Ideal whitetail projectile and velocity

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150ish grain bullet around 2k. that give me 4 options that I like. on bolt, one lever, one revolver, one single shot.

30-30 at 150 gr is great over game trails in the oak trees. Loading the .308 mauser to the same levels as a 30-30 will do the same. The .357 buntline can really sling a bullet. Built on a big-bore frame this mid-bore can take some scary loads and be no worse for wear. I haven't run it over a chrono, but there is a difference between a pistol pop and a carbine crack...this one has the crack when I want it to, and yes it is pushing every limit the .357 mag has ever thought about. If the cylinder was slightly longer I might consider going max. And last but not least is the contender in .357 running the same rounds as the buntline.

I have other setups which I love, but these are all special to me for some reason. Honorable mentions go to the 180gr at 1200 fps (10mm) 130 gr at 3000fps+ (.270 win) 120 gr at 2400 fps (7-30 waters) and 60 gr JHP at a blistering 2700 fps from (.256winmag) 250 gr soft lead at about 1000 fps (smokepole)
 
I use a 300WM loaded with 180gr SGK running at 3,000fps. Took a buck and doe this year with it. The buck was shot mid-rib. The lungs poured out of the cavity, but minimal rib meat loss. The doe was shot right behind the left elbow but angled to the opposite shoulder. This caused a 5"lLx3"W hole from the shoulder back. Lost meat from one shoulder and one side of ribs.
 
Not that "use enough gun" isn't a valid point, but how much it can be overdone without going off the scope of "ideal" mentioned in the title of this thread is something else altogether. I might use .300WinMag for whitetail at 500 or 700 yards, well past what .308 is capable of in a hunting situation. For closer shots, I rather not. There are some advantages in using a lot more powerful caliber than the bare minimum, but it's debatable whether they're worth the drawbacks of huge recoil, a lot of noise, heavy rifle and expensive ammo.
 
Rob96- I have a buddy who hunts 100 lb. Texas whitetails with his 300 Win. Mag. He swears it does less meat damage than a .243. I ain't buying it, but that's what he says. My experience with elk guns on whitetails is like you described with your doe.
 
Punch the ribs through and through with a 300WM you are fine. Hit 1 shoulder or both you lose some meat. I just love the feel of the rifle and its accuracy. My second favorite rifle is my 20" heavy barrel 308.
 
Newtosavage said:
Chuck, that's a lot of horsepower for a whitetail. I'm surprised they run at all.

I do like the phrase "run properly" LOL. I'll be stealing that.

So, another vote for behind the shoulder then. ;)


Agreed, and I plan to. I'm pretty stoked about this gun. Lots of tradition and history and it meets my punchlist of spec's almost perfectly.
Click to expand...

It really depends on your terrain/conditions which is one thing that's omitted from this discussion. Where I hunt...crop fields to wooded, a shot may be 20-350+ yards.

I don't see many 30-30's and typical "brush"/"woods" guns that were popular back east when I was growing up, they're just not that practical when your reaching out into a corn field....

I will take a shoulder if it's close to dark and I don't want to risk loosing him......

Chuck
 
Whatever elk load is in my rifle is my ideal deer load (though they are mulies.) This last year is was a 180r Winchester Partition Gold at about 2550fps at the muzzle from my .308.

Two nice deer and an elk fell from this loading.
 
We hunt in north central Pennsylvania where shots rarely exceed 75 yards or so. It's steep country with dense stands of hardwood trees. Most guys at our cabin hunt with lever action 30-30 carbines or slide action 30-06 rifles. Remington Core-lokt is easily the most popular hunting ammo for our guys.

TR
 
I have killed more deer in my life with the 270 Winchester,and 130s than any other caliber,and there have been many times when I needed every bit of it,and there have been many times when I have shot them really close.Any time you aim for the vitals the is a good chance of hitting a shoulder,but even a 30-30 will blood shot a good sized area.I've never worried about it. Even a nice deer has little meat on a shoulder,and besides I have always had dogs..I live in West Virginia,but I live in the Mid-Ohio Valley,not the Mountains.My place consist of a long bottom,a big flat,some woods,and a small field behind the house..I have been hunting the short field behind the house for the past few years,and have been using a 250-3000 with 87s at about 3,100 fps,and have been shooting them in the high neck.It just turns them off.They usually don't even bleed, .I think that the point is to cover all your bases,and be willing to pass on a shot that you aren't equipped for at the time.
 
Think I might have found my "ideal" caliber to produce the energy I want at 300 yards with a 150(ish) grain bullet...

A 7x57 Mauser. :D

Sweet, sweet shooter, and the 139 grain Prvi Partisan round is traveling almost exactly 2450 fps. Going to feed it some handloads soon, but 1000 ft. lbs. at 300 yards should be right up that rifle's alley.

Yes I know it's not .30 caliber, but it's the next best thing. 7mm bullets are plentiful and versatile.
 
I have only killed 26-28 deer but most of them have been with a 7x57 mauser rifle my grandad built on a G 33-40 action with a P.O. Ackley barrel. Sometimes they run but never more than about 40 yards. And I only take behind the shoulder shots. I have also used a 243 and a 30-06 along with a 50 caliber ML and a 44 mag rifle but always come back to the 7x57 mauser.

The last 4 deer I have seen shot were by a little 15 year old girl shooting my 7-08 with a reduced load using a Sierra 120gr GK bullet. It works just fine. I have also killed one deer with a 7-08. It was just like using the 7x57.

I bought a new to me Remington BDL in 7x57 but didn't take it hunting yet. I have never seen a BDL like this rifle. It has a very slim forend and light weight barrel like on my model 7 and without a scope only weighs 6.75 pounds. It has a factory buttpad that I think is refered to as an "english" style pad. I can't find out anything about it from the remington website but it sure is a nice light weight rifle. Accurate too.
 
I'm prepared to admit that the 7mm-08 is about as close to the ideal all-around whitetail caliber as anything that's ever been created, but although I was on the bandwagon 20 years ago when the round was still unknown, today it would just feel a little "boring" to own a 7mm-08.

Enter the 7mm Mauser. :D I love the history behind that round. I also love the fact that it is the ballistic twin of the 7mm-08 making it equally ideal for hunting whitetail-sized game in lots of conditions. The fact that it has become a relative unknown in most circles only makes the appeal that much greater to me.

Your Remington sounds like an outstanding little rifle. I bought the Ruger RSI because of the classic military lines and "mauser" action. Just felt right for a caliber like the 7mm Mauser.
 
7 MM Mauser unknown. I never thought I would hear that. My how times change. I remember when they were everywhere. Just about everyone sporterized either a Mauser or Enfield. I feel even older now. I am so behind on things. But you are right the 7-08 and 7x57 are close and both are very good for deer. Dare I say ideal?
 
If you like uncommon and unknown calibers then do research on the 7mm Valkyrie and the .30 Rem AR...

I do agree with you that the 7mm-08 is the perfect deer rifle caliber. It's my favorite caliber of all time.

The 30 Rem AR will push a .30 Caliber 150gr bullet at 2500fps, which the OP stated was about ideal for what he wants. The 7mm Valkyrie with push a 7mm 140gr bullet to 2700-2800fps both of them being in 22" barrels. And in my experience a 7mm 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tip at 2700-2800fps will drop deer consistently within 10yds or on the spot, that bullet at that speed is like lightning.
 
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Newtosavage see if you can find a book called "selected works of finn aagaard" published by wolfe publishing and read some more history on the 6.5s and 7s used in africa on game all the way up to elephant.

I like the 7x57 just a little better than the 7-08 just because it has a little more case capacity for shooting heavier bullets and with the longer action the rounds are a little easier to load than the shorter action set up. But thats just me.

I wish the 7x57 were more popular so more people could enjoy it. I probably paid way too much for my newest 7 mauser but I don't regret the expense at all. I paid just over $700 for my rifle. But it has never had the trigger touched or the bedding messed with. It shoots so well (just over one inch) that I will most likely leave it alone and not glass bed it.

As for the bullets I have shot deer with I have used everything from 115gr Speer up to 154gr Hornady and all weights in between. Put where they are supposed to go they all seem to kill about the same.
 
d2wing, I hear what you're saying. When I saw that 7x57 it immediately brought up images in my mind of great military battles and African safaris. I knew it was an historically significant caliber, much like my 30-30 Winchester and my 7.62x39. Had that rifle been in any other caliber except perhaps for the 6.5x55 Swede, I would have admired it but would have passed on it.

I had to explain to my buddy why I was so excited to see the 7x57. Once I did, he was very keen on it as well.

I happened to have a 6.5x55 round in my workshop, and held up next to the 7x57, the cases look nearly identical. I found that interesting and wonder if the 7 Mauser inspired the 6.5 Swede.
 
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