Whats your choice for big game guns

[edmondshunter]

Ive heard some contradictory advise on what is better for bigger game, bears,elk, moose etc..  Ive been told that big and slow is best. More vital disruption, expansion, hits harder. 

So whats the skinny? 

[Antlershed]

I have shot blacktail with a .300 win-mag  and I have seen elk shot with a .270. The .270 is enough to drop an elk in its tracks with the right shot, and my .300 definitely did some damage to the blacktail. I'm kind of at this crossroad right now. Try and make my .300 more accurate so I'm confident in using it, or ditching it and just using my .270 for everything. I realize the two calibers I used for comparison aren't at opposite ends of the spectrum.

[bobcat]

Both are good. Either way works. The important thing is to use a bullet that match's the cartridge. With your "small and fast" you need a bullet that stays together like a Barnes. With the "big and slow" use a softer bullet that will open up reliably at slower velocities. I didn't vote in the poll as there is no right answer.

[Red Dawg]

i dont know if i would say slow or fast. Flat would be a better word and moderate. I am not a pro at this but from experience I would say fast is not all that good. If you are to fast your bullet will explode on contact depending on what you are using and you will not get good penetration. If you are slow your range will be somewhat hindered depending on how confident you are. So i saw somewhere in the middle is best preferably from 2700 to 2900.

[bobcat]

So i saw somewhere in the middle is best preferably from 2700 to 2900.

Great answer.

[Coasthunterjay]

.270 shooting about 3000-3200 fps. it has been a few years since we last tested our reloads but we have been mixing them the same for the last 6 plus years and have been very happy with them. Cheeper, more accurate, faster, damnit i love reloads.

[Bookworm]

I've been shooting the same load out of my 270's for almost thirty years. I wouldn't be afraid to hunt anything in the lower 48 with that load and caliber.

[edmondshunter]

I will swear by the .270w till the day I die.  Tons of ammo options. Wish more factory grain sizes were available.

[Bookworm]

Reloading is the only way to go. I can reload shells comparable to anything the factories put out for a fraction of the cost.

[Red Dawg]

i agree worm. you can load anything you want. be creative. i love it. Plus you will save money IF you shoot often.

[MountainWalk]

after hunting and guiding elk hunters,, i like 200-250 grain bullets at no faster than 2800. IMO the 338 win mag  may be the best elk rifle.  i do have a problem with the 338 and 375 rem ultra mags.. both offer nothing real and tangible  over the win mag or the hh... velocity doesnt cure all ills.. you slow that bullet down,, you get better penetration, and more predictable bullet performance.... i love to look at ballistic charts too,, but they only tell a small peice of the story.. i look at sectional density. that magic number that lets bullets keep on trucking .

[GoldTip]

For all game across the the entire 50 states, I would be hard pressed to say there is any gun better than a 300 winny.  May be a bit light on the biggest of the brown bears and Moose, and is a bit of overkill for say antelope.  But a 180gr controlled expansion bullet running around 3100fps shoots flat enough to reach out and touch them at the longest of responsible ranges, and yet hits hard enough to take care of the largest of animals.  Also has a recoil level that most hunters can tolerate and shoot well.  JMHO.

That being said, I carry a 25-06 with 115gr handloads for deer and antelope, my 300winny with 180gr handloads when elk hunting, and will be taking my 325wsm to Alberta for Moose this fall.  But if I am in an area where I may deer and elk hunt at the same time, and also may stuble into a grizzly, like back home in Montana, the 300 winny is my go to gun.

[cohoho]

Everything in AK, I carried the .338 win mag (Ruger) or .375 (Sako),  On the .338 just switched bullets to 225 for Sheep, Caribou and Goat and used 250 for Moose &  Bear and Buffalo.  I will tell you my Buffalo was hit three times in the boiler (all to the heart at 75-100 yards) and it had a tough time deciding to go down.  But, the kid's Bison went down with the mighty whack of a .375 and didn't move after that.  I have also hit moose two to three times with the .338 to make sure they didn't get into the water, but have had them drop in their tracks with the .375.... When I go back, nothing but the .375 and a .308 will return with me for sure.   Besides, it seems to kick less than the .338.......................

[wadu1]

I shoot a 9.3X62 for the big furry critters. It was once said the caliber was over kill for Dazies and not big enough for a T-Rex. And if I ever get to Africa it will be with me.

[Kent Hunter]

I use a Sako TRS chambered in Lazzeroni Warbird 7.82. I've shot bison, moose, elk, deer and bear with this set up and shoot nothing but North Fork 180 grainers. That being said the wife shoots a .270 WBY and she has killed all of the aboved named animals with the exception of bison and they have hit the ground just as dead. So for a long winded answer, I'll go with smaller and faster.

[deaddog]

Ill go with bullet placement first, being able to put a shot where it needs to be, to be effective, large caliber rifles do not make up for bad shot placement. that said I like 30 cal mags. the 300 winny is a great caliber.small and fast.  but I realy would like a marlin model 1895 in 45-70. big and slow. oh hell I guess i like them all.

[Huntbear]

Ill go with bullet placement first, being able to put a shot where it needs to be, to be effective, large caliber rifles do not make up for bad shot placement. that said I like 30 cal mags. the 300 winny is a great caliber.small and fast.  but I realy would like a marlin model 1895 in 45-70. big and slow. oh hell I guess i like them all.

Could not agree more.

One other note, what is the terrain where you plan on hunting???  Is it conducive to 3-400 yrd shots?  Or is the brush so thick you need a D8 cat to make a trail to get through???

I shoot a Sako TRGS in .338 mag.  210 gr. Nosler partitions.  I know it will keep them under a quarter at 200 yds. if I do my job.  That load, according to the ballistics charts, shoots flatter than a 7 mag, and carries enough whallop to take anything that walks in North America, out to 400 yds.  At that range, it still carries over 1800 lbs. of energy.

That said, my dad shot a Remington 760 (it has a 4 digit serial #) in .300 Savage.  He killed more deer and elk than probably most of us will ever get a shot at.  He never lost an animal that I am aware of. 

Unless you are going after dangerous game ie... Grizzly or Brown bear, bullet selection, the shooter and his abilities are more important than caliber choice.