Marginal hunting loads????

[GunnyJohn]

This term has come to really irritate me. I just finished reading Surfdog's hunting story, and someone mentioned how they had heard that a 44 was a "marginal" hunting load. I try not to judge people to much on their choice of weapons for hunting. I figure that a person hunts with what they have and what they know. But I have come to believe that the term "marginal hunting load" must be some kind of a liberal term. A few years ago, this guy that always camped in the same area as us, met myself and a friend on the trail. He had a brand new rifle that year. So I asked him, whatcha got there? He tells me it's a 300 RUM. I told him it was a nice looking rifle, and asked how it shot. He tells me all about it. So I tell him sounds like a dandy. So he asked me what I had. I told him it was a 35 Whelen. Then he begins to tell me how that might not be enough rifle for that country. I asked him politely not to tell the elk, as so far they hadn't figured it out. Heck my Dad used to feed us with a mode 94 in 32 Win Spl. None of those critters new he didn't have enough rifle for the country. Sorry for the long rant, it just amazes me when people make statements like that.

[fightthenoise]

I agree with you especially with modern bullets. Bullet technology has all but negated cartridge selection. However, I hesitate to assume everything I don’t agree with originated with the liberals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dan Cash]

Such statements and opinions are often expressed by those who know a lot of wrong stuff.

[skeettx]

YES!! And the older I get the smaller recoil guns are my go to guns
Mike

[GunnyJohn]

YES!! And the older I get the smaller recoil guns are my go to guns
Mike

You are surely right about that. I'm doing some load development for my old "Red Ryder" for deer. Hahaha

[Hamish]

"Marginal" ranks right up there with "Hard Cast",,,,,,,

[WebMonkey]

"we" as a species, are pretty judgmental.
in another thread, "we" dumped on people using too much gun, another, too little gun.

i'll speak up if i'm in the vicinty of unsafe behavior, but not about a "legal for state" choice in hunting cartridge.
light or heavy.

i just want to eat!

[waksupi]

As soon as I heard he was shooting a throat burner like a .300 RUM, I would have discounted any firearm opinion from that point.
Anyone who thinks a .35 Whelen is not enough gun in hunting, adds to that view that he is a bit foolish.

[stubshaft]

The gunwriters write articles so that the manufacturers cans sell guns which pay the gunwriters salary. This creates eggspurts who have read the almighty word of the writers and believes it to be true.

I would go on a limb and say that more animals have probably been killed with a .22lr than any other caliber. The trend as I see it is to shoot animals from a great distance. The hunting/stalking aspect is no longer viable for these nimrods. I like to get close and make a precise shot into the vitals.

[Eutectic]

Kind of reminds me of a story an ol' Montana buddy told me one time.......

Three out of state elk hunters were in National Forest woods in Montana. They stepped on everything that made noise and the old man heard them coming..... As they walked into the old man's camp they jumped as they finally saw him.

"You see any bull elk?" One asked the old man.
"Nope", He replied.
"You huntin' elk?" The younger of the group asked.
"Naw.... Take one if I see him."

The younger one showed the old man his new gun. It was a then newly introduced .350 Remington Magnum. The younger one was proud of his gun as he explained its attributes.
"Kinda like a .35 Whelen from what you are sayin'." The old man spoke....
"NO! Way more power than that old thing!"
"Yah don't say?" The oldster said.
"Yeah if you can hit him! That thing shoots about as flat as a rainbow!" The more senior city slicker teased holding his .300 Weatherby high in the air.
"How far yah think you can shoot in these woods?" The old man grinned.

Seeing the old man had irritated his father some the younger asked the old man, "What you shooting?"
"It's leanin' gainst the tree to your left"

The three out of staters looked over..... The irritated one laughed as he looked at the octagon barreled lever action Winchester and said: "What is that? An old .44-40?"
"Naw..... Ain't that old! It's a Model 94. The old man answered.
"So you hunt elk with a .30-30?" The Weatherby shooter said sarcastically.
"No..... It ain't a .30-30. It's a .25-35."
Weatherby laughed until he had tears in his eyes. "You can't kill an elk with a .25-35! What's the matter with you?"
The old man just looked at him. "How many elk have you killed with your fancy gun?"
"Well....... None with this gun."
"Well..... How many elk you killed all together?" The old man grinned
"Ahhh..... None. But I've killed a lot of deer!"

"Well son...... That ol' .25-35 there has killed seven elk. Seems to me you really don't know what will kill an elk do you?"


"Marginal" could describe some hunters as well right along with an opinion about a "Marginal Load".

Eutectic

[claude]

I've never hunted a "marginal" before. They any good to eat, or are they just trophy species?

[quilbilly]

Saying "marginal load" is like saying "marginally dead". Either it works or it doesn't.

[hornady308]

In the pistol data section of the Accurate Arms reloading manual there is an entry for 30-30, and it starts off with a question. To paraphrase: when is a cartridge too weak for hunting when fired from a rifle, yet great for hunting when fired from a pistol?

[mart]

Even in the late 1970's on the northern edge of the Adirondack Mountains, it wasn't uncommon to see hunters still carrying Winchester 92's in 38-40 and 44-40. There were a fair number of 94's in 25-35 as well. Those big northern deer fell just fine to such "marginal" rounds. Just as they do today to those who keep the nostalgic fire burning.

There was a great thread with vintage pictures on the Vintage Autoloaders forum. The thread is still there but the pictures are victims of the recent photobucket debacle. The thread storied the life of the poster's grandfather, who moved to northern Alberta and hunted all his life with a Remington model 8 in 25 Remington. He took deer, elk, moose and bear with it as well as innumerable varmints. Marginal?

[marshall623]

I'll throw in my .02$
Shot placement is #1 and I think that one should use a caliber that they can afford to practice with & enjoy shooting . I watched a poor guy at a public range go through 2 boxes of 300 Win.mag.. The barrel was so hot you could see the heat mirage coming off it. He was just chasing the group around from the hot barrel , I know he had to hurt .

[dnepr]

Nothing like someone telling me that a particular rifle isn’t enough gun to inspire me to go hunting with it. I have been told that about my 250 savage, 7.62x39 and 357 mag rifles , all have cleanly taken deer with one shot , bang flop kills .
One year my good friend shot a 4 pointer with his 300 win mag , good shot blew up the heart but it still ran off for about 30 yards . And I bang flopped a huge buck with my 357 mag Carbine. He joking started referring to me as the a**hole that could get a bang flop with a daisy red Ryder
The funniest one was a 270 fan who thought I was hunting with a 30-30 and proceeded to lecture me on how that was a completely inadequate cartridge . I simply ejected the shell from the chamber of my 444 marlin and handed it to him ,shut him up instantly.

[stubshaft]

Saying "marginal load" is like saying "marginally dead". Either it works or it doesn't.

Is that similar to "overkill"? Meaning I killed it too much?

[500Linebaughbuck]

oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if a 44mag is marginal, i better throw away my 44sp!!!! i've killed many deer with the special and it was going 800fps!!!! i didn't know it, honest.


honestly, i don't care. i shoot my guns way, way below what is considered standard. i shoot my 444 marlin about 1700fps(280gr wfn gc/26.0gr of 2400), when, in all honestly, it should be going at least 2300fps. the 45-70 and 405gr fn is going 1300fps and the 500L and 465gr lfn gc is going 1200fps. i could go on and on.

[CIC]

I like marginal. Took my deer this year with a cast 44 special from a handi rifle. Dropped where it was standing. Not much more to be said. Now if I was hunting open areas I might change things up a bit but from a tree stand in thick woods it is all I ever need.

[Edward]

Such statements and opinions are often expressed by those who know a lot of wrong stuff.

Yup known as liberals