What rifle caliber do you hunt whitetail with?

[Carolina Kalash]

I use a .270 with the 150gr. bullets... what sucks is that federal shoots the best through my gun, winchester 2nd best and ironically remington the worst, ironic because i use a 700... what sucks about that is i have to use winchester because my walmart dosen't sell federal .270s in 150gr, only has the 130gr... and that pisses me off because it's also about $5 cheaper per box in addition working better with my rifle than the other two...

 

[NMBrian]

.30-06

 

[HavelockLEO]

I kinda have a draw between 06' 150 grain Federal, and 6.5X55 139 grain soft points.

 

[Abel]

Usually a 30-30 or 35 Remington.

 

[RebelRabbi]

We got small deer in Eastern NC. A 200 lb buck is huge. Most or our bucks run about 150# and does about 120#. Don't take no cannon for these.

 

[Smith357]

Depends on where I am, it would be either

.54 caliber 465 grain maxi. 100 grains of FFg

or

.30-06

 

[littlelefty]

I voted .308 since that's what my one and only center fire rifle is chambered in.
I got a bad want for either a 30-30 or a 7mm-08. I know I know, a big difference between the two. I go back and forth between wanting a tube fed lever gun or a lighter-than-my-current bolt action, bolt action. In the mean time I'll keep shooting what works.

 

[TIMC]

over the years I have become very fond of the .308; all of my main meat getters are .308 but I do stray for fun once in a while.

 

[ugaarguy]

I won't vote and skew your poll. I'll rephrase it to If I was going to hunt white tail deer so I can make meaningful comments.

So, If I was invited to hunt whitetail deer right now, and it was only an occasional thing, I'd use my .308 Win LR-308 (AR-10 / SR-25 type rifle). That rifle is a bit heavy though. If I were to make it a serious hobby I'd probably look at a 6.8 SPC or .300 AAC upper for one of my AR-15s. Alternately, there are a host of barrels in whitetail capable calibers offered for the T/C Contender. An extra bbl for my contender would be most cost effective. I'd probably go with .30-30 for ammo cost & availability.

 

[VTHokiesDuckhunter]

30-.06 -and always, Federal Premium 165 gr. Nosler Partitions.

I'll use Hornady Light Magnums or Remington Core-Lokt if I can't find the Federal Premium, but nothing else has shot as well from my
R700 BDL bolt actions nor performed as well on deer as the Federals.

I find that the 165 gr. performs better for me, than do the 180's or 150's.

Most of my deer hunting is in WV and VA in a mix of fields, woods, and hills.

My son also shoots a Remington 700 BDL bolt action. (the only proper action for taking a noble animal like a deer I believe - but I am biased!). He shoots .270's while I like the 30-.06.

 

[RickMD]

It depends where I'm hunting. Here in the mountains of western Pennsylvania I use a 45-70 Marin most of the time. When I lived in Texas I mostly used a .270. When i lived in Colorado I was partial to .338 Winchester (mule deer). When I was a "Michigander" I mostly grabbed a 30-06 and when I had the misfortune to be exiled to New Jersey for two years I was relegated to an 870 with slugs (friends don't let friends live in New Jersey). Except for a filthy ocean, it's like west Texas without the glitter...

 

[Ol` Joe]

I used a 30 cal some flavor or the other for years, but the last 20 years have seen a 6.5x55 or a 260 getting all the attention

 

[Clifford]

Bolt .223 or 6" model 28 in .357 none of the whitetail taken took more than a few steps before dropping

 

[BigN]

Anything from a 223 to 308 and a whole bunch of calibers in between.

 

[skoro]

Here in Texas, lots of hunters take their deer with a .223, which seems light to me, but obviously it works.

 

[ralphie98]

In the woods of Northern MN I use the .30-.30... I don't think I've taken a shot over 75 yards. In the few trips I've taken to Nebraska farm country I used my 30-06 for the longer range and because my 06 has a scope.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I use both a .30-06 and a .280 Remington. Neither have ever failed me. I roll my own, so I don't have the ammunition frustrations anymore.

 

[joeq]

I use either a 30-30 or a 270WIN. A good old 30-30 works well for my area. If I know I might have some longer shots I'll grab the 270.

 

[Coal Dragger]

Used .308 at one time, wanted a bit flatter trajectory and now use a .280 AI.

 

[Kliegl]

30-06 165 grain Federal Premium Boat Tail Soft Point out of a Remington 700 with a Leupold VariX II. 0-300 yards of whitetail, mule, and elk slaying power. Also will kill turkeys, pigs, coyotes, feral dogs and will separate the front and hind ends of an armadillo by about ten feet.

 

[mshootnit]

257 Weatherby, but you have to handload a tough bullet.

 

[Frozen North]

I usually use a .270, but I will be using a Mosin Nagant 7,62x54R this year to irritate a gun snob in my camp.

 

[kludge]

35 caliber.

 

[Buddyinstl]

I use a Marlin 30-30. Most shots are in woods or through heavy brush. I have bagged a couple with long shots across a bean field, but for the most part, 25-30 yds.

 

[PowerG]

.45/70 in the woods, 7mm-08 where it opens up.