On the whitetail, the big Hawk left an exit hole of considerable size. Not only did the buck go down promptly, but the blood tra

[rudyglove27]

Agreed with DakotaMan and + 1 for you sir!!!

[DakotaMan]

Big and heavy is nice when hunting in the thick brush; no doubt. However, hunting out in the open like we see out west, I will take flat shooting speed every time. I could never tolerate having to say good bye to a trophy muley trucking flat out for the horizon at 300 yards. Sorry but the hold over and lead required by a 45-70 makes it all but an impossible shot; it's even a little tricky if they are standing still with such a slow moving hunk of lead. I hear lots of interesting talk of "hunting" them but nine times out of ten, that will be a muley you never see again if you don't plant him quick. I use a measley little 25-06 and have NEVER had trouble with full penetration or blood trail (although blood trail has never meant anything to me because nearly all the time, the deer collapses directly where he was hit) and I am sure that I could expect the same from a 7mm or similar "little" bullet. In thick brush, I have used a .35 Remington and loved it. Where the shots are at 30-50 yards and through the brush, big and slow is hard to beat but I do not consider it universal just because it works well in some situations just as I do not consider the 25-06 universal.

[Jim in Mo]

Golfing Sportsman, this past deer season my stepson and I was deer hunting, he with his 12ga and Hornady Tipped slugs. He shot a very nice buck shot from upper shoulder down thru body that was literally thrown down and not to get up. He was not in a stand the deer was coming uphill.

[Hunter Savage]

thanks bee keeper

i have a box of 210grain nosler partition i am itching to load . but will defiantly try the hornady interlock i shoot a lot of hornady bullets in other calibers as well

[idahooutdoors]

While a fan of the "reach out and touch something" fast magnums myself, my Uncle from Darby Montana has hunted every season for the last 40 with a 45-70. He has taken more elk and deer than about anyone I know, and has spent a lot of time in the backcountry as a guide and just enoying the country with his packstring. He says most of his hunting and shots are 100 yards or less and the 45-70 puts game down and doesn't damage as much meat as the more modern fast and small cartridges do.

[Golfing Sportsman]

Gotta say, I use the ultimate big and slow, a one ounce 12 gauge foster style slug at 1600 fps. Maximum range and I mean Maximum is 75 yards. Have shot close to two dozen deer with this load and have never had one "drop" the most common reaction is a sprint of 50 yards or so, then they stop, look around, stumble, fall down, get back up then fall down for good. Big slugs, going slow make big holes, the tend to "punch" right through everything with little expansion or fragmentation. It is remarkable to see the skinned ribcage of a deer, a 12 bore hole in it you can look through, and very little trauma and hemorrhaging around the hole. I guess the point is that big and slow kills very well, not especially fast, nor is it easy to hit with big and slow, but if you do hit you wont lose your deer.

[bonnier-admin_2]

25-06 with 120 grain Nosler Partitions completely blows the shoulders out but I prefer 100-117 Soft Points. Big and slow may be fine, but the ricochet factor cannot be!

My #1 choice is a HCA 4Runner!

[Beekeeper]

Cooner,

The 200 grain Hornady Interlock has been a great deer and hog bullet. My loads for that bullet test pretty close to the velocity published in the Hornady manual.

[Hunter Savage]

bee keeper

i am glad to hear you love your 338-06 . i am waiting for a barrel blank in 338 to come from mid way as i write this, it is been on back order for what seems like forever now but when it comes in yippy. i got the reamer and the head space gage already . but i cant wait to try out my 338-06 a square ackly improved . she is going to be my new ( mammal hammer )

[BuckTheSystem]

Overall, I would say yes, people are over focused on how far they can shoot. This is a classic comparison of speed vs strength (do you want a running back that is fast or one that can break through the line). As with everything in life, there is an appropriate middle ground for the best results of the situation.

[steve182]

I think there is some merit to both philosophies. In a pinch, i'll go for the bigger/slower over small and fast. Like shane said, i'm hunting, not shooting. If i was hunting wide open terrain, like grasslands, beanfields or plains, i'll take the speed.

[Beekeeper]

Cooner,

No doubt it was well worth the change of underwear! What a deal. I had a chance to buy a #3 in .375 and passed it up. It was late 80's and I could have bought the gun for $285! I wish I could get another chance at one...

I'll just keep shooting my 45/70 and my .338/06 when I feeel the need for a large bullet. The .338/06 is one of the best decisions I've made in a rifle. Not much more recoil than a 30/06 and It will do most anything that can be done with a .338 Win mag. The .338/06 is the classic example of percieved lower velocity not selling a round.

[Big O]

As I've stated before. I'm from the "Keith"/"Ruark" schools. "Bigger IS better/use enough gun".
In deferance to certain people who love smaller rounds, unless I'm shooting squirel's or pred.'s it will AT LEAST be a .30 cal.
I love a blood trail Ray Charles could show to Stevie Wonder, at least when there is a trail. Most times it's as said before, BANG, FLOP !

[Hunter Savage]

bee keeper , i love my big bore she is in the side of the cabinet that will never be parted with lol . the #3 i bought two years ago for four hundred used, the guy says to me i got some ammo that goes with it and gives me 9 boxes of ammo. it is worth almost what i paid for the gun . i dont mind saying i almost pee'd my pants i was so happy . : )

[Jim in Mo]

Absolutely, I'd guess 90% of us shoot deer at less than 150yds, more like 75. Big bores do amazing things. As far as slow, that's all relative. What many people don't realize is the slow bullet they are talking about is actually traveling at twice the speed of sound and better. That's a lotta slug movin there.