WHAT IS THE CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING THE HUNTING CALIBER OF A BOLT ACTION RIFLE FOR THE SELECTIVE HUNT OF UNGULATES?
For starters, the hunter, based on his or her needs, will have to evaluate whether to choose a so-called all-round caliber and therefore usable on all game, changing only the type of bullet and calibration, or to prefer a specific caliber for the individual species
The important thing is to make a conscious choice that guarantees maximum effectiveness. The main criteria for the choice of hunting caliber are energy and shot distance. One could say that a fast caliber guarantees greater target energy even with a lighter ogive.
Another important factor to consider is the grazing light, or the capability to maintain really tense trajectories, preserving speed even at considerable distances and in the presence of lateral wind.
This is an essential ballistic characteristic in some types of hunt tat requires long range shots such as chamois hunting or of other alpine animals, in which you could arrive to shoot from 300 to 400 meters.
Hunters today are surely fortunate to be able to use helpful instruments to calculate the shot trajectory, like rangefinders and ballistic turrets, always more precise and sophisticated.
After having decided which hunting rifle calibres to use, every hunter will have to focus on the best choice of ogive, because this will determine the ability of the bullet to effectively deliver the shot energy provided by the caliber.
For hunting roe deer with a bolt action rifle, low calibers with a light recoil are used, such as the .222 Rem in Europe, .243 Win, .240 Wby, .270 Win, fast, precise, and with minimum recoil or a .308 Win guarantees great efficiency even at long distances.
For stubborn species like wild boar or UK deer, we advise to choose a hunting caliber from 7mm remington magnum and up and .30 calibers.
Very important and non-negligible in the choice of the hunting caliber and ogive is your bolt action’s barrel twist rate. There are different types, but the most widespread is the traditional one, like in the Horizon.
The family of our rifles offers a wide array of configurations, with a wood or polymer stock, available starting this year even with a detachable magazine in the Black Synt models, with a gray finish and in a camo version, in all of the main hunting rifle calibres: .223 Rem, .243 Win, .270 Win, .308 Win, .30-06 Springfield, 6.5 Creedmoor and .300 Winchester Magnum that is a very good caliber for deer.
Each barrel twist rate determines a certain speed, that is it guarantees a complete turn of the bullet in a specific distance of the barrel. A barrel twist rate of 8 will be faster than one of 11, because it will produce a complete turn of the bullet in 8 inches of barrel.
Depending on the game you want to hunt, it will be necessary to choose faster barrel twist rates capable of stabilizing heavy bullets such as a magnum cartridge for shots between 200 yards and 300 yards maximum or slower ones for lighter ammunition.
Choosing the best-suited hunting caliber is like choosing a well-fitting outfit that will determine the success of the hunting action.
So, we need to take the time necessary, make all the necessary judgments, and understand which one is best for us!
