top deer caliber

[buck slayer]

I am hunting in thick brush beside the swamp my shots will be in 50-500 yards What is the most accurate and adequate cartridge for 150-250 pound whitetail in
this kind of area between the following cartridges

7mm rem maggun)
6.5mm rem maggun)(favorite out of the group)

243wingun)
308 wingun)
6.55x55 swedegun)
I don't like the30-06 because it is not to accurate
any other suggestions are welcomed
If u can name some good rifles that come in that cartridge (under $700 please )

 

[matt_3479]

I love the 7mm mag as well as the 243. Win and they would probably be my first 2 choices closely followed by something along the lines of 260. Rem, 264. Win mag or one of my other favorites, 270. Win or wsm

 

[82ndreddevil]

Not too sure what you mean by the 30-06 not being very accurate. If you have had a bad experience with a 30-06 perhaps try a different load for that rifle. That old work horse has earned its reputation by killing more deer and elk than any of the other calibers you have mentioned. Oh and it has also taken a fare share of Japanese, Germans, and North Koreans as well.
Have you by any chance given any consideration to the 300 win mag? This happens to be my favorite caliber for big game. I will just throw out my two cents. The day may come that you are hunting more than whitetail, and this is a good all around caliber. It has a larger variety of bullet weights than the 7mm mag. Dont get me wrong, that 7mm is awesome! But the 300 does offer heavier bullets if that is what a person desires. It also has a flatter trajectory than the 308. At 500 yards you are looking at around a 54 inch drop with a 200 yard zero with the 308. So you better be spot on for your range estimation! That is also assuming you are using a 150 grain bullet. Typically for a 300 win mag zeroed at 200 yards you will have a drop of 30-35 inch drop at 500 yards. The 180 grains will usually sit at 40 inches at that range as well.
I have had good experiences with Remington 700s. I think they are reasonably priced. I have never owned a Winchester model 70 but there is no question of it being an excellent rifle too. If you do chose that caliber, I would look at the Federal fusions 150 for deer and 180 for elk. It is reasonably priced, easy to find, and performs well. Good Luck!

 

[MHO]

+ 1 on the 300.

 

[kc]

I am with Matt-3479. But I only use my .35 in the swamp and if we drive over to the farm I have my 7MAG in my trunk.

 

[Head shot]

Seems to Me 500yds. is a pretty good poke in the swamp.Down here in the S.E. 270win,25-06rem work well. & 300MAG over the large crop fields.I like to use fast action rifles in the swamp like lever,pumps ,semi auto & bolt action in the fields.gun)

 

[johnnyk]

I agree with all. I use .243Win (M70) to .300WinMag (112BVSS) here in coastal Georgia and all lay down and wait for me to get there. In between those two I'm shooting a .25-06Rem (Sendero) and 6.5-284Norma (12BVSS converted to VLP).
I sight all my rifles in at 300yds and my hunting range runs to 500yds. JohnnyK.

 

[glockman55]

I am hunting in thick brush beside the swamp my shots will be in 50-500 yards What is the most accurate and adequate cartridge for 150-250 pound whitetail in
this kind of area between the following cartridges

7mm rem maggun)
6.5mm rem maggun)(favorite out of the group)

243wingun)
308 wingun)
6.55x55 swedegun)
I don't like the30-06 because it is not to accurate
any other suggestions are welcomed
If u can name some good rifles that come in that cartridge (under $700 please )

If your serious about 500 yd. then the smaller lighter wt. calibers are out.
7mag or most any magnum cal. You have to do your part as well, The 300 mag or bigger isn't that easy to shoot long range without a lot of practice as with any Rifle. Good luck

I might add that the .270 is my favorite Cal. for Deer.. but I ranged a Muley for my brother at 516 yds. which He shot,.270, 130 gr. Federal..in the Ribs, the bullet never exited, just about too far for that cal. and bullet wt. IMO

 

[82ndreddevil]

The 270 is my fathers favorate too. It sure was an awesome round when it came out in its day. They only draw back I see with that caliber is that I cant seem to find a flat shooting 150 gr for that caliber. The 150 gr bleeds off velocity and energy so much faster than the 130 gr. Have you found any 150s that work well?

 

[glockman55]

No, I think 130 gr is made for the .270...and thats where it will stay, But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing..I use mine for Deer hunting most of the time, I don't shoot out over 500 yds. anyway.. 300 or less would be my longest shot..gun)

 

[buck slayer]

what about the 7mm wsm

 

[bigngreen]

My two top choices would be 270 Win and then a 270 WSM but if your keeping it inside 500yrds the WSM could be a little much. The 130's are good but if you can hand load Bergers or 165gr Matrix it takes it up a few levels.

 

[HARPERC]

I'd look at the Howa's seems to be some good deals around currently. How you set it up depends on your hunting style. If you tend to go in after them-the lighter weight model with a low powered scope can be very quick. If you're more a watcher, lean toward the heavier models with a bit more scope.
I'd likely go with the .308, lots of supplies everywhere, and relative to the other calibers pretty cost effective. Shoot more to hit more.
My general purpose rifle is the Model 70 Featherweight, 2.5-8x Leupold, in a Brown precision Kevlar stock. About 8 lbs ready to hunt. It's loaded with 200 grain Accubonds, at 2650 fps. Bear and Elk are present most places I hunt whitetail.
I mention it only to make the point, not to rule out a 30-06. I've had a rifle in 30-06 that
sucked as bad as any, but it was going to be worthless regardless of chambering. With so many out there if you find a good deal consider it.

 

[buck slayer]

7mm-08