"Use what you shoot well."

At what point does this NOT make sense?
Where do you draw the line?
Does it apply to all manner of game?
~~~Suluuq

I think it applies a lot whatever caliber for most game except too small ie 223 etc. for elk and the such. But in my opinion no such thing as too big except 460 on rabbits. My buddy last year was upset because i took my 338 win. on an antelope hunt instead of my wifes 270, but ended up with a little buck shot through the lungs no more damage than his buck shot with a 270. The 338 was the only rifle i was comfortable with at a variety of ranges and that i had put any practice time in with. This year it with be 375 ultra for all my big game antelope on up.

I agree with Billy, whatever is appropriate, or legal. :-) In california there is a minimum of like 23cal. So for instance my mom, she is great with her 223, but can't hunt with it so will use her 30-06. I shoot my Ruger NO3 in 45-70 really well, but am not real fast on the reload so don't hunt with it.

Yes, my mom shoots an 06, and anything else she can get her hands on. I have never seen somebody so immune to recoil. :-)

Red

Use what you are comfortable with,with in reason.I don't think you can go to big if you can handle it,but you can go to small.My wife shoots a custom 9.3x64,286 partition @ 2600fps.

I would NOT want to use a 45-70 for Antelope or Sheep, nor would I care to face an alaskan brown bear with a 223, but outside of that they all pretty much go bang and inflict havoc.

I agree with the idea as a comfortable rifle is one you use most. BUT, with this in mind I like to say "get comfortable with the gun you are going to use".
I shoot several different suitable big game rifles however when the chips are down I have two that get grabbed first depending on the quarry. It is because these are also the ones I shoot the most.
That said I also have to admit I don't shoot my .338 very much but it just feels "right" and I shoot it well with little practice. I also have a carbine in .308 that is probably the biggest challenge for me to shoot well, and I have been grabbing it quite often lately as I figure if I can learn to shoot it well the others seem easier yet! When switching back to one of the full size/weight rifles they seem to steady so much easier that it's almost shocking.

BigNate- You've discovered something I found out several years ago when the ultra lightweight guns became popular. A light whippy barreled rifle with all the weight to the rear is a hard SOB to shoot well, particularly offhand. I'd rather carry a 10-lb .375 I shoot well than a 7-lb .308 that I have no confidence in. For me, a rifle with a very minimal pitch to the stock is more natural to shoot. I've found the ones that feel the best to shoot, the cleaning rod rubs the back of the stock when it's run down the barrel.

The way I go at it is this: Just about all my rifles are rem 700's. And they're all set up just about the same. The trigger pull on the varmint rifles are set a bit lighter than the big game ones but a few dry fires and your subconcious kicks in on trigger pull. This way every rifle I have handles pretty much alike. As far as ballistics are concerned, They're set up with a point blank zero for each calibre so shots 300 yards and under are no problem. I don't shoot at game animals beyond 300 yards.

When I develope a hunting load I look for three things:
1. Accuracy. Enough said.
2. Bullet preformance. I have yet to see a deer stop broadside at 100 yards, next to a bench, and me not winded and with no buck fever. The bullet must be designed to put the animal down even if the bullet placement is less than perfect. I am willing to sacrifice some accuracy for bullet preformance. Fortunately, nowdays there is not much of a sacrifice.
3. Speed. A faster bullet is more forgiving for misjudged ranges, especially at longer distances.

"Use what you shoot well."
At what point does this NOT make sense?
Where do you draw the line?
Does it apply to all manner of game?

I will agree with you on "Use what you shoot well." One would have to assume that the gun/ammo combination one shoots well, is capable of handling any of the game one hunts. In addition one must assume that one knows all there is to be known about the environment, and about every game one hunts.

A hunter who knows the game he or she hunts (like the palm of one's hand), has a better chance to keep a distance from it (if needed), or to get close. This hunter also has a better chance to protect himself or herself, even if the weapon is of the wrong kind at the moment. But use a gun one is not proficient with, and the chance for an error is increased.

Most folks don't have the time to observe game in their environment, and to learn every detail or reaction of such game, but some do. I will put myself in the category of " the ones who don't have the time," except that every year I spend a few days of vacation...hunting moose in bear country. During the summer I develop and test a few handloads, but not more than 40 or 50 rounds per season.

[ 06-15-2003, 12:05: Message edited by: Ray, Alaska ]

I wouldn't use a rifle that I didn't shoot well.

Thusly allthough out of all my rifles I theoreticaly shoot my 9.3x62 'worst' it comes with me on my Moose hunting trips as the paper accuracy advantage of my 7x57 or 6.5x55, at my stage of skill on running shots, is utterly lost.

My pet hate is the use of rifles where you must 'avoid the shoulder' for the game you are shooting.

The statement doesn't make sense if the biggest gun you can shoot well is a .243 Win. (anything bigger is unmanageable), yet you insist on hunting Alaskan brown bear, cape buffalo, elk, moose, and stuff like that.

Ross Seyfried is right, too much gun IS often a bad idea. If you don't need a big rifle for the game at hand (Texas whitetails, for example or pronghorn) then by all means don't use one if you can't shoot it.

But there are certain animals that absolutely require plenty of gun, and if you want to hunt them, part of your job is to learn to shoot an adequate rifle with speed, confidence, and precision. If you're not willing to do so, then you need to hunt something else - something that doesn't require that brand of horsepower.

AD

Thanks for all the responces. I tend to think "use what you shoot well" to equal "repeatable shot placement".
Some folks can do it, thus have good success with a smaller-then-desired calibur (Bell, for example, with his 7x57 on elephant).
Some folks become offended at the mere thought another would dare to use a smaller-then-desired calibur on what they figure ought to require a larger bore (I wonder what other hunters in Bell's day thought of him and his 7x57? Was it acceptable proceedure to do so? Did they think he was "stunt hunting"?). They measure with "their" yard stick, rather then by the experience the shooter possesses.
~~~Suluuq