Wolf Hunting Caliber?

Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeDN, I might be good at that game...
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Sounds like my 280 AI with some 120 TTSX might just be the ticket.

Yes that would be next to ideal. 7mm mag performance with less powder, a bullet that has lots of punch and a high for weight BC with the TTSX.
 
Thanks for all the replies! I have decided on using Browning BBR 30-06. I think I will start out with some 125gr. bullets and if those don't group I will go back to my 150's. My train of thought here is more velocity and less recoil for a follow up shot if necessary. Yea or Neigh?
 
If I was doing a wolf hunt Id be using my 6x45 & .243 as my backup gun. Nothing hard about shooting a thin skinned animal.
 
A couple years ago I shot a wolf hybrid with a 22 mag at about 125 yards. It jumped and ran off, but I found it the next morning 40 yards from where I shot it.

A neighbor moved off and left the wolf, and it immediately went wild and was terrorizing the area. I wouldn't recommend the caliber for a wolf hunt, but it was nearby and I grabbed it. This wolf wasn't as big as a wild one but still weighed at least 60 pounds.
 
If I still lived in Alaska I would be using a 22-250 or a 223. There are a lot of wolfs killed in Alaska every year with a 223, I would say its the most used caliber for wolf up there.
 
I'll ask this...

If you guys where paying an outfitter good money for a wolf,would you still use the choice you listed ?

Plenty of cal/chamberings will work, but what is the best. Yotes are killed with 17HMRs every year ,but that don't make them the best or close to it.
Heck some say a .223 isn't enough for yotes......
 
Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeI'll ask this...

If you guys where paying an outfitter good money for a wolf,would you still use the choice you listed ?

Plenty of cal/chamberings will work, but what is the best. Yotes are killed with 17HMRs every year ,but that don't make them the best or close to it.
Heck some say a .223 isn't enough for yotes......



Yes. I'd use my 338 no matter what. They may be thin skinned but they are tougher than nails and have a will to live like no other.
 
When hunting the big woods and have to carry a 100+lb wolf out of the deep woods after a day and a half recovery you may say different fellas. Been there done it.

Yes a 22lr will kill the chit out of a wolf. A 223Rem will save $$30 on the mount, a 243win may be just the ticket but more often then not this is a once in a life time event so why try to make a point?

Hunting a bait is different, calling with the notion if the wolf runs more than 200yds in the woods is different. When you are shooting a wolf in any and every possible circumstance and are gonna spend many man hours regardless on recovery go bigger!!

Maybe I missed something in over a 100 wolves but a 6x45 for a 350yd shot wouldn't be up there on my list when a 6mm Rem doesn't exit at half that range. Picked the brain on 100's more wolf kills.

Give me something that makes a 3in broadside hole at 400 yds and I'm good to go.
 
Well I considered a smaller, flatter shooting caliber, but I also took into consideration this is also Grizzly country so the 06 is also for an unwanted visitor!
 
Most of the guys in this area who primarily focus on Wolves seem to like the 6.5s and 270s, most of the Wolves I see are on the ice and often a good ways out. I am using a 270 WSM and think/hope it will work well.
 
When I decided to spend the bucks and go to the Rockies I broke out the shooting manual. Decided if I already owned the 06 I would have used that. After much reading I narrowed it down to 3. The 7 mm mag, 300 win mag or 338 mag. I finally chose the 300 win mag, it would shoot faster and hit harder than the 338 if I loaded 180 gr. versus the 220 gr in the 338. Also being in the 30 cal. family there is an extensive range of bullets to choose from. The magnum family no matter which caliber you would choose will REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM and you won't have to look for them. Good luck.
 
Figured I would dig this back up and give my 2 cents again. Tim N to answer your question if I were going to build a wolf gun it would most likely be a 280 or similar twisted to shoot 130-140 grain bullets. Plenty of knock down power, good speed, and the ability to launch them way out there if need be. Something in the 8 pound area. I'm not a huge fan of real light rifles but 8 pounds isn't too heavy to carry while on snowshoes. Me personally if I were paying to hunt wolves I would not bring a rifle less than .25 call and wouldn't shoot bullets lighter than 120 grains. I have had to recover an animal that was 1/2 mile in the thick Bush on snowshoes and I promise you it is no easy task. Carry something that you will trust doing the job on a not so perfect shot because perfect shots and wolf hunting from my experience do not go hand in hand. And for what its worth the only wolf we didn't recover that was shot this winter was shot with a 6.5x47
 
7mm rem mag, rem700 with a brux sporter weight barrel, and unfortunately still the crappy factory trigger... for now, Monarch 3x12 glass. I never got the chance to make a shot with it last year, but my cousin borrowed it and took a monster wolf at 350yds, said it dropped like it was hit by the hand of god.

I built the rifle on the advise of a couple guides who swear by the 7mm rem mag for wolves. They kinda echoed what I'm hearing here, 300win, ultra, WSM, etc was their second choice. I asked what they thought of using something like a 25-06 or 7mm08, they said it'd work fine, but that they'd both prefer something with more thump. They did say that if there was a way to be sure shots were limited to 200yds or less (ie- bating), that the 25-06, 6mm rem/243win would be just fine, but they'd still grab a 7mm mag or a big 30cal first if given a choice.
 
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I heard one guide say that the thick fur of a wolf tends to soak up the blood. That means he has to bleed for a while before he leaves a blood trail. So the bigger the hole the better. That also means there is an advantage to making an exit wound. If I get the opportunity to hunt a wolf, I will likely be using 30 caliber. I wouldn't go smaller than a .270.
 
22-250 FMJ is my choice in the boiler. It makes a nice exit 1"not to much damage to the fur.

Shot placement is the key. They don't run far.

I am blessed with long shots here.
 
Originally Posted By: jlutcher51Figured I would dig this back up and give my 2 cents again. Tim N to answer your question if I were going to build a wolf gun it would most likely be a 280 or similar twisted to shoot 130-140 grain bullets. Plenty of knock down power, good speed, and the ability to launch them way out there if need be. Something in the 8 pound area. I'm not a huge fan of real light rifles but 8 pounds isn't too heavy to carry while on snowshoes. Me personally if I were paying to hunt wolves I would not bring a rifle less than .25 call and wouldn't shoot bullets lighter than 120 grains. I have had to recover an animal that was 1/2 mile in the thick Bush on snowshoes and I promise you it is no easy task. Carry something that you will trust doing the job on a not so perfect shot because perfect shots and wolf hunting from my experience do not go hand in hand. And for what its worth the only wolf we didn't recover that was shot this winter was shot with a 6.5x47

Sounds like good advice !
 
Originally Posted By: Body Count22-250 FMJ is my choice in the boiler. It makes a nice exit 1"not to much damage to the fur.

Shot placement is the key. They don't run far.

I am blessed with long shots here.

Shot placement is always the key,but you don't always get it perfect.

FMJs ,really ?!!

How many wolves have you killed with this round ?
 
Most guys around here use a .223 Rem, .22-250, .220 Swift and one fellow I work with uses a 12ga. and No. 4 buck. He'll run up to them on a snowmachine when they are in deep snow (so they cannot run away), and BANG!

The .17 HMR is popular and gaining quite a following too.
 
Originally Posted By: Body Count22-250 FMJ is my choice in the boiler. It makes a nice exit 1"not to much damage to the fur.

Shot placement is the key. They don't run far.

I am blessed with long shots here.

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You couldn't pay me enough to use FMJ's on any predator. Not even fox or coyote. They deserve more respect than that. Just my opinion.

If I had to choose from the guns in my safe, I would choose my .308 Win. or my .260 Rem. I'd feel confident out to 600 yards with either rifle.
 
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