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Favorite caliber to shoot

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OK OK OK I changed my answer. My favorite one to shoot is one I shoot at a deer or rabbit whatever game on a very cold (like single digits) windless December day. 80 grains of 2f just lingers in the air forever making a huge smoke screen, This allows you to reload without fear of movement as your hidden in smoke. It smells like a great fart too. A few minutes later your able to see in the distance again as the smoke dissipates or you mover a few feet. To me thats one of the coolest things ever.
 
I can't honestly claim a "favorite" caliber. Each of my guns is a favorite for some specific task. For example, for serious competition I use a heavily modified T/C Hawken with a Green Mountain Barrel with 1/72 rate of twist in .50 caliber. It's won any matches for me in the 27 years I've been shooting it. It's also a fun rifle for hunting caribou.

Alaska hunting regulations require .54 caliber or larger if hunting moose, bear or other large animals with a round ball. For most of my big-game hunting I use a custom built .58 caliber trade rifle. The most accurate load for that rifle is 120 grains of Goex FFg under a .575 round-ball patched in tallow-lubricated linen. That load allows me to shoot eight inch groups at 120 yards with no problem and it will kill anything I'm likely to encounter. On the other hand, it's a heavy gun to carry around all day (nearly 9 lb) and with that narrow butt-plate recoil can be brutal. Not something you want to shoot all day on the line.

The most common gun I carry in the field is a 20 gauge (.62 caliber) smoothbore, either a reproduction Tulle de Chasse or my shortened (24 inch barrel) trade-gun. I carry the Tulle nearly all winter long, shooting grouse, hares, foxes and beavers. I wouldn't hesitate to harvest either a moose or black bear with it. At ranges under 50 yards I shoot it just as accurately as my rifle, it's light weight (just over 7 lb) and has provided me many meals on the trail.

During summer, when the only open hunting season is for black bear, I usually carry the shortened trade gun, primarily for defense against grizzly bear should I be so unlucky as to encounter one during a trek. Loaded with shot, it's also harvested a few grouse and hares.

Swanny
Hi Swanny. It is great to see your name pop up !! You frequented some of the same lists on the past I did. I've always enjoyed all your tales of Alaska. I enjoy your posts of your experiences. Ohio Rusty
 
My favorite has been my .54 rifle, Trudy. Lately though she has had bad accuracy problems, and I'm diagnosing them, but things don't look good.

LD
If this was the 18th century, people would say you got a witch in the barrel. Draw picture of a witch in charcoal on a barn door and shoot her with a ball with some silver in it. You could also write out a incantation to expel the witch and put it under the butt plate of your gun. I love the old superstitions !
 
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