wolf calibers

[ImBillT]

Not a ''fan'' of the long shots, thats for PAPER PUNCHERS.......if one is looking to kill something, why not get to within a minimum of 400-450 yards....That to me is still a long shot............
mabe as one gets older, you think more about taking ''questionable shots at long distances.....
If you have a rig,set up for long range ,more power to you.

You feel free to set your own standards. I’ll set mine. I’ll also let others set theirs.

When it comes to hunting ethics it’s unusual for me to condemn any activity that is legal(even if I might not do them, or recommend them), and I don’t condemn some activities that are illegal. As an example or illegal activity I would not condemn, I heard a story about a fellow that wounded an elk, and found him in the dark. The elk couldn’t even stand. He finished him off that night even though legally he could not have done that till morning, and was at zero risk of the elk moving over night. I would not condemn shooting that elk, or waiting till morning. Since shooting wolves at whatever range your bullet will travel is legal, I won’t condemn anyone for shooting at one farther than I might.

I really don’t give two hoots what you think. The fact is, most of the guys I’ve heard about doing serious wolf hunting are prepared for seriously long shots. What you or I think doesn’t mean much to them. What you think means absolutely nothing to me. BUT, if someone wants to shoot 600+, I’m not going to recommend anything ballistically inferior to a 6x47L with a 105.

 

[ImBillT]

If your 223 or 220 swift doesn't get it done, it's not the fault of the cartridge!

At what maximum range, and at that range would something else have a substantial ballistic advantage?

My inexperienced understanding is that wolves are not easy to get close to, and that even if that is wrong, their low numbers mean getting close is statistically less likely.

Absolutely a white-tailed deer, at the ranges they are usually hunted at, could usually be killed with a 223 Rem or 220 Swift with the right bullet and perfect shot placement, so why not a wolf? A recon a wolf could theoretically be killed with anything a small to average sized whitetail could be killed with. That said, even a close range whitetail would have a larger kill zone if you were shooting a 105gr bullet from a 243Win than if you were shooting a 223 Rem with a 55gr bullet.

My wife killed her first deer with a 222Rem with a 55gr Lapua bullet. The same shot would almost certainly have killed a wolf. A 222Rem isn't what I would broadly recommend for deer or wolves, but not only will it get the job done under certain circumstances, I might actually recommend it,.,.,.,.,.under certain circumstances.

 

[Bullbrl]

A larger caliber would be beneficial in longer range shots because the bullet options for high bc bullets are greater. Long distance isn't so much about bullet drop as it is the horizontal, wind, and that's where the selection of bullets in the 25, 6.5, 284 etc, make a difference. It's not that the smaller calibers can't kill a wolf, they most certainly are more than capable, but the better bc in larger calibers give more margin for errors in wind calls.

Different situations require different tools, just like any hunting situation be it deer, elk, bear, coyote, or wolf. If conditions we good enough I would have no problem taking a wolf with my 223 at up to 400 yards.

 

[mtmuley]

I have a single. A man I do some work for is in the high double digits. He uses a 28 Nosler. It's not the killing that is hard, it's the uncertainty of the shot. I believe him. mtmuley

 

[Bullbrl]

I have a single. A man I do some work for is in the high double digits. He uses a 28 Nosler. It's not the killing that is hard, it's the uncertainty of the shot. I believe him. mtmuley

exactly

 

[220yotekiller]

Wonder what the gal up in the Flathead killed that Husky with this fall lol......

my bet is in the 6.5 creedmore.

 

[Calcoyote]

Wolves are quite a bit larger and heavier than a coyote. Bullet construction is more important with the smaller calibers. I own two 243s. I reload and use the Barnes 85g TSX for one and the Nosler 90g AB for the other. I would not be afraid of shooting a full size Grey Wolf with either one of those. I do know of a guy that shot a wolf with a 6mm using a Sierra 70g BlitzKing and there was blood all over the snow, but he never recovered the animal. The BlitzKing is a highly frangible bullet that is made for small thin skinned varmints. Varmint bullets are great for coyote, fox, etc, but I would not recommend them for wolf. I also own a 257 Roy and a 260 Rem. Either one of those would be ideal in my opinion. My 260 will spit out a 100g Nosler Partition at over 3300 FPS, but I found a good accuracy node at 3220 fps.

A couple of posters on this thread mentioned the 25-06. That sounds like a wolf killing machine to me. I don't own a 25-06, but if I did I would shoot it with confidence.

 

[NAHMINT]

You feel free to set your own standards. I’ll set mine. I’ll also let others set theirs.

When it comes to hunting ethics it’s unusual for me to condemn any activity that is legal(even if I might not do them, or recommend them), and I don’t condemn some activities that are illegal. As an example or illegal activity I would not condemn, I heard a story about a fellow that wounded an elk, and found him in the dark. The elk couldn’t even stand. He finished him off that night even though legally he could not have done that till morning, and was at zero risk of the elk moving over night. I would not condemn shooting that elk, or waiting till morning. Since shooting wolves at whatever range your bullet will travel is legal, I won’t condemn anyone for shooting at one farther than I might.

I really don’t give two hoots what you think. The fact is, most of the guys I’ve heard about doing serious wolf hunting are prepared for seriously long shots. What you or I think doesn’t mean much to them. What you think means absolutely nothing to me. BUT, if someone wants to shoot 600+, I’m not going to recommend anything ballistically inferior to a 6x47L with a 105.

A little touchy friend !!!! mabe try to understand what I said......no where am I coming down on anyone !!! p.s. I also shoot a 6.5x58mm Portugeuse mauser mfg.1904.....custom formed brass from .270 and '06 . As you gain more experience in the ''shooting field'', you will find ''bullet placement '' is the key.....ballistics comes in second.... have a good one.

 

[JLS]

This thread is…entertaining.

 

[Elktrack]

Don’t take it personal @NAHMINT
You used the trigger words “long range” and “paper punchers “.
You’ll learn the vocab after a bit. You’re not wrong. Carry on

 

[Carnage2011]

You’ll never have too much gun when wolf hunting. If you can shoot it accurately that’s all that matters. I shot one with a .338 EDGE…it died quickly.

 

[NAHMINT]

Don’t take it personal @NAHMINT
You used the trigger words “long range” and “paper punchers “.
You’ll learn the vocab after a bit. You’re not wrong. Carry on

You found out we had a bar in AMERICAN FALLS back in the day eh !!!lol

 

[NAHMINT]

note to self, Don't use Long range /Paper punchers...
thanks for the advise.....

 

[Elktrack]

Ya see, there’s those who think any high B.C bullet that can kill paper at any range is the best critter killer ever and those that think you need the biggest, bad ass, belch fire magnum to get it done and a smattering of others that just kill stuff with everything else. You inadvertently pushed a button.

 

[Bullbrl]

A little touchy friend !!!! mabe try to understand what I said......no where am I coming down on anyone !!! p.s. I also shoot a 6.5x58mm Portugeuse mauser mfg.1904.....custom formed brass from .270 and '06 . As you gain more experience in the ''shooting field'', you will find ''bullet placement '' is the key.....ballistics comes in second.... have a good one.

At a certain distance bullet placement is aided by ballistics. A slippery bullet at greater distances allows for better "bullet placement".

 

[Elktrack]

At a certain distance bullet placement is aided by ballistics. A slippery bullet at greater distances allows for better "bullet placement".

Won’t argue that

 

[NAHMINT]

Ya see, there’s those who think any high B.C bullet that can kill paper at any range is the best critter killer ever and those that think you need the biggest, bad ass, belch fire magnum to get it done and a smattering of others that just kill stuff with everything else. You inadvertently pushed a button.

I see that I'll have to be a little more selective with my wording.
I won't bother to mention my go to load for island blackbear is my .300 wm ,loaded with H4831 and a 220 gr. Rem corelock RN......
Cheers Glenn

 

[Elktrack]

Nice!
I shoot a 220 gr in my 8mm RM

What’s the double rifle????

 

[shoots-straight]

I heard from a expert on giant, non native wolf hunting that a mini van is the preferred. method.

 

[BuzzH]

Pretty unlikely a 90 grain accubond or 95 grain ballistic tip in a 6mm would kill a wolf, but they work well on elk.