Scott at Kentucky Ballistics demonstrates the effectiveness of some very powerful rifles and some enormous cartridges in an attempt to choose the best dinosaur-hunting firearms. Because, hey, you never know.
I bet his shoulder looks like freshly-pounded cube steak.
That's a cool video, but I would use a tank.
ReplyDeleteMe, too. Or, possibly, a spray can of Paco Enterprises' very effective Lizard-Be-Gone.
ReplyDeleteAnd at the other end of the scale, if you are recoil averse, here's the classic .22 for hitmen demonstrated:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dKuwLvhVMk
I saw a video one time, featuring an interview with a former mobster, who told a hilarious story about the time he got called into the office of some lower-level boss. The guy being interviewed was suspected of being an informer - he was, in fact - and the boss had arranged for an assassin to enter the room and shoot the guy. The hitman came in, shot the man with either a .22 or a .25, but the bullet just skirted his thick skull under the skin and exited without doing much damage. The guy who got shot then disarmed the would-be killer, shot him, and beat the crap out of the other man.
DeleteBeing tall & thin (think Barney Fife), I never was much for high recoil firearms. I fired a 12ga. once, and that was enough to lead me to buying a 20ga. for my own use. And without realizing exactly what I was doing, I bought an old 8MM Turkish Mauser once. And 500 rounds of surplus ammo that I still mostly have.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what it would do to a T-Rex, but I would hope it wouldn't take many shots to do it!
I have a G98/40 - a bolt action manufactured in Hungary during the alliance with Nazi Germany. It's chambered in 8mm Mauser, although it's supposedly a Mannlicher-style rifle (for years, I just assumed it was some kind of Mauser rifle). I also have a Yugoslavian Mauser. Both rifles have steel butt plates and leave substantial bruises on my shoulder. I usually try to remember to take a thick towel that I can fold and use to buffer the recoil when I take either one to the range.
DeleteI know a family that keep lions and tigers. They have a 47/70 Lever action for insurance. I had one shot of it and didn't want another. Interestingly they load it with two non lethal powder rounds that scare the cats then the solids if that fails.
ReplyDeleteI have also spoken to a WW2 veteran who used a Boys antitank rifle .55 cal. They pierced up to 1 inch armour. He told me they were a terrifying weapon, not for the tank crew but the user. Nobody wanted to take a second shot as it was a shoulder masher.
That should have read 45/70
DeleteMy family had cattle we raised for the beef, usually 2-3 at a time. They were butchered in our small pasture, which was always a well attended event by all the neighborhood kids.
ReplyDeleteThe butcher used a 22 rifle to kill the steer, pressed against its head just behind the ear. The animal immediately dropped, dead, every time.
I have a copy of a Colt 1887 12 gauge with a pistol grip.
ReplyDeleteI hugely prefer that to one pummeling my shoulder.
I'm thinking .50 BMG for T-Rex, or maybe a a Tommy gun. 30 rounds of .45ACP is gonna ruin anything's day.
A BAR might be okay, 15 rounds of .30-06 would probably work too.