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cartridge efficiency, etc.
L. Cooper,
The source of your quote is the Spanish philosopher/hunter Jose Ortega y'Gasset (name spelling is approximate) from his book "Meditations on Hunting".
Regarding the subject of the posts: I'm with Rocky. My friends and I spend endless hours debating firearms, calibers and everything else related to hunting and shooting. Each of us paints scenarios that support our positions on some particular issue (like using a 7mm SuperBlaster rather than a 7mm-08) but when all is said and done, we agree that 300-yards is about the longest range at which most of us will take a shot and feel good about it. One of the reasons is that shot placement far outweighs caliber selection, within reason (another of my opinions).
I'm not alone in these opinions. For years, I have
collected quotes from writers and revisit them every once in a while. Here are a few:
"If I can't get within three football fields, it is not my rifle that needs the work." -- Kevin Wilmeth
Some discussion has arisen about the use of the 270 on elk. We have kicked this around at some length with John Gannaway, brother Jay Marks, and family member Steve Lunceford, and we conclude that if you cannot flatten your elk with a 270, you probably cannot flatten him with a 375 either. -- from Jeff Cooper website late 1990s.
"The truth is that any good modern rifle is good enough. The determining factor is the man behind the gun."
-- Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
Finn Aagaard's recent work on killing power appeared in Rifle magazine. His concluding attitude was "Better put 'em in right, Bwana." Fact: No cartridge will suffice for a humane kill if the bullet is improperly placed. Conversely, almost any cartridge with sufficient penetration will suffice if it is properly placed. The lethal zone for the larger cartridge may be somewhat larger than that for the small one, but the difference is not great. Essentially, if you shoot an elk, or a kudu, or a moose, or a big old whitetail squarely through the boiler room, he will run off a short distance and collapse - let us say, 35 paces for a 30-06, 25 paces for a 375, and 15 paces for a 600 Nitro. If, on the other hand, you place your bullet badly - with anything - you are in for a long and dispiriting follow-up. -- Jeff Cooper website, circa 1990s.
I concur with all the above,
270man
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