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Hi Fuhrmann..

What "hunting-experience" are you looking for..nowadays? or historical?. There are a few who still bring these bore-rifles on modern safaris. They are posting on this forum too.Do a search, and you shall find..hahaha
You mention "old weak bore rifles"...well. They may be weak compared in construction compared to newmade doubles, but powerwise these weak borerifles can actually supercede most of the modern calibers...with exceptions ofcouse.
I see you are from Suisse...My mother lives near Biel

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Rigbymauser,

modern, own experience and opinion would be great.
If there is historical reference, that's interesting, too.
With "weak bore rifles" I meant those mentioned in the few sources I found; 24 to 28 gauge, very modest powder charges. From the few literature sources I have, and also from what guns I see at auctions or in museums, I must conclude that these rifles were predominant in middle Europe, and were used for any hoofed game that was around - mostly the small roe deer (no problem, I assume) but also red deer, wild boar etc, and there i simply wonder.

Sure, a 12, 10 or 8 bore rifle is a different thing and not "weak". But you do not find these often, so you may conclude they were not the rule back then.
And modern experience with shotgun slugs (ballistics quite comparable to the old bore rifles) normally tells that one should at least use 16 gauge, nothing less, better 12.
"Powerwise": I know kinetic energy will be just one part of the equation - but what other criterium should one use to easily define "power".
And any standard middle caliber centerfire rifle cartridge (think 8x57 or .30-06) will easily exceed a shotgun slug in kinetic energy.

Fuhrmann

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