Biggest caliber you would use on whitetail?
- Thread starter Arkel23
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sansone
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since op asked biggest, 7mm rem-mag
moosekiller99
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I don't want to offend anyone, but those of you who have never used a large caliber rifle on whitetail and believe it causes excessive damage are misinformed at the least. I periodically switch between my .270 and .338 Win Mag, depending upon whatever mood I am in the morning or afternoon of the days hunt. Believe me, a 250 grain Sierra or Hornady is very effective, quick and easy on the meat. I truly love my .270 but if I had to choose which caliber to use on a buck of a lifetime, no contest. The 338 gets the nod. Alaska moose, black bear and numerous deer, all one-shot kills, dropped in their tracks.
BrocLuno
Member
My uncles 444 Marlin 
Bigger than anything I own.
Bigger than anything I own.You are exactly right. My FIL has used his .338WM for years because it was a gift from his brother (before that he used a .30-06). He never had any wasted meat until this year when he shot too far forward and hit the shoulders. He would have lost that meat with the same bullet placement with his .30-06.
I'm no expert hunter, but in my four years of hunting whitetail I've taken them with the following: .30-06 (1 deer), .338WM (1 deer), .300WM (2 deer), .50 cal ML (1 deer), .45 cal saboted bullet from a 12 ga. (3 deer). The only meat I lost was the first deer I ever shot which I took with the 12 ga. The deer was quartering away and the bullet went through the chest and hit the far shoulder. I would have lost meat with any of my hunting weapons.
Sensai
Member
45/70 - Big hole coming and going, but you could "eat right up to the hole".
I have used several large caliber long guns on white tailed deer. A brown Bess (.72), a Charlesville (.69), trapdoor Springfields (both 50 Gov't and 45-70). Never had a problem tracking, most drop close to where there were standing at the shot. Having said that, I have also used the 6.5 Swede to good effect but prefer the older cartridges.
bobleeswagger
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Lead gravy
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redhawk500
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A .458 Lott would be my biggest conventional rifle. After that I'm planning a 500 Linebaugh deer hunt. If I don't use some of those big bores on deer, what else is there from one cheapback 40 acres hunt to the next? The nice thing about big bores, even the plinking loads are deer killers for sure!
Old Time Hunter
Member
Interesting...any data to back it up? Mine shows the .50-70 still being issued to eastern militia and regular army units well past when the .45-70's were being issued to Indian War soldiers farther west. Actually, as far as cartridge fire arms after the Civil War, eastern hunters looked upon the .44 rimfire as more than enough, most of the Spencers .56-52 stayed there too as they were "surplus" arms and not considered "long" range like the .45-70's. The "Buffalo" hunters of the day considered the .45-70 as the minimum standard for hunting buffalo as they had to shoot from long distances so as not to scare the herd in to stampeding as they cherry picked.
As far as here in Wisconsin, where we have had a regulated hunting season since about 1880, the single most common caliber was the .44-40 and the second most was the .45-70 up until the .30-30 finally overtook both of them. By the way, I still occasionally hunt Whitetail with a Springfield Trapdoor.
And that is the largest "caliber" I would use in a cartridge rifle, of course I've used up to a .58 cal muzzle loader though. The most powerful that I have used is a .300 WM, kind of overkill, but I won the rifle in a contest and tried it in the woods....you could hit a deer in the hoof and take it down. My basic Whitetail carry rifle is now a .444 Timber Carbine, followed by my little .44 Mag '94 Trapper if I plan on a lot of still hunting....but there is also about thirty others that I can consider for Whitetail in my collection too.
fireman 9731
Member
In my experience that doesn't happen. I have shot 2 deer with my 45-70. I used a 350gr hard cast flat nose bullet loaded to about 2200fps.
No bruised meat at all!
Literally a 45 caliber hole the whole way through. Then again, I did nail both of mine right through the heart and they dropped like a sack of potatoes. I think an instant kill prevents bruising from happening.
TheGrimReaper
Member
.45-70 govt
BrocLuno
Member
225 to 350 yds per the OP, it'd be my .257 Bob
But, I suppose others might use .308, 06, .270, 6.5mm or a few others - maybe .243? Don't know if a Magnum is needed
But, I suppose others might use .308, 06, .270, 6.5mm or a few others - maybe .243? Don't know if a Magnum is needed
Hangingrock
Member
Apparently some of the locals feel over gunned if more than a .22 rimfire is used.
Sav .250
Member
I`m thinking there are some who would use a cannon if the could. Lots of machismo firing of a large, smooth bore.
db_tanker
Member
most of the white-tail in Ft. Knox were smart enough to stay away from TT-8 and 12 when I was there. A 105mm practice Sabot would be interesting.
In real life? 45-70 for saber tooth deer or a 308 or 30 WCF for the less vicious white tail.
In real life? 45-70 for saber tooth deer or a 308 or 30 WCF for the less vicious white tail.
pwillie
Member
300 Weatherby,50 yds are 500yds...all the same. 150 nosler...
I hate to say it but im only 21 years old and I feel smarter than most of yall. Why would u want to use a big caliber on anything????? I have been hunting since i was 12 years old when i got my first rifle and it is a remington 710 .270. and it will drop a deer at 300 yards with the bushnell scope that came on it. You dont need a large caliber to do the job. You just need to know how to shoot the gun right and hit your mark!!!!!!!!
FoMoGo
Member
And there is where your lack of knowledge shows up.
A .45-70 with a hardcast 400+ gr bullet will hit like a hammer, poke a hole from rump to chest, and not tear up NEAR the meat that .270 will.
Jim
A .45-70 with a hardcast 400+ gr bullet will hit like a hammer, poke a hole from rump to chest, and not tear up NEAR the meat that .270 will.
Jim
HarcyPervin
Member
not to mention that a .270 is in no way an anemic round. Its no ultra-mag, but its still hitting plenty hard. Maybe think a little harder next time about how you're going to follow it up when you tell everybody you're smarter than they are. That being said, the biggest i've used is a 30-06, smallest was a .22-250, both have killed deer before they knew they were injured. Would I shoot a .50 bmg at a deer? why not...with as much energy as some of those ultra mags are carrying, they're just going to punch a small hole through light-skinned game on both sides...everyone should strive to be hitting their mark, but using a .270 to kill a deer doesn't make you annie oakley, it makes you an average hunter
FoMoGo
Member
Here is one reason for a large caliber for hunting whitetail.
With a larger caliber, lets say .458 or so, you have a .458 hole on both sides of the animal to let air in and blood out.
You have a heavier round at a slower speed, you have less likelyhood of bloodshot meat... however it still has massive momentum for penetration.
A slower speed .405 gr hard cast will out penetrate the smaller faster calibers any day of the week.
Big rounds are also fun to shoot.
Jim
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