Minimum caliber

[huff]

Hopefully i'm in the right forum. what is the minimum caliber you can hunt deer, bear,moose elk etc. with.

By researching the BC. hunting regs. the only stipulation I can fing is that its center fire.
and that Bison you have to use a caliber that has a min. 2000 ft/lbs of energy.

Thanx in advance

Huff

[Brambles]

no minimum in BC as long it is centerfire, common sense has to be applied however. Just because its legal doensn't make it the best choice ie: 223, 22-250, 22 Hornet.

IMO .243 should be considered the minimum for big game animals, but still too small for elk and moose unless being operated by an extremely experianced marksman at short distances

[Jetboat]

More restrictions for archery than guns. You got 'er Huff. Use a properly constructed bullet, only drop the hammer if you're 100% sure of a quick killing shot and enjoy.

[Singleshotneeded]

.243 and up for deer is what's generally considered acceptable, .270/7mm or larger for moose, elk, bear, etc..

[BCBRAD]

The proper bullet in a 6.5mm/.264" is my personnel minimum for BC. A 260 Rem with a 130gr TSX @ 2900fps will penetrate most any animal. I agree with Jetboat on dropping the hammer.

[Gateholio]

Thankfully, when it comes to centerfire cartridges, BC hasn't taken the approach of some other states/provinces to limit your options to what someone in an office says. (With the exception of bison, I suppose, and this is one of those arbitrary regulations)

So you are correct- To hunt big game, you must use a centerfire cartridge. No other restrictions apply. Just use common sense and work within your capabilities.

[canadiancon]

no minimum in BC as long it is centerfire, common sense has to be applied however. Just because its legal doensn't make it the best choice ie: 223, 22-250, 22 Hornet.

IMO .243 should be considered the minimum for big game animals, but still too small for elk and moose unless being operated by an extremely experianced marksman at short distances


Nothin wrong with a .243 for moose. That's all I have ever used and that's all my family has ever used. Never lost a moose and hardly ever have one go anywhere after its been shot. Even out to 400 plus yards.

[huff]

Thanx all. I hunt with 7mm.08 ,270 or 30.06. A friend of mine who is new to hunting is using a .223 for deer , I just wanted to make sure it was legal.

Cheers

[steel_ram]

17 Fireball is technically legal for the biggest of bears in B.C., but not Bison. You'd be reckless to hunt anything bigger than a coyote with one because barnes doesn't make a TSX for it yet. Common sense should prevail.