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With the rain coming down in buckets, sideways, at 30mph. Been caught in that in the mountains above Reedsport. People in Oregon look at you funny when you wear an Aussie cowboy oil coat - maybe it's a side effect of the Matrix movie series. BUT, wearing one, in said storms, you will be warm and dry - better than any foul weather gear I've ever had.
I don't have time to comment on everything you said so I'll address the "I call bs". I'm sorry that you are disappointed by my experience but it is actual Real life experience with the 6.5 Creedmoor whether you like it or not. I didn't address any other 6.5 cartridge; The 6.5-284, 6.5 Saum, 6.5 PRC 6.5 Sherman etc... are much different and I'm sure more capable of creating the hydrostatic shock and wounding that Is needed to drop animals in their tracks. I don't have experience shooting animals with those so I can't speak about them. I have plenty of experience shooting deer and antelope with the 6.5creedmoor and it's cousin the 6.5-47 lapua. And I'm done shooting big game with them. I have a 6.5 saum and a 6.5 PRC that I will hunt deer and antelope with but not the creedmoor. A little extra recoil is worth it for a clean fast kill.To put it politely: I call 'bs' on that!
I've been hunting (aswell as gunmaking) for over 44 yrs and have built, owned and used most calibers under the sun. However: my most used go to calibers have always been in some kind of 6.5 bore during my approx. 23 yrs of living, working and hunting in NZ's South Island; where, depending on weather conditions; we literally tried hunting each weekend! Sometimes we even hunted several times a week, when the weather had been bad for weeks in a row and not ideal for hunting! Doing this we tend to shoot loads of reds & elk: more then likely some of us were shooting more in one or two yrs, then most of you are able to shoot in a lifetime! My observation: granted, most shots were short range bush-hunting shots, with the odd one over longer distances; the first one not dying instantly on the spot or running away still has to occur! My advice; teach your hunters proper distance, proper shot placement and using the right bullets for the job! Although I've moved on from NZ some a decade and a half ago and live since in: back then in NZ, I also helped out with guiding at times whenever the gunwork was slowing down during NZ's Winters. This where mostly US, Australian & the odd Canadian clients arriving with big bore magnums! Frankly; I've never observed more chances missed, animals missed, animals wounded & running off to be tracked later with dogs and some, not all to be recovered at these times then on any occasions before! So you tell me, what conclusion should I need to draw from this? From experience I know the 6.5's are very capable and 135 yrs generation of Scandic hunters would agree with me and any caliber from .223 & up are very capable in the right hands, the right situation, using the right load combination and using common sense! Yes, bigger bores produce bigger holes, but they don't necessarily makeup for better killing-power! With that kind of logic one would also have to assume that the US military & Nato must have really screwed up big time back then, by adapting a .223 bore size, right?
I have 3 rifles that cover everything I hunt or will hunt in North America. The 243 Winchester, 308 Winchester and 338 Winchester Magnum. These 3 cover bullet weights from 55 grain to 300 grain, that's quite a spread and in their respective classes each one does well. There are better and worse in each caliber but these 3 are easy to find ammo for, at reasonable prices and easy to reload. What else can you ask from a rifle? I have no desire to hunt Africa so the 338 Wm is plenty for me and if I do want to go heavier I have the 458 SOCOM to play with. While only a 150 to 200 yard gun it can throw up to 600 grain bullets on an AR 15 platform. Maybe not necessary but it sure has the cool factor going for it!Each cartridge has it's place. one is no better than the other if used under the right circumstance.
A 338 would not be usable for squirrel hunting just like a 22 Long rifle would not be recommended for elk. the 338 is at home and in it's element hunting elk size game at distances beyond the range of many smaller cartridges. the problem with bigger cartridges/diameter bullets, is that most people cant take advantage of the extra range while hunting. so they are not used to there limit.
No matter how good the BC"s are or how much downrange energy a cartridge has, you still have to place the shot where it counts. If you are shooting at steel then it doesn't matter what cartridge you are using as long as you ring the steel.
In my opinion, there are no obsolete cartridges. Just the ones that are used improperly and to much is expected of them. To much emphasis is placed on BC's and velocity instead of performance for the intended and proper use. Shot placement and shooter skill is still the most important thing in my opinion, and the proper choice of weapons for the intended use.
Tell someone that their favorite rifle/cartridge is obsolete, and they will tell you how wrong you are because they have had nothing but success with it.
J E CUSTOM
I guess whatever turns you on, we each have our own experiences! If it was during a SHF situation and I would have only have the one option to pick, then mine would be the venerable.22LR!
I'll do you a favor and take them all for $500.00. I can use the stocks for kindling and I'll find some use for the steel.Aw crap! News I wasn't aware of! I'll get a list ready, of my .338's and list them for sale so I won't have a bunch of useless rifles. That list will include a 388 Win mag Browning A-bolt, a 340 Weatherby mag, a 338-378 Weatherby mag, and a 338 wildcat based on the .416 Rigby necked down and body taper removed. I guess I need to follow up with an apology to the animals that have expired at the hands of these rifles, including elk, moose, and deer.
