The gun , load and Hunter did his job the pic clearly shows a dead elk and bunch of delicious rich meat……
Anyone criticizing this is virtue signaling makes no sense at all.
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...-with-a-38-40-!!
Similar ballistics, and got the job done.
It would be tragic to have that much meat tainted by stress hormones if you did not get a quick, humane kill. Glad his shot was good.
"If everyone is thinking the same thing it means someone is not thinking"
"A rat became the unit of currency"
I'm personally more of a "bigger is better" when it comes to guns guy, but "Nice elk!" to him anyway.
KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.
I spent many years as a "Dude wrangler", trying to get an elk for folks with guns bigger than I ever used. And a lot of them did get an elk. We hunted out of a back country pack in camp on National forest. So not a slam dunk like a lot of ranch hunts. I hunted in the timber, (that's where the elk were). If we got an elk, almost with out fail the guy shot at an elk that had no clue we were there. I got them positioned, got them a rest, I felt I did my job. I will say this, after seeing way too many gut shot shot elk at close range, that bullet placement is paramount, bullet construction is a consideration, and caliber debate is a waste of everybody's time. I have killed several with an old 45/75 Winchester and black powder shells. If you are hunting in open country, that is a different story. A canyon slinger cartridge has more validity there, but I will say this, if you can't kill it with a 30/06, you shouldn't be shooting at it. A 30/06 with today's bullets is a better longrange load than a .300 Mangle-um was in the '50's.
Dan from Mountain Molds got a Moose with a 357 Mag levergun many years ago. It did the job.
There buses to be a time I would have argued against doing this with a .357, but after spending years using it in various guns, I now know that it’s not so much what you use, but rather that you use it properly, and this hunter obviously knows how to
Use his .357 Mag.
I passed my last psych eval, how bout you?
A late friend of mine had a marlin marauder in 30-30. He killed at least 10 mule deer and 8 elk with it. He got close and put his shots where they counted. He used the old Remington 170 grain Roundnose Hollowpoint exclusively.
Original 30/30 load was a 160gr soft point, at 1970 fps. 357 mag with a 180gr can stay real close to that in a rifle. If you can shoot well and pick your shots, I see no problem.
I know this is incredibly late, but 180-gr Tennessee Valley Bullets or Penn .357 truncated cast flat point, Starline brass, 15.0 grains of Lil' Gun, CCI small magnum primer, firm roll crimp give velocities right around 1800 fps from Navy/Rossi 1892 20" short rifle at an altitude of just under 6k'. This was still an acceptable load this morning, according to the Hodgdon site. I'd imagine it would leave a mark. (That gun gets really interesting with 158-gr LSWC hardcasts.)
I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled
Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |