This has been a debate for numerous years and will continue to be a debate among hunters for all eternity. There’s numerous different calibers of rifles to choose from. Probably the most well-liked being the.270 and 30.06. More recently the 7mm and.300 have began to turn out to be mainstream rifles to take large game hunting. Most will agree it all depends on what kind of animal you’re hunting. Obviously utilizing a.270 with a low grain cartridge for a full grown bull moose is not the very best option. Although some will argue it’s ok if your shot placement is spot on.
5 months before my first big game hunt my father bought me my first Remington.270 bolt action. I loved that Remington.270 trigger it was the rifle I shot and killed my initial mule deer with, a stunning 4-point buck. Nevertheless when I started hunting elk I upgraded to a Remington 30.06 bolt action on my father’s recommendation. I can still remember him saying “elk are very strong animals and are very hard to put down.” That statement has stuck with me for numerous years and usually comes to my mind when I’m elk hunting.
I can still keep in mind the first elk I shot and killed. The region I hunt is spike only so that makes my choices simple. I spotted him 2 days into the hunt about 450 yards away from my position. He was a large majestic spike. He had to be two years old because of the size of his body and his antlers or his father was a fantastic large bull. Anyway the first shot that hit him went straight via his vitals, which didn’t stop him from moving downhill and I proceeded to put two more rounds into him finally bringing him down. I was in awe at the shear strength and power that these animals have. My father was certainly right.
My father uses a.300 semi-auto Browning which is a beautiful rifle and has a lot of knock down power. I sighted the scope in for him and ended up with a big ole bruise on my shoulder the next day.
For the last 10 years I’ve been utilizing my Remington 30.06 to hunt mule deer and elk and that caliber appears to be the best for me.
When it comes to which rifle to use I recommend bigger is much better and utilizing the highest grain cartridge feasible. The worst thing for a hunter is wounding an animal and not being able to find it. A lot of us can relate a story or two concerning that. Nothing makes a hunter feel worse than that. I make certain when I hit an animal it’s going down. An additional recommendation would be to make certain you’re practicing all year with your rifle, it’s extremely true that a well placed shot from nearly any rifle will put down a large game animal.