What Round do you deer hunt with??

12 ga. smoothbore

450marlin 325gr lever evolution/ 30-30 170hp/ 30-06 150gr sst/ 270wsm 130gr bst/ 12 ga 3.5 inch lightfields

Call me unusual...

I normally hunt with 7.5 Swiss. I use reformed .284 Win brass with a 165 Sierra GK hollowpoint, 44 grains of 4064. The big 7 point I shot with it didn't complain at all! My second choice is .303 British...

.35 Remington in a Marlin 336cs, primarily.

.308

7mm-08, .30-06, .300 magnum, and lastly -- my .376 Steyr. I think it is fun to shoot.

first deer in the 70's with a marlin1894 in 44 mag,after that 243,25/06,6.5/06,killed over 50 with the 25,only one that needed a 2nd shot,i missed,offhand at 275 yds on the 1st shot.lost only 1 in 1987...ruger sbh/180 jhp/1900 fps/30 yds/lookin at me/dropped its nose when the trigger broke/hit his nose/got away/wont shoot that fast light s##t at a deer again.shoot elmers 250's at them now

7mm WSM with 160 grain Accubonds.

200 gr 35 whelen stops them in there tracks,no tracking or unfound game, I love it.

300 ultra mag, to much for deer i know but there are many degrees of wounded, but there's only one dgree of dead

Here's how I decide the "best" cartridge rifle combination for me:

I go downstairs in a panic that deer season is a week away, find which rifle has the most ammunition available for which it was sighted in last time at the range, and go out two or three times to get some last minute practice, and that is what I take. That being said, it is most likely a 7mm Remington Magnum, .30-06, .308, .270, and in Blackpowder season, the Knight .50 Disc Rifle. I really don't care what it is between a .243 up to .338 or .35 calibers.

As for myself, which cartridge used (within limits) is much less important to me than the trigger, scope, and stock fit of the rifle. If each of the aforementioned is good, then pick any of the top 50 cartridges, and I am good to go. Yes, I can pick out some I prefer over others, but arguing cartridges is just a way to pass time, not to settle a question.

I've killed somewhere's in the neighborhood of 125 deer with a wide variety of calibers. Here's what I can remember right off the top of my head.
.22
.22 mag
.223
.257 Roberts
.270
.30-30
.30-'06
.357 mag
.44 mag (both rifle and handgun)
.45-70 (Contender)
7mm TCU (Contender)
20 gauge
And I got my deer last year with my G20.

The first 8 deer I have taken were with my 6.5 model 38 (Norma 156 grain). This year because of technical problems (ok, I didn't properly set up my new MOJO sight in time for the hunt) I used my chinese SKS with some soft nose ammo from Bosnia. Kills deer just fine.

John

Until yesterday, every deer I've ever shot has been with a 7mm-08, shooting a 139gr soft point or ballistic tip from Hornady (their light magnum loading) and it has worked well for me every time. Yesterday I used a .41 Magnum, so I guess I'm up to two calibers now . I was pretty impressed with the .41's performance as well, although I think I need some expanding bullets (the 250grn hard cast lead bullets punched right through).

.300WSM, 165 grn Nosler ballistic tip

7mm WSM
30-06
30-30
.243
45 ACP

Winchester Model 70 in .308
Backed up by a Marlin 30-30.

300 ultra, I feel this a minimum considering the huge 150 lb. central Cal deer in my neck of the woods.

Savage 10FP in .308, Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertip 168 gr.

30-06 - 3 deer - A bit much for central Texas deer at typical ranges (<150 yards). Might have been problems with the bullet (Nosler B-tip), but the round made a real mess of them, pretty much blowing up one of them. I might try reduced loads some time in the future.

30-30 - 2 deer - Works great, accuracy with handloads is pretty good. Not much to complain about here. Gun likes 170gr Speer FP so I use those. Doesn't mess up the deer like 30-06.

7.62x39 - 3 deer - CZ527 is light, handy, and ridiculously accurate. Shots have been 125 to 135 yards, yet have never recovered a bullet (Hornady SP). Deer have not gone more than 20 yards. Like the 30-30, pretty much ideal for the purpose, and doesn't make a mess of the deer. Still, I was surprised to see how many people here use it.

357 Magnum - 1 deer - Great match for Marlin 1894. Deer didn't go far, but internal damage was significantly less than 30-30 and 7.62x39. I would use it again if stalking deer, but would choose something else to use from a stand.

Use to use a 243 80grain bullets now a 30-06 165grain corlok ammo.

likem all if they work

i am partial to the .303 brit (150 grain federal)
low recoil and it hits like a sledghammer (for the size of the cartridge that is.
i know their s harder hitting calibers)but for deer this works awsome to 300 yrds, evan though most of my shots have been 50 yrds or less
reloads are evan better,

30-06

use 25.06
35 whelan
12 ga.
7 mag
22 mag, lr, short
depends on mood and game
30-06 with 125 grn bullet works real nice too, for accuracy at length
i'd like a 204, dad shoots 22-250, but 204 relatively same with less kick