whos got the best

[Old and Reliable]

A member of our Busted Flush deer camp shot a 6 point buck running away up a rise with the white flag of surrender raised- He was using his M71 in .348 Win with 250 grain Silvertip loads from about the 1948 era- a inheritance from his family- fine lever rifle-

The deer collapsed and was bled out at a measured 133 paces uphill from the ejected shell casing found in the footprints he left in the snow- the Silvertip went "Uppa Da Fundament", ripped open the vitals and the lungs, and exited at the white patch of the deceased deer's throat- a hole about the size of a tennis ball- When we slit open the diaphragm, the innards looked like red jello-

He has taken two trophy Bull Elk with that same unscoped rifle and the older 250 grain Silvertip bullets- one in MT. and one in Idaho- 75 yard (est'd) shots- aim point just behind the animal's facing shoulder- aka- "Da Boiler Room" and both critters dropped in their tracks, the exit side of the deceased elk(s) had holes about grapefruit size.

I would not be hesitant to use the .348 Win, for black bear or even Kodiaks, but I might prefer 300 grain bullets (A-square or Barnes) but Boy Howdy- around here factory ammo for that great stopper is hard to come by--