Cartridge help.

Marlin xl7 · #1 12-25-2010, 09:50 AM

This is stemming off of my other thread, some of the suggestions have really got me thinking. Please vote for which caliber you think is best for bears, moose, elk.
And if you choose the 338 WM or 375 H&H please tell me what you think the recoil is like.

elkhunter11 · #2 12-25-2010, 09:57 AM

First of all,the 338win and 375H&H are cartridges,not calibers.As for choosing a specific cartridge,that depends on how well you deal with recoil.I could be content hunting those animals with any cartridge from the 7mm-08 on up to the 300RUM,but many people have issues dealing with the recoil of the 300 magnums.I don't see a need for the 338s on up unless I am hunting grizzly,and there is no grizzly season in Alberta.

leo · #3 12-25-2010, 03:11 PM

If you are looking for 1 cartridge to cover "all" North American game 338wm would be my first choice, followed by any of the 300 magnums. I have in the cupboard right now 1- 338, 3 different 300 magnums. With proper firearm fit and good recoil pads all are tolerable to shoot. But they are all in the 8 1/2 - 9 lb range as well w/ scope and loaded magazine , sling etc. The beauty of becoming a hunter and to some degree a gun nut is the choices available . All calibers are usefull for specific tasks, and a few can multi task very well. To all first gun buyers.... stick with conventional chamberings (7-08 through 30-06). Leave the magnum chambering for your next firearm until you are proficient with a non magnum round. JMO

rem338win · #4 12-25-2010, 03:26 PM

I voted for the .338, and to answer your question: the recoil is manageable in an 8lb rifle, but it is fast and 20 rounds can start to fatigue a person. That being said a 225gr bullet at 2800fps is where I personally have started to see any difference in on game performance that is noticeably better than the 130-180gr crowd out of the .270-300 cartridges. It would be my "one gun for the world" pick. Yes, even for elephants and such.

Marlin xl7 · #5 12-25-2010, 05:10 PM

Well right now I have a 270, shoot it very easily. I can shoot my dads 8 pound 30-06 with some fairly hot 165gr handloads easily. I just want something different.

gitrdun · #6 12-25-2010, 06:09 PM

I've hunted the Yukon and brought both my .375 H&H and my .338WM for moose. Got tired of 7 days in a boat and travelled dry land for a while. I came upon a grizzly sow at 75 yds. All alone with my .375 and I'll admit to goose bumps on my arms and back. That .375 although extremely capable didn't make me feel any better, as I figured that if she charged, I still had the job of making the shot. The picture that follows was taken with my cell phone at less than 50 yds. At the time, I was riding the cattle range, my .444Marlin was in the scabbard. I knew that there was no way on God's green earth that I could draw it out fast enough to make a real difference. Best I could do was to pray that my paint mare wouldn't loose it. Tippy toes in the stirrups, I made it out OK. But I'll say that any caliber would not have gotten me out this situation had those two brothers not had a full belly. As a side note, my mare gained a lot of respect from me. And no, I didn't vote, 'cause with a grizz close encounter such as this one, caliber is not an option, not at 50 yds. Pee in your pants is a given.

DOGFISH · #7 12-29-2010, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leo

If you are looking for 1 cartridge to cover "all" North American game 338wm would be my first choice, followed by any of the 300 magnums. I have in the cupboard right now 1- 338, 3 different 300 magnums. With proper firearm fit and good recoil pads all are tolerable to shoot. But they are all in the 8 1/2 - 9 lb range as well w/ scope and loaded magazine , sling etc. The beauty of becoming a hunter and to some degree a gun nut is the choices available . All calibers are usefull for specific tasks, and a few can multi task very well. To all first gun buyers.... stick with conventional chamberings (7-08 through 30-06). Leave the magnum chambering for your next firearm until you are proficient with a non magnum round. JMO

Well put Leo.

KegRiver · #8 12-29-2010, 08:43 PM

Maybe I missed it, where did it say that the bears we are supposed to be hunting are Grizzlies?

Had I known that I would have opted out. I don't shoot Grizzlies.

I think you should also have mentioned that these are the only cartridges you are interested in but that others may be as good or better suited to the task.

A 600 Nitro express for instance. Now that is a real fun gun to shoot. As a bonus when you hit an animal with it, they die, deader then dead.

It's the gun I would choose should I ever be called to stop a charging Griz.
Remember, we're not trying to drop a distant animal here. This is close in shooting.

It pushes a 900 gr sp at 2100 fps That will generate over 8,000 lbs of knockdown power.
That's nearly twice the power of your .338 Lapua Magnum.

In high school my buddy bought himself a 600 Nitro Express. The first time I saw a case for the gun I thought it was a spent 10 gauge shot shell.
The dimensions were almost identical. Now that was a gun!!!

Marlin xl7 · #9 12-29-2010, 09:13 PM

When I said " bears" I was talking, mostly black bear, but perhaps in the future a trip to alaska for a grizz.

wwbirds · #10 12-25-2010, 11:26 PM

Keep it simple and get a 30-06, cheap readily available ammo and the calibre will kill anything in North America, very versatile in bullet weights available if you reload or plan on it.

wwbirds · #11 12-25-2010, 11:33 PM

Gord at Willow Creek rode a fairly green horse in the valley while cutting lumber in 2009 when he noticed something under a tree. Rode up and two grizz cubs and momma was right beside him running along instantly. Green horse kept it together so it was not the size of the calibre but the horse that stays calm and gets you out of harms way that counts.

Windago · #12 12-26-2010, 12:15 AM

The picture that follows was taken with my cell phone at less than 50 yds. At the time, I was riding the cattle range, my .444Marlin was in the scabbard.

so you had time to take a photo but not to get your .444 out

gitrdun · #13 12-27-2010, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windago

The picture that follows was taken with my cell phone at less than 50 yds. At the time, I was riding the cattle range, my .444Marlin was in the scabbard.

so you had time to take a photo but not to get your .444 out

Absolutely. The cell phone was in my shirt pocket. The .444 was in my scabbard which has a folder over flap that covers the buttstock and is laced up. My best defense was to get my mare into a gallop and make a mile between myself and the bears. In order to do that, I need one hand on the saddle horn and one on the reins. Bad planning on my part? most certainly, I had I not planned on this encounter, which occured in WMU312 bordering WMY406. The location which I've ridden for years isn't prone to grizz encounters. I was simply and casually riding the range to doctor up cows and check fences between the forestry and the grazing lease for my rancher neighbour and friend. The reason that my .444 was in the scabbard and laced up was that I may need it to put a bull down that had been reported as having a broken leg. Perhaps if you had spent as many days in the saddle as I have, you might hold off on the "d'oh" imoticon?

rottie · #14 12-26-2010, 12:15 AM

I shoot a .375 in a custom shop Rem 700 and love it. Do I need it in Alberta ? Absolutly not, but its a fun gun to shoot,doesnt recoil too bad and spits a 235 grain slug out at 2980 fps so it shoots fairly flat out to 300 yards or so.

The down side is its a bit heavey for hiking hills but for bush or flat country its fine

Ian

gitrdun · #15 12-27-2010, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwbirds

Gord at Willow Creek rode a fairly green horse in the valley while cutting lumber in 2009 when he noticed something under a tree. Rode up and two grizz cubs and momma was right beside him running along instantly. Green horse kept it together so it was not the size of the calibre but the horse that stays calm and gets you out of harms way that counts.

For sure ww, you got it. You simply can't train that into a horse, either they got it or they don't. Problem is....you can't tell until it happens. Well maybe not, I've rode up that mare to a fresh elk kill with no problem. My pack horse wouldn't have nothing to do with it. Well, that was until I dabbed the inside of his nostrils with Vicks Vapourub. Hah! worked.

catnthehat · #16 12-27-2010, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gitrdun

For sure ww, you got it. You simply can't train that into a horse, either they got it or they don't. Problem is....you can't tell until it happens. Well maybe not, I've rode up that mare to a fresh elk kill with no problem. My pack horse wouldn't have nothing to do with it. Well, that was until I dabbed the inside of his nostrils with Vicks Vapourub. Hah! worked.

I have spent a "few hours " in the saddle in my younger days, and a good horse will get you out of more scrapes than you can shake a stick at!
I had a buddy downriver who swore by his little bush ponies - the danged things were half mule I think when it came to dealing with things like wolves and bears!
I also know that when things happen quick you had better have a deep seat, but keep a hand on the horn for sure - a good horse will know what to do in once you turn him and give him his head!! :>)
You are right on, gitrdun, I'd go for a good horse before a big gun any day!:>)
Cat