This episode releases on the 4th of July, so I thought it was fitting to not only do a cartridge comparison, but focus on two cartridges that have played prominent roles in US military conflicts over the past half century: the 223 Remington and 5.56 NATO on one side vs the 7.62x39mm on the other. The 5.56 vs 7.62x39mm debate kicked off right after military forces using those cartridges first met in the jungles of Vietnam during the 1960s and has never really ended as shooters continue to intensely argue the strengths and weaknesses of each cartridge in sporting goods shops, gun magazines, online forums, and shooting ranges across the country. In this episode, I do my best to sort through the 223/5.56 vs 7.62x39mm debate in an even handed manner in order to help you make an informed decision on which one is right for you.

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Sponsor: Get in touch with me to make your Africa hunting dreams come true at in South Africa’s Limpopo Province where we offer outstanding hunting safaris, simplified hunt logistics, assistance with many of the pain points associated with a hunt, and up front pricing with no extra fees. Plus, we're offering our remaining hunts for October and November 2024 at a fantastic discount! Visit bestsafarihunt.com or contact me directly at john@thebiggamehuntingblog.com to learn more.

Email me at that same address with subject line “podcast hunt” if you're interested in joining us on our upcoming Africa podcast hunt in July 2025.

Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday (along with my weekly ammo supply updates).

223/5.56 vs 7.62x39: Some Unexpected Pros & Cons – Blog article referenced in podcast

Best 223 Remington Ammo For Hunting - 223 Remington hunting ammo recommendations

Best 7.62×39 Ammo For Hunting Deer & Other Big Game - 223 Remington hunting ammo recommendations

Best Hunting Rifles Under $500 - Budget hunting rifle recommendations

Best Hunting Ear Protection For Sportsmen – Ear protection recommendations

Best Rifle Scopes For Hunting - Rifle scope recommendations

Best Hunting Rifle Slings - Rifle sling recommendations

Ryan Hoover of Handgun Hunters International is on the show with us today to talk about hunting with a handgun. We discuss one of his more memorable handgun hunts, reasons why people enjoy hunting with a handgun, why handgun hunting is more challenging than hunting with a rifle in some ways, popular handgun models for hunters, and of course, practical ballistics and caliber selection for handgun hunters.

Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday.

Learn more about Handgun Hunters International here, follow them on Instagram @handgunhuntersint, follow them on YouTube, and/or call/email Ryan at ryan@handgunhuntersinternational.com or 830-456-8613

Master Alaskan guide Phil Shoemaker joins me in this episode to talk about brown bear hunting in Alaska. We discuss how he got started in this business, practical ballistics, caliber selection, and bullet selection as it relates to bear hunting, some of the other, less discussed, though still important aspects of bear hunting, and a couple of noteworthy stories from his long hunting career up in Alaska (including his famous incident from 2016 where he killed an aggressive brown bear with his 9mm handgun).

Learn more about Phil's family's hunting operation Grizzly Skins of Alaska here. Follow them on Instagram @grizzlyskinsofalaska or on Facebook here.

Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday.

Ep 84: Dan Roland On Alaska Bear Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 92: Dan Roland On Dall Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 130: Joseph von Benedikt On Caribou Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 162: Joseph von Benedikt On Moose Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 201: Sheep Hunting 101 With Ron Spomer – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 282: Grizzly Bear Hunting With A 6.5 Creedmoor?!? – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 289: Dall Sheep Hunting With Mark Huelsing – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 316: Dall Sheep Hunting 101 With Tyler Freel – Podcast referenced in episode

John Stallone from HOWL for Wildlife is on the show with us to talk about a couple of serious threats to hunting he and his organization are fighting against. John is also a hunting outfitter and has hosted a hunting TV show. He also talks a little bit about what it was like to have a hunting TV show and gives us a small peek behind the curtain into that world. John and I discuss what’s going on with these additional, ongoing attacks on hunting in detail, what they mean for hunters all over North America, and how you can get involved in the fight against these anti-hunting initiatives.

Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday.

Support HOWL for Wildlife here and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Check out my appearance on John Stallone’s show Days in the Wild (on Apple here and on Spotify here) and follow him on Instagram

Dan Gates from Coloradans For Responsible Wildlife Management is on the show with us to talk about a couple of very serious threats to hunting he and his organization are fighting against. As you’ll learn here shortly, these are issues that affect hunters from all over the USA, not just those in Colorado. In this episode, Dan and I discuss these issues in detail, what they mean for hunters in Colorado and elsewhere in North America, and how you can get involved in the fight against these anti-hunting initiatives.

Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday.

Support Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management here and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

Sticking with the “Alaska Theme” we started last week with my discussion with Tyler Freel on Dall Sheep, we have Tyler Kuhn from A-Team Outfitting on the show to talk to us about bear hunting in Alaska. In this episode we talk about hunting both black and brown bear: the time of year they do those hunts, how they’re alike and different, spot and stalk vs baited hunts, etc.

Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday.

Ep 84: Dan Roland On Alaska Bear Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 92: Dan Roland On Dall Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 130: Joseph von Benedikt On Caribou Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 162: Joseph von Benedikt On Moose Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 201: Sheep Hunting 101 With Ron Spomer – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 282: Grizzly Bear Hunting With A 6.5 Creedmoor?!? – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 289: Dall Sheep Hunting With Mark Huelsing – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 316: Dall Sheep Hunting 101 With Tyler Freel – Podcast referenced in episode

Learn more about A-Team Outfitting here and follow them on Instagram @a_team_outfitting or call Tyler at 907-651-8495

Tyler Freel is back on the show today to talk about Dall Sheep hunting. Tyler has lived in Alaska for a long time and has done a lot of sheep hunting over the years. In this episode, we talk about everything Dall sheep: how and where to hunt sheep, descriptions of what constitutes a legal ram, how a sheep hunt often goes, what time of year they’re hunted, how they taste, and of course, what cartridges and bullets are best suited for and most commonly used for hunting Dall sheep.

Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday.

Ep 92: Dan Roland On Dall Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 168: Steve Speck On Bighorn Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 174: Joseph von Benedikt On Bighorn Sheep Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 201: Sheep Hunting 101 With Ron Spomer – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 282: Grizzly Bear Hunting With A 6.5 Creedmoor?!? – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 289: Dall Sheep Hunting 101 With Mark Huelsing – Podcast referenced in episode

Subscribe to Tyler’s Tundra Talk Podcast here.

Follow Tyler on Instagram @thetylerfreel

Today Joseph von Benedikt is back on the show and we discuss a subject I know you’ll enjoy: our favorite cartridges for hunting virtually any species of big game. We’re play little game here today where Joseph and I each list our favorite cartridge and bullet for hunting specific species of game ranging from coues whitetail all the way up to thick skinned species of African game like cape buffalo and elephant and almost everything in between like mule deer, elk, black bear, etc. The catch is that we cannot reuse a cartridge for multiple species. Even so, our discussion provides an interesting glimpse into the thought process he and I each use for selecting cartridges and bullets for hunting different species of game. This is a great episode I really enjoyed recording it and I’m sure you’ll enjoy listening to it as well.

Ep 96: Elk Hunting Bullets With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 104: Elk Hunting Rifles With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 130: Caribou Hunting In Alaska With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 162: Moose Hunting 101 With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 174: Bighorn Sheep Hunting With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

1) Joseph's Personal Instagram Page

2) Check The Backcountry Hunting Podcast (on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & YouTube