Caliber less important than hunting skills(I think magnums are overrated)

My first Deer Gun was a 30-30 I got when my Papa passed away. My second was .280 my Father gave me when I was 14. Between the Two I feel ready for anything. If I'm hunting Brush country or shot's under 100 yards I take the 30-30. If I have a better chance of a long shot I take the .280. This last year I happen to shoot a Doe at about 75 yards shooting down hill and hit her higher than I wanted too. She ran about 20 yards and I'm impressed she got that far the .280 pretty much destroyed her entire right side. If her leg would have been back in the bullets path i'm pretty sure it would have knocked it off. It was one of the easiest tracking Jobs I've ever had to do though.

Has time goes on i'm sure i'll have a few more Special purpose Calibers in my collection like a 25-06 or a 243 and 338 probally.
 
The .378 Weatherby Magnum is certainly better suited for bigger thick-skinned animals that the 22-250...

What the hell is so overrated about that?
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I know that the .378 WM is better for moose and larger than a .22-250 is, heck everyone knows that I think what we're trying to say here is that magnums are overrated because some clowns shoot deer with .378 Weatherbys and think that a .243 is far too small and weak.
 
Great thread.

Their is no use in New ZEaland for any caliber much more powerful than 30-06. Quite a few use the 7mm and 300 magnums, but surprisingly view. I am not sure why one would put up with the hard to find, expensive ammo, excessive muzzle blast, a recoil that can lead to a flinch, and so on with the big belters. I guess they sound cooler. ( I accept north america is a bit different, if I was in bear country I would take at least a .375 H&H. And a Mortar. And a 40mm launcher :p )
 
how come brownchesterremruger are all still cranking out newer hotter magnums
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Because they don't think they're overrated??
Yuh think?

How about...
The thing about magnums (.300 H&H, .300 Win, .300 WM) is that they can do everything the 30-06 (and .270) can do with heavier bullets...
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But that can't be true... they're overrated!!


To say that magnums are overrated... is like saying that small calibers are overrated...

For what?

I think the .243 and the .270 are revered for no damned reason worth noting...
except that they don't hurt the shooter's shoulder...

Also, the 30 caliber armor piercing bullets are not effective against tanks...

Therefore they must be overrated... :p :p
 
Hmmmm....

I'd say the 30-06 is to North America what the 375 H&H is to Africa - and that both of these rounds...are very tried & true. Where things get messy - is when every cartridge gets 'magnumized' ie. the 300 H&H gets replaced by the 300 Win.mag. and the 300 Win. mag. starts getting used as a 'white tail deer round' and people get told that the 30-06 and .308 are sissy cartridges and that the 257 Roberts is just 'okay' but what's really needed on a pronghorn is a 'magnum'. Is the 243 really too weak? I don't think so. In fact - I'd say it's actually gotten stronger ie. bullets are better than they used to be. People sit around the campfire and talk too much about bullets - and not enough about how to actually hunt. Could it be that the bullets have gotten better, but that the hunters have gotten worse? Hmmmm... :cool:
 
some clowns shoot deer with .378 Weatherbys and think that a .243 is far too small and weak.
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There is not one iota of difference between the dork who thinks a .243 is a great round, and the dork who thinks that the .300 Magnums are the best for deer sized game.

Too many guys think that Magnum stamped on the bottom of the Brass actually means MAGIC!!!
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They think this kind of mouthwash because people express idiot opinions in shops and threads like this one...as if those opinions were the facts of life. With unqualified remarks like,
"I think magnums are overrated."

The trash shooters and novices will repeat this tripe... over and over and over... :(

I repeat... the purposes are specific... Magnums move bigger bullets faster and flatter...and that's all there is to it!

It isn't the Magnum or the non-Magnum that matters...
It isn't JUST the marksmanship that matters...
It isn't just the penetration that matters...
It is what bullet will have the correct terminal effect for the chosen target and how to get it there in a timely manner!

And that's all there is to that!

I think the 257 Roberts and the 300 H&H would be nice to have around.
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THAT pins this thread to a knat's ass... :p :rolleyes:
 
There is not one iota of difference between the dork who thinks a .243 is a great round, and the dork who thinks that the .300 Magnums are the best for deer sized game.
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That has more to do with personal experience. In my experience the 300mag would rarely have made any improvement on my 7x57 or a 308 or even a 303 brit. The ranges are just too short in the eastern woods I hunt for the advantage of the 300's speed and range to make much of a difference.

They think this kind of mouthwash because people express idiot opinions in shops and threads like this one...as if those opinions were the facts of life. With unqualified remarks like,
"I think magnums are overrated."
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Over rated for my purposes. If I was to go out west for elk or mulies you can bet I'd carry a 300. Of course shoot that gun extensively at all ranges and even woodchuck hunt with it for at least 6 months before going. If I'm spending thousands for such a hunt I'm going to prepare myself for a longer shot than I'd ever likely see in the east. It gets the nod because It might make the difference.

It isn't the Magnum or the non-Magnum that matters...
It isn't JUST the marksmanship that matters...
It isn't just the penetration that matters...
It is what bullet will have the correct terminal effect for the chosen target and how to get it there in a timely manner!
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Exactly!! And either it makes the difference or it doesn't. Here it doesn't, except in rare cases. Out west or in a bean field it sure might.
 
I agree that shot placement is darn important, but so is the decision on caliber. I think its a bit of a slippery slope when we start to deride the choices of others, based on what we feel is best for us.
 
Magnum-itis

I think alot of this has to do with some peoples perception that they (think they) want to be able to make really long shots on game...Plus the "bragging rights" for having the latestgreatestfastest bullet on the planet.

But, face it, most shots will be on relatively fragile game(deer) at relatively short distances (under 150 yards, probably under 100), so what's the point?

The exception(s) would be plains shooting in the midwest (and there's lots of decent non-magnum cartridges for that) and Big Stuff in Alaska or Canada, where you might want a bit more.

Having said that, if I was gonna buy a new rifle (not in the forseeable future) I might consider some of the newer magnums...Why? Just in case....
 
I think alot of this has to do with some peoples perception that they (think they) want to be able to make really long shots on game...Plus the "bragging rights" for having the latestgreatestfastest bullet on the planet.
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Actually it's kind of funny, my accomplishment as a marksman might indicate my failure as a hunter. But, truth be known, if I would ever get a clean shot at a trophy elk at 500yrds I would take it. And for that reason I'd want a rifle capable of delivering a decisive blow. Now as far as bragging, I'd rather brag about my hunting ability. Who's the better hunter, one that shoots an elk at 500yrds or one that arrows one at 20?
To brag about shooting in the field, take a few chucks at 5-700 yards. Of course I really don't brag much, just to know that I did it is enough, who cares what someone else thinks, it isn’t a competition 
 
Magnum is a term and it is outdated IMO.

Hi,
In my opinion a 375 H&H is a true Magnum LOL.

The 308 is a nice respectable round. Pretty hard to beat for most of the stuff you will find (not prey) In the No. America's.

Since I don't own a 375 H&H, I would have to use my 458 Winchester Mag. for the big prey type (sorry, I could have it rechambered to the Lott and have a real Magnum), and I would be carring my Ruger Super BlackHawk in 44 Mag. (Oops).

When the term was coined it was because of the exisiting round and they added a millimeter or 2 and some extra horsepower (44 spl and 38 spl being changed to magnum but still being able to fire the lighter round).
Weatherby comes to mind also, 7mm and the 7mm Mag not interchangeable though.

So what is a "magnum"? It is a word, nothing much more. In todays world not much else.:cool:

HQ
 
Pointer, it is NOT "tripe" to say that the phrase "magnums are over-rated" is true, if you take that to mean what *I* take that to mean, and that is that they are rated by the average joe to be necessary to shoot bambi in the average environment in an average state of the 50 states - in that sense they most definitely ARE overrated. Of course, magnums are not over rated *if'n you need a freakin magnum*, such as shooting at elk at 400 or 500 yards, if you're inclined to do that. But on average, on the whole, it is not a mistake to say that they ARE overrated, since they are USED all the time on whitetail deer in all 50 states, when they are absolutely not necessarily, by any stretch of the imagination, and accomplish nothing at all except meat destruction. For example, in eastern half of my state, there are a lot of woods and very few open areas. Yet, for some reason, .300 winmags, .300 weatherby mags, 7mm remmags, all of the winchester short mags, and on and on, sell like hotcakes around here. And they surely ain't buying them to shoot elk, as there's nothing around here larger than a whitetail, except a few elk and bison on small preserves (mostly private). But the average "long shot" in the eastern woods is gonna be 60 or 70 yards, and that's from OK on to all points eastward to the coast.
 
Well, now, I don't hunt but most of my relatives plus a few other acquaintances do, not that any of them ever invited ME to go with the. Anyhow, my step-brother, who actually lives in a log house in West Virginia, does hunt. Deer, anyway. He uses a .300 Magnum and is embarassed about it, though I don't recall what other rifles he may have. His sister is a little better at hunting than he is and I don't know what she uses either.

However, both of these people have been around and the three of us average 60 years of age. I actually may have more experience shooting than they do but very little shooting at game. The point here is that some old-times living up some hollow in West Virginia have plenty of horsepower in their gun cabinets, whether or not they need it.

I didn't know the .243 was an old cartridge!
 
quiet thyself sinner. thou speaketh of thine vanguard as if she be of kin to tho Weatherby. She blasfemeth to speak her taken name. she be thine whore of Howa and not blood to the True Weatherby.
marketh the words i spake.
"lo and behold, them that owneth thine unpure rifle shall knash and moan at the counter of resale. for thine weatherby is none if not biscuts of the goat."
 
Almost 20 years ago, I booked a hunt in Sakatchewon for caribou and moose. My guide was a weathered Cree man with a quiet but friendly nature. We spent two weeks together and I often asked him to tell me about his many hunts.

My guide hunted with just one rifle. An antique Remington auto-loader chambered for the 35 Remington cartridge. He had rec'd it second hand in the mid 1950's. The previous owner was also Cree and had slain all types of Canadian big game with this rifle. If this rifle could talk, it would tell about literally hundreds of caribou that fell to its 200 grain bullets.

This fellow thought nothing of hunting moose weighing nearly a ton with his 35. He told me he always shot twice into the chest. Although only original iron sights were used, this patient Cree hunted the tree-less tundra for caribou. He hunted from behind stacked rocks placed by earlier generations of Cree huntsmen. Partially hidden from the migrating herds, he shot many each year this way.

What's my point? I know a Cree hunter who has slain far more big game animals than I ever will. And he got the job done without fretting or worrying that his rifle was inadequate. The 35 Remington is no magnum but it is effective in the hands of a patient and skilled hunter!
Jack
 
Y'all calm down a bit and consider this idea: The alleged NEED for a magnum is over-rated. Doesn't that make a little bit more sense?

Magnums have their place in hunting. There also are many instances where a magnum is much more than is necessary for a clean kill. The key word is "necessary".

If I KNOW my only shot on an elk will be at 500 yards, I want a magum.

If I KNOW my probable shots on smallish whitetails will be inside 200 yards, my .243 has proven quite adequate some 20+ times. However, if it's probable that I would be seeing larger deer out around 300 or more, I'd shun my .243 and take my '06.

I think it's great that we have all the choices of cartridges that we do. It's not my responsibility, however, to educate each and every gunshop customer. :D They can learn, just as the rest of us have.

Art
 
Yes, and pay, Gold and silver for the knowledge.

Hi,

If I had only enough money to own one rifle and one hand gun.

It would be the 308 lever for the rifle and the 357 for the hand gun.

Now would'nt that be a simple solution?:D

Heck, I could pick them up fairly reasonable and still be well outfitted.

HQ
 
Over rated for my purposes.
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Exactly!! And either it makes the difference or it doesn't. Here it doesn't, except in rare cases. Out west or in a bean field it sure might.
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Now these are "qualifying remarks" and would not mislead even the stupidest visitors to the thread... Bravo!

Now the dorks and idiots and respectable newbies won't be as likely to go off repeating "chicken-sctratch" like...

"The .270 is sufficient for any North American game."
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 :rolleyes: :mad: :p :D
 
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