Are high caliber guns overkill?

starburstdan · #1 (**permalink**) 09-22-2011, 11:45 AM

i myself use a 30-30 but have friends who tend to hunt with .270 and .300 in my personal opinion i believe these firearms are overkill whats youre opinion?

turner · #2 (**permalink**) 09-22-2011, 01:24 PM

My personal opinion, after having used a lot of different calibers and a lot of different rifles to kill deer, is that a hunter should use whatever he or she wants, so long as it's up to the task at hand (cleanly killing deer!) ,is accurate enough and with that hunter having plenty of experience with said rifle/caliber to be effective with it.

Calling any rifle cartridge too much gun is a slippery slope, best left alone. Just where is the line to be drawn? At .223, .243, .250 Sav, .257 Roberts?? They all are well known deer killers (no, not necessarily my choices, perhaps) that are well under the venerable 30/30 in both caliber and bullet weight. I've carried rifles from .257 Roberts to 45-70 personally for deer hunting and have killed a bunch of deer with over 20 different chamberings in that mix. My experience has also told me that some of the heavier calibers have also shown to be the quickest killers. As far as the "bloodshot meat" reasoning, the worst case I've ever experienced was with a .308 Win, right between your chosen 30/30 and 30/06, actually.

gfdeputy2 · #3 (**permalink**) 09-23-2011, 05:37 AM

I use a .270 as well as a lot of people on here & I can tell you a .270 or a .300 are not over kill the .270 & .30-06 are two of the most popular calibers
& it is about ethical kills
my 12 ga slug does a heck of a lot more damage to a deer then my .270
I would say if you are shooting at a deer with a weapon that puts a hole in it the size of a softball you have gone way over the overkill line
just my opinion

just asking in your opinion what animals do you think a .270 or .300 should be used for?

starburstdan · #4 (**permalink**) 09-23-2011, 10:19 AM

i fell like the .300 would be more of an elk or moose kinda firearm only due to there size. maybe even for bear but idk like u guys said its all personal opinion

kemster99 · #5 (**permalink**) 09-23-2011, 11:25 AM

I hunt with many different rifles. My favorite deer rifle is a .270. but have played with different bullet weights.. The 130 grn do not do as much damage as the 150s. My 30/30 goes to the deer woods often, but using the leverevolutions has turned that rifle into a 200 yd gun. I use a .223 (5.56) AR for thumping hogs, which seems to be not enough gun for some people. I hunt with guys in georgia that are using 7mm mags and 300 win mags. But they won't shoot over 200 yds.i think in that aspect , they are overkills. that is a whole lot of gun to not utilize to its full potential.

Karl.Luhr · #6 (**permalink**) 09-23-2011, 06:02 PM

I am lucky to have been able to hunt twice in Idaho with a quality outfit. During the 10 days of the hunt the discussion always gets going about what rifle cartridge we should be using to go after Elk. Both times it was about 1/2 of each group of hunters carrying their regular Deer rifles that they use in their home States. The other hunters had bought a new magnum that they also may now use for hunting Deer back home. At the end of each discussion there was agreement in a couple of areas.

1. The guys carrying magnums, 7mm, 300Win, 300WM, 338Win, 340WM have the option of taking any shot that might present itself over the hunt.

2. Those of us carrying our standard calibers 270, 308, 30-06 need to be aware of what range limitations we must consider.

3. On the first hunt a guy with a 7mm mag made a great shot at 450yards hitting an Elk. It was later finished off at closer range. I would not have attempted the shot he took. My personal limitations and those of my 30-06 rifle would have made me pass on the shot.

4. My outfitters liked to see Magnums, both lead guys loved the 338 Win mag. But only if the hunter had chosen to use heavy controller expansion bullets. Even with the other magnums they want heavy for caliber controlled exp bullets not standard construction ones.

5. My outfitters also were frustrated with the number of hunters that either can't shoot, or are scared of their rifles. More than once the outfitter said I would rather have the shooter bring less of a rifle if they can shoot it.

6. I did get a smaller 4x4 on my second trip, at around 150 yards the 30-06 with a 180gr Nosler Part did its part. Not a tough shot and not very far away. A magnum was not needed for the shot I took.

Karl

WisconsinDeer · #7 (**permalink**) 09-24-2011, 10:44 AM

OP you're getting "caliber" mixed up with "cartridge". 30-30 and 300 are the same caliber, 30. As far as cartridges go, it all depends on where you hunt, how far you have to shoot, etc.

vikingjohn76 · #8 (**permalink**) 09-26-2011, 09:36 AM

This will be my first year hunting and I have a DPMS AP4 308 Win that I will be using. Is that too much rifle? I just want a clean kill. Something that doesn't just injure the animal and leave it in pain, but also, something that doesn't knock a softball sized hole through it either.

Thanks

starburstdan · #9 (**permalink**) 09-26-2011, 10:25 AM

viking thats fine not gonna annihalate the deer at all. hypethetically there isnt a firearm that could put a hole that big that is legal.

WisconsinDeer · #10 (**permalink**) 09-26-2011, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikingjohn76

This will be my first year hunting and I have a DPMS AP4 308 Win that I will be using. Is that too much rifle? I just want a clean kill. Something that doesn't just injure the animal and leave it in pain, but also, something that doesn't knock a softball sized hole through it either.

Thanks

308 is perfect for whitetails.

Quote:

Originally Posted by starburstdan

viking thats fine not gonna annihalate the deer at all. hypethetically there isnt a firearm that could put a hole that big that is legal.

Well...50BMG very well could put a hole that big through a deer.