Post by bigblue on Dec 11, 2006 21:07:59 GMT -6
This came to mind following a post by Bubba, in which he states that he has seen too many .308 and .30/06 shots fail.
First off any cartridge that can stop a deer is a good one. That over simplification said, the problem often arises when either the bullet fails, comes apart on impact and doesn't penetrate to the vitals, the aim is not on, or the angle is one for which the bullet cannot reach the vitals. I can honestly say, and this is probably just luck, that I have never had a deer take one step after I shot it. Those deer were shot with cartridges as small as the .243 up to the 45/70. I think a lot of the bullet failure that is seen is due to higher velocity than the bullet was designed to withstand. Two bullets that come to mind that often suffer this reputation are the Nosler Ballistic Tip and the Sierra GameKing. Sierra's catalog lists the velocity parameters for all their bullets. Nosler just makes the statement that their Ballistic Tip is not designed for use above 3000FPS. In the case of these bullets, the bullets did not really fail, as much as the load was just too much for the design of the bullet. In those cases I would rather use a heavier bullet that will run slower and stay within the manufacturers guidelines. One of the reasons I like Barnes bullets so much is that they take away several reasons for failure. They will penetrate no matter what the angle. You could hit a hip bone and still have the bullet exit the opposite shoulder. Secondly they will not come apart due to the velocity being too high.
Another concern has to be the range at which shots can be expected. While the 30/30 with it's 150gr. bullet traveling at 2400FPS may be ideal for the eastern woods where the most common shots are 25-100 yards, it just won't cut it in the open ranges of the plains states where 250 yard shots might be expected. This choice is often a guessing game to some extent. While 90% of the shots I'm presented with will be under 50 yards in heavy brush, there is that 10% chance I'll get a shot between 50 and 200 yards. This happened to me a few years back when I was hunting with a .44 mag lever action and saw a grand old buck 200 yards away. While that 200 yard shot is a walk for a 7mm Rem Mag, it was more of a shot than I was willing to risk with the .44 mag. I'm going back to hunting deer with the 45/70.
So considering all of the various factors of the area and range you hunt, what do you consider to be the ideal deer cartridge for you?
First off any cartridge that can stop a deer is a good one. That over simplification said, the problem often arises when either the bullet fails, comes apart on impact and doesn't penetrate to the vitals, the aim is not on, or the angle is one for which the bullet cannot reach the vitals. I can honestly say, and this is probably just luck, that I have never had a deer take one step after I shot it. Those deer were shot with cartridges as small as the .243 up to the 45/70. I think a lot of the bullet failure that is seen is due to higher velocity than the bullet was designed to withstand. Two bullets that come to mind that often suffer this reputation are the Nosler Ballistic Tip and the Sierra GameKing. Sierra's catalog lists the velocity parameters for all their bullets. Nosler just makes the statement that their Ballistic Tip is not designed for use above 3000FPS. In the case of these bullets, the bullets did not really fail, as much as the load was just too much for the design of the bullet. In those cases I would rather use a heavier bullet that will run slower and stay within the manufacturers guidelines. One of the reasons I like Barnes bullets so much is that they take away several reasons for failure. They will penetrate no matter what the angle. You could hit a hip bone and still have the bullet exit the opposite shoulder. Secondly they will not come apart due to the velocity being too high.
Another concern has to be the range at which shots can be expected. While the 30/30 with it's 150gr. bullet traveling at 2400FPS may be ideal for the eastern woods where the most common shots are 25-100 yards, it just won't cut it in the open ranges of the plains states where 250 yard shots might be expected. This choice is often a guessing game to some extent. While 90% of the shots I'm presented with will be under 50 yards in heavy brush, there is that 10% chance I'll get a shot between 50 and 200 yards. This happened to me a few years back when I was hunting with a .44 mag lever action and saw a grand old buck 200 yards away. While that 200 yard shot is a walk for a 7mm Rem Mag, it was more of a shot than I was willing to risk with the .44 mag. I'm going back to hunting deer with the 45/70.
So considering all of the various factors of the area and range you hunt, what do you consider to be the ideal deer cartridge for you?