Agreed. I’ve used a 223 for more than enough things
.22 for moose
- Thread starter Bigjay73
- Start date
44hunter45
Well-known member
22 seems to be the caliber of choice for the local meat wasting crowd. I'm sure that plays out all over.
I've never met the man, but 98% of us are not Pat Sinclair. I have a PostIt marking his page in "Idaho's Greatest Mule Deer Vol 2"
I'm going the other way. More bullet, more powder, more weight, more recoil. I am still hoping to report later if a 250grain .358 at 2900fps is enough gun for a whitetail.
Bigjay73
Well-known member
My son took a 6.5 Grendel shooting 125gr partitions at 2600fps on his elk hunt this year. A GW we met thought it was a little light for elk. There's a lot of misconceptions out there, plenty that I used to believe in when it comes to smaller calibers
rjthehunter
Well-known member
Not enough power if it's not a 338 or bigger. A 1CM will suffice as well.
Just kidding, shoot whatever the hell you want to if you can efficiently kill with it.
Just kidding, shoot whatever the hell you want to if you can efficiently kill with it.
It’s all good until it’s not. It’s always the same story “ I only take broadside shots” yada yada. I’ve gone down the small caliber road before myself. This is nothing new. Jack O’Connor shot a grizzly with a 22-250.
My experience has taught me that small calibers aren’t ideal for large critters. Hopefully this trend doesn’t bite us in the butt like the long range mentality has. If I had more faith in people’s judgment on ethical shooting I wouldn’t see any problem with it. Best of luck to all the small caliber shooters.
Kinda reminds me of the guys I see dragging their 35’ toy haulers with their 1/2 ton pickups. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should….
My experience has taught me that small calibers aren’t ideal for large critters. Hopefully this trend doesn’t bite us in the butt like the long range mentality has. If I had more faith in people’s judgment on ethical shooting I wouldn’t see any problem with it. Best of luck to all the small caliber shooters.
Kinda reminds me of the guys I see dragging their 35’ toy haulers with their 1/2 ton pickups. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should….
morley.tyler
Well-known member
I'm with you... and I'm not. I like a hole that blood falls out of, rather than leaks out of...
But old dad stories...
Dad has passed. He was a kid, and this was around 1960, so the statute of limitations has long since expired.
My dad went to the family ranch to spend the summers as a kid from about the age of 8, and when he was about 12, his uncle came to him, handed him a rifle (a 22 Hornet), said, 'We need some meat', and told him where to go and to shoot A deer. Now, let's not get hung up on the calendar; it was 60 years ago.
The old man went to the spot, and sure enough, a fat doe came along, and just before she hopped the fence, Dad put one in her. She hopped over the fence and walked off. He was 12, and assumed he missed... about 15 minutes later, along came a doe, and right before she hopped the fence, he put one in her. She hopped over the fence and walked off. He was 12, assumed he missed... about 15 minutes later...
The rifle had 4 rounds in it when it was handed to him. When the rifle was finally empty, he stood up, frustrated, and walked over to the fence line to figure out why and where he was missing, you'll never guess what he found.
I shot a deer in the shoulder once with a .223 and the bullet of choice was not sufficient enough to get into the cavity. Had to run about 3 miles up and down the hills but ended up catching up to him and recovering him.
A whitetail doe took 6 rounds from a .223 the same year or year after, different bullet, 2 in the head, before she perished.
This was long before the Rokslide .223 post and small rifle fad. I was just a kid experimenting with a new gun.
I was a lot younger and dumber, and as an empathetic person, both instances made me sick. I felt terrible for both animals, and I won’t do that ever again.
I like something with knock down power where I don’t have to look for the critter after I shoot it… save the looking for archery season. I have larger .22 calibers as well but don’t hunt big game with them. Just personal preference. Shoot them with whatever you want.
A whitetail doe took 6 rounds from a .223 the same year or year after, different bullet, 2 in the head, before she perished.
This was long before the Rokslide .223 post and small rifle fad. I was just a kid experimenting with a new gun.
I was a lot younger and dumber, and as an empathetic person, both instances made me sick. I felt terrible for both animals, and I won’t do that ever again.
I like something with knock down power where I don’t have to look for the critter after I shoot it… save the looking for archery season. I have larger .22 calibers as well but don’t hunt big game with them. Just personal preference. Shoot them with whatever you want.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
...found a lot of work
44hunter45
Well-known member
Thank God for the statute of limitations. I've made no secret that I grew up in a "license optional" family. I started at age 9 with a Model 1894. (which sits in @p_ham 's safe at the moment. ) I can testify my first deer died of multiple gunshot wounds, the first few of which were not lethal. All this to say that you can F'up a kill with any cartridge or caliber. Marksmanship over energy and all that, sure; but there is a middle of the spectrum where most us of live and hunt. Any article that tries to make the extreme the norm is unethical, IMHO.
Regarding ethics -I am now that vegan ex-smoker when it comes to keeping my mouth shut on ethical hunting. I WILL drop a dime on you if I see something.
There was a well known meat poacher in my area when I was a kid who shot deer with 22LR and then pushed a cedar trad arrow into the wound in case the warden checked him. Never mind it was shot trespassing at night with a spotlight. The way some people think amazes me.
Articles like this one make me wonder when someone will publish something about killing with a spear. Oh wait....
morley.tyler
Well-known member
He did indeed, 4 times what he was looking for.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/R9cQo06nQBpRe" width="480" height="432" style="" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="
">via GIPHY</a></p>
I can confirm a .375 H&H with a 300gr. Partition at 2,550 will get the job done on a Texas whitetail…but I’m not so sure you wouldn’t be a little under-gunned there.
EastTNHunter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2018
- Messages
- 1,782
What’s the load? My 9yo son loads his own (under my supervision) 6.5G rounds for deer with 125 NPTs and Tac. With a 22” barrel it gets around 2425 FPS. Used it for 2 deer this past weekend
CPAjeff
Well-known member
Meh.
People survived for centuries by flinging a rock, tied to a stick, from another stick.
People survived for centuries by flinging a rock, tied to a stick, from another stick.
Last edited:
Forkyfinder
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2023
- Messages
- 2,530
Well howd it go? The guys who need missle launchers cause "mule deer are tough" always make me giggle.
Multiple puke face emojis from 338 guy, no response from 6.5 guy
Bigjay73
Well-known member
27grs 8208xbr, 20" barrel.
