Caliber and Gun Selection for your hunt

Hunt Talk: We're constantly asked about what caliber or bullet we recommend. This question shows up all over Social Media, Forums, Blogs, and it is asked day after day after day. We get asked what we recommend. Well, what do we recommend? We don't recommend any single bullet, or caliber, we want the gun that you can shoot the best and you know the best. So here's how we would suggest a gun for you and below that why we want you to be the most comfortable with that gun. So, heres the questions you should ask yourself when choosing your caliber. 1. Do i have the caliber or do i want a new one? We want you comfortable with the gun so if you already have the gun that's a good start, if you want a new caliber you better be ready to practice, practice, practice so make sure you can get the ammo. 2. Ammo availability, some guns shoot different ammos better than others, i have a 338 win mag that shoots Barnes Vortx bullets very well, but hornady rounds do not group, therefore even if hornady was the only available bullet i would not use the hornady to hunt with, ill use a different caliber. my 270 Win Mag shoots every bullet i put through it and groups awesome. Remember you get 1 first shot at an elk, if that elk is 300 yards away and ur gun doesnt always group that bullet, it could be the difference between a kill shot and an miss or worse a wounded shot. Find the bullet your gun groups the best and is available, make sure to have atleast a full box of bullets for your hunt. 3. How far are you comfortable to shoot? AND STICK TO IT. If you cannot shoot 300 yards at home, don't push it in CO. A lot can happen in that 300 Yards, so do your best to shoot and practice to that distance. If you cant, show up a day or two early to CO and go to a range that allows you to shoot that distance and get some time behind the gun. Typical distances for our hunts can be 25 yards to 450 yards on average. 4. Ammo choice. This is touchy as we want you to match your ammo to your gun, but what ammo should i look at, bullet grain, ETC. if you are going factory ammo there are so many to choose from, Remington Core Lokt and Winchester Super X have been around the longest and all have killed probably millions of animals. Check the bullet rating, see FT/LBS and Velocity, Bullet drop, and required Velocity for proper expansion. Most bullets need 1500-2000 FT/Second to properly expand. A 270 Win mag typically hits this 1500FT/Second at 660 Yards, but is only putting out 750FT/LBS of energy. They suggest 1500 FT/LBS of energy for elk that's 360 Yards roughly for the same bullet, so for best results your 270 shots should be 360 yards and under. 5. Shooting positions, make sure you can accurately shoot the gun from several positions besides a bench position. Elk hunting rarely gives you perfect shots, so make sure you are comfortable shooting from prone, kneeling, sitting, leaning against a tree, using a branch, off hand, from a bi-pod, using your pack, if you aren't comfortable in these positions don't attempt them in the field. 6. Match your optics, if you aren't comfortable shooting 1000 yards you don't need a 30 power scope, some shots are close in the trees and a 10X30 scope is difficult to focus at 50 yards If you answer no to any of these questions below you should reconsider your choice of caliber. 1. Do i have the Gun or want to buy the gun? 2. Can i get the ammo for the gun and make sure i am comfortable shooting it? 3. Does my gun match the ammo i am shooting and group well? 4. Can i shoot the gun accurately to a set distance and stick to it? 5. Does the ammo i can get match the game i am harvesting? 6. Can i shoot the gun and not flinch? 7. Can i shoot the gun from other positions besides a benched position? 8.Am i comfortable with the gun and not scarred to shoot it? 9. Do i have the proper optics on the gun to match my abilities and the guns abilities? We hope this helps with your caliber choice, tell us your caliber and bullet choice below.