Does caliber choice make a difference?

J

JohnKSa

Administrator
Well, to some extent, but...

I just read an article by a fellow who claims that it doesn't. He puts some caveats with that statement, but I'm not going to get into that kind of depth.

It makes sense!

How else could you have so many people shooting so many different calibers and all claiming that their favorite caliber is the best?

How? Because they will all do the job well with proper ammunition and shot placement.

I mean, starting with .222, you can step up in THOUSANDTHS of an inch in some cases, in sub-millimeter increases in caliber and in similarly small increases in velocity. Just look at the .22 caliber centerfires. There must be 6 or 7 factory calibers and easily 3 times that many wildcats. And, if you start talking to a guy who likes the .223, he'll tell you that all the others are crap, for one reason or another.

I say they'll ALL do the trick within reason--when they don't, it's almost a sure bet that the shooter wasn't up to snuff, or the ammo didn't perform.

Examples we've all heard:

How many of you know the guy who says that his .243 rifle is pure death on deer, but his 7mm Remington Mag just wouldn't take them down. ...and, oh yeah, would you like to buy my 7mm Mag, the thing just isn't accurate on paper and it kicks too much...

Or, the guy who hunts with his handloads and says something like. "This .308 just won't do the job on deer", he says. "And I just can't understand it, I'm getting sub 1 inch groups with these target bullets I'm handloading." I've tried to tell one of these guys that his target bullets were going to blow up on game because they were too lightly constructed, but he just looked at me like I was speaking Russian.

You should be able to come up with your own examples with just a few seconds of thought from your own experience with other hunters and shooters.
 
The simple answer to your question is:

"The most important factor in the effectiveness of any firearm is the ability of the firearm and the operator to place the bullet accurately and effectively."

Here is my point: although it is illegal here in FL, plenty of guys have taken deer with a .22LR or, more commonly, a .22Mag. How? By getting VERY close and putting these tiny slugs either in the brain case or through the spinal cord at the base of the head!

The tricky point is choosing a cartridge for a particular case is that you need a round that you can shoot accurately and is *effective* on the target animal. When I say *effective* I mean that round is designed to provide enough energy (power), momentum (knock-down), and damage to humanely stop your target.

Based on this, some rounds are logically better choices for different animals. However, some rounds, although regarded as marginal for some animals, may be acceptable in the hands of a suitable marksman.

I would never hunt deer with a .223 rifle. Is it adequate? Most people say "barely." Can I shoot well enough with a .223 to guarantee an effective and humane kill? No. I shoot deer with a .30-30. Some people use .300 Weatherby Magnums! I know plenty of people who have shot many tiny FL deer with their Mini-14s.

In summary, choose your caliber first on whether or not you can accurately place your shots, and then whether or not, based on experience and research, the cartridge can provide a humane and effective kill.

P.S. - I agree with you. Using Sierra Match King HPs in .308 on deer when the manufacturer recommends against this, is foolish. Although the round may be accurate and have power, the bullet is not likely to create enough damage to consistently and effectively provide for a humane kill on deer.
 
Choice of caliber is very important. Skill is very important. But the most important is knowledge. Too many people believe that one thing makes for a good hunter or good shot and puts to much faith in that. The "sniper" who uses to little gun, the Mag-a-holic that thinks it’s the rifle and round, the novice who with a good rifle and skills shoots at the "shoulder" on a quartering shot.

"How many of you know the guy who says that his .243 rifle is pure death on deer, but his 7mm Remington Mag just wouldn't take them down." And of course, it gets even grayer.

How can this be true and for what reasons? A lightly built 100gr round at a modest MV will work beautifully on deer, dropping then like a hammer. Same deer, shooter, shot, with a 7mm Mag and its 150gr bullet at a much higher MV zips thru without noticing it hit a deer.

Knowledge can be used to compensate (for a lack of a better term) for a deficiency in another area. Nothing can compensate for the lack of knowledge.

No shooter is perfect, no rifle or round magical. Develop your skills, use enough gun, use the right loads and know your game. It all makes a difference. Knowledge is king. It makes all the difference.

(edited for spelling :o )
 
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"How many of you know the guy who says that his .243 rifle is pure death on deer, but his 7mm Remington Mag just wouldn't take them down."
Click to expand...

The point of this example was that the shooter clearly was uncomfortable shooting the 7mm as evidenced by his complaints about recoil and unacceptable accuracy at the range. His 7mm wouldn't work on deer because he can't shoot it worth squat. He can't shoot it because the recoil intimidates him.

What I'm getting at with all this is that there are a broad range of cartridges that are extremely effective on a wide variety of game. The limiting factors are the shooter and the bullet performance--NOT the caliber choice.

Visit a hunting forum sometime. You have two camps. The guys who say that based on their experiences anything under a 30-06 isn't fit for use on whitetails and the group who notes that they regularly take large feral hogs with .223 rifles.

How can they both be right??? The answer is that the caliber choice is virtually irrelevant. Bullet choice and shooter skill are EXTREMELY relevant.

Here's another example.

Karamojo Bell takes several elephant with the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser. Currently in many countries, it is illegal to hunt elephant with anything less than a .40 caliber rifle. How can you reconcile those two things? Well, Bell was an extraordinary shot--capable of shooting birds out of the air with a rifle. The average hunter on safari isn't anywhere near that proficient. Bell had shot literally hundreds of elephants and knew what kind of bullets would work and what kind would blow up on impact. Joe Average probably doesn't have any experience with bullet performance on big game.

Bottom line?

Give me almost ANY modern caliber and I can make it work on virtually any kind of game as long as I have good bullets and can make good bullet placement.
 
in my profession we harp on a shooters personal skill with his rifle. some of the best interdiction shooters in the country have never fired a weapon out side of buisness. you both are right, shot placement is key as is using enough gun. the only answer is training and outside evaluation and critique. train for the conditions, train for the target at hand, and train under stress. after you have mastered the field-craft of shooting choose a weapon that will meet the needs of the mission and one that fits like your girlfriend on a good day. as for bullet size and cartridge selection use as much as you can stand. of course use bullet that will dispatch your target most effectively. when your intent is to kill make sure you are well prepaired for the magic moment. :)
 
Use enough.

Use it well.

Few can.

Few work at it hard enough to find out if they can.

But those few are awesome.

Sam
 
Chip....tis all Tom's fault.

Tom.....don't know bout good blood line but we can prove it to be strange.

Sam, old enough to have to keep it simple, or I will forget.
 
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