The official cartridge of Expat® Knives

If unsweet tea is served routinely, you are in the real North.

 

I always like to keep an open mind in these ballistic discussions because there are rarely any absolutes. Also, @ny700 you're wrong. The .25-06 is the best. Period. Without question.

Just kidding. I agree with what you've said. It seems literally everything has a season, or a trend, or a fashion or whatever you want to call it. Sadly, ballistics are no exception. The 6.5 Creed is the second coming of the bullet world....until the next thing. It was the .30-06, then the .308, and so on, and then back again.

There are all kinds of great bullets out there. Heck, I think the .35 Whelen is one of the best. But, then again, you have to pick the right tool for the job. There are long ratchets, short ratchets, fine tooth ratchet, flex-head ratchets, etc., etc., etc. They all have their place.

I feel like when you are discussing a ballistic, you have to frame the discussion within the confines of the mission to accomplish. Far too often, we don't. We simply say bullet x is better than bullet y and then we start regurgitating statistics, some of which are relevant and some of which just plain aren't.

Col. Cooper said the purpose of shooting is hitting. That's why we SHOOT. Why we HIT is another matter altogether. Are we hitting to get the smallest hole on a piece of paper? Or are we hitting to make the freezer heavier?

When ballistic discussions focus on one caliber vs another caliber without the "Why are you shooting in the first place?", then it's pointless. Like two bald guys fighting over a comb. However, when we say, which is better for elk at 300 yards: the .270 or the .300 win mag, well then we have something we can use.

There seems to be developing a distinctive division in rifle shooters these days. They have always existed but technology has allowed a greater divergence than ever before: Practical vs Precision. Precision shooters are getting to the point where they are unhappy with 1/2 MOA. They have 15 lb rifles. They keep their ammo temperature controlled. They deal in yardage in the 5 digits. Whatever elation they receive from shooting is derived from, in essence, solving a trigonometry problem. It is as a controlled environment as can be obtained and still be outdoors. Handloaded, fire-formed brass, individually micrometered, after fine tuning to the exact grain of powder, with an exact distance, known humidity, altitude, calculators, and a reference manual to consult for the shot.

Practical riflemen (of which I consider myself) realize that a 2 MOA rifle still shoots better than most people can shoot in the field from an unsupported position, or a quick, improvised rest. Anything tighter than that becomes irrelevant because of the shooter's inability to remove the human equation from practical field conditions. His joy in shooting stems from a quick, one shot kill. Whether that round hit 2" higher than where he aimed is of little consequence if the deer drops immediately. He may be using the cheapest ammo Walmart had 5 years ago when he got the current box he's still shooting from.

Sometimes there is a tendency to try to bridge the gap between the two. The 6.5 Creed fans often try this. And they have rather good evidence to support some of their claims. But, in reality, it doesn't seem to be a valid point. Not because of the round, but because of the rifle. Very few people are carrying the same 6.5 rifle they shoot in PRS to their backcountry elk hunt. While the round is capable of doing a fair job at both tasks, the rifle will almost undoubtedly be different. This returns us to the original practical question of which is the best caliber for an elk? If you're not taking your 2.000 meter PRS rifle, then again, all caliber options are on the table again.

You could argue there is a third--the Tactical crowd. Who are the fashionistas of the rifle world. Their happiness comes from form over function during prolonged bouts of ballistic masturbation. But they are of little relevance to caliber debates as they tire quickly of it, intent on steering the discussion back to the newest accessory, or just how far the support arm should be extended THIS MONTH, when shooting an AR. They are often shooting steel or other targets of sufficient size to make ballistic discussions all but irrelevant. I digress.

 

If I am killing hog/medium deer sized game at normal ranges then my Sako .308 does the job happily...

With my very unscientific loads assembled with mostly 30 year old components....


If critters are larger or the ranges significantly longer then it is time for my Weatherby Vanguard (so a Howa) in .300Win (a little more work in this load but still not at all a long or complicated process)....


Both are hunting weight rifles, the Weatherby is almost as it left the factory in 1982 (new McMillian stock to replace the wood).

Both clearly shoot better than I am able in the field and I would defy most anyone to tell me I am improperly armed for my tasks...

 

I'm looking for one now in .450 since we are allowed to hunt deer with that.

 

They go by cartridge length. Which is weird. Minimum and maximum. It can be a necked cartridge but it has a narrow range of length allowed.

It’s so weird, gunmakers here have taken a .358 Winchester, shortened it and called it .358 Hoosier. You can now buy rifles in Indiana chambered for that. And Hornady and Lee make custom dies, which you will need because no big commercial company sells the ammo. But the rifle is pretty popular nonetheless around here.

The .450 is also allowed. As is .357 and .44. The .35 Remington is allowed if you take the bullet out, and trim the case slightly, then reseat the bullet. It will still fire fine in a lever action shortened.

And of course shotgun slugs are allowed.

All of this is only public land. On private land, you can use pretty much anything. I shot one deer on public with a 12 ga and 1 on private with a .308.

That’s why I’d like to have a .450. I can use the same rifle on public or private and simplify things.