Should all the sub-6mm calibers be dropped ?

[Hammer]

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With right at forty years of varminting under my belt...

Starting with the 222 Remington and then immediately adding the 220 Swift...

And now just about every 14, 17, 20, and 22 caliber centerfire factory or wildcat...


Am wondering if all the sub-6mm calibers should be dropped from varminting.

In 6mm we can get bullets as light as 58 grains and up 100+ grainers.

With the 6mm-06 Mashburn or the 6mm/7mm STW we can get any velocity we want.


Why should we risk potential ut-ohs on either charging or escaping varmints with the smaller calibers ?

Besides, the 6mm's can handle more copper and powder residue before it is noticed than the smaller calibers.

.

[Uncle Jack]

Hammer;

You are smoking some much better $hit than I have access to.

uj

[bgc]

Solvents had gotten to him....

[bootsmcguire]

Hammer I hear what you are saying, but I still find the .224 dia stuff very accurate and fun to use. Lately I have moved up to the 6mm with a 243AI and a 6BR and love 'em so far, but also love my 22 K-Hornet, 223, 22-250. Had a 204 but just got tired of dealing with the wind. It seemed to be affected by the wind a lot more than my 22-250 both using 40gr V-Max's. I know it shouldn't have been that way and it was probably in my head but....

For me (for now ) .224" is small enough and 6mm is great.

[Hammer]

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While I have been using the 6mm/7mm STW some...

My gunsmith has been using it a lot for several years now on rockchucks and prairie dogs.

He says the only small bore that tops it is his 6mm/7mm RUM.

But you got to keep the shots close and use only the heaviest, deepest-penetrating bullets.

I have some unused Weatherby Mark V actions that were originally intended for the 460...

.

[Samdweezel05]

I think they should drop everything sub-.338. Only 4 choices from now on. .338 Lapua, .577 T-rex, .700 Nitro and the .50 BMG. Should cover just about everything from the charging bull prairie dog to the angry rhinoceros.

[Hammer]

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The 700 Nitro is getting a reputation for poor penetration once its softs expand.

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[Slowpoke Slim]

Hammer,

You're looking at this all wrong, man.

What about the intrepid thrill seeker, who gets a rush by shooting a charging bean bear?

al-la Mark Sullivan.

You know the type, dried up adrenal gland, drinks six energy drinks before rolling out of bed in the morning, thinks "the shakes" are "normal", left eye has been twitching for so long now, they've forgotten about it.

How else are these guys going to guarantee a full frontal charge if they don't wound the monster first?

Perfect application for the little .223's and the 22-250's. Just barely enough there to get the brute good and irritated, and not enough there to impede their movement for a fast, full speed charge.

Then they can truly face their monster "mono to mono".

[BoilerUP]

Nothing like a rock chuck getting thrown 3' into the air by a 204 Ruger and loudly exclaiming "Just a flesh wound!" before hitting the ground...then saying "Oh I see, running away, aye?" as you pack up to leave for the day.

[Scott Evans]

6mm 105 Amax does some serious carnage.

[Martin]

I bet I have just as much fun with my lowly .223 as you do with your big boomers and I don't have a sore shoulder at the end of the day.
Martin

[Hammer]

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There ain't no sore shoulders in the West.

That's a northeastern liberal thing.

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[helotaxi]

How can you feel anything but under-gunned with any man-portable weapon short of a Dragon? I mean we're talking about prairie dogs here.

[Uncle Jack]

One must always be careful when approaching PD Dogs of War.

uj

[Blue Avenger]

Yes, drop them and send me a list of the sale goods!

[Emptypockets]

There is nothing more dangerous that a wounded pasture grizzly! :D

[HollowPoint]

There's a certain amount of arrogance about this thread;
almost as if creating controversy was its intention main intent.

Congratulations, it seems to have worked.

How about this; since there are far more "Sub-6mm" calibers in existance, why don't we just do
away with superfluous calibers like the 6mm's?

Are they really needed for hunting P-dogs?

HollowPoint

[BoilerUP]

Fish on! :D

[helotaxi]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! We got a live one on the line! Work the drag! Wear him down!

[tammons]

Anything under a 4 bore is a pea shooter.

[Hammer]

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A good 4 bore has barrels long enough that one needs to be aboard a steady horse in order to load it from the muzzle.

Plus a steady horse helps when shooting prairie dogs much beyond fifty yards.

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[Joe O]

Hammer,use more sweets in your bore.20cals are the prarie dogs worse nightmare,although they don't suffer flyng through the air in 6 pieces.Yeah,I have a 243AI for the long ones.

[Hammer]

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Don't know about those 20's.

Have been shooting 'em since long before the 204 Ruger was commercialized.

As well as the 17 caliber wildcats and the 14 calibers.

Don't think they are quite in the same ball park as a 257 Weatherby at 20 yards.

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[Scott Evans]

Next trip we're taking a 30-06 shooting 110 vmax's at 3900 FPS, does that get the Hammer Seal of Approval?

.

Don't know about those 20's.

Have been shooting 'em since long before the 204 Ruger was commercialized.

As well as the 17 caliber wildcats and the 14 calibers.

Don't think they are quite in the same ball park as a 257 Weatherby at 20 yards.

.

[anomad]

This thread makes me want a .35 Whelen and inspires me to poetry.


A Haiku I call "Dangerous Game":

35 Whelen
H forty eight ninety five
a handgun bullet