Best deer caliber

[redneck2]

I’m absolutely positive that for me it would be a 7 Rem Mag. Why? Because I only have one deer rifle, and that’s what it is.

Shoots flatter and hits as hard or harder than most .30 cals. Good for anything in the lower 48. extremely accurate. With the squishy recoil pad it has, recoil is quite manageable

When the 6.5 Creed grows up and puts on its big boy pants, it becomes a 7 mag <ducks and runs>

 

[Buzznrose]

30 06 or 308. In the last shortage 308 was a bit hard to find in my neck of the woods, but 30 06 was never out of stock and anyplace I go hunting had 30 06 in stock.

there is NEVER a “panic run” on 30-06 ammo because guys who own 30-06’s don’t panic!

 

[.308 Norma]

there is NEVER a “panic run” on 30-06 ammo because guys who own 30-06’s don’t panic!

 

[22250Rem]

Best deer caliber for me is whichever hunting gun I'm using when the deer show up. This past season I've hunted with a 6.5x55, a 30-30, and a 7mm08. Except the deer never showed up. Maybe a 30-06 would change my luck.

 

[Legionnaire]

There is no "best." There are many I like, ranging from .243 Win to 7mm Rem Mag.

My choice at the moment is .260 Ackley. And if I wanted to stretch the distance, 6.5 PRC.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Bragging rights don't fill a freezer very well though.

You going to brag about NOT putting venison into your freezer ??

LD

 

[bearcreek]

You going to brag about NOT putting venison into your freezer ??

LD

My point was that I use the tool that's most likely to work when I need it to. I don't care about bragging rights. I don't post or display pictures of bucks I've killed or have them mounted, for that reason. A flintlock has a lower chance of working than some of the other options. Nothing wrong with you using one, it's just a matter of priorities. I hunt because it's an ethical way to put healthy meat in the freezer, not just for the challenge or for fun.

 

[Chuck R.]

What deer at what range?

Lots of stuff will work inside 100 yards just fine on 100lb field dressed whitetail, that would be less than ideal for other areas and deer.

If there was actually ONE single BEST, we wouldn’t have any other choices to pick from.

This is probably the most important question(s) when discussing or picking a caliber. Terrain & game animal dictate. I've got brush/woods rifles/calibers and I've got open country rigs. Going with one caliber is sort of like playing an entire round of golf with a putter. Can be done, but not the most efficient way to go about it.

 

[bearcreek]

This is probably the most important question(s) when discussing or picking a caliber. Terrain & game animal dictate. I've got brush/woods rifles/calibers and I've got open country rigs. Going with one caliber is sort of like playing an entire round of golf with a putter. Can be done, but not the most efficient way to go about it.

What longer range caliber doesn't work well for short range? Or is it not so much the range as it is the potential to have to shoot through brush?

 

[Chuck R.]

What longer range caliber doesn't work well for short range? Or is it not so much the range as it is the potential to have to shoot through brush?

Like I said, it will work....so will a putter...

Having shoulder hit a deer at 35yds with a 130grn at 3150MV, honestly I think there's better choices. Result was a dead deer, but the meat loss was greater than a more "sedate" caliber. Before I diversified into task dedicated rifles I went with dual loads, Nosler BTs for open terrain, Partitions for the shorter stuff. The POI/POA was close enough to ignore at the closer distances. The heart-lung shots mitigate the damage, but those aren't always possible.

Then there's the rifles themselves. My open country rigs are 24-26" barrels, higher mag scopes, higher MV cartridges; .270, .300WM and an 8x68S. Not exactly wieldy for a still hunting woods rifles. Woods rifles are 20" barreled, LPVOs with cartridges in the 28-2600 FPS range that are faster handling.

And on top of that, IHMO there's different types of woods hunting. Stand/blinds VS still hunting/drives. To me stands/blinds infers more time for precise shots, so some magnification is appreciated for those "thread the needle" type shots. Also more ability to pick your aimpoint. Still hunting/drives is more of the "take what shot you get", less desirable presentations, possibly moving and shooting through things.

All of the above IMHO is why for example you still see lever action .35REMs for sale along side 26Noslers. Both will kill a deer...

 

[Dibbs]

A bit subjective but I believe it is as true today as it was back when first quoted. 30-06 is never wrong. That from someone who no longer owns a true 30-06 hunting rifle.

There's a few very good reasons 30.06 is still popular, today. Power, adaptability, store popularity. Just can't go wrong, with the tried and true.

 

[mustanger98]

When the 6.5 Creed grows up and puts on its big boy pants, it becomes a 7 mag <ducks and runs>

Who really thinks that's not funny?

 

[JustSomeGuy264]

I'm surprised the 270 win. wasn't nominated more. Where I live in WV seems like everyone has either 30-06 or 270. Probably why I've never owned either one.

I have a limited sample size with my 264 win mag since this is my first year hunting with it but I'm quite fond of it so I'll throw it out there

 

[mustanger98]

I've seen some guys get mixed results with .270, but most of us can say that about most calibers/chamberings. Some will debate whether or not the .30-30 is the greatest deer getter of all time, and Jack O'Connor dedicated a chapter to both sides of that arguement. It has more to do with the hunter than the rifle.

 

[Thatguy686]

I’m a big believer in using more gun than is necessary but I am kind of shocked at how many are in with the 30-06 or 308.

If we are strictly talking deer I am very surprised more are not in with the sweetheart of the last few years, the 6.5CM or it’s cousin the 7mm-08.

Im pretty sure if the thread title was something like: “I’m going to get a new rifle for deer and what cartridge should I get?” The answers would predominantly be for mostly everything else but the 30-06. There have been plenty of past threads that bear witness to this.

I feel like no matter what time we are talking about the .30-06 prevails if you put a new title to the thread that said as you mentioned "I’m going to get a new rifle for deer and what cartridge should I get?" Disclaimer I will only ever own 1 rifle for deer and it could be used anywhere in the US out west down south the north east anywhere.

Well then you would get many of these same answers. If you worded it "I want a new deer rifle but something different than myself or others I know have mostly used." then you might get 7mm-08 but i bet still very few 6.5CM its a odd caliber and while good will be like many others who compare to the .243 and be popular for 5-10-maybe 15 years and disappear.

 

[Steve Traxler]

Assuming it’s legal in the area for only one rifle it would be 30X06, simply because of the versatility, I can hunt anything between antelope and moose.

 

[alsaqr]

There are oodles of rifles in calibers .243 and up that perform equally well on deer at medium ranges. In about 1965 i began hunting with muzzle loading rifles in Maryland. Then got away from that.

Got back into muzzleloaders in 2000. i hunt deer with both scope sighted inline rifles and conventional sidelock rifles. As a result i'm a better hunter.

Many shooters are capable of sniping deer at 300-600 yards. i've done that too but it ain't hunting, it's deer killing; sometimes deer wounding. Most of my shots with a sidelock muzzleloaders are at <50 yards. What happens when the deer is 200 yards away? i get low to the ground, creep, crawl and sneak within 30-40 yards; then assume a good sitting, standing or prone position and shoot the animal.

 

[George P]

I own, or have owned a .243, 6.5x55, 7-08, 7mm mag, 30-06. For only deer, whether whitetail or mulies, I'd opt for the 7-08 with the 6.5x55 a real close second -both in carbine length barrels of 18-20"

 

[FTG-05]

7mm-08.

 

[lastofthebreed]

300 Savage

 

[d2wing]

7-08. But I like many others. 30-06, 308, 30-30.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

With the way my body has been treating me the past 3 years, I've been using my CRF 24" barrel .25-06 that currently has a 3.5-10X44 IR scope mounted with great results. I've especially liked the results with 110 grain Accubond bullets.

I now have a CRF 22" barrel 7mm-08 with 2-10X42 IR scope mounted I plan to try out in the field next opportunity.

I'm in the camp of those who've posted there are plenty of cartridges that'll do the job available. My choices today are quite different vs when I was younger, for various reasons.

 

[horsey300]

For myself, I put more focus on bullet construction and application of the right bullet to the right part of the critter from .22 up to .375 the only wrong answers are from bad combinations of the wrong bullet in the wrong application.

 

[Garandimal]

The one w/ adequate energy and sectional density to do the job, and you shoot it well enough to put it to work at the ranges required.




GR

 

[MCgunner]

I’m absolutely positive that for me it would be a 7 Rem Mag. Why? Because I only have one deer rifle, and that’s what it is.

Shoots flatter and hits as hard or harder than most .30 cals. Good for anything in the lower 48. extremely accurate. With the squishy recoil pad it has, recoil is quite manageable

When the 6.5 Creed grows up and puts on its big boy pants, it becomes a 7 mag <ducks and runs>

Nah, it's only a .264 Win Mag. Still has to grow a little to be a 7.