The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - .44 mag vs. .223 effectiveness in a carbine

HiBC · April 7, 2024, 07:50 AM

Its generally a mistake to paste a label on a whole group of people.

There are a lot of bow hunters and muzzle loader hunters that are good at what they do. My respects to them!

There are a number of people that have used their AR-15 or Mini-14 to successfully ,cleanly take their last 12 deer with no problem.

Its certainly possible to smack down a deer with a Super Blackhawk.Some folks are quite good at it.

Results matter. If you can deliver a clean, merciful with whatever tool you use, enjoy your meat.

For myself, I have never tried a 5.56 to hunt big game. I have used a Super Blackhawk .44. I got an instant kill but do select the right bullet.

For myself, I'm expecting the first shot to get business done. I have nothing against semi-autos, but in the context of big game hunting,volume of fire means very little.

I've written a lot about the Mexican 98 Mauser I built. With the 6x by 42 mm Leupold attached it weighs 7 lbs. It flings a 115 gr .257 Ballistic Tip at 3050 fps. Its effective on deer and pronghorn. I can't think of a reason ((for myself) to carry an AR-15 or a 5,56 rifle instead.

I'd confidently use the .257 on elk,but why? I prefer the 30-06.

You do what works for you.

What I cannot respect are the folks who think it might be fun to pull off a stunt where the game pays the price. Then they dismiss it with "The coyotes gotta eat too"

And FWIW,no,I'm not saying that is the 5.56 shooter.

It COULD be the .378 Weatherby shooter that closes his eyes and cringes just before the trigger breaks.

April 7, 2024, 07:50 AM	#34
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,306	Its generally a mistake to paste a label on a whole group of people. There are a lot of bow hunters and muzzle loader hunters that are good at what they do. My respects to them! There are a number of people that have used their AR-15 or Mini-14 to successfully ,cleanly take their last 12 deer with no problem. Its certainly possible to smack down a deer with a Super Blackhawk.Some folks are quite good at it. Results matter. If you can deliver a clean, merciful with whatever tool you use, enjoy your meat. For myself, I have never tried a 5.56 to hunt big game. I have used a Super Blackhawk .44. I got an instant kill but do select the right bullet. For myself, I'm expecting the first shot to get business done. I have nothing against semi-autos, but in the context of big game hunting,volume of fire means very little. I've written a lot about the Mexican 98 Mauser I built. With the 6x by 42 mm Leupold attached it weighs 7 lbs. It flings a 115 gr .257 Ballistic Tip at 3050 fps. Its effective on deer and pronghorn. I can't think of a reason ((for myself) to carry an AR-15 or a 5,56 rifle instead. I'd confidently use the .257 on elk,but why? I prefer the 30-06. You do what works for you. What I cannot respect are the folks who think it might be fun to pull off a stunt where the game pays the price. Then they dismiss it with "The coyotes gotta eat too" And FWIW,no,I'm not saying that is the 5.56 shooter. It COULD be the .378 Weatherby shooter that closes his eyes and cringes just before the trigger breaks.