Corona question - Shot placement and caliber for these critters

[Hillbilly Marine]

With all of the hunting shut down, I think we can now wonder into an area of fantasy. My wife and I took our grandson to a park with full sized replicas of dinosaurs. I started thinking about shot placement and what caliber to use with each critter.

Now, for the big guys like the Brachiosaurs and the like I would assume something like a .600 Nitro Express or the like. Smaller things like Triceratops would be in the .458 range. Smaller critters could well be taken with a deer rifle. The reality is that it would be a shot placement game. Where would y'all suppose the best aiming points for said animals?

 

[Tra3]

I think Primos makes a can call that is really good at stopping these critters. They hear the call and just look up and wait for a shot. Usually a neck shot is ideal, but the triceratops is more difficult. Hornady makes a special Dino-defense line of solids, but there have been rumors of the metal not being pure uranium and not penetrating as well.

BTW: these are very good eating, so good that most places already ate them all.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I think I would take a 500 a square after the big boys. The brain would be ideal but probably hard to find. A guy would need to dissect a dead one, and I bet that’s a pretty good chore.

 

[JimP]

Just remember very thick skin and a very small brain.

That plus I haven't see a anatomy chart of one of them to find where the vitals and spin is located at.

I'd take a .50 cal Barrett for the first couple of them.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Or maybe a M2 .50 cal

 

[Ryan]

I'm going W.M.D. Bell style. A 6.5 with the right shot in the brain drops them all.

And Rhinehart targets have been preparing bowhunters for dinosaurs return for a long while.

 

[bruce moulds]

those big 2 legged carnivors I would go for the hip joint with a big gun/bullets to be sure of disablement.
this is a high neck shot was hard to do.
nothing fancy, just put my survival first.
bruce.

 

[Bill DeHaan]

Great thread - Well done Hillbilly!
I learned a valuable lesson in N Dakota one fall. On even the smaller DG like Velociraptor, ya gotta break em down with the first shot or it might be a short hunt for you. Place any well made monolith solid into their primary drivers, and your follow up and finishing shot becomes a simpler task. Depending on which lizard you are hunting, a second round may not be necessary.
Understanding Anatomy is always important, but Some of those cold blooded beasts pose unique challenges for shot placement because of their propensity for “jumping the string”. Stegasaurus are so damn twitchy, and seem to always know the exact moment you trigger sear will break. A well regulated double would be you best friend on their velds.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

For these, I'd get a vintage Solothurn S18-100 ATR, with wheeled carriage for most of these to have some standoff range.

https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/solothurn-s-18-1000/

I wouldn't start with skull / CNS hits like I do with the game I've previously hunted. I'd prioritize on taking out the legs. I'd a phalanx of askaris with 10 gauge shotguns and fully automatic weapons for perimeter defense. Skinners with chainsaws for cutting up the parts for consumption.

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

This is the kind of response I was looking forward to reading. My thoughts are the big guys, Brachiosaurs and "Ultrasaurs" would be a great challenge because of sheer size and eyesight vantage point that is three times that of a giraffe. I see to remember once they had a second brain-like structure to operate their rear legs. I am certain that a neck shot with a solid from .375 H&H on up would crack the spine. Where would a good heart lung shot be?

I was thinking that a Lahti 20 my anti tank rifle from the late thirties would be just about perfect all around use on these big guys. Of course, one would have to have a Sasquatch to be your gun bearer.

 

[CAustin]

@Hillbilly Marine where is this Park? I have a grandson who would love it!

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

I think Primos makes a can call that is really good at stopping these critters. They hear the call and just look up and wait for a shot. Usually a neck shot is ideal, but the triceratops is more difficult. Hornady makes a special Dino-defense line of solids, but there have been rumors of the metal not being pure uranium and not penetrating as well.

BTW: these are very good eating, so good that most places already ate them all.

I would tend to believe they should taste pretty good. I have eaten several types of reptiles over the years and I liked them all. For their size I would suspect the meat would be different than a rattlesnake or an iguana.

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

@Hillbilly Marine where is this Park? I have a grandson who would love it!

It is call Dinosaurland in Cave City KY. My grandson is two and he had a total blast.

 

[CAustin]

Thank you! Mine is 3 and would just freak out!

 

[Jeffrey]

There’s a whole book on the subject: https://www.hamiltonbook.com/the-perfect-shot-for-dinosaurs-paperbound

 

[Bill DeHaan]

Maybe I've been in lock-down too long but my brain swims with glee in considering the challenge of making a brain shot with my 416 Rigby, on a sunning Tylosaurus . Or maybe baiting is a better approach. Hmmm.... Wonder how effective a well placed and staked out Tricerotops carcass would be? Clearly we need some scholarly PH input.

 

[Matt_WY]

First one looks like it has a plate rack too be cleared before you get to take the heart shot. LOL

 

[CBH Australia]

No experience with Dinosaurs. What did they use to wipe them out last time?
Maybe they were not that hard to kill.

 

[Ed Lally]

You need a big rock of about .500 mile caliber with an impact velocity of at least 23,000 mph.

 

[Av8or]

On the shoulder............