Ammo help

[farmerj]

so what makes a 338 win mag more ethical than a .223?

[Shipyard]

so what makes a 338 win mag more ethical than a .223?

the person behind it

[farmerj]

so what makes a 338 win mag more ethical than a .223?

the person behind it

I didn't expect that answer so quickly.....


Because (IMHO) it's the only answer that makes it right.

[yukonjasper]

All it takes to be cured of not taking the time to sight in a rifle or shooting an inadequate round at an improper distance is having to spend hours tracking a wounded deer over hill and dale through swamps and across rivers.

I wonder if some of the hunters today take the time and spend the energy to track deer. I know that over the last few years we have had 2 deer killed on the property that had been shot already. We didn't dig out the round that was originally shot - probably should have. One of those was in pretty bad shape and seemed like it should have been a deer that would have been tracked by a hunter. In both cases, no hunter showed up. Luckily it was a year when we had an intensive harvest, so it was just another tag to fill, but would have sucked it that was your deer - limping out of the woods, half dead already.

I agree that if you choose a smaller caliber, you had better be confident of your marksmenship skills and be damned sure you know the limits of the caliber.

[yuppiejr]

I dunno, I am sure I could take a deer with a .223 rifle and the right ammo (not 50 grain ballistic tip V-Maxes) but I have other options in the safe that will work better (.44 magnum carbine inside of 100 yards and .308 up to 500 yards before I am concerned about bullet performance). It's not about being right or wrong in the eyes of other hunters, I know what works for me and what has-should work with a reasonable margin of error to avoid having to track a wounded deer all over. It's both an ethical and practical concern as I see it...

Might bring the .223 along with the same 50 grain V-Maxes for yotes while we're out for the week though.

[plblark]

Buddy and I dragged out a gut shot der that someone else shot last year. There was no bullet but LOTS of fragments inside.

[farmerj]

Buddy and I dragged out a gut shot der that someone else shot last year. There was no bullet but LOTS of fragments inside.

More likely bullet selection than caliber issue

[plblark]

Yep ... considered that with the OP mention of varmint bullets and the later admonition against the varmint Grenade stuff...

[farmerj]

All it takes to be cured of not taking the time to sight in a rifle or shooting an inadequate round at an improper distance is having to spend hours tracking a wounded deer over hill and dale through swamps and across rivers.

I wonder if some of the hunters today take the time and spend the energy to track deer. I know that over the last few years we have had 2 deer killed on the property that had been shot already. We didn't dig out the round that was originally shot - probably should have. One of those was in pretty bad shape and seemed like it should have been a deer that would have been tracked by a hunter. In both cases, no hunter showed up. Luckily it was a year when we had an intensive harvest, so it was just another tag to fill, but would have sucked it that was your deer - limping out of the woods, half dead already.

I agree that if you choose a smaller caliber, you had better be confident of your marksmenship skills and be damned sure you know the limits of the caliber.

I have tracked such an animal for 7 hours. Only to have it's kill shot be taken by someone else.

Gun Used: .338 Win Mag.


The owner hunts a lot, but only puts 4 rounds through it each year to "verify the scope is still on".

[AutomaticAron]

Thanks to everyone for the assistance. My shooting experience is pretty much relegated to plinking and range duty so anything beyond Tula, Wolf, and PMC Bronze is unfamiliar to me. I grabbed a box of 62 grain Fusion soft points today so I'll see how that works out.

[EJSG19]

Thanks to everyone for the assistance. My shooting experience is pretty much relegated to plinking and range duty so anything beyond Tula, Wolf, and PMC Bronze is unfamiliar to me. I grabbed a box of 62 grain Fusion soft points today so I'll see how that works out.

Sounds MUCH better than your first ammo choice! Good luck this season.

[Holland&Holland]

.223 is plenty to take down a whitetail.

but not .25 out of a pistol.......

Actually, this is a good thing. This is the DNR starting to get out of the nanny state business at least a little bit. It leaves it up to the hunters to decide what is ethical, not the government.

[sochr000]

Never used the fusion myself, but last year I took a good sized doe with the ammo I will link below.

As everyone else has said, make sure you take your time, choose your shot well, and do the right thing. I almost got to muscle fatigue last year waiting for the doe to turn just a little bit more (teach me to bring a "super-bull bbl" ar-15...), but it was worth the wait, as she went 7-10yds and fell.


AMMO

[Snowgun]

7mm bitches! Anything else is amateur hour!

[dsprag]

I use the federal premium 62 gr. nosler partion ( which is bonded) and it works very well in the .223.
The fusion should work equally as well.