Favorite deer rifle caliber?

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  • Barney88PDC

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    Jul 16, 2008
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    Somewhere over the rainbow
    At the distances most people on here are shooting, news flash, caliber doesn't much matter. Shot placement is king.

    I've killed deer with a few different calibers and I don't think any of the deer knew the difference. A few died at distances where caliber mattered and I stacked the physics (drop, drift and energy) on my side.

    300 yards and in is really not far. 300-600 drop matters, wind kind of matters but assuming "typical" winds it will not blow you off as much as some people think. Up to this distance most "normal" calibers have the recommended 1000 lb-ft of energy to take deer. Past 600 yards the caliber / energy comes into play more and more. From 600-800 drop and wind drift both matter, 800+ you need to have your stuff together and really good equipment. You also need a great Laser Range Finder or you will not even get an accurate range to target on deer sized game. 1000+, yards big magnums, great conditions and stable shooting positions are almost a must.
     
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    Gus McCrae

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    I think it was one of our members, Dan Zelenka that said: "It ain't hard to kill a deer."

    Maybe he said that..... anyways, it's true.

    If all I was worried about was deer, I'd probably try out the .257 Roberts. Kinda cool round. It'll do the job for sure. I might also look at the .280 Ackley Improved. Cool round and becoming trendy. I saw the .30-30 mentioned.... awesome round, but maybe not for 200+ yards. .270, .308 both work great..... so does the 7.5X57 or .25-06...... If you really need some thump, how about a .300 or even .338 Winchester Magnum?

    In the end, the one do it all caliber is probably the .30-06. The .308 is close, but you get a little edge with heavier bullets and case capacity with the .30-06.


    Still, any of the above and more will be just fine.
     

    Barney88PDC

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    With the right caliber and the right conditions you can kill them from almost as far as you want if you know what you're doing. This was shot off a picnic table that is used for target practice and zeroing. The group I'm point to was shot at the 1000 yard target, you can see the red circle of the big target in the picture down the center lane. Four impacts total, 3 impacts on my finger tips and one just off to the right. The 3 on my finger tips are about as good of a group as most people can shoot at 300 yards with their deer rifle. So when people say you shouldn't shoot past X number of yards they are typically referring to their own personal limitations. The only way to learn yours is to practice a lot, with top tier equipment and then it also depends on the environmental conditions (wind). After firing the 3 round group I knew exactly what the wind was doing and that I needed to add a tenth to my elevation. At this point its harvesting.

    2mnope0.jpg


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    johnpaul

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    the 308 and 3006 are the exact same bullets but diff cartridge if you reload.so what if 308 is slightly less velocity and energy.It has less recoil and more accuracy.that's why it's the marine and army sniper rifle cartridge,medium.Anyways,It's a fact that there are plenty of fine calibers out,so if you get a good hunting bullet and put it the right place any caliber is good and that's a fact.Everybody swears on this and that but just get good with your rifle
     

    johnpaul

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    7mm/08 is a good cartridge.necked down 308,good for women and children and men.Won't jerk your shoulder and like I said before,put a good bullet where it should go and any cartridge is good
     

    Barney88PDC

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    the 308 and 3006 are the exact same bullets but diff cartridge if you reload.so what if 308 is slightly less velocity and energy.It has less recoil and more accuracy.that's why it's the marine and army sniper rifle cartridge,medium.Anyways,It's a fact that there are plenty of fine calibers out,so if you get a good hunting bullet and put it the right place any caliber is good and that's a fact.Everybody swears on this and that but just get good with your rifle

    Thankfully there are some units that are beginning to wise up and look at alternative calibers that have better performance than the 1906 and 1952 designs mentioned. There have been a few improvements in cartridge design that has happened since then which can be had with only a swap of a barrel. It's silly that for precision rifles the military has not taken advantage of them before now.
     

    Swamp

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    .270 Win and .270 WSM have dropped plenty of deer out to 300 yards for me. But I have just added a Savage .308 to my collection and I think it's going to be my goto for next season...
     

    Seadonist

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    I still think the .308 is the best all around caliber (if there is such a thing) for game animals in North America. Tons of ammo options to choose from; availability of ammo; the round performs just about the same regardless of environmental conditions and at different altitudes. Tried and true


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    Magdump

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    Bought a Ruger M77 MKII in ‘90 in .270 Win and it turned out to be a tack driver so it’s been my choice since then. Seconds are .44 mag pistol and 12ga slug gun.
     

    Gus McCrae

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    .308 for me, it’s a short action .30-06 with much less recoil, yet larger than a .270. There’s a reason LE & Military have used it for years for sniping; Special Forces as well.

    The .308 shoots most of the same projectiles at about the same speeds as .30-06..... It ain't less recoil.
     

    oleheat

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    Here lately for me it's mostly been a .308 for regular firearms season; .444 Marlin for "Primitive".

    But I'm sure I'll have a .270 or .30-06 tag along, at some point this season.
     

    bigsk

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    You won't go wrong with a .308 or .270, both great choices. I have used both with a Winchester Featherweight .308 carried the most for 40+ years.

    That said, one of the advantages of being around for a while is being able to try different toys. I've harvested as many deer with a 30-06, .243 or .257 Roberts as any other caliber. For longer ranges I have a .300 Weatherby and a Winchester 1885 in .405 for primitive. Plus, I always have a .44 mag S&W along for shorter range opportunities.

    I have done quite a few handgun hunts with a .243 XP 100 or 7mm JDJ Contender with great success on whitetail and antelope.

    Lately I have been working with a .260 Remington XP that is promising.

    The 6.5's are excellent and very popular. Look at the 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Rem and 6.5x55 Swedish


    Ultimately, you should find something you are comfortable with and can shoot well. It's all about shot placement. Since you already have a .270 available, that may be the way to go.
     
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