Deer Round?

[Big Boy]

Looking to get out there and start hunting. What is going to be the best round for deer?

.223 seems a little small. What should I go with?

.308?
7mm Rem Mag?
30-06?

I know the last two are probably over kill. But, being honest, I have no idea what I should use. Opinions?

 

[chains1240]

From my days of trying to figure out what deer round to buy, I got exactly what you are seeking, opinions. I hear of people killing mountains of deer with the .243 all the way through to big magnum rounds. I was pretty much set on a 7mm-08 myself, but looking at ammo cost and availability I chose the .308. Why not the 30-06, because I was dead set against the added recoil.

 

[Big Boy]

.308 is what I'm thinking, but I wanted some added opinions.

 

[stsimons]

I have had excellent results with my 7mm-08. I think its near the top of the pack as far as versatility goes. My marlin xs7 likes 120gr barnes tsx bullets loaded to about 3000fps. So far i've only used this combo on two deer, but they were both dead before they hit the ground... not even a twitch.

 

[CoRoMo]

I think the .270 Winchester is the best rifle round ever created, but I'm excessively biased toward it and most people don't agree.

I love it though. I think I might be mentally-related to Jack O'Connor. I don't own just one .270 rifle either, but the only cartridge that I own more guns of, is 9x19. That'll have to change.

 

[azar]

What is going to be the best round for deer?

The definitive best does not exist. The best round for you can only be determined by you.

Do you think you will ever hunt anything larger or smaller than deer? if so, do you want one do-it-all rifle or will you specialize by purchasing multiple calibers for each hunt?
Do you like the big boomers or the more mild mannered cartridges?
Do you prefer a short action or a long action?
Are you of the mindset of a larger diameter bullet at moderate velocity is better than a light bullet at high velocity or the other way around?
Do you hunt thick, wooded forest / timber or wide open spaces?
Do you have any physical limitations that might restrict the gun or caliber you choose?
Would ammo availability play a part in choosing a caliber?

For me, I hunt with the 6.5x55 and love it. Great accuracy, very lethal, good retained energy at longer ranges, mild recoil. Ammo can be found a the big chains, but not likely at Wal-Mart or most rural gun stores should I forget and leave my ammo at home. I'm willing to live with that, many people like the flexibility of a common caliber.

The .308 is a fine choice. As is the .270, the .243, the 30-30, the .30-06, the 7mm Remington Mag, the 300 Win. Mag, the 25-06, the 7mm-08, the .260 Remington... I think you get the idea.

Bottom line: Get the caliber you are most attracted to, for whatever reasons you have, and go for it. Deer are not armor plated or particularly hard to kill.

 

[Nick5182]

When I lived in a state that allowed High-powers I would use either a .30-30 or a .30-06. Either one killed 'em dead. Now I have to use either a muzzle loader or slug.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

.308?
7mm Rem Mag?
30-06?

I know the last two are probably over kill. But, being honest, I have no idea what I should use. Opinions?

Any of those three are great.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS OVERKILL.

azar nailed it. What's best is for you to decide. My two favorites are .280 Rem and the good ol' .30-06. But that's me.
It's your responsibility to check your local laws and find out what is legal where you're at too. I don't believe Missouri has any crazy laws though.

 

[UpTheIrons]

I just bought a .308 after years of using the time-tested .30-30 out of a 1959 Model 94. I looked at the 7mm-08, but the ammo cost was nearly double the .308

For me, the 7mm Mag and the .30-06 are too much gun. Besides, one of these years, long from now I hope, I'll inherit two .30-06 rifles.

The other guys are right - any of these will do the job on just about everything on four legs in North America, and everything in Missouri, if that's where you are going to hunt. Try them all out, if you can, and get what you like and what you shoot well.

We have a guy on our lease who has a 7mm Mag simply because "I can't shoot too well, so I use a powerful gun." Unfortunately, he can't be urged to practice more often to get more competent. I like to shoot my rifles year round, so I know what they can do, and I can muddle through with the piddlin' .30-30 and "weak" .308 (as some have called them elsewhere).

 

[MCgunner]

.243 Winchester and up. The "deer rifle" has been re-invented nearly every season since smokeless powder became popular. There are many duplicate (in ballistics) calibers. Some have stood the test of time in popularity, but that does not mean that others, like, say, the .250 Savage or .300 Savage, can't still kill deer. I guess one could find a list of every suitable caliber for deer, but it'd take forever to compile such a list from scratch.

I have 3 suitable rifles, five if you include my .357 carbine and my SKSs (7.62x39). My 3 bolt/scoped hunting rifles are in .257 Roberts, .308 Winchester, and 7mm Rem Mag (2 of the 3 you listed). My favorite is the .308 because mostly of the rifle, but I really like the caliber, too. The 7 mag really is overkill even if there is no such thing.

 

[oneounceload]

I use a 7mm BR for short distances, a 7-08 for medium distances, and a 7mm Remington mag for long shots. This also corresponds to the game being shot at from pronghorn to elk

 

[Supertac45]

Any of the rounds you listed will do the job. However, with the .223, bullet selection is critical, as is placement. The other's are fine.

 

[Arkel23]

I'd go with the 7mm Rem mag or the 30-06 out of your choices.

 

[WTBguns10kOK]

.243 or .25-06 is fine if you're only going to ever use it for deer. Go .308 or .30-06 if you ever want to hunt anything bigger/other areas of the country. You can always load those calibers down to ~125 gr. bullets that will be fine for deer.

 

[Art Eatman]

One thing that's very likely is that if you wind up dissatisfied, a .308 is always good trading material. A .243 is a tad light for a novice hunter without some experience or an experienced advisor. Nothing at all wrong with the 7mm08; I have one and like it. If you don't plan on becoming a reloader, there's little point to the .30-'06, IMO--and I've messed with the '06 for sixty years, come July. I was already a fairly experienced deer hunter before I started playing with a .243, for that matter...

 

[jim147]

What part of MO are you in?

What is the land like?

Do you plan to hunt from a stand or blind? Or still hunt?

Are you looking at the same rifle for all three calibers?

I ask a lot of questions trying to give you the best answer from my years of hunting here in Missouri and Kansas.

Pick the one you think you will shoot the most. If you can hit the mark every time the deer will never know which one of those calibers you are using.

jim

 

[Old Shooter]

Of your choices, I'd get the 30-06 but the 308 will do just as well.

Either one will be a good pick. 308 may be a little lighter in the recoil department but in a hunting situation you will never notice the difference.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I use a 7mm BR for short distances, a 7-08 for medium distances, and a 7mm Remington mag for long shots.

You wouldn't happen to be a fan of the 7mm cartridges would you?

 

[sniper5]

Well, in my younger days, I used a .243 with good results. Probably anything in the 6mm to .30 class would work well. Just don't use a Glock fo-tay like Oakland PD did when they shot the deer in the back yard (PR nightmare-look it up).

 

[KodiakBeer]

One nice thing about a .308 is that you can pick up cheap milsurp ammo for practice and plinking, if you're not a reloader. Any of the rifled named above will do fine on deer.

 

[PCCUSNRET]

My favorite hunting rifle is my Ruger M77 in .270 Winchester. I have taken 3 bull moose and several deer with this rifle and all but one dropped where it was shot (one ran about 20 yards). I now hunt in an area where the shots are less than 100 yards so I have changed over to hunting with a .308. Both guns will drop a deer with one shot if the shot is properly placed but the .308 doesn't beat you up as badly while practicing. If you think you are going to be making shots out past 200 yards I would probably go with the 30.06 or 7mm magnum.

 

[Bwana John]

I think the 7x57 is just about perfect for deer. (or 7-08, 260, 6.5x55)

But Id advise a 30-06. or a .270.

 

[wilkersk]

When I was growing up, you fell into1 of 3 camps, 1: 30-30 cause that old lever gun was all you could afford. 2: 30-06 because that old Eddystone was bought in '48 for $20 and has been in the family since, and its all you can afford, or 3: 7mm magnum 'cause you got more money than sense, and you just want to show off.

Seriously though, any of those rifles you're considering would be just fine. Shoot what'chew got!

 

[usmc1371]

Find some folks who hunt the same area as you are looking to hunt and ask them what they use and why. If you notice that everyone is using a slow/heavy round ie 30-30 or 45/70 cause shots farther than 100 yards are not likely then that may be the way to go. Now I personaly wouldn't handicap my self with a short range round no matter where I hunt. I grew up with the 30-06 but also hunted elk every year so it was a good choice for both deer and elk. The 25-06, or 270 would be my choice for a dedicated deer round but I would not be against using larger and have on many hunts.
The only .308 I have ever shot was a 240G so I can't really comment on that one.

 

[dust_101]

I'm mostly going to agree with what the other posters have said regarding your criteria. Figure out what you plan to hunt and where, distance, vegetation, and your shooting preference.

Here's how I came to decide on my needs - I hunted in underbrush/wooded areas, max effective distances were 80-100 yards (beyond that it was not a sure shot), and I was hunting mostly whitetail deer. I'm not a small guy, 6'1" 220lbs and younger so my shoulder can handle a .30-06 and I went with a 180gr round nose soft point in an older model Remington 700. Worked great for me, BUT that may not work well for your needs.

So again, just look at what you need, and narrow the choices from there.

Best of luck!