Well then when I go whitetail huntin' ( small game ) with the 375 H@H or the 458 Lott , then I suppose thats TOO MUCH GUN ?? I think not , those two loaded down somewhat will kill cleaner and quicker , and with less meat damage than a smaller caliber ..

There are many degrees of wounded , but , only one degree of dead ..

Sometimes you can have too much bullet wt. for the game your hunting. A friend of mine used a 300 mag. 220 gr bullet on a Mule Deer at 30 yards. Blew a hole big enough to stick both fist in, then he shot it again. what a mess. Got the deer though..Well part of it.

I agree that if you can't handle the gun cause of the recoil or you flinch every time you pull the trigger, it's too much gun. I laugh every time I see a 140 lbs man shooting a big caliber like an 300 Weatherby and it almost knocks him on his ass every time he pulls the trigger, that's too much gun.

I shoot many different center fire calibers: 250-3000 Savage, 30-30 win(now), 303 British, 270 Win, and I guess my "biggest" caliber is the 7 mm Rem Mag. My body can handle the recoils of any of these calibers as I'm an over 200 lbs guy. None of them make me flinch or hurt me when I pull the trigger. Pick a caliber your body can comfortably handle and your not over gunned.

It also depends on what your shooting. If I'm just going out with family or friends and doing little "plinking", I'm not going to shoot my 7mm Rem Mag. Every time you pull the trigger it costs you, what, $2. I'm going to use one of my 303 British or my new 30-30, cost is much less and just about anyone that comes along can shoot them.

Now, as I may be doing tomorrow, I'm going deer hunting east of my home town where there are quite a large number of Grizzles roaming the bush, It's the 7MM slung over my shoulder loaded with 175 grain Speer Grand Slams. If I go to another area just north of town where there is rarely any Grizzles, I'll take my 250-3000 Savage and never give it a second thought.

To me, take the gun you'll need to cleanly take the animal your after. Another option if your after good table fair and your hunting deer with a 300 Win mag, shoot em in the head, no meat damage and they drop where they were standing. That's what I do with my 270 when I'm hunting Moose. Just a thought.

Grant,

Don't take head shots on deer. Even a slight miss can prose problems like shooting the deers lower jaw out and then it will let the deer die really slowly. As they'll survive for a while after losing their jaw

Dimitri

To much gun? some of my buddies think that my 30-06 is to much gun for varmits, but here is my story.
I load up with 110grain V-Max, zero in at 150, and group in at under 1.5" with a shooting bag, and 10X42 mil dot. I can drop 5 out of 6 dogs all day long. Well more splat than drop.
When its time go get after a white tail all I have to do is load up with 150 grain A-Max add 1.75 "to my zero and bang one shot drop. It works for me because my wife won"t allow me to get a bigger gun safe.

HarveyDog,

I feel sorry for you no bigger gun safe!

Thought about possibly getting a another gun safe Its not a "bigger one" after all

Dimitri

I think the business of too much gun is in direct relation to the gun the speaker shoots. I had a fellow tell me my 45-70 Simese was to much gun for deer, but he shoots a 243..... Anyone that shoots a gun of 75% or less of the bore diameter I am using is not a reliable source. :-)
Ed

Dimitri wrote:

Grant, Don't take head shots on deer. Even a slight miss can prose problems like shooting the deers lower jaw out and then it will let the deer die really slowly. As they'll survive for a while after losing their jaw Dimitri

I don't as a general rule on deer, I wait till they're broadside and I put it into the heart and lungs. I don't like the rib meat on deer so I don't consider it wasting meat. I don't even really like trying a deer on a quartering shot, that can waste meat. I have on occasion at close range, <100 yards, put the bullet just under a deers ear, but only if I feel confident about the shot.