Weapon legislation of the Russian Federation provides more often smooth-bore weapons. It is safer, the range of the projectile is less applicable for shooting any beast.
But along with the smoothbore, rifled weapons for hunting are gaining popularity. This topic is quite voluminous, so we’ll try to highlight at least basic issues.
Rifled weapons for hunting are selected primarily taking into account the main types of hunting: for wild boar and elk, for deer and elk for roaring or from approach, from towers, in sunflowers (for a bear), etc.
In comparison with the calibers of smooth-bore weapons (from 10 to 20, with the solution of close problems and with different, of course, effectiveness), calibers of rifled weapons have a narrower qualification. It is in caliber that the highlight of the difference between rifled weapons for shooting, for example, gophers and elephants. The main, albeit crude, determination of the suitability of an ammunition of a selected caliber is the energy of a bullet at a certain distance of impact. It should be either equal to the animal’s body weight (kgf / m²), or exceed it ten times (energy value in J). Fulfillment of this condition will allow avoiding unnecessary wounded animals (of course, when hit the killer point). However, note: the bullet will give its energy only after remaining in contact with the animal’s body (without passing right through). In addition, the larger the size, the higher the energy of the bullet, and the shooting is less accurate. Therefore, bullets are preferable soft (quickly deforming) with a blunt (or flat) nose. Suppose a Silver bullet with a caliber of 308Win and a mass of 9.7 g is quite suitable for shooting a deer up to 200 kg at a distance of up to 220 m, since its energy will be about 2000 J.
One cannot but recall the stopping ability of the ammunition (the stopping action is proportional to the square of the radius). If you kill a bear with a 7x64 bullet, you risk being left without a trophy if, for example, you hit the lungs, because he will die a few kilometers from the place of the shot.
And now briefly about the principles of the distribution of calibers, taking into account the objects of hunting.
For small game (goose, black grouse, wood grouse, partridge, fox, etc.), rifled weapons for hunting of the following calibers are preferable : 243 Win and 5.6x57R, 5.6 × 57, 5.6x39, 5.6x52R, 5.6x50Rmag, 222Rem, 22 Hornet. The energy, of course, is different (the same as the indicators of flatness), but you can hunt more successfully and without much damage to the skins. Please note: rifled weapons for bird hunting in many regions are not used (prohibited).
For average game (wolf, roe deer, deer, wild boar, elk (up to 160 kg)) it is better to use:
- calibers 5,6x57R; 5.6 × 57; 5,6x50R; 223Rem (weight 55-80 kg);
- ammunition 8x57, 8x64, 8x68 (up to 160 kg and with a maximum distance of 200m).
For large game (from 160 kg), taking into account the accuracy of the defeat and the possibility of its stopping in place, 9.3 × 64 calibers are preferred; 9.3 × 62; 35Wheelen (with a maximum distance of 200 m); 338WinMag; 375 H&H Mag. But the 30th caliber rifled weapons are not suitable.
The range of ammunition, as well as the choice of weapons, in recent years is wide. And the quality has improved. Cartridges have appeared not only with a bimetallic, but also with a tompack shell, which allows to reduce the wear of the rifling. They began to produce analogues of foreign cartridges. But it’s too early to talk about a complete solution to the problems with the quality of ammunition.
I would like to mention the shooting of mountain game, since there also have their own characteristic features, and therefore a separate group of cartridges is used. A mountain beast rarely has a large mass, which means you should think about the flatness of the ammunition used when shooting in mountainous areas. Usually for chamois it is 243 Win, and for goats and rams - 8x68S, 00WinMag, 7mmRemMag, 30R Blaser. With bullets of these calibers, it is quite possible to hit any mountain animal at any possible shooting distance, which, again, is explained by exceptional flatness.
And finally: almost all foreign rifled trunks, unlike domestic ones, are not chrome plated. Keep this in mind when choosing rifled weapons for hunting. If chrome plating does not prevent, it significantly slows down the wear of barrel rifling when using domestic ammunition with a bimetallic shell and, as a rule, steel cores. A non-chrome carbine "ends" faster. However, without chrome accuracy is better and higher accuracy.