This has been a debate for numerous years and will continue to be a debate among hunters for all eternity. There’s numerous different calibers of rifles to select from. The most popular being the.270 and 30.06. More recently the 7mm and.300 have began to become mainstream rifles to take big game hunting. Most will agree it all depends on what type of animal you’re hunting. Obviously using a.270 with a low grain cartridge for a full grown bull moose isn’t the best option. Although some will argue it’s ok if your shot placement is spot on.
5 months prior to my initial large game hunt my father bought me my initial Remington.270 bolt action. I loved that Remington.270 trigger it was the rifle I shot and killed my first mule deer with, a beautiful 4-point buck. However when I began hunting elk I upgraded to a Remington 30.06 bolt action on my father’s recommendation. I can still keep in mind him saying “elk are extremely strong animals and are very hard to put down.” That statement has stuck with me for numerous years and usually comes to my mind when I’m elk hunting.
I can still remember the first elk I shot and killed. The region I hunt is spike only to ensure that makes my choices easy. I spotted him 2 days into the hunt about 450 yards away from my position. He was a large majestic spike. He had to be two years old due to the size of his body and his antlers or his father was a fantastic big bull. Anyway the initial shot that hit him went straight via his vitals, which didn’t stop him from moving downhill and I proceeded to put two much more rounds into him finally bringing him down. I was in awe at the shear strength and power that these animals have. My father was definitely correct.
My father uses a.300 semi-auto Browning which is a stunning rifle and has lots of knock down power. I sighted the scope in for him and ended up with a big ole bruise on my shoulder the next day.
For the last 10 years I’ve been utilizing my Remington 30.06 to hunt mule deer and elk and that caliber appears to be the very best for me.
When it comes to which rifle to use I suggest bigger is much better and using the highest grain cartridge possible. The worst thing for a hunter is wounding an animal and not being able to find it. A lot of us can relate a story or two concerning that. Nothing makes a hunter feel worse than that. I make certain when I hit an animal it’s going down. Another recommendation is to make certain you’re practicing all year together with your rifle, it’s extremely true that a well placed shot from almost any rifle will put down a big game animal.
#2774