Big Game Hunting - Weaponry

Weaponry

Almost every kind of firearm has been used to successfully hunt big game. Handguns are quite popular for big game in North America, but are not used as often in Asia and Africa. Shotguns are used to take big game, being safer in flat country as the large but relatively slow moving slug loses velocity quickly compared to the rifle bullet. With the advent of saboted, sub caliber projectiles for use in shotguns, there are questions about whether there is any practical difference in range compared to often identical bullets fired at similar velocities from a rifle. Rifles are perhaps the most common weapon for taking big game. In North America, the .30-06 is probably the most popular caliber and is often used for everything from pronghorn to grizzly bears although grizzly bears and Alaskan brown bears are usually taken with more powerful cartridges. In Africa larger cartridges such as the Nitro Express series, or other elephant gun chamberings are frequently used, and can take even the largest game. African hunters often prefer to use a double rifle as a stopping rifle (a rifle intended to incapacitate a charging dangerous game animal as quickly as possible) since these double rifles provide the possibility for a very quick second shot, but bolt-action rifles also take the largest game.

Bows and crossbows are also used to take big game all over the world. Bowhunters and blackpowder shooters generally obtain earlier access to hunting grounds, making those kinds of hunting popular even for people who also hunt with modern firearms. Alternative weapons, such as the atlatl are also being explored by big game hunters, and are legal in some states in the US.