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which caliber for all around use?

13K views 101 replies 28 participants last post by  nmckenzie 
#1 · (Edited)
discussion about 3 calibers for all around hunting and other predator elemination.

the choices under discussion are 308, 7.62 x 39 and 7.62 x 54r..

how would you rank them and why?

animals to be hunted..deer, antelope,moose, hogs,bears,caribu expected ranges from 200 yd to 1500 yd with occasional shots up to 2000 if the rifle can do this.

predators..the usual up to and including some 2 legged types...:eek:

feel free to bring forth others for consiteration for the uses and ranges above!!

must be commerically available and reloadable!!
 
#29 ·
umm we always called bayos "pig stickers" so why not? after all the tenderest spot on a hog is their nose. so when charged by one just stick the sticker in its nose and pull the trigger! the sticker keeps the muzzle from being clogged by the pigs body!
 
#30 ·
HA! that one made me laugh out loud..

If you ever find yourself treed by a determined pig a 16" spike bayonet isnt going to do you much good unless you can thrust that rifle with enough force to penetrate a 1/2" thick brow bone on a pissed off hog, then hold on to it with enough grip to keep the thrashing hog from ripping the rifle out of your hand.

Do yourself a favor and carry a little extra ammo. Bullets are way faster at killing and much safer to use in that situation.
 
#31 ·
personally if I was treeded by a hog, I would most likely not have my rifle as I have found I can RUN AND CLIMB much faster without having it in my hands! so that is why I always carry a revolver on my hip! at least I would have it! and actually I prefer a good skinning knife to a "pig sticker" it weighs less and is usually sharper!

and if I had to fend off a hog I would much preferr a lead filled bat! we used to have to catch up pigs (babys) by hand, and momma ALWAYS took offense at that! we always used 3 catchers and 2 "fenders" have never seen a hog not back up 2-3 steps when that bat impacts the nose! gives a body time to get across the steel fence before they recovered! we learned early on that a sow can tear though a wood fence in about 3 sec. a mad boar in 2!
 
#34 ·
I too carry my .S&W .357 hog hunting. If were running traps its serving backup to my .22. And if were deer hunting its backup to whatever I decided to field that day. usually my .44 mag leveraction.
 
#35 · (Edited)
is it legal to hunt with a bayo? hadn't ever thought about it.

I always have a knife with me.. have even had a bayo /knife with me a few times.. never had one 'fixed' though..
Nope! Read your states hunting regulations. It will lay our for you the leagal methods for taking game. And a knife, of any kind, won't be on that list. I think that some states might view hogs as scavengers, and then the rules might not apply.
 
#36 ·
Nope! Read your states hunting regulations. It will lay our for you the leagal methods for taking game. And a knife, of any kind, won't be on that list. I think that some states might view hogs as scavengers, and then the rules might not apply.
i don't think you read my post.

I'm not talking about taking game with a knife. i'm talking about :

A, having a knife on my person while hunting.. ( pretty common )

and

B, legslities of someone hunting with a rifle that had a bayo fixed and extended on it. IE.. fixed for charge.. etc.

soundguy
 
#38 ·
think about it for a bit,,
.22 for rabbits, squirrel on the table and lil varmits,, 30 to 50 grain bullets/
6mm Rem, (243) for every thing in between,, 55 to 110 grain bullets/
30-06 for all the bigger stuff,,100 to 220 grain bullets/
those 3 calibers will cover all the bullet weights for almost all concievable needs,, if u need to stop a tank well then ?? run and hide or get out the canons
 
#39 ·
on a slight tangent but, Gerber has a beautiful skinning knife (fixed blade) for $18! Had to share.



saw it yesterday in the PX at Schofield Barracks on my trip to Hawaii this week, probably a bit more in other places but pretty impressed with the low price; looks like a good knife even for that cheap.

I think we should pick a best caliber by weapon type, one for pistol, shotgun and rifle.

So IMO, it's a tie between .45 ACP or .357 mag for pistol

still .308 for rifle or all around caliber

and of course 12g for shotties.
 
#40 ·
Technically thats not a tie as .45acp would be king of pistols and .357 would be king for revolvers. Then again there are some fantastic .45 acp revolvers out there, and coonan and Desert eagle both offer excellent .357 mag pistols. so on second thought youre right about the tie..
 
#41 ·
Technically thats not a tie as .45acp would be king of pistols and .357 would be king for revolvers. Then again there are some fantastic .45 acp revolvers out there, and coonan and Desert eagle both offer excellent .357 mag pistols. so on second thought youre right about the tie..
Hey what happened to the 45lc? it is better than the 357 mag! I love the 357 dont get me wrong but the 45 lc just plain out does the 357 all day long!:eek:
 
#42 ·
well that depends on what youre comparing hunter..

Modern .45 colt loaded to ruger pressures then hell yes it out performs the .357. but original .45 colt compared to .357 mag doesnt hold a candle to the performance of the .357 mag. Comparing modern .45 colt to .357 mag is like comparing .44 mag to .357 mag.

.45 acp is ballistically equal to the .45 colt (230 gr at 850 VS 255 gr at 800) and chambered in a way cooler gun (1911:cool:) revolver wise. id take the .45 colt in a S&W 625 or a moutain gun. Killing power wise you neednt much more than a 255 gr slug at 800 fps. and if you do you have 6 shots.
 
#43 ·
yeah, old .45 LC is like throwing a rock, with the newer high pressure capability, it's a freakin' cannon.

.357 punches like no other! 125gn moving at 1900 fps is hard to argue with for a medium handgun cartridge.
 
#45 ·
JLA, when you say the 45apc is ballistically equal to the .45 colt (230 gr at 850 VS 255 gr at 800), you are of course comparing to a cowboy load! The most common factory loads for the .45 Colt give a 225 grain lead HP bullet a muzzle velocity of 960 fps and an energy of 460 ft. lbs. Or a 250-255 grain lead bullet a MV of 860 fps and a ME of 410 ft. lbs http://www.chuckhawks.com/45Colt.htm

lets pleasecompare apples to apples ..ok? and even though the 357 does have a highrt muzzel vel, it is using a much lighter bullet weight... which would you think is more painful and damaging to be hit by..a 1 lb hammer at 100 fps (357) or a 6 lb hammer at 70fps? (45lc)

the 6 lb even being slower will do much more damage and over a wider area than the 1 lb hammer! thei shows up even better in balistic gel! thats why the military went with the 45apc over the 357..damage pure and simple! heavy and slow creats more damage than fast and light!
 
#46 ·
no one's knocking the .45 LC, just talking about a best all-round cartrige; .45 LC is a strong contender in certain cases but all around the .357 has (always been) a powerhouse. And numbers don't always tell the true story when it comes to true performance. I've loaded plenty of .45 ACP that easily reach 960fps with 230gn bullets and have loaded plenty of .45 LC's with 250gns moving at a mere 700 fps. 20 gns is not a huge difference for one, a couple hundred fps is not either especially in the same caliber.

but looking at the terminal performance of a cartridge half the size and causing much more damage in many cases can elevate a round's potential. a .45 LC loaded hot and heavy in the right gun will certainly outdo a .357. But ALL .357's meet a certain level that frequently exceeds the old .45 LC.

The .500 S&W is much more powerful than the .357 but it's not as practical. that's the whole argument here I think when trying to choose a 'best' round.

course, choosing a 'best' round usually sparks plenty of debate which is always good too! let's hear the best and worst of 'em all....
 
#47 · (Edited)
and not to be a putz, but the military chose the .45 long before the .357 ever showed itself. and the military also dumped the .45 for the 9mm, half the weight, twice the velocity (and not happy about it myself). just sayin....
 
#48 ·
considering a 357 is in the same frame size pattern as a '38' vs a larger frame size of a 45lc i think it may be easier to carry a 357.. less materials used in the ammo as well.

i have no dislike for either... just saying...
 
#49 · (Edited)
no one's knocking the .45 LC, just talking about a best all-round cartrige; .45 LC is a strong contender in certain cases but all around the .357 has (always been) a powerhouse. And numbers don't always tell the true story when it comes to true performance. I've loaded plenty of .45 ACP that easily reach 960fps with 230gn bullets and have loaded plenty of .45 LC's with 250gns moving at a mere 700 fps. 20 gns is not a huge difference for one, a couple hundred fps is not either especially in the same caliber.

I think I could agree with most of the above..

but looking at the terminal performance of a cartridge half the size and causing much more damage in many cases can elevate a round's potential. a .45 LC loaded hot and heavy in the right gun will certainly outdo a .357. But ALL .357's meet a certain level that frequently exceeds the old .45 LC.

I respectufully disagree with the damage you claim, while I agree the 357 does damage way out of porportion to its size..it does not do more damage than a 45 either in lc or apc. and remember the "old" 45lc were BP. todays average factory loads are at the high end of the BP load chart! heck todays factory 45lc is basically loaded to mid level so to advoid lawsuits! that means todays 45lc has the potential to have a MV of 1000 to 1200 fps at the high end. Not that I would want to shoot that level all day!!
the sheer size of the bullet is what makes the 45 so damaging..bones just dont defect it like it does a 357. although Both do a excllent job of penatration!! the 45 just "bulldozes" through better!

course, choosing a 'best' round usually sparks plenty of debate which is always good too! let's hear the best and worst of 'em all....
its fun talking about this stuff!! we all get to learn so much!!

and not to be a putz, but the military chose the .45 long before the .357 ever showed itself. and the military also dumped the .45 for the 9mm, half the weight, twice the velocity (and not happy about it myself). just sayin....
the military went to the 45apc to gain extra capacity and needed to move to a semi- auto platform.

then NATO steped in and forced the military to rethink, NATO felt the 45 caused too much of a wound, causing too many "crippling" and unhumanitiarn injuries. there by being "cruel and unjust"!

considering a 357 is in the same frame size pattern as a '38' vs a larger frame size of a 45lc i think it may be easier to carry a 357.. less materials used in the ammo as well.

i have no dislike for either... just saying...
agreeded, but consiter this..IF treeded by a hog or bear..heck even a mean bull..having dropped your rifle to enable you to more quickly clime said tree...which gun woud you rather have?? remember you may only be able to get a straight on head shot!!

A 357 may penetrate the hog head, but may take 3-4 shots before finally penetrating the skull. the bear and the bull?? not likely. I know about the bull cause I got treeded once. back then I carried a 357 mag revolver..all I did was make that bull madder!! found out later the local slaughter house used a 45 lc to put down the bulls that they couldnt get to enter the chutes. usually 1 shot did the trick..you know if a bull is after you he ALWAYS keeps his heat facing you?? ALWAYS!

the 45 either in 45lc or apc 1 to 2 shots on the hog, 3 possibly on the bear, 4 maybe on the bull..but each shot would really ring their bells and may cause then to decide its not a good idea to continue the pursuit...

and please remember I didnt question the 45 apc in the PISTOL just the 357 in the revolver..I think I will willingly cary the extra 8-12 0z in weight for the extra power the 45 lc gives me. course I love revolvers beyond compare (just love the old west type SSA and the western holsters!!) but wouldnt turn down a semi in 45 either!
 
#50 ·
Heck..I helped Hijack my own thread!! we started discussing rifles and now are discussing backup side arms to go with those rifles!!

I just LOVE these discussions!!!
 
#51 ·
agreeded, but consiter this..IF treeded by a hog or bear..heck even a mean bull..having dropped your rifle to enable you to more quickly clime said tree...which gun woud you rather have?? remember you may only be able to get a straight on head shot!!

A 357 may penetrate the hog head, but may take 3-4 shots before finally penetrating the skull. the bear and the bull?? not likely. I know about the bull cause I got treeded once. back then I carried a 357 mag revolver..all I did was make that bull madder!! found out later the local slaughter house used a 45 lc to put down the bulls that they couldnt get to enter the chutes. usually 1 shot did the trick..you know if a bull is after you he ALWAYS keeps his heat facing you?? ALWAYS!

the 45 either in 45lc or apc 1 to 2 shots on the hog, 3 possibly on the bear, 4 maybe on the bull..but each shot would really ring their bells and may cause then to decide its not a good idea to continue the pursuit...

and please remember I didnt question the 45 apc in the PISTOL just the 357 in the revolver..I think I will willingly cary the extra 8-12 0z in weight for the extra power the 45 lc gives me. course I love revolvers beyond compare (just love the old west type SSA and the western holsters!!) but wouldnt turn down a semi in 45 either!
i have cattle, so understand the 'bull' problem. I've had to make a mad dash for a fence, throw myself over it and land in a sticker bush before, when forgetting what corral i was crossing thru :)

as for which to take hunting around bear, boar or bull? a 45lc or a 357mag? minimum I'd carry is 44mag. i'm not really a wheelgun guy.. but I must say.. i like my anaconda. I have a 500mag as well.. but it's huge.. like carrying another rifle almost..
 
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