Favorite deer rifle caliber?

Hoggin · Feb 2, 2018

whbonney26, not to get off of subject... but I'd love to have that deer jerky recipe. Do you use the flank on the side of the ribs? How do you slice and season the meat?

I make beef jerky regularly for my kids from store bought meat but have not tried venison yet. Would like to save the appropriate cut off of next years kills and get er a whirl. For beef jerky I usually just season with whatever I feel at the time... soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, fresh ground black pepper, salt (if not using soy) and a little cayenne.

M77Shooter · Feb 2, 2018

Even though I have several nice rifles (to me anyway), for the last 7 yrs or so, I have used a little Marlin 7 in a 25/06. I had bought a Ruger 77 in that caliber in 1980 but stopped using it for a little 77UL in a 270 Win for a number of years and killed quite few deer with it. However, I liked the 25/06 cartridge better and when Marlin came out with the lightweight model, I bought it and have used it ever since. I have killed deer with several different cartridges and the Baby 06 to me is about as good a deer cartridge as there is. I have never shot a deer with it, even in this lightweight rifle, that I did not see the reaction of the deer through my scope.

dantheman · Feb 2, 2018

My son has been shooting a .270 WSM for a few years with great success , but their new lease is going to require some longer shots than previously . His .270 is not dropping them at longer ranges and there is no blood trail to use . He's considering a .338 Lapua but that seems like overkill . We're talking about 300 + yard shots . Any thoughts ?

Magdump · Feb 2, 2018

Ruger MKII M77 in .270 Remington. Got lucky with this one in 1990 found the magic bullet that it will put on the money every time. Elcheapo Sellier & Bellot 150gr roundnose that cost me $7 per 20 in bulk from Sportsman’s Guide.

Redd508 · Feb 2, 2018

I like lever actions. Legacy 454 with 300 gr Hornady's shoots pretty flat out to 125 yds. I've been playing with 300 gr hardcast in 45 colt but haven't shot anything edible with them yet.

damienph · Feb 2, 2018

I am lucky enough at 64 to be able to have accumulated quite an assortment of firearms including several rifle chamberings but my favorite deer rifle chambering is the old tried and true .30-06. My favorite load is 180gr JSP.

twinin · Feb 2, 2018

dantheman said:
My son has been shooting a .270 WSM for a few years with great success , but their new lease is going to require some longer shots than previously . His .270 is not dropping them at longer ranges and there is no blood trail to use . He's considering a .338 Lapua but that seems like overkill . We're talking about 300 + yard shots . Any thoughts ?

Look at .257 Wby Mag or .300 Win mag. Both shot relatively flat and hold power over long ranges

jeremyschudmak · Feb 7, 2018

I love the 270. If your shots are under 250 though, I really like the the 7mm-08. Easy to shoot and great ballistics at that range. Killed 3 deer this year with 7mm-08 and all dropped in their tracks,including a 240 pound buck. After 250 yards I would prefer the 270. Can't go wrong with either though

cochise111 · Feb 7, 2018

BlueShamu said:
Lots of factors can be plugged into your decision. I grew up shooting marsh deer with a .243. Couldn't even begin to count how many deer that gun put on the ground....errrr....floaton.

As I started picking up other rifles over the years, I have come to love the 7 mm magnum. Also have a 25-06 that is not a bad round.

It's hard to go wrong with many of the calipers mentioned, though.

I've been using a Sako 7 mm Mag for about ten years now. I love it.

Old Bubba · Feb 7, 2018

A 270 does it all and is an excellent hunting round. For you a 270 makes the most sense. Your son already has one, you can swap ammo with him in a pinch, you can work from his knowledge base and add to his knowledge, ammo is readily available (do the Walmart test), there are many good condition used 270s on the market. Looks like a win all around.

jeremyschudmak · Feb 7, 2018

7mm mag is great for 300 yards. If you you really wanted a 300 win mag would do the trick. Not fun to shoot though

deadduck · Feb 7, 2018

The good thing about deer is that they aren’t that tough, so there are a lot of calibers that will work. I have killed deer with 35 Whelen, .444, 30-30, .308, 30-06, .300 Win Mag, .223, and .270. That said, the .270 in a Rem 700 is my go to deer rifle. Seems to me to be the best mix between range, knock down power, and recoil. Probably why it is one of the top selling calibers.
Oh, and I sight mine in at 2* high at 100 and it’s still within the vital zone at 250 or so. So basically you don’t have to worry about hold over out to 250.

UnseenUSPCompact · Feb 7, 2018

.270 has never given me a reason to change.

jkingrph · Feb 7, 2018

I actually do not have a favorite, and honestly would choose the rifle and caliber depending upon the conditions where I would be hunting. A flat shooting high velocity round, ie your .270 or the old 30-06 I have had for 55 years now would be good choices for more open country and longer shots. A close shot with one of those with high velocity will result in more ruined, bloodshot meat.

Closer in I would take some of the larger caliber slower velocity rounds. I have an old Husqvarna m 46 in 9.3x57, similar to a .358 Win, but a little bigger bullet, my dads old Marlin in 35 Rem has an excellent reputation, the 38-55 or 45-70 , or even a .375 H&H with heavier bullets at lower velocity .

Don't think about overkill, it is either capable or killing or not. I know one young man that uses a .458 Win Mag with hand cast bullets at moderate velocity, basically a 45-70 on steroids to get the possibility of a little more range, with less ruined meat.

patwa · Feb 7, 2018

I do not really get shots beyond 120 yards or so so that has to be taken into account. Also , the older I get, the less I like noise and recoil. I started wit a 300 H&H magnum, then 30-06, 7-08 on down. I had built a 300 whisper/300-221/300 BLK for my daughter and when she did not want to shoot it I, used that as my deer rifle for several years. Because we occasionally see large pigs, I switched to a 7.62X40 upper. Most of the hunters in our group now shoot the 7.62x40, maybe because one member of our group, Kurt B. was the one who came up with the round. It kills deer dead. We could use more powerful cartridges, but how dead do they have to be?

BO_V · Feb 7, 2018

Hoggin said:
My hunting arsenal was designed for hog stalking on public land. So after trying a few options I wound up with my fav hog stalking rifle during small game season... a semi-auto Magnum Research .22 magnum. Absolutely lethal head shot weapon accurate as far as I could typically see with minimal bullet drop. Love that rifle. During Primitive season I used my el-cheapo CVA crack barrel .444 with Prostaff scope. A very lethal shot to virtually anywhere on the hog's body. Then normal Firearms season was my lever-action .444 so I could take more than one hog if the opportunity presented itself. Those are my fav three hunting rifles.

But now that I'm getting into deer hunting, and hunted a lot this past season, I'd like a new rifle (imagine that!) specifically for taking white tail during normal Firearm season. I missed two shots this year with my .444 at 200 and 225 yards. I've never had range practice over 100 yards, so I've got to get that range time in this off-season. However, that .444 packs too much of a punch for deer hunting. For hog stalking, I want maximum controllable stopping power for relatively close shots (ave 40 yards maybe). That's overkill for deer. I borrowed my son's .270 for a hunt this year and really liked the way it shot. At 100 yards, the .270 brings about as much feet-pounds of energy (2350) as the .444 (2300), but has a reduced kick which has to help with accuracy. Additionally, the ballistics coefficient of the .270 is so much nicer. The .444 drops like a brick in a bucket of cement. Zeroed at 100 yards, the .444 will drop 16 inches at 250 yards compared to 6 inches for the .270. Also, the .444 has the heavy bull barrel whereas my son's .270 is much lighter and easier to swing around in a stand. So, obviously the .270 is a better load for white tail hunting at an average of 100-250 yard shots, but I've not tested other calibers.

You guys have been doing this a lot longer than I have (presuming you've deer hunted for more than one season), so I wanted to see which calibers you prefer for white tail regular Firearms season at 100-250 yards.

Then it's time to shop Will also get a nice scope in the $500-$750 range that allows maximum light in. The hogs don't move at dusk and dawn as much as deer, so definitely need to address that as well.

I inherited my dad's winchester model 70 chambered in 30-06
I wouldn't change it for the world
Plus that caliber has been around since early part of the 1900's

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

revbc · Feb 7, 2018

I have used many different calibers for deer hunting in the Tunica Hills all of my life. 1894 marlin lever in 44 mag was my only gun for many years of my youth, running dogs. If it drew blood, I recovered the deer. Did miss a few in the thick cover with sometimes only milli seconds to make a shot on running deer. That was long ago...times and methods have changed. I know I cannot make some of the shots I made back then, but don't need to. Single shot rifles are the thing today and I love them. 35 remington, 7mm-08, or my preferred the .356 win. which is a rimmed .358 win

bjeepin2 · Feb 7, 2018

started out hunting deer with a Marlin 30-30 still do sometimes I like still hunting with a rim 700 308. have picked up an AR 300blk for stalking deer and pig. still have my H&R 44mag for primitive hunting carried with a super black hawk 7.5in for pigs that don't run away.

Core · Feb 7, 2018

Hoggin said:
My hunting arsenal was designed for hog stalking on public land. So after trying a few options I wound up with my fav hog stalking rifle during small game season... a semi-auto Magnum Research .22 magnum. Absolutely lethal head shot weapon accurate as far as I could typically see with minimal bullet drop. Love that rifle. During Primitive season I used my el-cheapo CVA crack barrel .444 with Prostaff scope. A very lethal shot to virtually anywhere on the hog's body. Then normal Firearms season was my lever-action .444 so I could take more than one hog if the opportunity presented itself. Those are my fav three hunting rifles.

But now that I'm getting into deer hunting, and hunted a lot this past season, I'd like a new rifle (imagine that!) specifically for taking white tail during normal Firearm season. I missed two shots this year with my .444 at 200 and 225 yards. I've never had range practice over 100 yards, so I've got to get that range time in this off-season. However, that .444 packs too much of a punch for deer hunting. For hog stalking, I want maximum controllable stopping power for relatively close shots (ave 40 yards maybe). That's overkill for deer. I borrowed my son's .270 for a hunt this year and really liked the way it shot. At 100 yards, the .270 brings about as much feet-pounds of energy (2350) as the .444 (2300), but has a reduced kick which has to help with accuracy. Additionally, the ballistics coefficient of the .270 is so much nicer. The .444 drops like a brick in a bucket of cement. Zeroed at 100 yards, the .444 will drop 16 inches at 250 yards compared to 6 inches for the .270. Also, the .444 has the heavy bull barrel whereas my son's .270 is much lighter and easier to swing around in a stand. So, obviously the .270 is a better load for white tail hunting at an average of 100-250 yard shots, but I've not tested other calibers.

You guys have been doing this a lot longer than I have (presuming you've deer hunted for more than one season), so I wanted to see which calibers you prefer for white tail regular Firearms season at 100-250 yards.

Then it's time to shop Will also get a nice scope in the $500-$750 range that allows maximum light in. The hogs don't move at dusk and dawn as much as deer, so definitely need to address that as well.

.35 Remington. My previous generations used the .22 Extra Long and my Grandfather used a .22 Magnum, will get the job done with a headshot easily. As landowners they would harvest a deer damaging the orchard trees, and a headshot with a .22 or .25 doesn't damage the meat. I have also read that many African's used to harvest deer species with .22 caliber up to Waterbuck...

TXAZ · Feb 7, 2018

My choices are either 6.5 Creedmoor or .50 BMG.

Favorite deer rifle caliber?

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