What rifle caliber do you hunt whitetail with?

[sixgunner455]

The Original Post was , What rifle caliber do you hunt whitetail with ? All of us including myself named a Cartridge not a Caliber , all but 3 or 4 of us & out of them 2 of them named a Caliber & then or a Cartridge. Only one person named a caliber & left it at that , congratulations (kludge) .

Well I am here to remedy this , I mostly use a .30 caliber , so there !

While that may be true, Tom, the poll lists a mix of calibers and cartridges, so the rest of us may be forgiven for our collective ignorant confusion.

I've used .30/7.62, .50, and this year will use a 6mm. And I've used a 9mm to kill one.

 

[SwampWolf]

How about "Winny" "Remmy" Shotty"?

Then there's the "Mossys", the "Luppys" and the "Bushys"...If shotguns are "Shottys", are rifles "Riffeys", Revolvers "Revvys" and pistols "Pissys"?

 

[acmax95]

I use my Marlin XL7 30-06 w/ a Leupold VX-I 3-9x40 Scope and Hornady 165gr SST rounds.

I also have a Winchester 94 .357 I am wanting to take a deer with.

 

[Nautilus]

Depends on my mood... and where I'm hunting. But in order of most to least often...

30-30 Win
30-06
.300 Savage
7.62x39

 

[Kachok]

What no option to vote for the 6.5X55?!? I have experence with more rifles and calibers then I ever care counting, but that little 6.5 sweed is far and away my favorite. 120 year track record of killing everything from varmint to pachyderm and it is still a favorite of custom/competition rifle makers. Ballistics, accuracy, and ballance are so good we are still trying to copy it (260 rem, 6.5X47, 6.5 Creed) Nothing else in the world of shooting or hunting has done so well for so long. All that said I could really make a really good case for the 30-06 as well, but the 6.5X55 really takes my #1 spot thanks to it's ease of handloading and very mild manners.

 

[THe Dove]

I've got to say the old 30-30 Winchester does a marvelous job in the southeastern part of Oklahoma.

Can't say it would out west though!!!

The Dove

 

[GLG20]

I have hunted a 243, 308, 270 and 7 mag for years. The last ten years it has been the 45/70. I never shoot over a hundred yards and the rare bad shot, the big round provides a good blood trail.

 

[303tom]

I give up , collective ignorant confusion. Yep ignorance is bliss huh !

 

[420Stainless]

I've used the 30-06 (mainly) and 25-06 successfully. This year I'll be trying with 45/70 and 6.8SPC.

 

[420Stainless]

Yep ignorance is bliss huh !

Please forgive those of us who do not read internet forum verbage as carefully as we might the directions on our medical prescriptions. I answered in the same manner that the poll was constructed and really didn't notice the caliber reference in the header.

 

[Mike1234567]

I give up , collective ignorant confusion. Yep ignorance is bliss huh !

Well, that post was helpful...

 

[33rowdy]

TC 50 caliber. If I'm driving its a 20Ga.

I do wish the shotgun areas such as mine would consider some straight wall rifles.

 

[303tom]

Well, that post was helpful...

Hey I was part of that , what are you bit***n about ?

 

[BoilerUP]

260 Remington

 

[GregC]

.270 wsm.

 

[LOLBELL]

I voted I don't use a rifle. After a ten year break in hunting I took it back up last year and used a 44 caliber hand gun. I know this is just a caliber poll, but, That 44 cal bullet came out of a Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter with a 2X7 Bushnell scope.

 

[FSJeeper]

At my ranch either a 7.62 x 39 or 45 long colt cause shots are never over 100
yards.

Anywhere else, .308 or 30-06.

 

[uvausmc]

I voted for .308 but I've used a little of everything. .270 WSM, .308, .30-06, .257 Roberts, .357 Mag...

 

[slugg01]

I use a 222 Rem. a 300 win mag....gonna try the 577 T rex i had built this year

 

[Motega]

shotgun with a rifled barrel and sabot. In the East where I hunt (NJ) most shots are under 30 yards. My trusty .30-06 which has brought huge African antelopes down with a single shot sucks at short range compared to the 870 with a Lightfield sabot. The last deer I shot with the rifle (and this was in NY by the way where it is legal NOT NJ) I shot perfectly at 25-35 yards and that little spike acted like nothing at all happened- I didn't get much if any bone, snuck it through the space of his ribs through his heart or lungs... only on the 3rd shot did he react and then went 100 yards. Deer shot with the sabot go MAYBE 30 yards before piling up. At short range I think it is not even worthy of debate to talk about if a sabot or ANY rifle shy of .50 is better.

 

[TheGrimReaper]

6.5x55 SE and 7.62x39 here.

 

[amprecon]

I voted for .308 and "other", the others are the 7.62X39 and though I haven't used it for hunting yet I fully intend to and its the 6.8spc.

 

[Mr. T]

Up here in Wisconsin, the typical "shooter" buck can run from anywhere from 180 lbs up to 300 lbs. The typical doe can run from 130 up to 180 lbs. The 30.06 and .270 Win are calibers that definitely can get the job done. However deer have been taken with the .223 also. Most shots are taken at 100 yards or under; anything generating 1000 ftlbs. of energy has enough juice to get the job done. That being said if you run into that buck of a lifetime, I would definitely feel more comfortable with a 30.06 or a .270 Win in my hands. My 30.06 is a Remington 7400 and my .270 is a Remington Model 700; the .223's are both Bushmaster M4geries which are used on short range stands. The weapon I would have to say is the most lethal, where deer have never gotten away would be the 12 gauge shotgun. 12 and 20 gauges are typically used as brush guns by the drivers; rifles are typically used on stands.

 

[BikerRN]

Currently using a .308 but have used a .243 in the past. My future custom build is a .300 Win Mag that I need to finish paying off and order a stock for.

BikerRN

 

[Caddisflied]

I've taken whitetails with:
44 Mag
6.5 x 55
264 Mag
and 7mm Mag,
Lately I use the 7 Mag most of the time but
I think the Venison tastes better if taken with a 90 year old 6.5 x 55 swede.