{"id":15812,"date":"2020-01-03T20:38:23","date_gmt":"2020-01-03T20:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/?p=15812"},"modified":"2020-01-03T20:38:29","modified_gmt":"2020-01-03T20:38:29","slug":"picking-your-expert-cartridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/picking-your-expert-cartridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Picking Your Expert\/Cartridge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019ve been a bit under the weather for the last several days; it appears I\u2019ve finally fallen victim to the winter cold. Between sneezing and trying to empty a Kleenex box within one hour, it’s hard to get a decent night’s rest. So, I pulled an old book from a shelf. The Hunting Rifle<\/em><\/strong> by Jack O\u2019Connor was written in 1970 and is considered a classic. I was never really an O\u2019Connor fan; our birthdays and an appreciation for the 270 Winchester is about all we have in common. Still, it\u2019s solid research for a book project I\u2019ve just started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In first chapter of the book\u2014Picking Your Expert\u2014ol\u2019 Jack essentially lambasts all of his gun writing brethren with regard to their opinions and suggestions with regard to hunting rifle cartridges. If you read between the lines you can see O\u2019Connor took shots at all of his living contemporaries, but the only writer named<\/em> was his late friend Townsend Whelen. I got no problem with airing disagreements but find it tad bit ungentlemanly to call out a dead guy who cannot defend himself. (Doing so invites and justifies the same when you kick the bucket.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no aspect of the hunting rifle more controversial than the cartridge. Ironically, of all the features of a hunting rifle, the cartridge is very likely the least important. Obviously the caveat of \u201cwithin reason\u201d applies; only a fool would consider hunting an elephant with a 223 Remington or prairie dogs with a 470 Nitro. However, gun writers tend to build their persona around cartridges. You cannot argue O\u2019Connor\u2019s indelible link to the 270 Winchester, Ron Spomer\u2019s seemingly love for anything that shoots a 7mm bullet, and Bryce Townley\u2019s infatuation with cartridges that kick hard enough to cause brain damage over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The selection of most hunting rifle cartridges is based on about 40% practicality, 30% availability, and about 30% personality. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These infatuations with cartridges or cartridge characteristics are mostly an expression of human nature and individual personality; some guys like blondes, some like red heads, and some prefer Guinness to Bud Lite. The reality is that for the most part, there is very little difference in modern big game cartridges. For example, if you were to conduct an autopsy of two elk\u2014one taken with a 308 Winchester and the other with a 300 Winchester Magnum, which were both killed with the same bullet\u2014you would have a 50% chance of guessing which cartridge killed which bull. And guess what, a guess would be exactly what you would make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though few folks will agree, the terminal performance differences between bullets is much broader than the terminal performance differences between cartridges. Lethality is better measured by how a bullet interacts with hide, cartilage, muscle, and bone, than what is written on a headstamp of a cartridge case. On the other hand, if one of those elk were shot with a 180-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip and the other with a 180-grain Barnes Triple Shock, I\u2019m 90% confident I could match the dead bull to the bullet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
This wildcat .257 caliber cartridge based on the 6.5 Creedmoor case will out perform the 250 AI and the 257 Roberts. It’s also just about ideal for any non-dangerous game world wide. But, as cool and as effective as it is, it’s not a great choice because you’ll have to handled for it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Admittedly, I\u2019m partial to a variety of cartridges, but there is nothing magic about any of them. I\u2019ve always liked anything that shoots a bullet in .257 diameter. This is because bullets for this caliber tend to span the bullet weight needs for the critters I want to shoot; there are 75-grain bullets for little critters, and 110-120 grain bullets for the bigger stuff. And, none of them generate excessive recoil. My current infatuation is with a .25 caliber cartridge I wildcatted from the 6.5 Creedmoor. I\u2019d not suggest you get one because you\u2019ll have to handload for it. (There\u2019s nothing wrong with handloading until you must<\/em> to do it in order to shoot.)\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m also very fond of\u00a0using<\/em>\u00a0the 308 Winchester for big game because, it will do 95% of anything I will ever need done, it will do it from a short action, and with not too much<\/em> recoil. At the same time, I do not like the 308 because it is rather boring and ubiquitous. (By the way,\u00a0ubiquitous<\/em>\u00a0is a favorite word of gun writers and one that I\u2019ve tried to avoid using. This may be the first time I\u2019ve written it in 20+ years and I’m quite sure I’ve never spoken it–hillbillies don’t say words like that.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also have a soft spot for the 35 Remington, particularly when hunting the hills of West Virginia where shots are generally close, and a fast handling lever gun seems about ideal. With the right bullet\/load, like the Buffalo Bore Heavy 220-grain jacketed flat nose<\/a>, this 114-year-old cartridge will handle anything in North America as long as the shot distance is consistent with a shot a reasonable man would take with an open-sighted lever action rifle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Buffalo Bore’s Heavy 35 Remington load will work for anything in North America and for all the plains game in Africa, at least at the distances most hunters have any business shooting a lever action rifle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I do not like the 280 Remington, the 30-06, or anything in .338 caliber. With the exception of the 45-70, I do not like anything over .375 caliber. And those facts should mean absolutly nothing to you. (I don’t like Ford trucks either, but who cares.) The 280 can do anything the 270 can, and the 30-06 can do anything you need to do. I just do not\u00a0like<\/em>\u00a0either and have stated my reasons in print before. I once wrote such an article<\/a> for NRA\u2019s American Hunter magazine and not only did some demand I be fired from the magazine; my manhood and life were threatened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there we have a perfect example of all of this cartridge stupidness. Some seem to be of the mind that cartridges have feelings and can be disrespected. Others believe certain cartridges have near magic like qualities that allow them to perform better than others; bullets, ballistics, and facts, be damned. And, for just about every mainstream cartridge there\u2019s a gun writer somewhere singing its praises. Why? Because he likes it and it worked for him, which is a very pragmatic and practical reason to sing the praises of, well, anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some also argue we have way too many cartridges, and that some are an answer in search of a question. I very much disagree. Every cartridge was created for a specific reason and given the perplexities of all of the humans who hunt with rifles, if we keep making new ones maybe someday everyone will have their very own. And maybe, most importantly, this hoard of rifle hunting cartridges and the associated debates they inspire will keep gun writers like me working. It also allows you, as O\u2019Connor suggested in the first chapter of his book, to pick your expert. Well you\u2019re not really picking an expert, what you\u2019re really doing is finding someone who\u2019s published word just agrees with what you already believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A good bullet can go a long way in making up for bad cartridge selection that was based primarily on personality and bad advice from some expert<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not a rifle hunting cartridge expert. In fact, I\u2019m not sure how that qualification could even even be obtained. I am however often asked for advice when it comes to cartridge selection. Because of its nonpartisan stance, my answer\u2014my standard answer\u2014never satisfies. I simply suggest you should select a cartridge you like, pick a good bullet, and learn how to shoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to like the cartridge you\u2019re hunting with because you\u2019re going to have to defend it at the campfire. And fortunately, the good bullet you have chosen, and the excellent marksmanship skill you surely possess, will make up for most any cartridge selection mistakes you might have made.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m not a rifle hunting cartridge expert. In fact, I\u2019m not sure how that qualification could even be obtained. I am however often asked for advice when it comes to cartridge selection. Because of its nonpartisan stance, my answer\u2014my standard answer\u2014never satisfies. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2821,2522,2820],"tags":[716,158,1938],"class_list":["post-15812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-empty-cases-exclusive","category-hunt","category-latest","tag-35-remington","tag-buffalo-bore","tag-ron-spomer"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/BB-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C591&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-472","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14428,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-big-book-of-big-game-hunting\/","url_meta":{"origin":15812,"position":0},"title":"The Big Book of Big Game Hunting","author":"gunwriter","date":"September 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"If you were going to write a book about big game hunting \u2013 a big book about big game hunting \u2013 how would you know what to include? If you\u2019d hunted all over the world, for all sorts of big critters, with all sorts of rifles, you\u2019d have the experience\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "EDITORIAL"","block_context":{"text":"EDITORIAL","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BGB-6","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/BGB-6.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/BGB-6.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/BGB-6.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/BGB-6.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7770,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-empty-cases-guide-to-being-a-real-gun-using-outdoor-kind-of-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":15812,"position":1},"title":"The Empty Cases’ Guide to Being a Real, Gun Using, Outdoor Kind of Man","author":"gunwriter","date":"November 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Own a truck. Carry a knife. Always. The only time you should not have a knife is when you are naked, in a bed or when you\u2019re swimming. (Real men swim, they don\u2019t play in the water. And, there is only one kind of knife and that\u2019s a sharp one.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Empty Cases Exclusive"","block_context":{"text":"Empty Cases Exclusive","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/empty-cases-exclusive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/With-Dog.jpg?fit=350%2C525&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15457,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wife-mom-hunter\/","url_meta":{"origin":15812,"position":2},"title":"Wife, Mom, Hunter","author":"gunwriter","date":"January 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I've said many times that I believe the secret to passing on the heritage of hunting is with moms. If dad is the only hunter, kids consider it a hobby. If dad and mom hunt, kids regard it as a lifestyle.","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Drema-Africa-3.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Drema-Africa-3.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Drema-Africa-3.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Drema-Africa-3.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7837,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/only-one-rifle\/","url_meta":{"origin":15812,"position":3},"title":"Only One Rifle","author":"gunwriter","date":"December 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Choosing one rifle cartridge might seem to be a difficult decision. The key to making the choice easy is to remove all emotional attachment to the cartridges you love to shoot, roll between your fingers and pontificate about. I really enjoy the .30 Remington AR, like the .250 Savage and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jack Ellis with his first buck. Taken with Remington's 62 grain Core Lokt Ultra Bonded load.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/DO-1-184x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7448,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/hunting-bullets-explained\/","url_meta":{"origin":15812,"position":4},"title":"Hunting Bullets Explained","author":"gunwriter","date":"August 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"HERE is a good breakdown of the differences between different hunting bullets. Ron Spomer has a lot of experience shooting big game animals all over the world with a lot of different bullets which is why when I put together the book, Rifle Bullets for the Hunter I had Ron\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BB 35 Whelen Bullet","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/BB-35-Whelen-Bullet-300x295.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14174,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/asking-for-research-assistance\/","url_meta":{"origin":15812,"position":5},"title":"Asking for Research Assistance","author":"gunwriter","date":"January 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm conducting some research with regard to shooters who own Scout Rifles or who are interested in Scout Rifles. I'm of the opinion that even though the Scout Rifle is considered a one-rifle answer or the only rifle you need, most who own or want one have a lot of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"rm7-16","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/RM7-16.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/RM7-16.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/RM7-16.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/RM7-16.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15812"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15845,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15812\/revisions\/15845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}