Ideal whitetail projectile and velocity

Remember that back east, if a deer gets to run 40 yds, you may end up dragging it through 40 yds of swamp. I got priced out of deer hunting in eastern NC, but most of the guys around here want them to drop face down in the bait pile. If they want more meat, just shoot another one. Unlimited doe tags.

As long as my shots were fairly close, I'd go with a 300 to 350 grain bullet going 1,500 to 1,700 fps. Cheap for me to shoot and I can crush bones without destroying meat if I choose to.

I want to make an ethical shot my first priority so I'd say a 6mm,6.5mm,27 cal or 30 cal and up work for me traveling at whatever speed I think will do the best job of making an Ethical Kill

30 cal What = Optimum ?

Well, I like shooting and I like hunting, but what I love is eating venison.
The .308 bullet is probably the standard caliber for whitetail here in the U.S.
The weight/speed relationship is important, given the range of the animal. Here in the Blue Ridge we don't often encounter 'beanfield' ballistics so I'm of the school of thought that heavier and slower are fine by me! About 165 grains of a well built bullet moving about 2,200-2,600 FPS will give me a big heap of confidence at humanely dispatching even the biggest whitetail around.

Thanks for askin'

Newtosavage said:

One of the revelations I had when I started muzzleloader hunting was just how little meat was damaged by a 240-grain bullet with just 1800 fps. of muzzle velocity. The first few deer I shot with my muzzleloader were all about 70-80 yards, and you would have thought I shot them with my bow. Wound channel and exit hole was darn near the same, and the amount of meat damage was no more than with many I've shot with broadheads. I was shocked in a good way, and eventually started taking my muzzleloader out for late season doe and spike hunts for this reason.

If I never expected to shoot beyond 100 yards, the only deer rifle I'd ever need would be a Ruger Hawkeye Compact in .44 magnum. That's one sweet little gun, and it nearly duplicates my Ruger 77/50 muzzleloader ballistics.

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I wasn't quite thinking muzzle loader, but pretty close.

OP: I have seen that exact bullet weight, caliber, and velocity enter a deer behind the shoulder and exit straight down gutting the animal alive. Bullet construction also matters. BTW I have shot them with 223, 6.8, 270WSM, 7.5x55 swiss, 308 Win, 6mm Rem, 25-06, 257 Weatherby. .277 130 gr. Sierra MV 3250fps has worked well for me from 40-450 yd.

2950 mv, 100gr, .243 caliber.More than 50 taken with this combination from 20 to 270yds up to 150 lbs.Years ago I read a book about the .25 calibers being ideal for North American deer.I had a 30-30 and had recently acquired a used Win. model 70 in .243.It gave me the confidence to take the longer shots in the mixed woodland,farmland where I hunt.

Newtosavage said:

Another thread I started migrated into a detailed discussion about various calibers, and made me curious what folks would consider their "ideal" whitetail bullet, and at what velocity (MV).

Talking whitetails here. Not mule deer, elk, or woodchucks.

For me personally, I'll take a 150-grain .30 caliber bullet with a decent BC traveling about 2350 fps. MV.

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We dont have white tails here. We have blacktails which are a little larger. More like a cross between a white tail and a mule deer. In any case a 175 grain .308 at 2500 fps is good to go. It depends o the range. Short range under 200 yards I'll shoot them in the neck and they drop like a stone. Over 200 and its classic behind the shoulder.Ive got a lot of 300 BO stuff and one of these days I'll trust the round enough to hunt with it. I don't do does or stands or bait. Never have, never will.

Newtosavage said:

I'd be curious to know whether you've noticed any trends in meat damage among those calibers.

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Talking apples to apples (using bullets that will expand but not come un glued) the 257 Roy will be the worst followed by the 25-06, 270 wsm, 6mm, 7.5x55, 308, 6.8, and 223. Change bullet designs and the list can shift. This would be if using mono bullets of one brand or another across all the cartridges listed.

I have shot several dozen deer with all kinds of guns and calibers. The best all around is the 30-06. My favorite bullets are 165 gr boattails or 150 gr soft points. Regardless of range or angle, with a good performing expanding bullet you will have a quick humane kill with little or no tracking provided of course you can make an accurate heart shot.
Just about any centerfire cartridge will kill a deer if you are close enough and make a precise shot. But deer die quicker with bullets above 2600 fps and 7MM and .30 cal work best. A slow heavy bullet does less meat damage if you cannot place shots properly, in the lungs and heart, but I have also seen deer shot with slow bullets and shotgun slugs run a long way and some make it deep into swamps and are lost. Even if you hit the lungs but miss the heart they don't drown in blood fast enough sometimes. They go down fast if you hit the shoulders but then you ruin more meat.
Where I hunt it could be heavy cover or open meadows or fields. From point blank to 400 yards. I am using a 7-08. Not as good as a 30-06 but close enough. Oh no matter what some folks say it is transfer of energy that kills when it causes maximum damage to vital organs. But big slow black powder muzzle loaders killed our wildlife to near extinction by the 1880's. If it weren't for conservation we would have lost many species. So I don't think there is a wrong choice if you know how to hunt and shoot.

From my experience, pretty much anything that exceeds 700lbs-ft or Taylor KO factor of 12 at the shooting distance will do the job very effectively. More speed/weight/diameter/energy/momentum gives you room for error in bullet placement, of course. The main vitals of an adult whitetail are concentrated in an area of approximately 8x12" so as long as your point of impact is there, it usually don't run far if at all.

A thumbnail: fast to slow, small caliber to big caliber then longer to not so longer distance. There is a plethora of variables and combos depending on the shooter's skill level; whitetails are easy to kill but not always easy to chase and/ or find after the shot. I have used the small/ fast, the big/ slow and the 30's at mid velocities - they all do the job. The wonderful thing is all of the choices.

The ideal whitetail projectile is 35 caliber, weighing 225 grains and having a velocity of 2500 fps.

7mm Mauser is a fine round. If you reload, it will be even better.

MARKMALL said:

The ideal whitetail projectile is 35 caliber, weighing 225 grains and having a velocity of 2500 fps.

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With the name "whelen"?

I've taken deer with handguns rifles and vehicles. Depending on the projectile the ones with a steering wheel about 30fps, handguns at close range will do the job at 800fps for rifles I prefer the .308 and mine run about 2600fps.

With the name "whelen"?

No, 358 Winchester.

Nice. That would be a perfect off switch for white tails

Here in KS I average 2-4 whitetails a season (Liberal doe limits) using a .270 Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3130 FPS out of my 23.5" barreled Steyr Mannlicher. I go for heart/lungs and avoid shoulders whenever possible. Most that I hit "properly" run a bit, anywhere from 10-60 yards or so, but I haven't lost one yet out of just shy of 45.

Chuck