Favorite sub-.30 caliber rifle cartridges for White Tail Deer

[paintballdude902]

well you gotta think if you will be hunting more than whitetails

the .243 will be great for deer and it little bigger, i knew a guy that whan he was a kid shot his first elk with one because his family needed food and that was what he had to use, its been said before shot placement is key

the .25-06 is a great round and will be fine for elk just like the .270 but id trust a .270 a bit more for stuff like big moose

any will do fine really they all are pretty flat shooting and pack enough punch for deer

 

[ReadyontheRight]

I jumped in and did not read all the responses, so forgive any repetition:

I think a Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55 is perfect for your needs. The round will not be as available as 30-06, 30-30 or .270 in the gas stations on the way to go hunting, but it is plentiful in sporting goods stores. Also - it is one of the best (if not THE best) military rifles for hunting ever made. You can still get them for $300-$400, and their value is unlikely to decline.

.243 is a good choice, but the ammo is probably not much easier to find than 6.5x55 - at least not around here.

For managing recoil, you may want to check out an autoloading rifle, a heavy 30-30 (long, octagon barrel), or a .44 magnum rifle.

30-06, .308, 30-30, and .270 (which is NOT much less of a kick than a 30-06 IMHO) will always be the easiest to find. And as I am sure has been mentioned...there are reduced recoil rounds available.

 

[gvnwst]

My favorite?, the 7mm-08. Basically any .308 based cartridge is a great choice. 6.5x55, .257 roberts (and .25-06) and many others are good.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I too will give praise to interlock's analysis. Most all the great sub-30 calibers have been mentioned. As some may know, I'm a fan of the 6.5x55 round, but also the .243 Win. The 6.5 grendel and 6.8 spc ought to probably be mentioned as good intermediate game rounds. Another old one is the .25-20 wcf. I have killed deer with a .25-06 but then got rid of it as it seemed too duplicative of .243 (6.0x51mm), 6.5x55mm, and .270 (6.8x62mm), all of which I have. The .270 win does also need to be given its proper respect as the nearly perfect all-purpose round.