re: Help choosing a rilfe

If all I was ever going to do is hunt whitetail, I'd probably be shooting a 25-06. I go on a family Elk hunt every couple of years and didn't want to spend the money on a gun that would get so little use, so I bought one that would be acceptable for both whitetail and elk.

As far as the OP is concenred, I'd get 2 rifles.

#1- something 30-06 or less for whitetail

#2- 338 Win Mag OR 45-70 Marlin for Alaska.

Outfitters cater to out of state people hunting on what might be a once in a lifetime hunt. They want them to have enough rifle. Locals hunt by themselves and they hunt a lot. If they can't take a shot because it is a marginal shot for their rifle, or if they wound an animal, they'll just be out there again next week.

All that said, from everything I've ever heard, experienced, and read about outfitters from Alaska to Africa breathe a sigh of relief when a hunter shows up with a well worn 30-06 with a reasonable scope instead of the latest whiz bang magnum with a scope suitable for looking for life on Mars.

What kind of hunting in Alaska are you talking about with a .30-06?

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People don't understand .30 Magnums don't give extra killing power. They give extra range!

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Exactly, and given that most people shoooting long range now have laser rangfinders and scopes with ballistic reticles or turrets, that advantage has been significantly reduced as well.

It used to be a magnum was a lot easier to hit with over 300 yards. No so much anymore.

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Nice

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If you want to talk about a cartridge that kills all out of proportion to its size, it is that one. It lays the smack down on deer.

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More ft/lbs of energy = more energy transferred to target = more knockdown power. How can this be argued otherwise? If the same diameter and weight projectile is propelled at two different speeds, the faster speed is going to generate more power. Shoot a moose with a 30 30 and with a 300 mag and see what the results are.

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Because a moose doesn't have a way of measuring foot pounds when he is hit. Seriously, animals don't know the difference and more foot pounds does not equate to more lethality. It just doesn't work. And all that is without even getting into issues of bullet performance and the like.

Caliber is the best measure of killing power. It takes something in .338 and above to get a measurable increase in killing power over the 30-06.

Savage 10FP (.308). I love it. Adjusting the trigger pull is very handy and it's a great gun to build off of.

"Knockdown power" is one of the most overused terms in shooting. And foot pounds is in large part, a marketing scam.

Consider that even a 9mm handgun is going to have over 400 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle and that people are often shot with one and the bullet remains in the person. Therefore, it must be said that all the energy of the round was expended in the person. So, if foot pounds were all that important, shouldn't a person shot with a 9 mm handgun at close range be literally knocked off of his feet? If somebody hit you with a baseball bat with the same force, I guarantee you would go down. So, what is the deal with the cartridge? Why is it regarded as a marginal man stopper?

The easy answer is that is just isn't as simple as more foot pounds equal greater lethality.

I don't know all the answers. I just know it isn't that simple.