Is there any good materials on hunting calibers?

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The Exile

The Exile

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My dad just asked me if I wanted to give hunting a second shake this year, and I don't really know much about guns when it comes specifically to deer. My natural inclination is to just grab some milsurp cartridge like 30-06 or 308, but when I last went to the LGS I saw a lot of calibers I had never seen before.

I'm sure I'm fine to go with my first choice calibers, but is there anywhere I can read up on other choices before I invest in a new rifle?
 
Oh boy... you likely to get a heap right here. Read as much as you can tolorate and then make a decision you wallet can tolorate. There is nothing wrong with your "natrual inclinations" those will work just fine. There are lots and lots of other options that work well too. Do you have any preferences in firearm types, and do you know what type of conditions you will be hunting it. The more of that type of thing you can share the better help you will get here.

Good luck in your search and enjoy it.
 
mcb said:
Oh boy... you likely to get a heap right here. Read as much as you can tolorate and then make a decision you wallet can tolorate. There is nothing wrong with your "natrual inclinations" those will work just fine. There are lots and lots of other options that work well too. Do you have any preferences in firearm types, and do you know what type of conditions you will be hunting it. The more of that type of thing you can share the better help you will get here.

Good luck in your search and enjoy it.
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If it's anything like last time I'm just gonna be sitting in a little thicket of trees and watching into a soy field waiting for some deer to come pick at whatever the combines missed. I'm not really closed off to anything but I was leaning towards a bolt action. Last time I got loaned one with a hinged mag so it was easy to unload when we called it a day and I thought that was pretty neat but other than that I don't really have anything speciifc in mind. I guess just I don't wanna dump too much money on things before knowing this is something I'm gonna stick with.
 
The Exile said:
If it's anything like last time I'm just gonna be sitting in a little thicket of trees and watching into a soy field waiting for some deer to come pick at whatever the combines missed. I'm not really closed off to anything but I was leaning towards a bolt action. Last time I got loaned one with a hinged mag so it was easy to unload when we called it a day and I thought that was pretty neat but other than that I don't really have anything speciifc in mind. I guess just I don't wanna dump too much money on things before knowing this is something I'm gonna stick with.
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Would it be possible to borrow a rifle again? Shooting as many different types or rifles and cartridges as possible before buying is a great way to figure out what you like and don't. Especially if you're not sure your going to stick with hunting.
 
As already stated, you can't go wrong with either of your first two choices. Personally I would pick the 30-06. 270 win would also be on my list. But for my SIL"s first ever deer hunting season, last year, I put my 6.5 creedmore in his hands and he took four deer with it, so it's definitely nothing to sneeze at. Less recoil than my 30-06 and flatter shooting for the first few hundred yds.
 
I know it's an old line but I do think the 30-06 is still the most versatile if you only have one caliber but it's more than you need for deer, and your ammo options are massive. My personal favorite for deer would be a 7mm-08 which is basically a slightly lighter recoiling 308 with slightly better ballistics. 6.5 Creedmoor is what everybody seems to like these days, and it's great for deer size game too I just prefer the 7mm-08 at hunting distances.
 
Now that I gave you practical advice, I’ll post my preference. If you are going to hunt deer over a beam field, the .243 win or .25-06 would be ideal. Both have low recoil, very flat trajectories, and are plenty powerful for deer. They are also excellent for game smaller than deer but not so good for bigger (elk or moose). If I were heading to hunt over a bean field I would take my .25-06.

if you want one rifle that would be excellent for deer and potentially bigger game, then .270, .308 and .30-06 are the best choices.

The new kid on the block, 6.5 creedmoor, falls in between. More potent than the .243 and .25-06, but many consider it borderline or unacceptable for elk.

Again, choose whichever of these you can find ammo for.
 
IdaD said:
I know it's an old line but I do think the 30-06 is still the most versatile if you only have one caliber but it's more than you need for deer, and your ammo options are massive. My personal favorite for deer would be a 7mm-08 which is basically a slightly lighter recoiling 308 with slightly better ballistics. 6.5 Creedmoor is what everybody seems to like these days, and it's great for deer size game too I just prefer the 7mm-08 at hunting distances.
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Actually isn’t the old line something like “There ain’t no problem that can’t be fixed with $500 and a .30-06.”?
 
The bigger problem today is finding ammo for any of them.

I hunted almost exclusively with a 30-06 for 40 years. About 10-12 years ago I started using 308 and haven't hunted with either 30-06 since. Modern 308 loads beat WW-2 era 30-06 loads by a fair margin. Yes, 30-06 with modern loads shoots the same bullets a little faster, but at the expense of more recoil. My 308 will kill anything in North America at ranges farther than I have the skills to shoot so the 30-06 only offers more recoil for me.

And while I chose 308, there is nothing magical about it. All of the common cartridges really do about the same thing. I've come to appreciate the short actions and in my mind the top 3 all around cartridges today would be 6.5 CM, 7-08, and 308 in that order.

At the same time there are many less common cartridges that would do just as well. Stuff like 257 Roberts, 7X57, 6.5X55 just to name a few. But unless you just like to use something less common they offer no advantages. If I had a rifle in one of those cartridges with family history I'd use it, but wouldn't seek one out.
 
My only somewhat tongue and cheek advice would be to walk into a gun store pick up five boxes of the same aomo, go to the counter and the guy to give you a gun that shot that.......

My actual advice would be go into a gun store, find two or three boxes of hunting rounds in any chambering between 243 and 30-06, go to the counter and ask for a gun that shot that.......
 
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Literally anything the people above have mentioned will kill a deer. My question for you is what did you not like about hunting last time? Was it the weight of carrying the rifle around for an hour, was it the recoil, were you just board?

Depending on what you want from your experience there are rounds with less recoil, rounds that shoot flatter, rounds that can help you reach out and touch a deer at extreme distances. All of these answers are just fine but they don't necessarily answer your question because none of us know why you didn't like it last time.
 
Well my first deer rifle was a win 94 in 32 Sol. Took 10 deer w that rifle then A win 70 in 30-06?very heavy rifle had a custom stock shot one buck at 25 ft w it. Never used it again next was a Blr in 358 win took 2 nice bucks and a few others. Got a Henry long range last oct in 6.5 creedmoor shot a buck at 65 yards dropped in its tracks I mean literally in its tracks. Dropped so fast I never seen it drop. This past Christmas I bought a savage in muddy girl for my 14 yr old granddaughter got it in 6.5 creedmoor she loves it this will be her first year hunting she handles it well. So for me I’d go 6.5 next choice would be the 7mm-08.my 2 cents. If you want to hunt something bigger you can get the 6.5 cm w a 160gr round nose bullet .
 
A .308 or 30-06 will be perfect for the job, dont get a brain freeze on that... Bolt action, look at CZ, unbeatable quality at the price point.

Now... Sitting on your behind waiting for something to show up, that's the "difficult to love" part. Is there any real hunting to be done in your area? Like, finding a deer by knowing their behavior, their patterns, the terrain, the weather, and approaching them using wind, shadows, and terrain? Because that's something you could get hooked on quite easily...
 
LoonWulf said:
My only somewhat tongue and cheek advice would be to walk into a gun store pick up five boxes of the same anmo, go to the counter until the guy to give you a gun that shot that.......

My actual advice would be go into a gun store, find two or three boxes of hunting rounds in any chambering between 243 and 30-06, go to the counter and ask for a gun that shot that.......
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If he did that at my local Sportsman’s Warehouse, he’d be walking out with a .30-378 weatherby or .375 RUM and ammo at $100 per box! These are crazy times.

As many of us have said, your biggest difficulty is going to be finding ammo, so your best bet is borrow rifle and ammo from your dad, or get a rifle that he has ammo for.
 
The Exile said:
My dad just asked me if I wanted to give hunting a second shake this year, and I don't really know much about guns when it comes specifically to deer. My natural inclination is to just grab some milsurp cartridge like 30-06 or 308, but when I last went to the LGS I saw a lot of calibers I had never seen before.

I'm sure I'm fine to go with my first choice calibers, but is there anywhere I can read up on other choices before I invest in a new rifle?
Click to expand...

get yourself this rifle
upload_2021-9-22_6-6-52.png

With this scope
Bushnell Banner 2 in 4-12x40 or 3-9x40

upload_2021-9-22_6-13-53.jpeg

as for ammo, any 147gr to 180gr soft point from any mayor manufacturer. You won’t break the bank and it’s a well rounded setup for killing deer.
 
I’d go with whatever I could get in most anything between .243 and .30-06 off the used rack. If you decide later on it’s not your thing, you can sell it at little or no loss.

Deer don’t care if they get hit with a .243 or .308. If I were going out today I really wouldn’t care if I used a 6.5, an 06, a .270, or .243 as long as I had good ammo and it was accurate

I personally use a Browning 7 mag, but only because it was new and I got it for almost 50% off.
 
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My favorite is 7-08 but any high velocity centerfire with expanding bullets designed for deer will work. I am a fan of both the .308 and 30-06.
The links provided above by others are very informative. Finding ammo is a concern which favors the .308 in my opinion.
 
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