By Tracy Dumoulin

November 26, 2020

There are so many people that pull triggers and don't really know the capabilities of their equipment. I shoot 308. I was trained on it in the Canadian military many years ago, and I know what it can do with different weight bullets and the various burn rate powders. My hunting group shoots 270, 308, 3006, and 300Mag and we all give each other respect for what we use ( well, the 3006 fellow used to snicker at my LITTLE 308 - he is stubborn but learning, lol).

I recently purchased a Mossberg MVP Predator with an 18.5 inch barrel. My group was a little skeptical of the short heavier barrel until I harvested a fair sized cow moose at 228 yards. I used a 168gr AMAX over Varget. 1 shot went through both sides and left a 2.5 inch exit wound. It stumbled 14 yards and expired from the terminal wound, as both lungs were in shreds. The group was impressed and will not doubt the short barrel, or my reloads anymore. So, use what you are confident and competent with, research ballistics and if you reload, all the different combinations available. Use the appropriate caliber for the game being harvested, and get to the range. Happy safe hunting to all.