I am bored so I am going to end up doing a few polls to see what everyone's favorite calibers are for different kinds of hunting. Lets start this one off by asking your favorite big game cartridge.


If you dont see your favorite caliber listed let me know and I will add it.

I really like my 300 Weatherby, so much I have two of them. I just picked up a 30-378 Weatherby for my Guided Elk Hunt in Colorado this year.(1st. guided hunt for me). I have used the 300 a few times on Tejon and have great success for those really reach out there and touch them shots.

Happy Hunting
Wayne

I love my 300 Win. I haven't lost a deer yet that I've shot with that rifle! I've not used it on any thing other than deer (and a squirrel that really pissed me off) but feel confident it would do well with anything I am going to hunt in North America.

It's a Ruger MKII with a brake and fancy recoil pad that I can shoot all day long.

I really like my 300 Win but I've killed much more with my 30-06 over the years. I just felt the 300 Win was over kill I guess on our California Deer. It would have been great for bear but I don't hunt them anymore so the 300 was just my long range paper puncher.

Yea, the 300 is more gun than is really needed for these CA deer. When I bought mine in 1991 I was living in CO and hoped to use it for elk. I does a great job on those whitetail, though!

The only deer I ever had run off after being shot with my 300 is that big buck I shot in 2003. I found him right at 100 yards from where I shot him. I was amazed that he made it that far because when I field dressed him I had taken out both lungs and taken a top 1/4 of the heart nearly completely off. It's amazing some times what one of those deer in full rut can do after they've been shot!

I bought my 300 Win Mag for Elk too. But I've shot bear, deer and even jack rabbits with it too. I sent you a video of a deer that was heart shot, check it out.

That video was awsome!

OK I'll jump on the wagon here. I like the 308, I have killed a lot of elk, a pile of blackbears and lots of deer with it. I never made any long shots with it as all the elk and deer were on the wet side of Washington and the bears were either treed or bayed up with my hounds. But it fed my family for years til I moved to Nevada were if I do hunt deer I just use my 22-250 on the mulies, and I heve never had to make a long shot on any of them either.. I know you all will say that 22-250 shouldn't be used but a well placed bullet in the head or the couple I shot in the lungs kills them pretty dead and no I have never lost one or had to track one for more than 40-60 yards...Walt

Walt,

I went to high school with a guy in MO who always hunted deer with his 22-250. Unfortunately he wasn't a very good shot and he wounded a lot of deer.

Nothing wrong with a good 'ol 308. I can't even begin to guess the number of animals that have fallen to that round.

Like I said, they were all close shots and I do know that it is possible to cripple one up with it, but I have seen a lot of bum shot deer with big bores and it is all in the shot placement, big bullet or small. From having watched a lot of people get buck fever with big bores. A lousy shot is still a lousy shot. Used to get more than one client ticked off because when I said that bear has to be dead when it hits the ground and having to shoot it dead as it came down to get the dogs. A lot of people just haven't shot enough BIG game to not get all excited about it and pull off well placed shots. You may disagree but this has been my experiance with dude hunters. I am sure that you will hear the same story from other guides as well. It seems that shooting a deer, elk, bear or antelope is just a little bit differant than shooting a jackrabbit or squirell. Heck, I've seen guys completely blow shots on coyotes standing 30 yards in front of them because they got just a little too rattled...Walt

Walt,

I agree that skill with the weapon is very important to clean kill. Just as I saw Eric wound deer with his 22-250 I also say guys do damage with 7mm Mags and 30-06's. My brother watched a guy shoot a deer 14 times with his SKS and not a single shot was a good clean kill shot.

There's an old timer back home who hunts for meat year around. He uses a 22 mag on all his deer and usually only needs the first shot. I wouldn't recommend that round for deer, but he takes its limitations into consideration and only takes shots which will result in a clean kill (head shots).

Shot placement .I like the 308 Killed my 1st yotes and whitetail with it loved that gun wish I never let it get away. Killed deer with 300wen .7mm rem. 444marlin and the 308. But I hope I get a chance for the 25-06.It just feels and shoots good. I try to hunt deer all year ( gunless) that way you are acustum to seeing them. watch videos of them . go to pebble beach and watch them .Get used to them. And dont forget the 30-30 Its killed alot of game . I think my next gun will be the 3006 just becouse I dont have one.

Most of my California deer were taken with a 243, but my favorite was the 264 mag. and can't forget about a 270.

Soreloser, how do you like that 300 WSM of yours. Any idea how it compares to the 200 Win Mag?

I'm not sure I could find a better Big Game round. I have never had to track an animal with it, they take an immediate Dirt Nap. Doesn't matter which bullet I'm using either, it can be the factory 150gr Bt or the 110gr vmax (reload). It flat kills game. It also gives you the confidence to reach out beyond you normal range, if there is a Flat shooting Big Caliber then this is it, and it carries it's energy well.

I will tell you this, if you hit a deer in the shoulder with the Ballistics Tip with the .300WSM you can plan on not eating any of it. It will tear up some meat if the shot is a little off.

A couple of years ago in Oklahoma I killed two doe's back to back. one was shot at 70yds just in front of the shoulder. She jumped about as high as my house, and I swear to you she died in the air. She came down face first and never moved again. I flipped her over and pulled her opposite leg (exit) off in the process.

The other deer was facing away from me when I went to check out this one, and I tried to pull the old Texas Heart Shot.. I hit the deer in the Left Hind Quarter and it went down immediately. When we got up to it, we noticed that the bullet had went through her rump into her gut, which in turn literally gutted the deer for me, and lodged in the skin of her chest. Almost a complete pass through from Rear to front.

Those 150 Ballistic Tips on Whitetails are no joke. But I really need two votes in this poll, becuase I would rather shoot everything with my bow, then a rifle any day.

My old Ruger in 300 Win Mag has been a good rifle, but I think it is time to upgrade it. I found a Savage 16 FLSS today in 300 WSM shipped for $464. I am going to shop around a little more and see if anyone can beat that price. I wrote the guy and confirmed this was a newer model and does have the Accutrigger.

If I do buy it I will likely take the scope and rings off of my old Ruger. I've got a Leupold VX-III sitting on top of it now. And if I ever decide to do the 25 WSSM build I have been talking about this would be a great action to use.