Caliber preference

[.270]

so packhorse, then you're bringin' your kid up to be unethical? i think i'm gonna get a .460 weatherby for the next time i hunt coues. never can tell when ya might run into a rhino. Lark.

[billrquimby]

i think i'm gonna get a .460 weatherby for the next time i hunt coues. never can tell when ya might run into a rhino. Lark.

 

Lark: I shot a javelina with my .458 Win Mag once, just so I could say I hunted on two continents with it.

 

I've also shot a .460 Weatherby at targets and I can tell you with some authority that the .458 Win Mag and the .460 Weatherby are too much gun for Arizona whitetails.

 

I propose that the Arizona Game and Fish Commission enact a rule stating that the .375 H&H Magnum shall be the maximum for this species.

 

If you decide on a .375, you might consider a English-made double gun shooting the rimless variety for the ultimate in couth and correctness.

 

 

Bill Quimby

[.270]

i shot a stink pig with a .45/90. i think you got me beat for overkill. i shot a .460 twice. only reason i fired the second shot is because i didn't believe it kicked that hard the first time. the second shot convinced me it did. i saw a guy kill a big 6x6 bull with a .378. dropped it in it's tracks with a shoulder shot and the bullet through and killed a cow about 100 yards on the other side of it. i left then. i guess if a guy was gonna shoot man eating rabid kodiaks on steroids, he might have use for one of the big weatherby's in north America. but only then. i have a friend who carries a cut down model 70 .458 when he guides kodiak hunters. it's his wounded bear gun. big guns and big bullets should be for big animals. i'd like to have a .375, but i want an alaskan. Lark.

[billrquimby]

"i shot a .460 twice. only reason i fired the second shot is because i didn't believe it kicked that hard the first time. the second shot convinced me it did."

 

 

 

Hope you didn't shoot that .460 without a muzzlebrake, Lark. Brakes really work. With one, the .460 usually leaves your corneas intact and only damages your hearing .

 

I shot the lion shown here with a .416 Weatherby without a brake because the PH and trackers wanted to keep their eardrums intact, but I will never shoot that rifle for "fun" or sight it in again without it.

 

I have two .375s, and they are manageable without a brake. Everything larger than that is pure pain.

 

If you want some real fun, try shooting a .600. The owner probably will want to collect the $50 per round the ammo costs before you do, just in case.

 

Bill Quimby

[donniedent]

Wow a .600!!! I didn't think they made anything that big without 8 wheels and tracks under it!

 

We disagreed on the last post but I'm with you on this one Lark!!! Except I prefer my Winchester model 70 7mm rem mag shooting 139 grain btsp's. I would use that gun and that load for almost everything in North America.

 

Fact is, there are so many good calibers out there now. Its like with different makes of bows, whatever fits you and you shoot the best... thats the caliber for you.

 

Donnie

[Hooked_on_Coues]

Once again I see that the Rabbit is the Master. Listen grasshoppers and learn.

 

 

260 caliber is the ultimate for medium to long range small to medium animals..........

 

260 remington is nice;

 

6.5X284 is really nice; 140 grain bullet with a BC over .600 going 3000 fps. Compare this load to a 180 .30 cal going 3000 at 600 yards - interesting stuff.

 

don't have one of the cool 6.5 cats yet so I have something to do yet.

[billrquimby]

... Except I prefer my Winchester model 70 7mm rem mag shooting 139 grain btsp's. I would use that gun and that load for almost everything in North America. Donnie

 

 

I've carried my 7mm Rem Mag on six continents, taking animals as large as eland and moose and as small as orabi, grysbok and duiker with it. 139-grain bullets are fine for game up to the size of elk. With 165-grain bullets, which I prefer, I would not hesitate to use it on anything that walks in North America, including brown and grizzly bears. It is flat-shooting and has acceptable recoil. I hold mine slightly above the center of an animal's shoulder out to 300 yards, touch the trigger and it drops. What more could I ask?

 

This does not mean there is anything wrong with the .243. It is ideal for deer-size animals, especially our little Arizona whitetails, and so are the 6mm Rem, 6.5x57, 6.5 Rem Mag, 7x57, .257 Roberts and .25-06.

 

Bill Quimby

[daryl_s]

25 Van Horn Express.

[Huntn coues]

All I know is I wouldn't want a pea shooter in my hand if there was a moose or charging buffalo.

[jamaro]

this thread has pretty much gone to pot... BUT.... When I was in Alaska the weapon of choice for the subsistence hunters was a .22 MAG.... They used to kill everything from Spruce Hens to Caribou to Muskox with those things.... They would laugh at my .300 win mag because they said it destroyed too much meat...

 

 

jason

[CouesUnlimited]

After reading all of the posts I almost forgot what the main topic was? i didn't read them all so forgive me if I'm reapeating. I would go with a 300 WSM but a 300 will do. I use to shoot a .243 and it got the job done. But if you make a bad shot, your too far, or something happens and you decide to let one fly unsteady, you want to make sure it has enough punch to get there and knock the deer down. Not saying you would or should take a bad shot, but in the heat of the moment when you jump a monster you never know. All the punch in the world dosen't mean a thing if you cannot hit what you shooting at. If you are comfortable with both go with the 300.

[wetmule]

I shot a buddy's 460 Wby. with no brake "once". Yep, I received the "Weatherby Award", that's right a scope indentation on my face with lots of blood. I even shot it off hand and my cheek waaay back on the stock with about a foot of eye relief. I reccomend, if you're gonna shoot one make sure it doesn't have a scope attached. I hate those things. My buddy and his family have every WBY gun ever made in every caliber with the most beautiful wood and all the trimmings, I'll take a good ol beat up model 70 .270 anyday.

[bobbyo]

You guys are some real freaky gun nuts. What could possibly be different from a .260, 270, ect. Lets see a 6mm(243) is not enough, but a 6.5(260) is perfect, but a .270 is too much gun. 50 dollar bullets? Try out all these repetitive calibers to see which one fits you best? A caliber has a fit like a t-shirt? What the heck? You guys obviously scared away the poor dude who started this post. The question asked that started this gun freak circus was "what should I take hunting for Coues a .243 or a 300 mag." The obvious answer is--- take them both.

Bob

[acharenio]

You guys are some real freaky gun nuts. What could possibly be different from a .260, 270, ect. Lets see a 6mm(243) is not enough, but a 6.5(260) is perfect, but a .270 is too much gun. 50 dollar bullets? Try out all these repetitive calibers to see which one fits you best? A caliber has a fit like a t-shirt? What the heck? You guys obviously scared away the poor dude who started this post. The question asked that started this gun freak circus was "what should I take hunting for Coues a .243 or a 300 mag." The obvious answer is--- take them both.

Bob

i didn't got scare but i did'n expect to create such commotion with my question, anyway thanks to everyone.

why this guys got so upset with eachother??

i will follow bobby o's advice and take both.

[.270]

7mm's are for girls. Lark.