cpdlm@marlin.jcu.edu.au (Dominique Morel) (06/26/91)
In article <1991Jun21.063938.11989@doug.cae.wisc.edu> smosjc!joseph@uunet.uu.net writes: >>Will...the net is kinda slow, so I'll ask the question of all questions: >> >> What is the best all-around hunting caliber for North Americam game? >> >This question will certainly get a lot of varying answers because there >are so many parameters to consider - cost of ammo, amount of recoil, >length of barrel, type of country in which hunting is performed, type >of game, etc. >I'll speak to the two calibers that I know, the .30-06 and .375 H&H. >The .375 H&H is too much for anything except for very large North >American game such as bears. It is a good African caliber according >to the articles that I've read, but a deer shot with one of these >might have very little usable meat left on it. I disagree that the .375 H & H would spoil a lot of meat because the bullets are very heavily constructed, (unless one uses .375 Winchester projectiles as they can be pushed at well over 3000 ft/second, and they are designed for 2200ft/second), and do not open up on small to medium game. On occasions I have shot ducks sitting on water (NO I would not do that! :-) not unless I was out of food after a couple of days out bush playing survival then they are fair game even on water out of season etc.) with it and it did a lot less damage than my .22/250 does on such small game. Recently we shot a 8 year old bullock on a local station with a .458 Win. The bullet entered the forehead travelled down the neck and into the chuck under the shoulder. The owner rang us up to tell us he found the bullet and apparently there was very little bruising. As the 67 year old wife of the owner said it was one of the neatest kills and some of the best meat they have had. Considering that they only hung it for four days in their son's coldroom before it was butchered and frozen it is a good result. Says a lot for killing in the wild with no adrenaline in the blood. Big slow bullets do a lot less flesh damage that fragile fast ones. >The .30-06 is a good all-around caliber for North American game. It's >fairly flat shooting, has good range, is affordable, and won't completely >trash a whitetail deer. And the recoil is mild enough that you don't >need a padded jacket. The .375 H & H shoot as flat as the 30-06 (see balistic tables) and if you use the light fragile bullets in the 30-06 it will do more damage than the great H & H with a heavy strongly constructed bullet. Shooting at game one does not feel the recoil, not till latter anyway, usually the next day. I once shot 40 shots with my .375 while shooting metallic silhouette, that hurt like hell the next day. I think that I have shot about six round in quick succession at game, wearing only a T-shirt, and have not felt any ill effects. The recoil is not enough to stop one from shooting accurately as a few dead ducks and many dead pigs can vouch for. I have only lost one wounded piece of game with the H & H. It was found three days latter by an other group of hunters with dogs who were asked to look for it by the owner as I spent all the time I could to find it. The owner of the property had said he would finish it off while I went and got the rest of the mob, but it had gone by the time he got to where it had fallen. It was a very sick three legged pig that they found. It better to be over gunned than under gunned!!!! >That's my $.02 worth. DITTO >Bob Hale ...!ucsd!btree!hale >619-535-3234 ...!btree!hale@ucsd.edu All time not spent shooting or fishing is time wasted!!!! Dominique Morel.