Bob Nelson 35Whelen
AH ambassador
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2018
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- Wyong new south Wales Australia
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- Hunted
- Australia
@BadboymelvinWell, l can't speak for other people but the reason I use rifles like the .338WM, 425 Express and .458 Win Mag is because the recoil doesn't bother me and l know for a FACT that the bigger rifles put them down more effectively... especially the .458.
I have killed more Sambar with the .458 than any other cartridge and it just puts them on their bum plain and simple.
lt's my favourite Sambar cartridge.
Typical Sambar hunting isn't a long-range affair but it can be hard work.
I have no problem with anyone who hunts with a .270 or .30-06... or anything for that matter as long as it's legal.
I've taken a couple of Sambar with a 270WSM and it was effective - even at long range.
But l have a saying...
"on a good day anything will work - but on a bad day you need every advantage you can get"
And I've experienced personally seeing someone have a bad day with a .270Win and it was tough...
My friend and I were hunting Sambar and on the way up he couldn't believe l'd bought an 'elephant gun' to hunt deer.
Well, as luck would have it we come across a herd of Sambar on the run. We both aimed at the running deer and fired. And we both hit too far back...
I was using my .458 with Winchester factory ammo with the 500gn projectile at a chronographed 2020fps. As l said, l hit my Sambar - which was a big stag too far back, but after the bullet impacted the big deer it pulled the deer up which allowed me to fire a second shot into it's shoulder anchoring it.
I'm not proud that l hit it poorly but l'm just being honest about what happened - and when hunting sometimes stuff happens that we don't plan on.
My friend hit his smaller Sambar with a .270 Win firing 150gn Remington factory ammo. He also hit too far back and his deer ran, and ran, and ran. We spent ages looking for it and it ended up being a fiasco. We eventually did recover it.
I'm not saying this to put down the .270 - it was a bad shot, not the cartridge.
l personally like the .270 but it does show that when having a bad day and you fluff a shot - which we can all do, having a bigger more powerful rifle can make a difference.
Tracking a wounded deer over really thick, dense terrain is tough and not fun and this is the type of terrain that the Victorian Sambar love. This is why l think a lot of Victorian Sambar hunters use bigger rifles... because it does make a difference.
That's why I favour the .458. The recoil doesn't bother me and on more than one occasion when l've fluffed a shot on running deer it still pulls them up so l can put in a better, well placed shot.
I'm sure my 425 Express will do the same...
So that's why l personally use bigger rifles when hunting Sambar.
As to the .30 Newton Nick is selling, it sounds similar to my 308 Norma.
My Norma also came with cases and dies and a Japanese 4-12 scope (which l swapped out) - but mine was cheaper!
Plus the .30 Newton doesn't really excite me - where l've always wanted a 308 Norma.
Personally, the 308 Norma and the .300 Weatherby are my 2 favourite .30 Magnums and l consider them both to be classics.
Oh, and l love the .338WM too and that's a classic as well in my book!
Russ
Russ you bit well on that one mate.
My philosophy is why use a nut cracker to crack walnuts whe you can use a sledge hammer.
I agree with using to much gun as it allows a bit of Lee way for error as long as you can use it properly which I know you can..
Bob
