| Ya cai'nt hunt by no numbers. A 44 Magnum puts out barely 1000
ft-lbs. Inadequate for deer ? How about a 357 Magnum at barely
600 ft-lbs ? (That's half your 1200 figure.)
Bullet placement, construction, penetration, and expansion make
a lot more fifference than KE numbers. I'd rather shoot a deer
with a 38 Special +P load than a 25-grain 17 caliber Remington,
even though the latter shows more kinetic energy.
What is more important than raw numbers is an awareness of the
limitations of an individual load. The above-mentioned 357 Magnum
is not _underpowered_, it is _limited_. Limited to a certain range,
a certain shot placement, and a high level of skill. Let's say for
argument sake 100 yards maximum, broadside shot on standing deer,
shooter capable of hitting a 4-inch circle, reliable bullet.
A 300 Winchester Magnum is much less _limited_. For argument sake,
adequate killing power to 350 yards, capable of shooting through
some bone, or raking shots through more of the animal, shot
placement not _quite_ as critical.
The real question is, *what can you live with?* Are you one of those
people who loses sleep because a deer walked by out of range ?
Or are you one of those guys who'll take 80 yard shots with a
bow, and 400 yard potshots with a 30-30 ?
Maybe I'm lucky. I started hunting with a bow, and watched many
deer walk by out of range. I learned, and am still working on
learning, how to get closer, patterning the deer movement in
order to be right where the deer will pass. I have to be right,
within 25-30 yards. If I'm not, I get to watch a deer in a natural,
undisturbed environment. (And there ain't a damn thing I can do about
it ;-) ) I've seen dedicated gun hunters agonize over having a deer
pass by out of range, to the point of giving up the sport. I can't help
but feel a bit sorry for these guys.
I get a real charge out of some gun writers (Charlie Askins comes
to mind) who think nothing of hunting deer at distances of 3-400
yards, and brag about their never-ending series of long shots.
My gut reaction is always, couldn't you close the gap ? I know
it isn't always possible, that sometimes that 300 yard shot is
all you get, but I get the feeling some people are more interested
in shooting accurate rifles than _hunting_.
Bottom line, know your limitations, know your equipment's limitations,
and if you can't accept those limitations, change what you have to.
It may be your gun, it may be your skill level, it may be your
attitude. Or a combination of all three.
Dana
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| Yes, I agree with Dana, it isn't the muzzle power that counts but
a set of parameters who depend from the kind of animal you're hunting
(in this case deer), but also what kind of hunting you adopt (long
range or short range, using shotguns, revolvers or rifles with or
without scopes).
Also restricting for instance the topic to a single cartrige, like
the 30-06 you can have less or more succes in knocking down the
target, changing the kind of bullet. Somebody could think than a
heavy bullet like a 210grs SP could be better than a light 150grs
SPSP. It depends! From the dinstance, from the kind of environment.
A 2" tree branch is able to completely destroy a 150 SPSP. Not the
same for the 210grs. Anyway, the 210grs couldn't trasfer to the
target all the energy because can cross it, while the 150grs more
easy expands and stops in the body.
In other words it's only the experience you more and more increase
each day you'll hunt that will provide you the best solution for
your way of hunting. A 44M shot by a M29 or Super RedHawk
could be OK at the same way of a 300Winch Mag shot by a bolt action.
Personally, since in Europe the use of revolvers is forbidden for
hunting, I use a Sauer 300WM with a Swarowsky scope. This because
it's very difficult to approach deers so, a round with a good energy
on a long dinstance is recommended.
Riccardo
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