What rifle caliber, bullet for the least meat loss & damage

[theicemanmpls]

45/70, 444,

 

[AK_Maine_iac]

You can't go wrong with the ole 45/70. The bullet is like a slow moving tank pushing down a brick wall. The old saying goes. Eat right up to the hole.

 

[jaysouth]

.30-30 or .30-06 with a cast 165 gr flat point bullet going 1700 fps. Good to 150 yards and anchors them on the spot.

 

[wildchild2010]

45/70, 444,

That ole' 444 Marlin has the edge over the 45-70 in the penetration area.

 

[theicemanmpls]

That ole' 444 Marlin has the edge over the 45-70 in the penetration area.

Yes, that maybe correct.

However the ole 45-70 can shoot a 550g LFP powered by 40.0g of H332 @1530fps.

That is a bowling ball.

Can the .444 do that?

 

[wildchild2010]

Yes, that maybe correct.

However the ole 45-70 can shoot a 550g LFP powered by 40.0g of H332 @1530fps.

That is a bowling ball.

Can the .444 do that?

I can shoot 800gr. cast out of my single shot 45-70 to, no need for that unless I an hunting dozers in the woods. The 444 is a great flying round with a lot of smack behind it. Don't get me wrong the .45-70 is a great round.

 

[caribou]

Any .30 cal , moving a 2,500FPS + will do very well on all Bears, moose and other large game.
placement is everything, and I deliver my .30 with a Mosinnagant Finn M-39. I use FMJ's because they are legal "Alaskan Solids" they are, the penatration is awsome and the hole kills em dead when blown through the right place

 

[Gunnerboy]

6.5x55 = less than a 1/2 lb of meat loss even through shoulders

 

[snakeman]

any standard caliber loaded with some solidly constructed bullets i.e. nosler partition, barnes x, hornady gmx

 

[AABEN]

If you hit an animal in a muscle you will get massive damage with nearly any big game round. I hit a running deer in the ham with a .243 a few years ago when the first shot didn't knock her down and destroyed both rear quarters
30-06 is my go to round but I hae never hunted moose.

I think you need some range time BAD

 

[trex1310]

I live in the deep south, so no moose or elk and bears are protected.
That said I have shot somewhere upwards of 300 whitetails. I
currently use a Kimber Longmaster Classic in .308 with a 24"
barrel. I use WW 168gr Silvertips. Sometimes I use a Weatherby
Vanguard .243. In the Vanguard I shoot Federal (bluebox) 100gr sp.
The .243 is excellent on deer sized game. I have never had to
shoot a deer more than once.

 

[AABEN]

The queston was what gun would be good for all. A 243 would not be any good on bear elk moose. I am a 243 man I have 4 243 and shoot then a lot.

 

[theicemanmpls]

If you hit an animal in a muscle you will get massive damage with nearly any big game round. I hit a running deer in the ham with a .243 a few years ago when the first shot didn't knock her down and destroyed both rear quarters
30-06 is my go to round but I hae never hunted moose.

I will try and be nice.
Why on earth are you shooting an animal in the ass?
Did I miss something with your post?

 

[caribou]

.243w kills Caribou, Muskox, Brown Bears, Polar Bears, Moose with definit certainty. For years I hunted with such till I flipped th eboat on a deadhead and lost a dear friend of a Rem700ADL in .243W.....100grn all the way.

A very, very Poular round among Eskimo here in NW AK....

 

[Aged 1]

.50 mini bullet in front loader dropped Elk in his tracks. Shot from 90 yards. No meat damage.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

Miss and youll damage nothing! I chuckle at guys worried about damaging a few lbs of burger meat. Ill take a bit more damage and a quickly killed deer anyday over two more lbs of burger and tracking a wounded deer. Tracking sucks and so does having a deer suffer. Ive shot deer with about every magnum chambered rifle round using cup and core bullets and the only times ive ruined excessive meat was when i made a poor shot. Shoot a deer right on the shoulder broadside and i dont care what bullet your using if you are using a high velocity rifle your going to make a mess. Shoot them behind the shoulder and a cup and core bullet will put them down faster and do no more meat damage. I dont care if your using a 3030, 243, 270, 06 or a mag like a 7 or 300. I shoot close to an average of 50 deer a year with various guns and loads and found you can tear them up with about anything and on the other hand if you place your shots well you can shoot one with about anything and loose not a bit more meat.

 

[wildchild2010]

Miss and youll damage nothing! I chuckle at guys worried about damaging a few lbs of burger meat. Ill take a bit more damage and a quickly killed deer anyday over two more lbs of burger and tracking a wounded deer. Tracking sucks and so does having a deer suffer. Ive shot deer with about every magnum chambered rifle round using cup and core bullets and the only times ive ruined excessive meat was when i made a poor shot. Shoot a deer right on the shoulder broadside and i dont care what bullet your using if you are using a high velocity rifle your going to make a mess. Shoot them behind the shoulder and a cup and core bullet will put them down faster and do no more meat damage. I dont care if your using a 3030, 243, 270, 06 or a mag like a 7 or 300. I shoot close to an average of 50 deer a year with various guns and loads and found you can tear them up with about anything and on the other hand if you place your shots well you can shoot one with about anything and loose not a bit more meat.

I seen deer hit with 7mm and 300 win and make one hell of a mess of the deer. Cast bullets in the big bore 444 and the 45-70 seem to have a bit of energy to dump a deer at 200 yards. Head and neck shot seen to work pretty good with the 300 win. Bang flop and drop.

 

[41 Mag]

^^What Lloyd said,^^

I hunt quite a few different rifles and handguns, and calibers range from .223 through 454. Most use C&C type bullets, and some use cast. When the time comes for a shot, I shoot to put the critter down on the spot and worry about the trimming later. As mentioned I would much rather trim off a pound or so than have to track or possibly loose the whole thing.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Ill take a bit more damage and a quickly killed deer anyday over two more lbs of burger and tracking a wounded deer.

Me too amigo.
Bullet selection matters more than the caliber being used. Two things cause tissue destruction and they are high velocity and bullets that expand rapidly. Bullets that blow to confetti drop deer fast, but if you hit it in the shoulder, you're not going to be eating the one on the exit side. One of the worst messes I've ever seen was made by a .223 on a whitetail.
The guys who are suggesting a .45-70 or .444 are correct, because slow moving, heavily constructed bullets don't come apart. I've shot a couple of deer recently with Remington Core Lokts and one with a Federal soft point and lost almost no meat on either.

 

[Kachok]

Much has been said for the 444 and 45-70, but don't forget the 44 magnum, very likely the most parctical deer round ever within brush range, sure the 45-70 can handle heavier bullets, and the 444 can throw the same bullets faster, but for whitetails within a hundred yards you need neither, and the 44 comes in several handy light kicking carbines.