nock
Well-Known Member
I prefer my 270. I've killed deer in brush and open fields with it loaded with 130gr pointed soft points.
Best Caliber
- Thread starter dt-34715
- Start date
FULLDRAWXX75
Well-Known Member
dt,
There are alot of great calibers available, as mentioned already.
You have to ask yourself, what type of terrain will you be hunting in the most with this rifle? How far are you comfortable with shooting & what would be the max. distance you are able to shoot in the area? (just because a caliber is capable of 700 yds, it doesn't mean the shooter is)What is the average size of the deer you would expect to take on a regular basis? (It makes no sense to shoot 125lb deer with a 300 Weatherby Mag.) It's overkill!
I am fortunate enough to have my choice of most and own most of the calibers mentioned already with the exception of a few. For different area's I hunt here in NY. I have taken at least one deer with every single rifle I own. But, my all time favorite is my .300 Savage. It is no longer a popular caliber, but back in its day.
It is very versatile (meaning, in the brush & long range)It kills them real well, without killing me.
You can narrow the field alot by answering the questions that have been presented, but the best answer is the one you choose to buy. If you can, try and shoot a few calibers if you know some folks that have one you are interested in. Also, make sure you it fits you well, it is does not fit, you will hate it until you trade or sell it off.
FDXX75
There are alot of great calibers available, as mentioned already.
You have to ask yourself, what type of terrain will you be hunting in the most with this rifle? How far are you comfortable with shooting & what would be the max. distance you are able to shoot in the area? (just because a caliber is capable of 700 yds, it doesn't mean the shooter is)What is the average size of the deer you would expect to take on a regular basis? (It makes no sense to shoot 125lb deer with a 300 Weatherby Mag.) It's overkill!
I am fortunate enough to have my choice of most and own most of the calibers mentioned already with the exception of a few. For different area's I hunt here in NY. I have taken at least one deer with every single rifle I own. But, my all time favorite is my .300 Savage. It is no longer a popular caliber, but back in its day.
It is very versatile (meaning, in the brush & long range)It kills them real well, without killing me.
You can narrow the field alot by answering the questions that have been presented, but the best answer is the one you choose to buy. If you can, try and shoot a few calibers if you know some folks that have one you are interested in. Also, make sure you it fits you well, it is does not fit, you will hate it until you trade or sell it off.
FDXX75
Read an article on this one time. 
7mm rem mag
7mm rem mag
TennBuck
Well-Known Member
if i had to choose 1 deer rifle it would be the .270. i use a .308 simply because i dont need the distance of the .270.
---------------------------------------------------------------
here's an interesting read from F&S;
Deer are small, fragile animals that are almost always taken at close range and don't require a cannon to put them down. This selection of deer cartridges will delight and amaze you with both their good manners and their efficiency:
The .270 Winchester made its debut in the 1920s, but it is still an unbeatable combination of ample power, flat trajectory, and minimum recoil. It will handle anything from antelope to elk and has dropped more deer quickly than anything else I've used. I took one to Africa in 1988, and it did just fine. (A friend of mine used to hunt African lions with a .270, and he's still alive.)
The 7mm/08 is a .308 Winchester necked down to .284. It has minimum recoil and is absolutely deadly at ranges out to 250 yards, beyond which its modest velocity makes the .270 a better choice. The best 7mm/08 loadings I've used are the Winchester Supreme cartridges with either the 140-grain Ballistic Silvertip or the 140-grain Fail Safe bullets.
The .308 Winchester (see above) is best used with any quick-expanding 150-grain bullet. You will smile; the deer will not.
The .30/06 is actually too powerful for all but the biggest deer, but how can you omit it? The best bullets are quick-expanding 150- and 165-grainers.
---------------------------------------------------------------
here's an interesting read from F&S;
Deer are small, fragile animals that are almost always taken at close range and don't require a cannon to put them down. This selection of deer cartridges will delight and amaze you with both their good manners and their efficiency:
The .270 Winchester made its debut in the 1920s, but it is still an unbeatable combination of ample power, flat trajectory, and minimum recoil. It will handle anything from antelope to elk and has dropped more deer quickly than anything else I've used. I took one to Africa in 1988, and it did just fine. (A friend of mine used to hunt African lions with a .270, and he's still alive.)
The 7mm/08 is a .308 Winchester necked down to .284. It has minimum recoil and is absolutely deadly at ranges out to 250 yards, beyond which its modest velocity makes the .270 a better choice. The best 7mm/08 loadings I've used are the Winchester Supreme cartridges with either the 140-grain Ballistic Silvertip or the 140-grain Fail Safe bullets.
The .308 Winchester (see above) is best used with any quick-expanding 150-grain bullet. You will smile; the deer will not.
The .30/06 is actually too powerful for all but the biggest deer, but how can you omit it? The best bullets are quick-expanding 150- and 165-grainers.
Hawkeye5
Well-Known Member
Add the .243 and 30/30 to the above list and you have some of the best deer calibers available. You don't need super hi-tech bullets for deer either, so Winchester power point, Remington Core-Loke, and other lower tech expanding bullets will do just fine.
The real question, as posed several times already, is which caliber/rifle combination do you shoot well and feel comfortable using. I have a ultra-light synthetic stocked .308 that will beat the stuffing out of you at the range, but another .308 standard rifle with a laminated stock that is very mild. Caliber is not the sole consideration, but from a pratical point of view I see no need for the short and long mag. calibers for deer in Tennessee.
The real question, as posed several times already, is which caliber/rifle combination do you shoot well and feel comfortable using. I have a ultra-light synthetic stocked .308 that will beat the stuffing out of you at the range, but another .308 standard rifle with a laminated stock that is very mild. Caliber is not the sole consideration, but from a pratical point of view I see no need for the short and long mag. calibers for deer in Tennessee.
Tikkabuck
Well-Known Member
easttndeer said:
Ditto,and for long range work I'll take the 270wsm please.
FLTENNHUNTER1
Well-Known Member
This:
kdxdude
Well-Known Member
I believe the 7mm-08 is the best caliber for whitetail deer in Tn. I believe that the 30-06 is the most versatile caliber there is, you can use bullet weights small enought to varmint hunt with or bullet weights big enough for moose & grizzly.
FULLDRAWXX75
Well-Known Member
I read an article this past week with the same question being asked, the general reply from the experts was most of the guns in the 30 cal category. Now, don't get me wrong, they mentioned alot of other calibers as well, but the 30 cal group was the favored.
I once again have to say it depends on the terrain and style of the hunter using that particular gun.
I hunt with a variety of different calibers, 7mm, .300 Savage, 444 Marlin, 12ga slug guns.
One thing I have observed and corrected with my set ups it the proper bullet weight for the job, when I first bought my 7mm, the only bullet weight available locally was 175 gr. I shot a few deer with that bullet weight but was not impressed with the results, I was getting hard hits, but straight pass throughs with small exit wounds. I finally was able to locate 150gr. and the performance was much better.
I started handloading and that is when the entire ball of wax changed dramatically. I was able to experiment with many different bullet styles and weights. I now have a great combo worked up for nearly all my rifles that dispatch a deer nicely.
So, my point being the caliber alone is not the only fact on what is best, better and so on.
FDXX75
I once again have to say it depends on the terrain and style of the hunter using that particular gun.
I hunt with a variety of different calibers, 7mm, .300 Savage, 444 Marlin, 12ga slug guns.
One thing I have observed and corrected with my set ups it the proper bullet weight for the job, when I first bought my 7mm, the only bullet weight available locally was 175 gr. I shot a few deer with that bullet weight but was not impressed with the results, I was getting hard hits, but straight pass throughs with small exit wounds. I finally was able to locate 150gr. and the performance was much better.
I started handloading and that is when the entire ball of wax changed dramatically. I was able to experiment with many different bullet styles and weights. I now have a great combo worked up for nearly all my rifles that dispatch a deer nicely.
So, my point being the caliber alone is not the only fact on what is best, better and so on.
FDXX75
TennBuck
Well-Known Member
243 is also a very adequate whitetail caliber with the right bullet,100-grain Remington Core-Lokt Ultra factory cartidges, if reloading I would use the 100-grain Speer Grand Slam Bullets
If you can't put the bullet in the vital kill zone don't take the shot no matter how capable the cartridge you're using is at that range
If you can't put the bullet in the vital kill zone don't take the shot no matter how capable the cartridge you're using is at that range
FULLDRAWXX75
Well-Known Member
TennBuck said:
Absolutely correct, shot placement is very important with any caliber.
FDXX75
Model70Man
Well-Known Member
I love reading over and over which caliber is best for deer.
TennBuck
Well-Known Member
ya, crazy for a deer hunting forum :whistle:
.17HMR or .22Hornet :whistle:
Homebrewer
Well-Known Member
I don�t know if the question was best caliber for whitetail or just best caliber. I like a lot of calibers; I like the 223 in an AR-15 M-4, 220 Swift for varmint, 6mm Remington over the 243 Winchester because of more bearing surface of the 6mm�s neck, although I have three 243 tack drivers. The 280 Remington is a great deer cartridge, my favorite whitetail cartridge is the 7mm Remington Magnum that I build from a Remington action as a lightweight (less than 6lb) Kevlar stock etc. I like the 300 Weatherby Magnum for Elk and Mule Deer for long range. I took a muley at 670 yards and one at 730 yards according to the Sierra Ballistics computer program with that gun in a model 70 Winchester.
The 7mm Rem Mag is my favorite and what I use 90% of the time. If I know my shots will be under 100 yards (hunting thick stuff with no fields), I love my .30-30 also. It's the only gun I've hunted with that I've never missed or had a misplaced shot... knock on wood.
Yank
Well-Known Member
Whatever is handy. It's easy, if i grab the 30/30 or shotgun with slugs I'll hunt short yardage in the thick stuff. If i carry my 300 weatherby or the 30.06 i'm going to get where i can see a little farther. I've never thought much about which one was the best round, only that one will shoot a little farther than the other.
I read an article years ago that claimed that the 30/30 has killed more big game than any other caliber?? I'd say the 30.06 is running a close second.
I read an article years ago that claimed that the 30/30 has killed more big game than any other caliber?? I'd say the 30.06 is running a close second.
