Too much gun?

[Rich Coyle]

You are absolutely,correct - which is why you never point a gun at anything you do not intend to kill immediately.

This is truly an ignorant statement. There are three times I can immediately remember finding game. Twice with the binoculars and once with the in-aided eyes when I had to turn up the magnification of the scope to verify I wanted to shoot them. There are other times when I didn't fire because I didn't want that animal. There is no comparison to un-aided eyes or binoculars with a 5-25X scope. It is better to be safe and legal than sorry.

 

[MtPockets]

Some people are pretty funny. I have a friend who does very little hunting, but likes the idea of it. Always has to have the big magnum guns. His first bolt gun was a 338 wm. Scares him to death and he can't shoot it for ----, but he loves to take it to the range and talk about it so everbody knows he has a 338. He also had to have a 460 S&W...sometimes I wonder if guys like that(and there are more out there than we realize) are really just trying to compensate for something less than magnum in their pants. Seriously, this magnum stuff is like those short dudes with littleman syndrome that drive the big jacked up trucks to feel better about themselves LOL.

That is a funny comparison, and I agree- to a point.

I have always been in the "size doesn't matter, accuracy DOES" camp, but as I've grown more experienced in the long range game I find that the larger, heavier bullets are easier to control in the wind. So at that point, accuracy is also a product of the field conditions.

I've always been a huge 270 Win fan, and although I still have one I moved up slightly to a WSM so I can effectively shoot the larger bullets- and am working on something larger yet.

Within reason, I don't believe in "too much gun" unless it's, like others have said, too much for you to shoot effectively.

 

[Antonio m]

To much for me is too heavy, too long, too bulky. If a elk rifle fits into this criteria it is considered. I consider the .270 win ideal

 

[Antonio m]

To much for me is too heavy, too long, too bulky. If a elk rifle fits into this criteria it is considered. I consider the .270 win ideal

Oops wrong thread

 

[Steelflight]

Im a middle of the road guy. Ill use a good load with a 30-06 to complete the job.

 

[Don A Parsons]

I switched back to the frugal cartridges 4 or 5 years ago to finish off my hunting, predator control,,, and a bit of free land plinking along with F Class shooting till I switch over to old worn out bones PRS shooting stuff. Ha.

Two 308 Creedmoors and One Ought-06... Just making things as I go...

Lots of Moose,,, Elk,,, Deer and Bears along with the wolf and cat thing...

Yuppers,,, saved funds go towards gas and food to hang out in the wilds... I add Creek fishing to the mix as well as archery,,, sight seeing,,, and long afternoon napps... That's the best. LOL

 

[gte901m]

Shoot whatever you want - freedom is what makes our country great.

I view the "too much gun" question from a different vista; is the gun/bullet/velocity choice appropriate for the task at hand. I bracket my definition of appropriate on the low end with "will it punch two holes at the expected distance" and set the upper limit as 2x or 3x multiple of the lower.

My 375HH w/ 1-5x scope shooting 200 grain Sierras (designed for 375 Winchester) @ 2,000fps is fantastic for white tail & hogs at 150yds or less. The bullet expands perfectly. I would consider the same rifle slinging 260 accubonds at 2,800fps too much for whitetail at that distance (carries 1,000ft-lbs and 1,300fps out to ~900yds on paper). No point in losing a tooth filling if you don't need too.