308 together as a lightweight option so I plane on using it this year.

All factory loads. I did the reload thing but I just didn’t really enjoy it much

 

[kidoggy]

"pick a caliber and go shoot"......a bb gun to go elephant hunting! That's as far as I'll go commenting on this post.

don't knock my bb gun, it'll shoot yer eye out! just ask ralphy!

it may not have much knock down but it be accurate.


in a perfect world , your point should not need be made, it really should be something anyone competent enough to handle a gun without supervision should know.

we are however living in a far from perfect world in which such observations, while seemingly silly, do in fact unfortunately need be made .

so thank you, for pointing out what all but fools instinctively know.



I've nothing against those who are ballistic junkees .more power to em. to each their own ..so to speak.

just pointing out that knowing the ballistics is irrelevant if you can't shoot accurately.


I have know some who could tell you the ballistics of most every caliber /andor load, you could imagine, yet still could not put bullet in the money spot when hunting.

 

[memtb]

Husky Musky, I a “one gun(cartridge) hunter”,if you don’ count handguns! I‘ve been a handloader since age 14 or 15, and started casting bullets, at about age 18 or 19, and have played with a few different cartridges. Though, I have quite a few rifles....I picked a cartridge that would handle everything in NA and most African game. I have used that rifle/cartridge, exclusively since 1990. I even try to use, one bullet, load, and zero. I know this isn’t for everyone, and that I’m an anomaly!

With this concept, when hunting big game, I don’t have to think (compute) about, hold over/under, from muzzle to 400 yards, with a range finder and optimum conditions, feel pretty comfortable to 600 yards....the cartridge/ bullet is capable well beyond that, and I never have to wait for the perfect shot angle. I guess you could think of it as the KISS system. My thoughts are, if I used this rifle exclusively, pretty much, all shots will be a “motor reflex”! It even gets used on the occasional coyote hunt. I don’t shoot as much as I used to, and need as many variables removed as possible! memtb

 

[Timberstalker]

Husky Musky, I a ?one gun(cartridge) hunter?,if you don? count handguns! I?ve been a handloader since age 14 or 15, and started casting bullets, at about age 18 or 19, and have played with a few different cartridges. Though, I have quite a few rifles....I picked a cartridge that would handle everything in NA and most African game. I have used that rifle/cartridge, exclusively since 1990. I even try to use, one bullet, load, and zero. I know this isn?t for everyone, and that I?m an anomaly!

With this concept, when hunting big game, I don?t have to think (compute) about, hold over/under, from muzzle to 400 yards, with a range finder and optimum conditions, feel pretty comfortable to 600 yards....the cartridge/ bullet is capable well beyond that, and I never have to wait for the perfect shot angle. I guess you could think of it as the KISS system. My thoughts are, if I used this rifle exclusively, pretty much, all shots will be a ?motor reflex?! It even gets used on the occasional coyote hunt. I don?t shoot as much as I used to, and need as many variables removed as possible! memtb

Motor reflex as you call it is why I bought the Kimber. It has the same action and safety as my M70 ?s. I?ve never hunted with anything else and I don?t want to think about where the safety is. I do a lot of still hunting and often I have about .2 seconds to get a bullet in them before they are gone. Last years buck was about 20 feet from me when it jumped out of bed and bounded off. I don?t want to think about anything in those situations, it has to be second nature.

 

[memtb]

Timberstalker, I understand exactly what you mean. I grew up in Louisiana, where (at the time) there weren’t a lot of deer, and a long shot was 100 yards. If you wanted to bring home meat, whether it be deer, squirrel, or rabbit....generally, you had just fractions of a second to make the shot. Learning to hunt under those conditions, even today, I rarely carry my rifle on my shoulder. That brief period of time required to go from a “slung” rifle to making the shot.....may take away the opportunity! memtb

 

[Winchester]

"pick a caliber and go shoot"......a bb gun to go elephant hunting! That's as far as I'll go commenting on this post.

Well said CC.

As for myself, I've been hunting pretty much everything with my Dad's pre-64 model 70 Winchester for nearly 50 years now (really, that long .. damn). It still shoots well and I can generally hit what I'm aiming at with it.
However, after listening to everyone on here talk about how much fun other calibers/rifles can be I'm currently having a local gunsmith build me a .28 Nosler. We've been working on it for a-while now. It should be a lot of fun working up loads for it. I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[mcseal2]

I like rifles and ballistics personally. Knowing more about them has not prevented me from taking any game so I don't think I'm behind the one gun for everything crowd. That philosophy works too, I'm not knocking it just saying that both work.

I mostly experiment with the 6mm and smaller stuff and stick to a couple favorites for anything bigger than coyotes or antlerless deer. The light recoil of the smaller guns I experiment with works well for me. Lots of shooting practice without developing a flinch.

For antlers for several years its been a couple 264 win mags or my 300 win mag. The long heavy 264 I use much less but like in certain situations. It pushes a 143gr ELD-X at 3240fps. That performance with a heavy, easy to shoot rifle can be nice at distance in wind. When I carry it I'm planning to have time to range, do wind calculations, dial elevation, and shoot from prone. Most of the time I can't plan on all that so I carry one of the other two.

Over 90% of my hunting for antlered game has been done with the other 264 and my 300. Both shoot a bullet with a good BC at around 2900fps. Most of my big game hunting for years has been with something with a BC around .5 at around 3000fps. I feel like comfortable at distance, in wind, or shooting moving game at reasonable range with that level of performance. I'll usually hunt with one and the other will be my back-up on trips. I have both set up to dial range when time allows, but with scopes that have capped elevation turrets so that I can forget about that feature until it's needed. My last couple big game animals though I dialed the 300 for, a moose at 300 yards and a whitetail at 379. I like having the ability to take that variable out of the equation on shots when I have time to do it.

 

[mallardsx2]

Admittedly, I dont pay much attention to ballistics. Too many other hobbies I guess. I do have a chronograph and I do shoot my 300 WSM through it occasionally. I have the BDC dial on my scope and I shoot out to 500 yards or so. But I dont get hunt up on the hottest new caliber in any gun.

I am more of a one gun guy.

The biggest factor in the "one gun theory" in my opinion is a person should pick a caliber that is easy to find ammo for.

30-06 is hard to beat for that purpose.

Its very powerful and the ammo is readily available.

I wish I had all of the money I wasted on different guns over the years. Seems like every time I go rifle deer hunting that $150 Remington 30-06 pump with Remington cor-loks is always my go to..

I like simple.