View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
phill21 Member
Joined: Aug 02, 2007 Posts: 145 Location: Western Australia
|
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:35 pm Post subject: Big acres |
|
I got the chance to go and shoot on a big station in central Western Australia approx 1.5 million acres (yes not a miss print) they have Goats , Camels, Brumbies, donkeys, roos, rabbits , dingoes, not to many pigs and quite a few Scrubbers ( wild bulls ).
my 243 and 30-06 are great for everything up to the scrubbers but i think i might be a bit under gunned for them.
Now my question is which toy for the scrubbers do i look to a lever gun 45/70 or 375 up?
Side note the owner was a p#@!d not so long ago as some clown tried to bring one down with a 223 and he had to go and clean up there mess took him three days to find the poor brute.
May start another caliber war here Bushy but we will see!
_________________ no matter what happens my mother still loves me. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
SwampFox Super Member
Joined: Jul 15, 2005 Posts: 1040 Location: Destin, Florida
|
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:01 pm Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
Phil,
How much do your wild bulls weigh, about, not exactly? We do have wild bull hunts in the US, out Texas way. Most guys use a gun with a heavy bullet, like a 45-70.
The 06 with a 200 or 220 is and always has been serious moose medicine in NA, a big moose goes 800-1000 pounds and they have a slow nervous system, bang and the moose drops in about 10-15 seconds, a lifetime after a shot.
A 45-70 is good for just about anything but in a lever gun you should be fairly close, like 50 to 100 meters max.
The 375 H&H is stout although an older cartridge, it is still a favorite in Africa for the bigger soft skinned game. It would do just fine for wild cattle.
If the 338 Win Mag is avalible in the land down under you might give it a thought, it is tough on bigger soft skinned critters and it can be loaded to kill at one end and cripple on the other if the need is there.
Now your Aussie contrymen are drooling....
Best,
Ed
_________________ The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
-Winston Churchill |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Pumpkinslinger Super Member
Joined: Sep 22, 2007 Posts: 5001 Location: NC foothills
|
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:25 pm Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
I've been a .45-70 fan for a long time but have never shot anything as big as a wild bull with it. However I remember an article a while back where the author (Brian Pearce?) used a Corbon load in a .45-70 with success on Cape Buffalo. My Marlin 1895s will shoot 1.5" groups at 100 yards if I do my part and they can handle some pretty stout loads.
_________________ Mike
"I ain't no better than anybody else, and there ain't nobody better than me!" Ma Kettle |
|
Back to top |
|
|
phill21 Member
Joined: Aug 02, 2007 Posts: 145 Location: Western Australia
|
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:41 pm Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
Thanks guys the scrub bulls i believe are around 1000 pounds or so i could be wrong the Northen Territory boys would know for sure. according to the owner he has some bigger ones but just how big who knows. distances are between 50 and 150 yards with the average around 75 yards so i guess its up close and personnel.
phil
_________________ no matter what happens my mother still loves me. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Grumulkin Super Member
Joined: Apr 16, 2007 Posts: 365 Location: Central Ohio
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
OntheLasGallinas Super Member
Joined: Aug 23, 2007 Posts: 1042 Location: South Texas
|
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:42 am Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
My great grandfather was a buffalo hunter in the Texas panhandle area in the 1870s. They used the 50 caliber sharps to drop them and an 1873 Winchester (44-40 caliber to finish them off, if need be). Now, the way I understand it, they liked the 50 caliber Sharps because of the ability to drop one at a long distance. Since that is not a problem for the bulls in your part of the world and the bulls weigh around 1,000 pounds, a 7mm magnum sounds like a good choice. I killed a 1,600 pound wild steer with a 270 (130 grain cor-loke).
Cary
_________________ Rancher/Environmental Scientist |
|
Back to top |
|
|
SingleShotLover Super Member
Joined: Dec 26, 2007 Posts: 1005 Location: Illinois
|
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 7:12 am Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
The 45/70 would be an excellent choice, but be sure to use bullet of heavy construction. Bullets like the lighter Hornadys (300-350 grains) are fairly soft and would probably expand too rapidly for penetration as would the Remington 405-grain. You would be well on your way if you looked into hard-cast bullets in the 400 to 410grain range pushed to around 1,800 fps or so. You can find loaded ammo from Corbon or Buffalo Bore that is much more powerful than conventional loads (just be sure to use them only in Marlin Model 95s, Rugers and etc. and not older rifles) designed for penetration on heavy game.
_________________ If you can't hit it with one, you probably can't with two either!
The biggest problem with a closed mind is that it never seems to come with a closed mouth.
SSL |
|
Back to top |
|
|
gelandangan Super Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 6396 Location: Sydney Australia
|
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
phill21 wrote: |
I got the chance to go and shoot on a big station in central Western Australia approx 1.5 million acres (yes not a miss print) they have Goats , Camels, Brumbies, donkeys, roos, rabbits , dingoes, not to many pigs and quite a few Scrubbers ( wild bulls ). |
Lucky bugger!! anychancetotagalong? *wishful thinking*
Mate I reckon a 45-70 would do anything Aussie could throw at us plus some more.
_________________ A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.
Do - Not try!
gelandangan.weebly.com/ |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Vince Site Admin
Joined: May 25, 2005 Posts: 15701 Location: Brisbane AUSTRALIA
|
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 1:17 am Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
Gidday Phill...I'm with Gelan here....you are one lucky bastard...kissed on the d#%k by a fairy as they say.
Anyway...calibre. I tend to agree with the 45-70 up close...its hard to beat for smackin' them down. For the longer shots, I can't help but feel that your 30.06 would be adequate with the 200 or 220 gn projectile. A scrubbers head is big enough for an easy head shot and it isn't anywhere near as tough or thick as buff's head.
But if you really feel the need for something a "little" bigger, and who doesn't then I would go for the .338 Win Mag. It will defeat anything on offer here in Oz.
Good hunting Phill. Pics....remember the pics mate.
Cheers, Vince
_________________ Cheers, Vince
Illegitimi non carborundum
(Never let the bastards grind you down)
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
"Nulla Si Fa Senza Volonta."
(Without Commitment, Nothing Gets Done) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
phill21 Member
Joined: Aug 02, 2007 Posts: 145 Location: Western Australia
|
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 6:27 pm Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
Morning happy people,
Vince i am not sure bigger is always better I think the 45/70 will be the go just a little bit easier to handle in any thick scrub and there is a good range of projectiles availabel
thanks guys
phil
_________________ no matter what happens my mother still loves me. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
1895ss Super Member
Joined: Jul 21, 2005 Posts: 2612 Location: Not Here...!!
|
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:50 pm Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Vince Site Admin
Joined: May 25, 2005 Posts: 15701 Location: Brisbane AUSTRALIA
|
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 3:14 am Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
_________________ Cheers, Vince
Illegitimi non carborundum
(Never let the bastards grind you down)
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
"Nulla Si Fa Senza Volonta."
(Without Commitment, Nothing Gets Done) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Pumpkinslinger Super Member
Joined: Sep 22, 2007 Posts: 5001 Location: NC foothills
|
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:04 pm Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
Now wait a minute!! I have two Marlin 1895s; one rifle from the 1972 batch and a Guide Gun. Both will shoot 1.5" groups at 100 yards with a "standard" load (400 grain bullets at around 1400 ft/sec) and both will handle loads that I don't even want to shoot (350 grain bullets at around 2000 ft/sec) because they HURT. I've killed a couple deer with the Guide Gun. Hopefully I'll get a chance to use them on something a lot bigger sometime.
_________________ Mike
"I ain't no better than anybody else, and there ain't nobody better than me!" Ma Kettle |
|
Back to top |
|
|
ElyBoy Super Member
Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 1541 Location: Forest Lake Minnesota
|
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:22 pm Post subject: Re: Big acres |
|
Hey Mike,
I'm in love with my Guide Gun also.
I load up 400gr Speer Flat Point, using 50gr of IMR 3031. It shoots at 1675fps.
The dang deer drop just as hard with my 45/70, as they do using my .338WinMag.
Mine shoots like yours at 100yds.
1.5".
Under 200yd shots, I would use the 45/70 on anything in North America, with different bullets of course.
Eric
_________________ NRA Certified Chief Range Safety Officer
NRA Certified Pistol Instructor
DNR Certified Firearms Safety Instructor
NRA Life Member |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|