Here's why:

I'm fascinated with almost everything that has to do with hunting and shooting. I spend a great deal of time thinking and talking about ALL THE LITTLE DIFFERENCES between rounds such as the 270/280, 308/30-06, 223/22-250, 25-06/257 Wby, etc. because it's fun. That helps pass the time between hunting seasons.

I like hearing OPINIONS from folks who: know what a BC is and how it affects trajectory, what sectional density is and how it may affect penetration, what recoil is like for cartridge X, the "inherent accuracy of X, how you may have taken ? number of A, B, C, etc. with a X Rem and ? number of A, B, C, with a Y Win and how each performed, blah, blah, blah.

Even though I haven't started reloading yet, I have read and re-read my Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading FOR YEARS because I love learning about the descriptions/history of all the cartridges. In addition, I like to compare the technical differences and how ALL those factors may have added/detracted from the cartridge's success! For instance, the 270 came out in 1925 and the 280 came out in 1957. This was a huge factor in the success of the 270.

Now that is twisted isn't it? There is no perfect round for any application. Therefore, TO ME, what seperates them are LITTLE technical diffences, history, popularity, and PERSONAL PREFERENCE. You folks can give me technical information, practical knowlede, history, and popularity but then it's my turn to determine PERSONAL PREFERENCE based on your input and my research.

Does that make sense to anyone else???

I see that you tend to like the calibre questions , surely very interesting , and ooh I do agree with you on that 270 / 280 statement , I never have been a fan of high velocity light projectiles for VITAL heart lung shots , there is simply not enough meat left for the table BUT then there is also the advantage of having a high velocity ACCURATE hunting rifle for those elusive head shots . I myself like the oldies like the 7 x 57 ( my best in my lineup ) sure have had lots of fun with it . I think though that it all boils down to knowing your rifle , loadings , bullet limits etc , at the end of the day if it is dead it sure aint going to ask with load , calibre combination you killed me with :-)

Regards
Rudie

That's what I have been doing for 50 years and I still can't get enough of it. The internet makes it much faster to communicate and we can debate here also which is satisfying.

For me at least it's a lot harder to find the game than shooting it. I am sure it's true of most. What I should be doing is studying hunting but instead I am here thinking about bullets and cartridges.

She wanted to know what it could do that my Whelen couldn't do. Well, if we are going to ask questions like that, where's the fun?

My answer was "satisfy my curiosity about the 375 Win". Now I need to go buy it, and use on a couple of elk. Yeah!

Almost as bad is my fascination with VLD and all-copper bullets such as the G.S. It's amazing how some of them can turn pipsqueek cartridges like the PPC or 223 into game calibers. My ballistics program fears me..... LOL! Dutch.

quote:

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Originally posted by Don Martin29:
Nebraska,
For me at least it's a lot harder to find the game than shooting it. I am sure it's true of most. What I should be doing is studying hunting but instead I am here thinking about bullets and cartridges.

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How true!!!!!

Truth is most "best cartridge" discussions are like arguing which is best, Ford or Chevy.

You say, the "BEST" for you must be determined by you. You are right.

But I would like to take this discussion one dimension further into the "psychological realm." Personally, I think there is a lot to be said for how much we BELIEVE in a cartridge. If you BELIEVE in your rifle and what you can do with it...you will shoot well! If not, you are doomed. I have seen too many personal occurances of this to doubt it. Teams that don't believe in themselves and their teams ability don't win ballgames. Shooting is the same.

The rifle is rarely the problem. In fact, we might say the gun is NEVER the problem because, if it's the wrong gun for the job, it still boils down to you and me as the dummies who took it out of the closet! (Although I'll admit sometimes our bullets fail to perform.)

But if you KNOW your gun and believe in it and your ability with the gun, I think you'll do well.

Now, I'll close this rambling post by asking WHY the devil you aren't reloading? You've done your homework and mentally you are chomping at the bit to reload. Get started man! If you got questions or hit problems, there is a treasure house full of knowledgable guys on these forums. You can't go wrong if you play by the rules.
GET WITH IT!

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A well placed bullet is worth 1,000 ft/lbs of energy.

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there's a fine line between hobby and mental illnes