What cartridge for NOT long range (300 yards and in ) whitetails?

KyCarl said:

I would think a .308 or 30-06 even a 7MM RM would all get it done nicely.
Thinking of a possible bear caused me to up the power a tad?

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Not really targeting bear but we do get a very rare black bear appearance which overlaps in deer season so if I saw one I'd likely take a shot at it. In the 6 years I've been hunting for deer I have only seen one black bear and it was during bow season (which I did get it by the way) so the chance is there, however pretty unlikely.

MudRunner2005 said:

7mm-08, .308 Win, or .260 AI gets my vote.

If .308 or .260 Rem, then a Rem 700 5R Milspec GenII gets my vote. I wish they offered them in 7mm-08.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/42432/Remington+Firearms+85201+700+5-R+Gen+2+Bolt+308+Winchester/7.62+NATO+24+4+1+Sy

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...ucts_id/719010011/REM+700+SS+5R+260+24TB+MZ+4

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...cts_id/10673/Browning+XBLT+HELLS+CANYON+7MM08

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Thanks for the advice but since this will only be a 200-300 yard gun a remington5r mil spec is out due to being heavy and just not needed for the ranges this gun will be used. I'll likely be looking into a Christianson arms sporter type, browning xbolt pro, or a sako a5 roughtec pro

I would go with 270. It's my personal favorite. If you want it to hit harder than the average 130 grn bullet then load it with 140 or 150 grn bullets. At 300 yrds they won't drop enough to be of any concern. Handload them hot if you want it to hit harder.

.30-06 in a featherweight configuration.

Even the 30-30 works at that distance.

Bigeclipse said:

Thanks for the advice but since this will only be a 200-300 yard gun a remington5r mil spec is out due to being heavy and just not needed for the ranges this gun will be used. I'll likely be looking into a Christianson arms sporter type, browning xbolt pro, or a sako a5 roughtec pro

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I posted a Browning X-Bolt Hells Canyon 7mm-08 as the last link...

25-06 or the ol 6.5x55, neither win in a popularity contest but both will drop deer consistently and can handle bigger animals if needed.

Got one. It's a 30-06 BAR

7mm08 or a 6.5 Creed. Both are handy, light recoiling rounds that are very efficient and drop deer like there's no tomorrow...

Bigeclipse said:

If you did not have a deer rifle (maybe a very rare hunting of a black bear) and wanted to buy one for 300 yard shots and in, which cartridge rifle would you be buying?

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Any of the 6.5's or .280/284 or 7mm RM since you're including bears.

I would not hesitate to take a black bear with any of my 6.5's.

Anything that will drop a one shot anchor into a 500lbs boar hog is more than adequate for any Black Bear.

A .308-based round is probably what I'd get. Depending on the weight of bullet you'd prefer to shoot I'd be looking at a .260/6.5 CM, 7mm-08, or .308. I personally like the 7-08 because it does great with 120 to 160+ grain bullets and its a bit more efficient than the 6.5s in short barrels. A good 150 grain bullet would work nicely on deer and black bear.

7mm-08 with 145 gr Barnes LR X Bullets and don't look back. Awesome Cartridge. 308-260 would work great too but I love the 7mm-08. My wife's Kimber Mountain Ascent shoots 3 of these bullets into 3/8" @ 100 yards.

.243 win, 6CM, 6mm Rem, .250 Savage, .257 Roberts, 6.5x47L, 6.5CM, 6.5x55, .260 Rem, 7-08, 7x57.

Bigeclipse said:

Not really targeting bear but we do get a very rare black bear appearance which overlaps in deer season so if I saw one I'd likely take a shot at it. In the 6 years I've been hunting for deer I have only seen one black bear and it was during bow season (which I did get it by the way) so the chance is there, however pretty unlikely.

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Clean your deer in the field and hunt your gut piles for a few days after each kill and your bear chances will go up dramatically.

I've had predators hit gut piles within an hour of removing the animal from the field.

Years ago I killed three deer at long range in the middle of a huge wheatfield.

That night just two or three hours later we killed coyotes on the gun piles.

For the next three days we shot pigs eating what was left of the coyotes and the gun piles.