Utility of Rifle Calibres

[mtncows]

CB you're right. A neighbor used to say the guys who amused him were the ones who started out with a .243 or.30/30 and kept moving up into .270,.30/06,then .300 mags. and still had trouble getting the deer killed. Said they never thought about the problem being behind the gun!

 

[kjones]

In response to my statement that a slower bullet is affected more by gravity, Mike C wrote " Bullet drop is an element of time only. The longer it takes for it to get to the point of impact, the more it will drop. No mattter the size." So my statement is correct then?

 

[TLCfromARK]

Curious (and naive) and interested in other's opinions about some rifle calibres.

There seems to be a lot of advertising (and perhaps interest) in calibres of .17, .22, .223, 22-250, .243, etc that are High Velocity (over 2500 fps) rounds with Small bullets (usually under 75 grains).

As such, I "assume" that those high velocity rounds have a very flat trajectory, can travel a longer distance, and less likely to be affected by wind factors. But, with such small weight projectiles, how effective are they in stopping anything larger than say 50 lb. animal? Assumes, of course, a vital organ (head or heart) is hit.

Personally, I'd think one would need at least a 100 grain projectile (or 125 to 150 grain) to ensure a kill of a coyote, wolf, or something else about that size.

Any comments?

RAB, I have several rifles that I use for different things. IF I'm going deer hunting I prefer my .308 . IF I'm going out with the intent to hunt for yotes I carry one of my .243s. I try match the gun with the game & the area I'm hunting in, long shots in bean fields or power line rightways, close shots in thick cover,etc. Am I going to see a 100 lb. deer in some area's of Texas or will it be a 200 lb deer in parts of Arkansas? Different guns are designed for a different purposes, do some of them overlap in what they can do? Yes. Are some of them great for one thing but useless for another? Yes. It comes down to a person selecting the correct tool for the job at hand.

I can't speak for anyone else's areas but in a alot of places it's illegal to carry a centerfire rifle with you most of the year. So for me I keep my .22 Mag with me most of the time to take care of possoms on the half shell, yotes, "wild" dogs and even small hogs. It's very accurate out to 150 yds and I feel it's plenty of gun for those critters. I used to know a poacher years ago who hunted the year around ( food on the family table, not a "horn" hunter) and all he used was a .22 mag.

I think it was Caustic who said "find a round you are comfortable with and stick with it". If you feel the need to use large calibre to insure a clean kill on a small animal then that's what you should use.

;-)

 

[MrGale]

slow and fat is where it is at....why the .45 ACP was the main handgun for the military for so long....takes a 6 foot behemoth and moves him back 6 feet...around here you can only hunt with a shotgun, but for picking dogs out in a field of cows that don't work so good....I use a .44 mag for that. The slower bullit has time to mushroom before exiting....small in and real messy going out.

 

[Herefordcross]

I only with to add something to this. 50bmg, If you don't care if there is any meat left or not and just want to take it out or knock it to pieces that's the round to go with.

 

[kjones]

I hear that!

 

[MrGale]

ya mean that you can still hear after firing that one?

 

[kjones]

Huh?

 

[MikeC]

slow and fat is where it is at....why the .45 ACP was the main handgun for the military for so long....takes a 6 foot behemoth and moves him back 6 feet...around here you can only hunt with a shotgun, but for picking dogs out in a field of cows that don't work so good....I use a .44 mag for that. The slower bullit has time to mushroom before exiting....small in and real messy going out.

Your example is for very short distances.

Most varmint and hunting targets tend to be over 50 feet away. :lol:


A slower bullet has time to mushroom? :shock:

How much time does it take for a bullet to mushroom? In other words, would 2 exact same bullets, one shot at a slow velocity and the other at high velocity, the slower one would mushroom more?

 

[kjones]

I would think that a bullet mushrooming ,depends on the construction of the bullet,along with the energy retained at impact, and if it hit bone or soft tissue. Any thoughts?

 

[MikeC]

I would think that a bullet mushrooming ,depends on the construction of the bullet,along with the energy retained at impact, and if it hit bone or soft tissue. Any thoughts?

Absolutely. Thin jacketed bullets open up more than the thicker jackets if shot at the same speed.

The notion that a slower bullet will mushroom more has me bewildered. Just the opposite should be true.

 

[kjones]

One I havent tried does'nt have any lead in it. I believe it's made of solid copper, or some sort of copper alloy. Anybody tried that one yet?

 

[MikeC]

One I havent tried does'nt have any lead in it. I believe it's made of solid copper, or some sort of copper alloy. Anybody tried that one yet?

Barnes X. Don't like them at all. Will not group good in any of my guns, plus they tend to punch holes rather than expand on impact.

Might be OK for elephants or something?

 

[D.R. Cattle]

One I havent tried does'nt have any lead in it. I believe it's made of solid copper, or some sort of copper alloy. Anybody tried that one yet?

Barnes X. Don't like them at all. Will not group good in any of my guns, plus they tend to punch holes rather than expand on impact.

Might be OK for elephants or something?

Designed for big boned thick skinned game. I use them because they fly flatter in my rig. My son's gonna try them in his .243 because he's been having a problem with his bullet's turning to schrapnel while shooting larger hogs. 243 not really the weapon of choice for piney woods rooters, so hopefully that'll do the trick.