jmk@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Justin) (06/05/91)
I am planning to purchase a rifle which I would like to use on deer, antelope, moose ... My primary purpose will most likely be deer. One friend suggested a Ruger 77 .338. I like the Ruger in general but I wonder if this is too much fire power? Would I be better off with a .270 or a .30-06 or a .30-30? -- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | | Justin M. Kromelow | | | jmk@cs.uiuc.edu |
petert@uunet.UU.NET (Peter Toth) (06/05/91)
In article <35230@mimsy.umd.edu> jmk@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Justin) writes:
#I am planning to purchase a rifle which I would like to use on
#deer, antelope, moose ... My primary purpose will most likely
#be deer. One friend suggested a Ruger 77 .338. I like the Ruger
#in general but I wonder if this is too much fire power? Would I be
#better off with a .270 or a .30-06 or a .30-30?
#--
#| Justin M. Kromelow
I've xposted to rec.hunting, where this is more at home.
The 338 may be a bit much for whitetails, but not for moose, elk, muleys,..
As for the rest, it depends on the kind of country you are shooting in.
I believe the .30-06 will serve your purpose anywhere,
as will other smaller flat shooting calibers with long enough projectiles
like the high-end 7mm-s.
Some, and you know who you are ;^), might even suggest the 6.5x55 Swedish
or (gasp!) the .25-06.
With the big creatures penetration is a concern, particularly
when your bullet has traveled hundreds of yards.
Some small calibers can do here what some big calibers cannot.
Though the other two will do the job, i would not recommend them, because they
will require that you do more. You will have a shorter range, will have to place
your shot even better, and with the tutty-tutty you will have to be better
at estimating range. The .30-30 Improved would be better, but why bother.
The .270 would be fine if you could find a longer bullet than the 150 grainer.
Mind you, in bushy country all this is hooey. There wide and short will do.
I use a 7.62x39 for southern Ontario deer, and a .30-30 is about all you'd ever
need for it here. Even rifled slug-barrels are right at home.
Without a doubt, i am about to stand corrected.
Peter Tothmarko@hutch (Mark O'Shea) (06/06/91)
In article <35230@mimsy.umd.edu> jmk@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Justin) writes:
#I am planning to purchase a rifle which I would like to use on
#deer, antelope, moose ... My primary purpose will most likely
#be deer. One friend suggested a Ruger 77 .338. I like the Ruger
#in general but I wonder if this is too much fire power? Would I be
#better off with a .270 or a .30-06 or a .30-30?
The Model 77 is a good choice. The .338 kills from both ends. It
is also too much gun for deer. The .30-06 is adequate for deer
and elk.
Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit Your Target
Mark O'Shea
marko@ijf1.intel.com