Deer hunters, I would like your input please

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220_Swift

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I live in a shotgun/muzzleloader only state, so my experience deer hunting has been with these firearms. Next fall I will be heading to Kentucky to hunt deer, and I find myself in a predicament. I have decided which rifle to buy (Tikka T3 Lite) but cannot decide on which caliber. Here are the ones I am deciding on, and some of my thoughts/concerns.


243 Win- Pros, I can use it for yotes here and deer there. Seems to be very versatile in this respect. Cons, I am not sure if it is reliably effective out to 300 yards. And if I ever hunt anything larger than whitetail I will need yet another rifle.

25-06- Pros, better performance on paper in terms of energy. Cons, Tikka has a 22 7/16" bbl which would be a bit short for this round I believe. Also a bit overkill on yotes.

7mm-08- Pros, seems to be a great all around cartridge for deer and some bigger stuff. Cons- Pretty much useless for yotes if I want to keep the pelts.

I have a Savage 22-250 that I was going to sell to buy this new rifle. Should I just keep it and get the 7mm-08? Is the 243 going to work well enough on deer and yotes to go that route? What would you do and why? Thanks for any thoughts or comments.
 
Of the choices of list, for the kind of deer hunting you will be doing in Kentucky, I would say it absolutely will not matter which of those you go with. The .243 will be enough to kill any deer in KY.

The Tikka is a great rifle. I have one in 308. The only thing I don't like about them is that they all have long actions, and 308 and 243 ought to be used in short action guns. But other than this cheesy bit of engineering, its a great rifle.
 
Any of the three will blow big holes in coyote pelts, including your .22-250. Actually, a bigger caliber with a heavier bullet will cause less pelt damage as the expansion typically isn't so violent.
 
.243 is very versatile. You can load it with lightweight (55 grain) bullets for varmints if you want, and heavier bullets (such as 100 grains) for deer. I don't know how big the deer get there, but in Oklahoma we have pretty small deer (overpopulation) and you don't need a big caliber to take them.
 
I'd go for that .25-06. It will do great for the deer hunt, but gives you the versatility to hunt just about everything else, including Elk should you want to. Load it down and it does great on coyotes and other pests. Load it up for big game.
 
The Tikka is a great rifle. I have one in 308. The only thing I don't like about them is that they all have long actions, and 308 and 243 ought to be used in short action guns. But other than this cheesy bit of engineering, its a great rifle.
Click to expand...

That was the only thing that I disslike about this rifle. But it fits me perfectly and that matters more to me.



Any of the three will blow big holes in coyote pelts, including your .22-250.
Click to expand...

I shoot 10-20 yotes a year and rarely get an exit wound from the 22-250 using V-max bullets.


So that is 3 votes for the 243 and 1 for the 25-06. I am intrigued by the quarter bore so I will do some more reading on it. And at least then I would actually have a reason for the long action.LOL Thanks for the replies, it is appreciated.
 
I'll vote for the 25-06, just because I have one and like it. Are you going to be hunting horse ranches or something? My experience is out side of that KY can be brushy as hell. Stay with something for flexible future use. 25-06 or 7mm-08.
 
I know you have already stated that you want to buy the Tikka, but you also have the possibility of just buying a second barrel in 243, 250, 7-08, etc and just switch barrels back and forth. You can purchase some fairly decent barrels (Shilen, Pac-nor) for not a whole lot of additional money and the scope and mounts are already taken care of.
 
if i was limiting myself to tikka, i'd go 25-06. if i was open to other rifles, 7-08.

keep the 22-250 and pick up something else. the whole idea of it a do-it-all rifle doesn't work that well. something that is great for elk will recoil too much for extended fun at the range, and the scope will be limited for long range shooting at tiny targets. something that is good for 300 or more shots an afternoon isn't going to have the authority on deer that something else does, and the scope will likely be too heavy, bulky, and lack versatility for brush hunting.
 
Dakotasin said it well. I'd go with the 7mm08, keep the 22-250, and have a nice well-rounded two-rifle stable.
 
220_Swift;

If t'were my nickle (and it's gonna be) I'd take a good long look at the Tikka in 6.5 Swedish Mauser. Bullets are available from 95 to 160 grains, Hornady and others. The B/C's and S/D's make for simply outstanding performance on both the range and game fields.

I bought my son the Remmy classic in 6.5 Swede for his 16th birthday. He's been to the sandbox a coupla times & anybody who'd be foolish enough to try & convince him to get rid of it would be in for a rough ride. I'm going to have one of my very own in the foreseeable future also.

Trouble is, I can't find a Tikka LHB in 6.5 Swede. I may be forced to buy a .270 & rebarrel it. At least I'd be getting another example of the .30-06's red-headed stepchild out of circulation. :evil: However, I know as soon as I do that, Tikka will then release LHB 6.5's just to raise my blood pressure, make me mutter under my breath for years, and contribute to my all-round grumpiness. In which case, I will send them a fruitcake.

:D 900F
 
To answer one of you questions - the .243 will kill any deer that ever walked on this continent at well beyond 300 yds. It would work fine for you.
If you don't know that you are going to hunt "bigger-then-deer" game in the next 5 years, cut your choices to the .243 or the 25/06. Doing more than 5 years' worth of hunting with a gun that is mismatched to your hunting is D.U.M.B., (putting it kindly).:barf:
If you don't reload - get the .243. It has a very versatile variety of factory ammo offerings (including Vmax flavors).
If you do reload, you could give some serious consideration to the 25/06 because reloading really expands its' usefulness. And as you reload for it I'm pretty sure you'll discover that the lack of 2" of barrel is absolutely meaningless in the field.:rolleyes:

HTH :cool:
 
I would not go for the 22-250 although it is ballisticaly capable it will damage the meat too much. 243 is really popular but of all listed I like 7mm08 best
BTW bullet selection is key for all listed calibers you can do all jobs listed with any of them for yotes the 7mm with a slow expanding or solid bullit will work fine. I have used a 7mm mag with a solid bullet had a exit the size of a nickle or so but that is a reload thing and you might want to think about doing that any way.
 
the .22-250 loaded with 70 grain controlled expansion type projectiles will work sufficently on deer....provide that you know what you know what you are doing behind the rifle.
 
Are you going to be hunting horse ranches or something? My experience is out side of that KY can be brushy as hell. Stay with something for flexible future use. 25-06 or 7mm-08.
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I will be hunting on 1200 acres of private land. They have several food plots and alfalfa fields on they property. They guy I will who owns it said that most shots are under 200 yards, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared for a shot out to 300 yards. The range I go to is set up for 300 yards and I will make sure I am proficient at that distance before I go.


keep the 22-250 and pick up something else. the whole idea of it a do-it-all rifle doesn't work that well.
Click to expand...

That is a good thought I will definitely consider.


t'were my nickle (and it's gonna be) I'd take a good long look at the Tikka in 6.5 Swedish Mauser.
Click to expand...

The Tikka T3 Lite synthetic/blue is not listed in 6.5 Swedish Mauser. I would be interested if it were though.


I do not consider using the 22-250 as a viable option. I'm sure it will kill deer, but I feel it is too weak for shots out to 300 yards.


I did some reading up on the 7mm-08 and it seems to be pretty impressive. I'm sure it would handle anything I would hunt in the future as well.

Also, I do not reload. I would like to in the future but I simply do not have the room to do it now.

Thanks again for all of the replies. I still need to do some more homework and study up on the different options at hand.
 
I live in a state with lots of Yotes and Deer and the .243 one of the most
common rifle calibers used here.
When I lived in a state that had Elk, Deer and Yotes the 25.06 was a very
popular caliber.
I dont remeber the bullet weights put you can get a pretty small
bullet for Yotes and a bullet plenty big enough for Elk.
 
I have hunted deer from 20+ years in Kentucky. The 7mm-08 is the best choice listed.

Remember, there are several distinct habitats and body sizes of deer in Kentucky, and there are Elk in Kentucky also.
 
A couple of the others have suggested that you just use your 22/250.
I didn't think the .22/250 was legal in Kentucky but I couldn't find any game laws saying it was illegal so, only on the condition that it is legal,... I would agree with them that using your .22/250 would be entirely feasible.
I have no experience with the heavier (60gr, 70gr etc.) .22 bullets but I would choose them for their mass and their better wind-handling ability. Have to tell you I've made, or seen made, many one-shot deer kills with the .22/250 ...BUT... only a couple were beyond 250 yds - most were 150-200yds. - and all of them were head or neck shots. But, if you really know much about game shooting you already know it's all about shot placement and bullet performance anyway.

To offer something about shot placement that has been demonstrated to me many times to be really valuable... if a shot enters just ahead of the near shoulder and passes out just behind the far shoulder OR (the reverse).. it enters just behind the near shoulder and passes out just ahead of the far shoulder... the deer is almost guaranteed to drop in its' tracks. And that method works from any up/down angle.
FWIW...I, personally, shun the "straight through the lungs" shot on deer with any caliber.

HTH, and Good Luck to you ! :cool:
 
Per the website:
301 KAR 2:172. Deer hunting seasons, zones, and requirements.



RELATES TO: KRS 150.010, 150.170, 150.175, 150.180, 150.340, 150.360, 150.370, 150.390, 150.395, 150.990

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS 150.025(1)

NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: KRS 150.025 grants the department authority to establish hunting seasons, bag limits, methods of taking and other matters necessary to carry out the purpose of KRS Chapter 150. This administrative regulation establishes deer hunting seasons and zones, prescribes legal methods of taking and establishes tagging and checking requirements for deer hunting.



Section 1. Definitions. (1) "Adult" means an individual who is at least eighteen (18) years of age.

(2) "Antlered deer" means a deer with a visible antler protruding above the hairline.

(3) "Antlerless deer" means a deer with no visible antler protruding above the hairline, including female deer and male fawns (button bucks).

(4) "Archery equipment" means a long bow, recurve bow or compound bow incapable of holding an arrow at full or partial draw without aid from the archer.

(5) "Arrow" means the projectile fired from a bow or crossbow.

(6) "Barbed broadhead" means a point or portion of a blade projecting backward from a broadhead designed to hold an arrow within an animal.

(7) "Bonus antlerless permit" means a permit which, in conjunction with appropriate licenses and permits, seasons and methods, allows the holder to take two (2) additional antlerless deer.

(8) "Crossbow" means a bow designed or fitted with a device to hold an arrow at full or partial draw without aid from the archer.

(9) "Deer" means a member of the species Odocoileus virginianus.

(10) "Electronic decoy" means a motorized decoy powered by electricity, regardless of source.

(11) "Firearm" means a breech or muzzle-loading rifle, shotgun or handgun.

(12) "Fully-automatic firearm" means a firearm which fires more than one (1) time with a single pull of the trigger.

(13) "License year" means the period from March 1 through the following last day of February.

(14) "Modern gun" means a rifle, handgun or shotgun which is loaded from the rear of the barrel.

(15) "Muzzle-loading gun" means a rifle, shotgun or handgun which is loaded from the discharging end of the barrel or discharging end of the cylinder.

(16) "Shotshell" means ammunition containing more than one (1) projectile.

(17) "Statewide deer permit" means a permit, which, in conjunction with appropriate licenses, seasons, and methods, allows the holder to take one (1) either-sex deer and one (1) antlerless-only deer.

(18) "Youth" means a person under the age of sixteen (16) by the date of the hunt.

(19) "Zone" means an area consisting of counties designated by the department within which deer hunting season dates and limits are set for the management and conservation of deer in Kentucky.



Section 2. License and Deer Permit Requirements. (1) Unless exempted by KRS 150.170, a person hunting deer shall have proof of purchase of a valid Kentucky hunting license and valid deer permit while hunting.

(2) In lieu of a statewide deer permit, a person possessing a valid junior statewide hunting license may use no more than two (2) junior deer hunting permits.

(3) Unless exempted by KRS 150.170, a person hunting wild hogs or coyotes during a season or Wildlife Management Area hunt where a firearm is allowed for deer hunting, shall have proof of purchase of a valid Kentucky hunting license and valid deer permit.

(4) A person whose name does not appear on a license or permit shall not use that license or permit to harvest deer.

(5) Unless exempted by KRS 150.170, bonus antlerless permits shall not be valid unless accompanied by a valid Kentucky hunting license and statewide deer permit.



Section 3. Hunter Restrictions. (1) A deer hunter:

(a) Shall not take deer except during daylight hours;

(b) Shall not use dogs, except he or she may use leashed tracking dogs to recover wounded deer;

(c) Shall not take swimming deer; and

(d) Shall not take deer from a vehicle, boat, or while on horseback, except that a hunter in possession of a disabled hunting exemption permit issued by the department may use a stationary vehicle as a hunting platform.

(2) A deer hunter shall not take a deer with any device except a firearm, crossbow, or archery equipment.

(3) A deer hunter shall not use or possess while deer hunting:

(a) Rimfire ammunition

(b) A fully-automatic firearm;

(c) A firearm with a magazine capacity greater than ten (10) rounds;

(d) Full metal jacketed ammunition;

(e) Tracer bullet ammunition;

(f) A shotshell containing larger than number two (2) size shot;

(g) A broadhead smaller than seven-eighths (7/8) inch wide;

(h) A barbed broadhead;

(i) A crossbow without a working safety device;

(j) A chemically-treated arrow;

(k) An arrow with a chemical attachment; or

(l) An electronic call or electronic decoy.

(4) Persons hunting deer shall not carry a firearm, except when a firearms deer season is open.
 
Keep the .22-250, buy the 7mm-08. The thoery of "one rifle for everything" usually looks good on paper but tends to fall flat in reality.
 
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