Shooting Projectile Weapons (In Response to 'Weapons...')

[Sea Skimmer]

'Elephant Guns' is a colloquial term to describe any large caliber 'magnum' round, such as the .455 H&H Magnum, .416 Rigby Magnum, and .458 Winchester Magnum. These guns are usually found in double barrel form to allow for a quick follow up shot. A few bolt rifles have been made, but, it takes a hefty bolt to be able to stand up to that kind of artillery.

The Germans built a 51cal bolt action rifle in WW1, basically an overgrown Mauser, that weighed 70 pounds. Course it was an anti tank weapon, firing 13x92mm rounds with a 965 grain bullet, 2.2 ounces for ye not familiar with that system, with a steel core that would punch through 22mm of armor at 100 yards. I think that should drop most big game.

And the whole thing was only a interim measure until an overgrown 13mm Maxim gun called the Tank und Flieger or TuF could be produced to kill Allied tanks. Unfortunately, for the Germans, only a limited number of rifles and a few dozen of the machine guns where completed before the Armistice. It was this machine gun that caused the US Army to ask Browning for a fifty cal weapon, and that gave us the M2..

But that history lesson is a bit later along then most of the "classic" elephant guns.

[Nathan F]

Actually, an armor piercing round like that would literally just punch through an animal. Unless you shot it in the brain, then it probably wouldn't drop it. Probably be good for an elephant, though, because it's skull is sort of like armor. You have to get a brain shot to kill one reliably anyways.

It would be sort of like using JHP ammo, except on a much larger scale.

[Sea Skimmer]

All the stuff that's basically endangered and shouldn't be killed. Got it.

But none of it was endangered until after we built our giant guns to hunt them with. Actually most African big game didn't gun into much trouble population wise until the 1970's ad 80's, when local people started hunting them in large numbers with machine guns, one round from a PK might not kill an elephant but fifty likely will and the tusks are all that matter..

Look up, Skimmer.

*Gloats that he knows something about firearms that Skimmer doesn't know*

Any weapon thats hand held and lacking a rocket motor has never been a very strong point in my knowledge base.

[Superman]

Sea, in all fairness, much of their decline has to do with poaching. Check out information on the black rhino, for example. I don't have a problem with regulated hunting as long as people follow the rules.

[Sea Skimmer]

Actually, an armor piercing round like that would literally just punch through an animal. Unless you shot it in the brain, then it probably wouldn't drop it. Probably be good for an elephant, though, because it's skull is sort of like armor. You have to get a brain shot to kill one reliably anyways.

Elephants was what I had in mind, though I think it would work for some other game. I wonder if anyone's ever hunted elephants with an RPG-7? Probably. Though even that wont work real well without a good aim, something that type of weapon isn't known for.

It would be sort of like using JHP ammo, except on a much larger scale.

Steel cored ammo won't expand, you need a lead core for that, or ultra modern frangible AP shells, but that tech only works with automatic cannon calibers currently.

[Sea Skimmer]

Sea, in all fairness, much of their decline has to do with poaching. Check out information on the black rhino, for example. I don't have a problem with regulated hunting as long as people follow the rules.

Yeah no shit, and poaching was exactly what I was pointing out. You don't think recreational hunters go around and emplace machine gun nests by water holes now do you?

[The Yosemite Bear]

Grumbles

had to work during Pioneer Days again this year....

I am good friends with the local Piute/Miwok and look forward to being killed by the local rednecks every year.....

[Sir Sirius]

Well, do you regularly actually shoot any projectile weapons (archery equipment or firearms) that you happen to own?

Yeah, once or twice a week at the local Army base's range. M/39 "Ukko-pekka", Browning BDA, Saiga-M3 EXP-01, my grand-dads Tikka Master .308 and some .22LRs.

[aerius]

A wooden bow I got from a pawn shop & various arrows from hunting & surplus stores. I try to shoot at least once a week but it usually ends up being closer to once a month. As you can imagine, my aim isn't too good beyond 25 yards or so, I need to practice & shoot more.