While I got no problems with Elmer's 44 mag loads and truly haven't needed anything else in my own 6 shooters, levers or autos ( love shooting the same load in my 44s......most times), Pappy my good friend, I have also never had anything against any small caliber, dead-on rounds. I am absolutely certain that a .22 Mag placed carefully behind & just under a whitetail's ear will drop them in their tracks every time. And I gotta' say my long gun with the most notches is the Savage O/U
.222/20 gauge. BUT, grandpa's words were burned early in my brain, "ain't nothing more deadly than a slow-moving, large chunk of lead."

When I first got to Idaho and worked for the Forest Service adjacent to Yellowstone, in 1968, the year before I got there, the Park shut off the garbage dumps to bears. You have to know that for 50 years, bears had learned to eat the Park garbage. So when they stopped, the bears naturally went looking for garbage. Most of the bears on the west side of the Park, came right to Island Park, Idaho, where I was working. Grizzly bears were everywhere. I asked an old rancher if he had ever killed a griz. He said the biggest griz he had ever seen and killed had eaten 30 of his sheep. He only had a Savage 250-3000, and shot it right in the throat. Dropped him. I have shot a few bears and the instant kill is a throat shot. No bone and no muscle, just skin and spine. Drops them every time.

Pap

I had an T/C Encore with 7mm/08 barrel and a Burris scope that I took more deer with than a rifle. Alas, I sold both my Contender and Encore rigs 7-8 years ago

That Encore sold me on the 7mm-08 round for Alabama dear.

I got my son a 7mm-08 Remington and a Redfield 2-7 Widefield scope. He killed a few deer with it and then went into the Marine Corps. After his discharge, I bought him a fancy 30-06, but he always takes that 7mm-08. I have a TC barrel in 7mm-08 and use it for deer as well. He has killed 2 elk with his.

Pap

Great caliber Pap. Mild to shoot with plenty of energy for deer, flat shooting too.

Finally got around to getting some pics of my TC barrels along with the Pelican Case. Sorry for the sub-standard photos. My Gallaxy S7 will have to do for now.
Top to bottom:
45-70 SSK full vent rib, 4 port Magnaported, topped with a Nikon 1.5-4.5
35 Rem stock TC barrel, Super 14, topped with a 2x32 Baush & Lomb.
22 Hornet TC Barrel, 10 Inch, topped with a 4X28 Leupold.
.223 Armalloy barrel Super14, topped with a Burris 1.5-4.

Wow, the ultimate arsenal. Very nice.

Pap

Thanks Pap, lots of fun to shoot.

Warren,

Great set-up! Shoot straight.

Tom Flynn

Will do, thanks Tom.