Best deer caliber

Status
Not open for further replies.
That's pretty easy for me, I've got some fine rifles that would fill the bill but I like and carry my 7mm-08 the most by far. I had the longest string of deer dropping in their tracks with this caliber so I feel the most confident using it. I carried a 308 for many years and it was fine but with less pass throughs and less drop in their tracks performance, also, a current little lightweight weather proof 260 is becoming a favorite. In fairness my earlier hunting was done with factory loads with the favorites of the times(core loc, hi shox, ptsp) not the current choices like paritions and accubonds. Right in front of me to 350yds out which is as far as I see deer in these woods the 7mm-08 does the job. Everyone has a different flavor....its like ice cream.
 
Last edited:
Mn Fats said:
Im a .308 win guy. So if i could truly only have one, it'd be a bolt in 308 win. Pre 64 win model 70.
Click to expand...

A pre 64 in 308 Win is a rare rifle. I hope you already have one because finding one is going to be difficult. I just checked Gunbroker, lots of classic M70's in 308 Win, but no pre 64's!

You do know that a pre 64 M70 308 receiver is the same length as a pre 64 M70 30-06. Winchester used a short magazine and bolt stop conversion.
 
A 25-06 is a good deer rifle, a 270 Winchester is a better deer rifle, and a 30-06 is the best of the three. In my experience the larger diameter and heavier bullets kill quicker than smaller bullets, and there is less chance of loosing a deer if you use bigger heavier bullets. The 30-06 is a good choice for many reasons.
 
Last edited:
Hannah42 said:
If you could only have ONE deer rifle what caliber would you have and why. What's going to be on the top of this post
Click to expand...

OK so one deer rifle, so not an elk or moose rifle too, just a deer rifle....

AND this doesn't mean that I don't own a small game rifle, or a rifle for varmints, nor does it mean I don't own a shotgun for upland birds, and one for waterfowl (or a different barrel for waterfowl)...
AND it doesn't mean I don't have a rimfire for plinking.....

Just what would I own for deer, and why....,

I would have (and DO have) a Cabin Creek, Flintlock, Pennsylvania Mountain Rifle, in .54 caliber, with a 38" swamped barrel, that shoots a 225 grain, patched lead round ball. No optic, just open, iron sights; single trigger.

Because out to 110 yards, it blows the ball through the deer when the deer is standing broadside. It has enough umph to take any whitetail or mule deer, and probably enough at 100 yards (especially if I up my load by 20 grains) to harvest an elk without problems. A shoulder shot poll-axes deer. I have taken many deer with this rifle, and my farthest shot was measured out to 110 yards. Tracking of said deer takes only a few minutes IF they don't drop where they are standing.

But LD, what about when it rains?
I put up a tarp over my head.... I don't shoot from tree stands, and the terrain tends to be rather brushy or heavily wooded. AND braggin' rights are much greater when one uses a flintlock in the rain to get the deer rather than a fixed cartridge rifle, with a custom trigger, special hand loaded cartridge, and a light gathering, 10x light gathering optic with an illuminated reticle. (imho) :scrutiny: :thumbup:

What about hunting farther than a max of 150 yards?
I don't have any location where that works. :D

But I confess if I was in an area where there was very very little chance of getting up on game at 100 yards, like maybe pronghorn sheep in Wyoming or New Mexico, I'd probably use instead my Israeli Mauser in .308 with it's Timney trigger and 8X Leopold scope.

LD
 
jmorris said:
What deer at what range?

Lots of stuff will work inside 100 yards just fine on 100lb field dressed whitetail, that would be less than ideal for other areas and deer.

If there was actually ONE single BEST, we wouldn’t have any other choices to pick from.
Click to expand...
Lol yes sir recon one for long and short range. A do it all gun.
 
gspn said:
There is no best. There are a ton of calibers that all do the same thing. Most shots on deer in this country probably average less than 150 yards. Heck, they might even be less than 100. Some calibers may shoot faster, or flatter, or kick harder, or be louder, but they'll all kill a deer. There is no best. Give me anything from .223 and up, and I'll find a bullet that will get that job done. I prefer stuff larger than .243, but again, they'll all get it done. Anything else is just about arguing and talking shop.
Click to expand...
Yes I know the list runs deep. I just ask each who reply what gun and caliber would you chose. Not trying to start a thread war. Simply to each what would it be.
 
Captcurt said:
I have always said that If I could have only one, it would be a 30-06. That doesn't explain why I don't have one now. I have a 243, 6.5 CM, and a 300 WSM so I am covered for about anything that I will hunt. However, an old 06 will too.

You ask what is the best for deer. That is like asking which girl is the prettiest, or is a blond better than a redhead. It depends on who is looking.
Click to expand...
That's what I meant. For each one who answered the gun and caliber.
 
I’m a big believer in using more gun than is necessary but I am kind of shocked at how many are in with the 30-06 or 308.

If we are strictly talking deer I am very surprised more are not in with the sweetheart of the last few years, the 6.5CM or it’s cousin the 7mm-08.

Im pretty sure if the thread title was something like: “I’m going to get a new rifle for deer and what cartridge should I get?” The answers would predominantly be for mostly everything else but the 30-06. There have been plenty of past threads that bear witness to this.
 
.308 Norma said:
What jmorris said. There's a lot of deer hunters (particularly back east) on THR that hunt deer where a 150 yard shot is uncommon. But then there's a few of us out west that sight our deer rifles to hit dead on at 250 yards because 150 yard to 300 yard shots are not all that uncommon.
Regardless of that, my vote is for the 30-06 for an all around deer rifle anywhere in the lower 48. On the other hand, I know from reading some of your other posts that you already have a 7mm-08, and IMO, that's a pretty good choice too.
By the way (nitpicking here) my 308 Norma Magnum is the same "caliber" as my old 30-06, and my wife's 7mm Remington Magnum is the same "caliber" as her old 7mm-08s.:)
Click to expand...
Lol im still learning about 7mm08. So far love it.
 
When you said deer I pictured everything from Coues to Alaskan Moose. Then there is the geographical part of it. Are you hunting thick swamp in the Carolinas, the thickets of Northeast or the wide open spaces out west? Are you sneaking through and Alder thicket or sitting over a bean field? Will the average shot be 50 yards or 300? Each can be optimized by the type of gun and/or caliber. In 90% of the cases the old 30-06 could get it done. It might not be best for the specific job on hand, but it would suffice.
 
I used 30-06 almost exclusively from the 1970's until about 10 years ago. It is simply too much gun for deer in the 21'st century. Remember today's 30-06 isn't your grand daddy's 30-06. A modern 150 gr factory load can be as much as 400 fps faster than what my grandfather was using during WW-1, 300 fps faster than what my dad used in WW-2. In today's world 30-06 is a good rifle for the guy who primarily hunts elk size game or larger.

For the vast majority of hunters who will only hunt deer 243 is near ideal. If someone is primarily a deer hunter, but wants something with the versatility to also hunt elk, moose, or bear size game any of the 6.5's, the 7-08, or 308 will work just fine. And there are at least a dozen others that would work. Pick the one you like and choose the right bullet for the situation.

I made the move to 308 several years ago and at this stage of my life I'm not going to invest the time, money and effort to change again. But the 6.5 CM is the best balance of power, low recoil, trajectory, accuracy and cost. It'll kill anything a 270 or 308 will kill and at the same ranges. And do it with 25-30% less recoil. Plus with target loads give shooters a legitimate 1 mile target rifle.
 
Probably a 7-08 is about an ideal sweet spot overall although the answer is going to depend on where you live and hunt. I mostly hunt in Southwest Idaho and Eastern Oregon and in those environments a 7mm Mag would probably be even better because it shoots flatter without being excessively powerful, although I don't actually own one. Honestly I usually just use my 30-06 for deer - it's a bit more gun than is necessary but the recoil is plenty mild, it shoots pretty flat, the ammo is cheap and it's always worked really well for me. I've taken deer with my 300 Wby Mag before and it works great too and it reaches out even better, but it's quite a bit heavier rifle and the ammo is a lot more expensive, so I mostly reserve it for larger game. It's also a much nicer rifle and I'm more willing to subject my '06 to abuse.

Really anything in the 6.5 CM to 30-06 range is going to do great on deer without excessive recoil, but that discussion isn't as fun.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

L
  • Locked
What is YOUR minimun caliber for deer?
2 3 4 5
Replies
101
Views
6K
B Man
B
A
  • Locked
Lowest Caliber for Deer
2 3 4 5 6
Replies
129
Views
5K
Art Eatman
A
S
  • Locked
  • Poll
texas deer hunting
2
Replies
37
Views
1K
txgolfer45
T
ScrapMetalSlug
  • Locked
What calibers have you taken deer with?
2 3 4 5
Replies
102
Views
5K
jerry46
J
G
  • Locked
Best gun for deer hunting?
2 3
Replies
53
Views
3K
lefteyedom
L
Back
Top