Hunting calibers? 'Medium game'??

[rwsmith]

At least to me, small game is rabbits, squirrels, 'possoms and sech. Big game is elk, moose, big bears.

Seems a little silly to restrict types of game to just big and small. Boars, coyotes, cats, sheep, etc. all fall in the middle. All deer aren't so big. Antelope vary widely in size.

Of course there is the difference in types of terrain you have to make shots. Woods, brush, plains, mountains...

I know it's not definite or constant, but to you, where does small, medium and large game fall on what calibers you use? What type of gun do you use for each.? Where do you aim on any particular animal for the most reliable shot?

Please feel free to elaborate or ramble. No such thing as too much information when it comes to guns and hunting.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

For the most part critters are critters, heart and lungs within the generally predictable areas, large bone structures where expected, etc. Some are thin-skinned, others may be heavy beasts. Overall, I think it is mostly a matter of determining the shot placement required, the calibers suitable, and the penetration required to get the job done.

Reloaders have a wider range of latitude than those relying on factory ammo, making various calibers and loads suitable for a wider range of game critters. The .30-06 with 200-220 grain bullets is capable of dropping most quadrupeds walking any continent, but the same cartridge loaded with lightweight cast bullets at modest velocities is highly effective on small game such as rabbits or squirrels. A .50 caliber muzzleloading rifle can drop a bull elk or buffalo in its tracks with a single shot at modest ranges, but the same rifle loaded with a patched ball and 20 grains of powder will put bunnies and grouse in the dinner pot with very little damage.

Within the limits of each cartridge the responsible hunter needs to consider range and general conditions (brush, timber, etc) in addition to terminal performance. The major advantage to the handloader is the ability to make one rifle perform well over a broad range of game and conditions.

 

[rwsmith]

I thought.....reloading forum?????

... No. Ammo forum... No. Ok. LOUNGE seemed to cover the bets.

That's something is invaluable about reloading. You can make exactly what you want and need, as opposed to what is on the store shelves.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I also like a definition of is there any chance it will run at me, attack and bite me?
I have never the pleasure of hunting wild -feral hogs, but I have had ‘domestic’ ‘tame’ hogs put me up on the fence!
So if there’s any chance it will attack me, I want a robust caliber.
It don’t have to be an Elmer 577, just a 30-06 class weapon.
We know that smaller calibers can and do take down large animals.
As a kid, it was standard to take out hogs and cows with a 22LR.
But in the head, muzzle almost touching.
And remember my friend Eddie telling me about the rampaging Bison down in S Miss.
The wrecker driver shooter who took him down used a 22 Hornet.

 

[rwsmith]

.22 hornet...

And remember my friend Eddie telling me about the rampaging Bison down in S Miss.
The wrecker driver shooter who took him down used a 22 Hornet.

The M4 survival rifle was chambered in .22 Hornet by the US military in WWII. Somebody had confidence in that round. It had hp bullets so it was strictly for survival, not offense or defense.

I shot a Hornet out of a Thompson Center Contender that rocked me back on my heels. Wicked, wicked bullet.

 

[hittman77]

Your definition of small game = 22LR

All others 30-30 would work.

 

[mtgianni]

One of the biggest 6x6 Elk I have seen was shot by a 12 year old girl. She used the 22-250 she had killed a large 5x4 mule deer the week earlier as she liked the performance it had done. It isn't how you hit them but where.

 

[vonn]

You can never have too many calibers or guns that fire them. I try to be a ethical responsible hunter and use enough gun for humanely taking the game I am hunting and go for the high percentage shot even if it might waste a little meat. Elk is the largest game I have hunted and used arrows on them. Don’t shoot anything anymore that isn’t edible or a predator to deer or livestock. Have a Shiloh Sharps that I always wanted to get a buffalo with but never have.

 

[Model 19 6"]

I like to shoot and field dress at the same time I like the 338 win mag.

 

[armadillo]

Not just in the USA, but world-wide, large game would be moose, bear and big African game. Something that might eat you requires a big-big cartridge.

 

[SC_Mike]

Small game as you described I would use my 17hmr or .22. Medium game, mostly varmints, .223/5.56. Larger, tougher game deer, pigs etc, .270 or .308.

Now there have been times I've been after larger game and medium game came in and the larger caliber worked just fine.

Point of aim, desired impact area, is different for each animal to me. Squirrels, head shots. Too much meat loss if you take a body shot. Medium game that i don't really care about recovering, coyotes, raccoons armadillos, small pigs etc., center mass. Larger game, deer, pig etc. POA high and behind the shoulder, trying to an instant kill and no tracking and dragging if possible.

 

[CH4]

Throughout the years I’ve owned 100s of rifles, averaging about 30 at any given time, with calibers ranging from .17 to .45. To help justify all these rifles, I pretty much had a dedicated rifle for each critter that walked my corner of the globe. That said, if I had to choose one gun/cartridge for all my hunting, the nod would go to my childhood favorite, the venerable .375 H&H.

 

[DeathGrip]

Thirty Thirty because 30-30 is to short.

Added, I'm not going hunting anywhere out of the south east of the USA.

 

[jag312]

Ain't nothing wrong with a .30-06. It has been doing good for over 100 years.

 

[rwsmith]

That's why I've got one...

Ain't nothing wrong with a .30-06. It has been doing good for over 100 years.

Super common ammo available everywhere. I think I can get it at my corner convenience store.

And it's smack dab in the middle of the useful calibers. There's a tremendous variety of bullets. I reload everything from 100 gr plinker bullets to 175 grain soft points at any velocities from 1500 to over 3000 fps. With the right bullet it can take anything in NA and some pretty large critters in other parts of the world.

The .300 Win Mag could do about the same thing with a little more punch at long ranges.

 

[JayFramer]

.30-06.

Perhaps the greatest cartridge to ever come out of the Americas.

 

[steelslaver]

Small game under 25# 22lr. Never owned a 22 mag, probably never will.
Gophers, prairie dogs, coyotes etc. 222 to 25-06 mostly for trajectory
Antelope-deer. 6mm to 338WM
Elk, moose, bear etc. 7mm to 338.

Bullet weight and construction is a big variable. Example, on varmints the 6mm would get light bullets and deer heavy. I wouldn't easily go down with game size, say shoot a gopher with my 338, but unless it was a real necessity going the other way won't happen for me.
Have several nice 22lr bolt guns,
a heavy barreled 223
a heavy barreled and a light 6mm Remington
A medium weight 25-06
The 30-06 is a great cartridge. I don't have one though. Have a 308, a 30-338, a 300WM and a 338WM and figure I got that round class well covered.

Right behind the front shoulder is "my shot" Very effective with some latitude for error with decent for game sized round. Neck and head shots are an option, but require better circumstances, shorter range, a rest. A blown off lower jaw or a neck shot 1/2" from top or bottom of neck could cause a bad wound that allows the animal to run off and suffer. That's only about a 3" diameter circle, couple inches from perfect shot. A little movement by game, I wiggle a bit offhand, misjudge range some, gust of wind, up hill, down hill etc etc. But, a heavy bullet forward of the diaphragm to 6" behind front of chest, from top of spine to a couple inches up from bottom of chest is going to be quick death. That's over an 8" diameter circle on a decent deer.

 

[LittleCooner]

small game, in the woods and play varmints at shorter range ( under 150 yards) use the 22 long rifle.
varmints and long range varmints ( p dogs and yotes in the great American west) the various 22 centerfire rounds, from 218 Bee, 223, 22-250 and 220 Swift and a occasional 6mm with light bullets.
medium game, would be deer family, including the Elk, anything 25 caliber and up. personal stuff, 250 Savage, 270, 280AI, 3006 ,300 H&H and 338 Win Mag.
Big game- the dangerous stuff that can and will eat your or trample you into the ground. - Biggest thing I have is a 338 Win Mag, but if going after this, probably a 375 H&H or one of the 416s would be added to the family.

Learned over the years, it is really all about shot placement and bullet performance on the game taken. Personally - taken a 600 pound hog with a 22 short. dead in tracks in one shot, yes we processed pork in my youth on a farm and I begged to let me harvest the pigs. Shot many with a 22 short at very short range in center of head. Its not so much about what you use as how you use it to harvest the game. Long range, or short, etc. Except cape buffalo, read to much and saw to much on tv, think I would prefer a Abrams tank with plenty of ammo if given the opportunity to harvest one.

 

[Farmer17]

There are plenty of calibers to pick from that have been around 100 years that will work fine for hunting and they have not really been improved on but I lately have been impressed with the 6.5 Creedmore. It bucks wind and has less drop than most everything else at long range and it hits with more energy at over 1000 yards than the .300 Win mag but it recoils slightly more than a .243 round. It seems to be very accurate in most all rifles and is getting so popular the ammo is becoming reasonably priced. For big stuff like moose, grizzlies, Africa big five I would of course want a much bigger rifle but I wouldn't want to shoot the small game with it. I can tolerate recoil but I'm a better shot and enjoy shooting more with guns that kick in the .270 class or below.

 

[Gamecock]

I always use something too big.

I have Magnumitis, but I don't suffer from it.