Favorite caliber for deer

[entropy]

.30-06. I've used that, 12 ga., and .50 ML to take deer. I'm hunting with my Axis in .223 again this fall.

 

[rondog]

My favorite for deer is the splendid and wonderful .250/3000 Sav. I have two rifles in this caliber and started hunting with the .250 about 40 years ago. I reloaded for it but never tried to soup it up because it is perfect as is. I find factory level velocities to be ideal. I load for a Ruger M77 and for a Sav. 99A. Can't begin to count the deer I've taken with them. For the longest shots I like my 30 year old .257R. Though some will call it "overkill", I have taken many with a Remington M700 .350 Rem mag hand loaded with 200 grain Hornady spire points.

I've used the .357, .41 and .44 mags to take truckloads of deer. Of these three I prefer the Ruger BH .41mag and consider it the ideal for handguns.

I need to be honest, however. For the past 10 years I've hunted exclusively with flintlocks. My favorite has been a late Lancaster flinter which has killed the most deer for me. While I've also used the .50 as well, I'm enjoying shooting round ball in my early American flint smoothbore .62 more and more.

How many deer do you get to harvest every year?

 

[alientrainwreck]

A few years back I had a really nice 30-30 Rechamberd to 30-30Ackley Improved 40degree shoulder and I have been loading it with Hornady GMX 140gn flextip bullets over win748 with a magnum primer and all I can say is wow . It's like night and day compared to the original 30-30. l own several firearms that are suitable but none that carry through the woods as easily as the carbine and now I can make ethical kill shots to 350yrds wearing a good scope of course.

 

[AlfonsDeWolf]

Alienrainwreck.....350 yds?, really? I see the bullet, but you might barely make 2500 ft/sec and it as a lower bc

 

[ldlfh7]

308

 

[Ranger Roberts]

For where I typically hunt, every shot will be easily under 100 yards. For those instances I use my 30-30. When I go up to the farm where my shots will be over 100 yards, I flip a coin between my 30.06 or my 308.

 

[alientrainwreck]

Alfonsdewsolf : I live deep in the country on almost 1400 acres and out my back door is a 970yd shot. I shoot one gun or another almost everyday now you can go by reading out of books or you can just go try it I now this rifle and how it shoots all day long. It's taken many a varmint at even further distances sometimes shooting the 160gn FTX. Just Takes Practice. Truly

 

[ZeroJunk]

You can pick up most any past issue of a hunting magazine and there will be an article about why this or that cartridge is the best thing since sliced bread. If you just count off the shelf cartridges there are at least twenty that are the best thing since sliced bread. And, if you count the wild cats, who knows. I like the 280 myself although I would have a hard time explaining why it is any better or worse than a dozen others.

 

[AlfonsDeWolf]

Alientrainwreck....My comment/question was based on my assumption you meant ethical 350yd shots on DEER

 

[Choctaw]

.270 Winchester. Sixteen white tails at ranges from 50 to 300 yards, all one-shot kills with factory ammo.

What more could one want?

X1

I love the 270.

 

[CptnAwesome]

7mm Rem Mag!

 

[d2wing]

I have many favorites over the years, killed many with the 30-06, 7MM MAG, 12 gauge, even .223 but my current sweetheart is a Tikka T3 in 7-08. pretty near perfect.

 

[Sav .250]

That`s a worn out question ....... J s/n.

 

[stoky]

I use to hunt deer (and pronghorns) with a 7mm Mag. Now I think it's too much........maybe okay for long range trophy quests, or some such.
ymmv
meh

 

[morcey2]

Plasma rifle in the 40-watt range.

Or, until that's available, 257 Roberts or 7x57.

 

[charlie echo]

308, Remington 180gr soft points

 

[BigBore44]

I rarely shoot deer over 50 yards. A friend of mine just bought an M1A. So we are going to have a few "M1A deer days" this season. But other than those days, my "rifle" deer hunting this year will be done exclusively with a Marlin 1894 in 44mag with 240gr Sierra HP's over 22.5gr of H-110 and my 7.5 in stainless Redhawk with the same load. I have no favorite calibre for deer. From my .223 to my 45-70, love them all.

 

[FL-NC]

LOVE my 243. Accurate, plenty of power, and light. Wouldn't hesitate to use it on any white tail out to 300 yards. Every one I shot was either DRT or within 100 yards, usually less, leaving a blood trail Ray Charles could follow. I've also killed them with 308, 30-30, SKS, 223, and a shotgun slug.

 

[Rockrivr1]

300 Savage out of a Savage 99. The Savage 99 model has probably taken more deer then almost every other hunting rifle combined. Not very common now, but huge in the late 50s to 80s.