Shot Placement or ....

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deerhunter61

deerhunter61

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In the Dallas Ft Worth area
I just wanted to take a minute to admit after this years hunting I have changed my opinion on the calibers of guns best suited for deer hunting. I am 47 years old and until this year always hunted with a 7mm Rem Mag or a 300 Rem Mag, that is over 23 years of pretty consistent hunting.

During last season I decided to find a quality deer cartridge that did not kick as bad as either of the two rifles mentioned above due to health issues...and simply because I got tired of having the crap kicked out of me when I went to the range to shoot them.

I purchased a couple smaller caliber rifles and finally found one that I really like. A CZ 6.5X55 Swede. The kick was non existent and although I have not tuned it as well as I would like. I am shooting about 1.5 groups at 100 yards. I have gotten groups out of it as small as an inch but they are the exception. I have been able to get it to shoot that one cold shot pretty much right where it is sighted in to shoot. (Someone on this Forum made the comment that that was all that was important...I thought about it and agreed). So I have hunted with it ALMOST exclusively. I have shot at 5 animals with it and 4 of the five have dropped and the other only ran a few yards. Then I took my 22-250 with me when hunting for my cull buck because there are some varmits on my lease and I was actually hoping to get one of them. But you guessed it...out stepped the cull buck I wanted. It was a Buck in Velvet! I have always wanted one and I was told when I got on this lease that there were a lot of bucks that simply do not shed their velvet on this lease and no matter how big they are they do not count as your trophy buck. So when I saw it I grabbed my CZ 22-250 and finally was able to get the cross hairs on it. It was standing in brush and the only thing I saw was the deer heart and lung area. I have a 6.5x20x50 on my 22-250 so with the magnification on the highest level I was able to make sure I was aiming at this bucks heart and lung area. I pulled the trigger and he ran for about 50 yards. He never left my sight.

So what these experiences have taught me is that a well placed shot is more important than the caliber of the rifle. Before I was with those that said you needed to use more than enough gun...just in case the shot is not a good one. What I learned with these rifles this year is that if you hit the target where you aim then you will get your deer. Known of these animals suffered. Both bucks and my doe were shot in the heart and they were done real quick. I shot two hogs in the neck and both went down in a heap. The fox never knew what hit it.

Saying all of this I still think there is a minimum caliber as far as taking a deer. Before this year I really did not think the .243 was a good deer cartridge but I have now changed my mind. With good shot placement it will certainly do the job.
 
I gotta agree

with you there.

Like they say, one well-placed shot is better than five near-misses (or something like that);)
 
my step-grandfather killed deer in England with a .22lr!! and i've seen many boars taken with the same.

i myself am a big caliber guy, but i just love the kick!

shot placement, grasshopper
 
American

I live in the Dallas Fort Worth area and looked all over for one and finally found one in Austin while on business. Should have bought it then but wanted to get with the wife. So the following weekend I drove down there and bought it. Only one I found in N. TX.
 
It is about shot placement, but a bigger hole helps too.

I'm also a big caliber guy (7mm Mag and 300 Win Mag) but if you don't hit the important stuff, you might as well have shot them with a .22. The larger calibers help the wound bleed and cause more shock (both hunter and the deer).

I've shot deer with some small rifles. I won't mention calibers, due to legal issues, but I've had them run farther with my 300 Mag. One large doe crested the top of the hill she was standing on and crashed with a vital shot using a small rifle. All shot placement...
 
Like they say, one well-placed shot is better than five near-misses (or something like that)
Click to expand...

While I agree shot placement is paramount, I don't necessarily agree that bigger calibers can't also attain good shot placement. This seems to pop up in most caliber/shot placement threads. While I hunt deer with one, I understand the desire to get away from shoulder wreckers. The thought has crossed my mind too, especially at sight-in at the range.
 
gbran

I agree that good shot placement can certainly be attained by larger calibers but I also think that too many "hunters" use large caliber rifles thinking it will compensate for a lack of marksmanship. I also wonder if because of recoil and cost of ammo those that use them do not practice with them very often and therefore are not as good of a shot with their weapons of choice?
 
Congrats on a great season, Deerhunter !!!


The best deer shots I've met have been people who (regardless of caliber they use) have moved through sort of a progression - a changing selection of the "target" area on deer.

For example - they may have changed from "shooting at the deer" to "shooting for the heart lung area" to "shooting for the center of the heart/lung area" to "shooting for the heart (or spine or neck vertebra or head)".

In doing so, they (like you) realized the incredible value there is in using a caliber that doesn't detract from the shooting, and often they have switched from larger thundersticks to .22/250s, .243s, .250s, .257s, the Swede etc.

Also, most of these fellows start paying attention to even smaller details like the tricks light can play and how the deer is standing - small angles and elevations that could affect how much damage the bullet will do, especially if a hasty judgement could result in a horrid non-fatal or slowly-fatal wound rather than a clean kill.

Again, Congrats on a great season !

:cool:
 
My late father killed somewhere north of thirty-five elk in his hunting career, most of them taken with his .270 with a 130 grain Hornady spire point.

I never felt qualified to tell him he was under-gunned.
 
Shawnee

Thanks Shawnee,

For years the only shot I would take was one directly into the front shoulder. I believed that I need to take it out so the deer would not run very far. This year I decided to shoot behind the shoulder not hitting the shoulder at all but aiming to hit the heart. I guess I have been fortunate in that all 3 deer I shot were hit in the heart. And what I learned from this was that these shots killed quicker than those I had placed into the shoulder in the past.

I also believe the reason for my success this year was due in large part because I shot more this year than any of the preceding 23 years I have hunted. Mostly because I started reloading.

I did shoot the two hogs in the neck to save meat. The shots they provided made it easier to take these shots though.
 
Shot placement is #1...

The 243 will do the job just fine...

I've killed deer with:
22lr (in the garden...head shots)
22 mag (same as above)
222
222 mag
223
243
257 Roberts
25-06 (<<< theres a really good one that don't kick much)
270
280
308 (my personal favorite for everything from coyotes to black bear)
30-06
And a few others...but I'll stop there.

The deer I shot with the 22lr fell over just as dead as the ones I shot with the 30-06.

I've also put several deer in the freezer with my 1911 (45 acp)...no matter what you choose to hunt with...shot placement is #1.
 
Now thats what my sons do, Ridgerunner665

They try all kinds of rifles, calibers and animals...when I "Know" my Mosin is best (!!).....but the boys never listen.....~LOL!!~
 
shot placement v big callibre

I think the equation should read

shot placement (to include hunters expertise) + suitable calibre + suitable bullet = deer in the larder

in the uk a lot of deer are shot with .223, .222 22-250. these are nearly all roe. With the correct bullet they are sufficient. IN MY VIEW a 60 gr plus soft point of a hunting design (not a varminter) is a great choice.

It makes my blood boil when i hear stories of deer shooting with 50 gr v max. they are not a suitable bullet. they are designed for almost explosive expansion and very limited penetration. where as a 60 gr partition would be a good choice.

That said i use 7mm08 with 120 gr prohunters or .30-06 with 165 gr gamekings.

interlock
(formerly uk roe hunter)
 
It was standing in brush and the only thing I saw was the deer heart and lung area.
Click to expand...

Is that a good idea? How did you know it was a deer? Had you seen the rest of it before it moved into this position?

Keep in mind, these questions are coming from someone who has not hunted before. I'm not trying to criticize, just learn.
 
Vermont,

I hear your concern but yes I absolutely knew it was THE buck I was hunting. I did see it move through the brush where you could see it but could not get a shot of it. And when I say see it I mean antlers and all through the brush but could not get a shot when he stopped in a place where he gave me a shot.

I wondered when I posted this thread if anyone would bring this up. Glad you did but have no worry if there was even a sliver of a doubt I would not have shot the buck. I have passed on many bucks because of questionable shots. I have even past on a couple of bucks that are MUCH bigger than anything I have ever shot because I was not comfortable with the shot. I never got a shot and therefore do not have them on the wall. How do I feel about it? Well if faced with the same situation knowing I would not ever get another chance at it I would still pass up the shot.
 
Shot placement is number one no matter what you're hunting. But some animals do demand a heavier caliber than others.

Caribou were you guys shooting those bous in river as they swam across? The .22LR is perfect for that kind of shooting.

When we are talking about deer a suitable minimum caliber is different than we when we are talking about Cape buffalo. The other big factor that most people don't understand is the way in which you are hunitng. If you are hunting from a stand where the animal will be holding still at fairly close range you can shoot them with just about anything you've got. If you are brush busting and jump shooting or hunting at longer ranges than obviously your caliber choice changes somewhat.

A 6.5X55 is a fine deer round.
 
Well, 7 mag and 300 win mag are way overkill for whitetail, but if you handload, you can always download the bigger guns. You can't pump up a .223 for elk or moose.

I like the 6.5x55 ballistics, though I've never seen the need to own one. My .257 Roberts and .308 are my primary rifles and my 7 mag collects dust waiting for the day I can afford an elk hunt. LOL I've taken four deer (IIRC) with it. It kills 'em dead, but no deader than the other two rifles that are a lot lighter and shorter and handier to tote and handle in a blind. It ain't the caliber that I don't care for with the big 7, love the caliber, I'm not recoil shy. It's just that the danged gun is HUGE! My little .308 M7 Remington is just way handy and light and very accurate to boot.
 
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