How much gun?

[Jason]

I would be interested in opinions on how much noticable difference there is between similar calibres (if any) I live in New Zealand and hunt with a 7mm/08 improved shooting Berger 168 gr vlds at 2748 fps.
I have run comparisons on the computer comparing larger calibres such as the 7mm magnum and using the same bullet would only get 250 fps more velocity at most. That works out at 10% more velocity and 20% more energy and 15% less wind drift at 1000 yards.
Would you really notice such gains? taking into account field conditions. You would have to shoot a lot of animals at similar ranges to get a fair comparison would'nt you?
Faster bullets certainly flatten trajectory, but I can compensate for that in my scope.(have'nt tried 1000yds with 7mm/08 by the way!) The thing is you certainly have to pay a big price in terms of recoil etc for not a huge gain in power. Increased cost for diminishing returns. I would be interested in some opinions. Thanks
P.S most of the deer I shoot would be around 180lbs maximum anyway.

 

[dbhostler]

Stick with the 08 for deer within 500 m and paper to 1k. If you want to kill deer at 1k go with a big 30 or 338 as in RUM or LAP. Additional recoil can be delt with a good brake.
db

 

[Perkules]

[ QUOTE ]
Stick with the 08 for deer within 500 m and paper to 1k. If you want to kill deer at 1k go with a big 30 or 338 as in RUM or LAP. Additional recoil can be delt with a good brake.
db

[/ QUOTE ]


I second that.

I use a standard 300 WM for my max 500 m moose / deer hunting. There is still about the same power as with a 308 at the muzzle - 308 takes most of our 70.000 moose every year at 50 meters, average - . Plus, the power alone does not kill, it´s the wound. I use "normal" big game bullets for this under 500 range. Longer, it is a softer one but I rarely need it.


I also use a 338 LM which is obviously a very good killer but I don´t find it necessary for my hunting, not really. Got some moose with it, no problems and the recoil thing is very subjective. I much prefer to practise with a 300 WM and that´s very important, practise with what you actually use for hunting.

But to answer the original question: you probably want a bigger bore to reach far out there and get the bullet perform well. Small changes in velocity in a given caliber only gain so much, a step up in caliber will give you good terminal performance with a proper bullet further out there.

 

[Buffalobob]

Well, if you want to put powder in your cases with a front end loader you can run the 7mm Allen Magnum to about 3400 fps with a 200 grain bullet and kill deer to 2K or more if you can hit them.

You should leave the 30 cals and the 338s to the people who can't manage with a 7mm. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif (that was really a good funny)

 

[ss7mm]

Good one BB

 

[Perkules]

[ QUOTE ]
The thing is you certainly have to pay a big price in terms of recoil etc for not a huge gain in power. Increased cost for diminishing returns.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, can you use mufflers / silencers legally down there? They take sooo much recoil away. I much prefer them compared to a brake.

 

[blackco]

Yours is a similar question to the first one I posted on this board mine was about the 300wm vs. the 300um vs. 30-378...what I was told by several of the more knowledgable people was that you should no compare the same weight bullets in different cases, but compare the performance of heavier bullets in bigger cases to the lighter bullets in smaller cases. (I hope you understand what I'm trying to say)

I originally looked at 180gr bullets in the three rounds and the boost I got in the bigger cartridges wasn't worth the costs involved. What I was told to look at was the bigger bullets, 220smk, in the bigger cartridges. Thats where you get the performance boost.

I hope this all makes sense to you. Whether it justifies another rifle or not is up to you. It is hard to really compare apples to apples when there are so many things you need to look at.