Speaking of calibers/cartridges

[GunGoBoom]

Remingtons neat little interactive guide on their website, called "Centerfire Rifle Basics" (not a joyride for dialup I would imagine), in the Cartridges portion, it has a guide to recommended rounds for various game, and recommended bullet/load types within those. Interesting - here's how it essentially breaks down:

1. For small varmints (crow, prairie dog, groundhogs, & fox), they recommend anything from loads in .17 Rem up to .30-06 (55 grain screamers, which I didn't even know existed)

2. For large varmints (coyote), anything from .17 Rem to .30-06, as well as 7.62x39mm, .32-20 Win, and .44-40 Win.

3. Next is Deer and Antelope, ranging from .243 Win minimum, up to .35 whelen, .350 remmag, .444 marlin, and .45-70 gov't maximum (but NOT the .338 winmag or .338 rem ultra mag).

4. Next is Wild Boar, Black Bear, & Caribou, for all of which they recommend .25-'06 Rem as the minimum, up to .338 winmag, .338 rem ultra mag, .35 whelen, .350 remmag, .375 HH mag, .375 rem ultra mag, .444 marlin, and .45-70 gov'ts as the max.

5. Next is Elk, for which .260 rem is minimum, and same maximums as Boar/Black Bear/Caribou, with the addition of .416 rem mag. (and .45-70 and .444 marlin are left off of everything from here on up, which I don't really agree with).

6. Next is Moose and African Plains Game, for which .270 Win is min, and .416 rem mag is max.

7. Next is Brown Bear, for which .300 winmag is minimum, and .416 remmag max.

8. Next is Cape Buffalo and other African Dangerous game, for which only 3 calibers recommended: .375 HH mag, .375 rem ultra mag, and .416 remmag.

I tend to agree with most everything there (unless you're gonna eat the groundhog, in which case a 4000 fps .30 cal bullet is gonna be detrimental to your net meat weight).

http://www.remington.com/safety/cbc_begin.html

 

[Tony Williams]

1. For small varmints (crow, prairie dog, groundhogs, & fox), they recommend anything from loads in .17 Rem up to .30-06 (55 grain screamers, which I didn't even know existed)

That's the Accelerator load, which is a .22 cal bullet in a sabot.

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum

 

[Preacherman]

Of course, they're only recommending cartridges they load - for African game, the selection is much, much broader!

 

[GunGoBoom]

right, preacherman. I just thought the most interesting parts were the minimum cals. recommend for each, and the fact that hogs were given the same recommendations as for caribou and black bear, a step up from deer & antelope. But yeah, the only non-Rem cals. they recommend are the ones so common they couldn't ignore them (like .308 win, etc.).