sp's make even the short 223 pretty damned effective. they perform on deer about like 6" .44 mags, using really good loads in the .44. Since such .44's have taken every species that walks, there's really no reason to bother with "more power". The 223 can brain any large animal, altho I'd want solid bronze, hollowbased slugs, if I had to deal with elephant. The poachers, however, just use M16's and ball ammo. They get within 10m, a fire 1-2 short bursts into the 3 ft circle of the lung, wait 24 hours, and look for buzzards.
By firing 6-10 shots, they are sure to get 3-4 past the ribs, and that many holes in a lung mean that the tusker coughs up blood, which it then aspirates into the other lung, and the tusker drowns in its own blood. So if you HAVE to, you can make the 223 work. Just like guys have driven 300 gr swc .44's thru both lungs, waited an hour or so, and followed the easily seen trail to the dead elephant. It's just a question of knowing how to make the tool work. You can drive tacks with a sledgehammer, if you are man enough, and know how to go about it. If shtf, you aint gonna GET to say "time out" and go get the "ideal" longarm for the job. You will be STUCK with whatever you are carrying. So you'd best have the most VERSATILE, most likely to be NEEDED gear. That is a 223 autoloader, with a .22lr conversion unit.
There's more cattle than elk, more small game, dogs, cats than deer. .22lr suffices for livestock, dogs, and even for deer, if you know enough to use bait, jacklight, etc. Once you get into a firefight with that noisy, flashing bolt action 375, you will be dead in short order.
There's more cattle than elk, more small game, dogs, cats than deer. .22lr suffices for livestock, dogs, and even for deer, if you know enough to use bait, jacklight, etc. Once you get into a firefight with that noisy, flashing bolt action 375, you will be dead in short order.