laker
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I'm not sure I'd try that shot with any bullet
Do larger calibers really compensate for bad shots?
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Wolf76
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I live in Michigan and have seen both. And being a big Berger fan, it's not even a close contest (12 ga wins by miles) . The 12 ga is a different kind of H ell on animals.
Regardless, the Berger is more accurate
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Ingwe
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I would but only with a big for animal caliber and Barnes X type Bullet
Orange Dust
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Exactly
memtb
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laker, Of course, I'm asking you to believe me (and you don't know me from Adam) but, I'm pretty sure that most of my shots (should I choose to make them)....taken as a "Texas Heart-Shot" would exit the chest. A Barnes TTX from my rifle! I'll repeat the story. Some may wish to "change the channel" as this is a rerun!
Around '93, my first hunting season using Barnes Bullets ( the original X Bullet). I took a "Texas Heart Shot" on a rag horn bull elk @ approx 75 yards .....running straight away.
There are several reasons for taking the shot. First, I had less than pleasing results on big game with standard cup and core bullets. The second reason, I had heard great reviews of the "new" bullet by the "smith" who built my rifle. Lastly, it would be a relatively extreme test of the X Bullet's integrity.
The bullet entered just left of the "brown spot" (first hide penetration), through the ham (rather dense muscle), shattered the pelvis ( fairly heavy bone), continued thru the paunch area ( 18 to 20+ inches of wet grasses), thru the diaphragm, continued thru the left lung, exited (2nd hide penetration) at the foreleg leg arm pit (for lack of a better term), reentered the inside of the foreleg (3rd hide penetration), completely penetrated (dense muscle) and stopped under the hide. Had I properly placed the bullet....it would have likely exited the brisket, and I'd not had the opportunity to recover the bullet! The recovered Barnes X retained .952%. of it's original weight. Not to shabby, for a bullet that endured a rather "hostile" environment!
Addendum: For you folks that like "frangible" bullets, perhaps you should check-out the Hammer Bullets. It gives you the best of both worlds....early "fragmentation" with substantial weight retention for continued penetration! memtb
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laker
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O I know there's bullets that would work. I'm just saying I'm not taking that shot either way.
JJMoody
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Won't take that shot?? Not from a keyboard ( or cell phone screen) anyways!! Lol. Just a small flaming... on paper, less than ideal, in the moment? Well I have had the opportunity to... well... ummm...let's just say-learn from mistakes. Even successful mistakes.
bigngreen
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Those Barnes are great, the last one I shot an elk with center of the shoulder, dropped her like a sack of potatoes, 2 minutes later she was back on her feet, had to hold her down and cut her throat to dispatch her, 168 Barnes stopped on her shoulder only braking it, used to pack a 22 pistol just to dispatch elk, thought elk were tough till I started shooting bullets that actually create a wound channel and sever bleeding without having to try to shoot them through heavy bone and break them down.
I don't buy larger cals covering your butt as a consistent way to cover a bad shot, I've ran up to 458 power level with 500 plus grain bullets and a bad shot was a bad shot, ya I could drive a bullet through a 10 inch pine tree and through a bull but one through the guts or hind end still means their not dead. I've actually much, much happier with the butt covering ability of a bullet that opens good and creates a mess inside, I've seen gut shot elk pile up extremely fast because the hole is larger than a half inch through.
As far as having to shoot an elk in the back end to try to stop them, I'll take a smaller Berger bullet than a large Barnes any day after using both, an elk bleeds out very, very fast when all the arteries are shredded in the pelvis, with the Barnes typically it would break them down but still end up using the 22 or knife to finish them. As I've gotten older I hate having to dispatch game more and more, a moderate chambering that I can shoot very well and a bullet that is made to kill not just blast holes through make it a quick clean deal, if I have to shoot an elk in the hip to get one I'll take a solid pass on that and hunt a little more for a shot with the shortest route to the vitals.
I don't buy larger cals covering your butt as a consistent way to cover a bad shot, I've ran up to 458 power level with 500 plus grain bullets and a bad shot was a bad shot, ya I could drive a bullet through a 10 inch pine tree and through a bull but one through the guts or hind end still means their not dead. I've actually much, much happier with the butt covering ability of a bullet that opens good and creates a mess inside, I've seen gut shot elk pile up extremely fast because the hole is larger than a half inch through.
As far as having to shoot an elk in the back end to try to stop them, I'll take a smaller Berger bullet than a large Barnes any day after using both, an elk bleeds out very, very fast when all the arteries are shredded in the pelvis, with the Barnes typically it would break them down but still end up using the 22 or knife to finish them. As I've gotten older I hate having to dispatch game more and more, a moderate chambering that I can shoot very well and a bullet that is made to kill not just blast holes through make it a quick clean deal, if I have to shoot an elk in the hip to get one I'll take a solid pass on that and hunt a little more for a shot with the shortest route to the vitals.
D
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This is not new. Partitions and Swift A frames are designed to do just that. I do like monos though, due to no lead exposure and no core concentricity issues.
Most hunters that live here would a 100yd shoot, because they will more than likely have to go to work the next day, in a lot of cases we don't get to hunt any more than an out of state hunter and we do not have the help of a guide that's ben scooting all year, we have to do it all and are limited to what time are work allows us to be off. Out of the two cartridges you listed and at 100yds both will work fine, I have shoot elk with .270win., .300w in. mag. and .35 whelen. all one shot kills. The 35 Whelen is my favorite. I know people that have taken elk with .243's and 25-06's but the .270win. is as small as I would go for elk with, it's one of my favorite cartridges but for elk I like a little more smack and I don't like the 7mm mag. any more than the .270. In my opinion elk are tough enough that moving up to the 30 cal. with 180gr. bullets or bigger cal. is a good chose for elk just in case you can not get a broadside shot. The elk I shot last year was at about 100yd at an angle all most strait away from me, so I knew I had to shoot far back in the ribs to get the bullet to go up to the vitals, the bullet came out the neck(using my .270win. 150gr. hornady spire point). When skinning out the elk found another hunters bullet in the left rear ham, it went in hit the bone came back out only two inches from were it entered and stopped under the hide, it did no damage to the bone. I was able to mic. the base of the bullet, it was a .25 caliber. A larger, heaver well constructed bullet would have broke the bone allowing the other hunter to have got a second shot in the elk. I am not saying use a bigger caliber so you can take bad shots, I strongly believe in being the best shooter that you can be and only take shots you are very comfortable with. But we are not perfect and we can not able to control the animals movements, there for the bigger calibers help. With all that being said some can not shoot the bigger rifles well, so shoot what you can as well as you can and know your limitations and don't let some one up you down just because pas up a shot because you are not comfortable with it. Good recoil pads and/or muzzle brakes help a lot if you want to shot a bigger cartridge but don't want the recoil.
I lead difference no in the meat makes. Eatin nat years witnout pobrems.
memtb
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35 Whelen, My wife would be the first to agree with your post. She took her first elk with a borrowed.243 (early '70's), her first moose with a .264 WM, and the following season was given a .270 Win. by her "ex". She used that until 1995 when she started using her .338 WM. With 45 years of hunting experience.....her conclusion is that the .338 is far superior for larger game (bear, moose, elk) compared to the lesser cartridges she's used. The .338 WM is her only hunting rifle, and it is used for all of her big game hunting! A wise man doesn't question his wife's decisions! Though, in following the context of the OP's post.....she is very fastidious about bullet placement! memtb
Though, in following the context of the OP's post.....she is very fastidious about bullet placement! memtb
Steve Sheasly
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No. A poorly placed,shot is never compensated for period. But if,you but it happens.
We see a lot of comments and discussion, but we seem to have overlooked an important issue.
Getting a proper hit is a lot easier with smaller bullets than with huge bullets.
Too many of us (I am a reformed large bullet addict too.) follow the idea of big bullets as a cover for poor shot placement, plus macho bragging rights, but fail to realize that the recoil distracts us from being sure the shot is on the mark.
Getting a proper hit is a lot easier with smaller bullets than with huge bullets.
Too many of us (I am a reformed large bullet addict too.) follow the idea of big bullets as a cover for poor shot placement, plus macho bragging rights, but fail to realize that the recoil distracts us from being sure the shot is on the mark.
