top deer caliber

[mikeg1005]

7mm-08

I'd take the 308Win over the 7mm-08.


I'm going to ask you two questions... how realistic is the 50-500yd range requirement? Here is why I ask, becuase if 95% of your shots will be within 250yds, and 5% past that... then that is a HUGE factor.

Are you looking for a caliber that will be effective at? Or are you serious about hunting deer out to 500yds and this will be a normal thing?

And...

Do you handload?

Here is criteria I'd look at if I was picking a hunting caliber.

- Can stop the game I'm hunting
- Has some added safety factor to it(I don't like the response it will do good, just avoid the shoulder bone)
- Can be easy/economic to reload
- Is capable of flying flat for the distance needed


If its within 250yds and you handload.... then IMHO, just about all calibers that are in the 243/25/6mm etc. range will do fine.

All of them have enough punch to knock down a whitetail... without much of a change of where you aim. Even if you don't reload, factory ammo for all those calibers is more than good enough.

If you are talking about past 250yds... You need to take into consideration that a lot of calibers begin to drop significantly... A lot of the short action calibers(like the 308) start to tank fast past 300 yds. While not a problem on paper at the range, it is in the field where you only get one shot... you need to be spot on with your range estimates... I know from experience at the range, if you estimate the range to be 375yds and it really is 400yds your drop will be off by around 4-5"(200yd zero).... that is the difference between a hit or miss on a whitetail... The solution to this is get yourself something that will throw a good bullet quickly... this will allow you to require less adjustment/give you more forgiveness at longer distances with your elevation.

Now, you can take something like a 308win and shoot out to 500 yds(I shoot targets at 600 all the time with it) it will do the job, and have enough energy to kill a deer, but personally... in my opinion, I'd rather take any risk/guessing/etc. out of the picture when it comes to hunting... you screw up you will either miss, have a hell of a day tracking something, or worse cripple an animal.

Since you are talking about only whitetails(which aren't armor plated like people think) ... and plan to shoot "far"... I'd look into the 7mm rem. mag. I gives you the ability to throw a good bullet, far and fast.... If you plan to have the rifle for more than just whitetails, a 300 win mag will have the advantage of better ballistics with heavier bullets.

I was between a 7mm and a 300 win mag for hunting... I wanted one rifle for everything(I plan to go out west some day for something bigger) so I went with 300 (and becasue I already reload it) I think it the best "all around" caliber... it can be loaded down to light 30-06 when needed, doesn't have the goofy radius shoulder of a weatherby cartridge... has the ability to throw light bullet fast like a 7mm, and can be used with heavy bullets when they are needed... plus if you get a rifle equiped with comp it will be very manageable to shoot... I took my 300 out yesterday with 165gr at a little over 3000fps, and the recoil feels softer than my 308 shooting 168grs at over 2800fps, and that rifle is 4lbs heavier.

Just remember...

There is "dead" and there is "there it goes"..... and the challenge of hunting should be finding the game, and setting up the shot.... no whether the bullet will do its job.

Mike.

 

[liltank]

6.5x55 Swede will do all you need out to 800yds with a 130-140 grain bullet. With that said, I plan on using a .308 out to 850yds. Sooooo.... its up to you.

Tank

 

[Willoughby]

Quote I don't like the30-06 because it is not to accurate
Carlos Hathcock would disagree, as would many , 06 makes great close, range mid range, long range caliber IMO . I hunt a 300wm most of time, but I dont feel undergunned at all hunting with my 06, or 308 for that matter, shot placement, & knowing trajectory of bullet, is more critical than caliber, in most cases, any of the cartriges you mentioned should work fine, just pick the one you like & get to know it,.....well

 

[Aldon]

I stand in the group that supports accuracy of the 30-06 and would feel confident with the specified ranges and further.

But confidence does play a role so you should get a caliber you are confident in.

Skill plays the biggest part with any of those listed along with how well the rifle fits you.

I like the 6.5x55 myself out of your list, but that would be a more ideal choice if you roll your own.

The 7mm gives you some wiggle room and lets yoiu extend range if you choose.

I would look at a Tikka or Savage. I own Remington 700's predominantly but I do not know if I will ever purchase a new one again...

 

[buck slayer]

25 wssm ? 25-06?

 

[kc]

In the first world war the US MARINES beat the Hell out of the Germans with the .3006 at shots from 700yards to out to 1000 yards. at a place called Bella Wood.
The .3006 is not accurate? if you wish to sell it, get with me..I can make an .06 shoot better than you will ever.

 

[Reddog30cal]

I may get a little "flack" from this, but I am not a huge fan of the 7mmRM..too me it really doesn't offer Magnum characteristics. It really doesn't do anything that a .280 won't do. I am a bigger proponent of the .30cal..
I just never really found anything really that awesome about the 7mmRM. Anything it can do, I can do with a .270, .280, 30-06. Furthermore, the ammo is less expensive.
About that 500-yds, that'll be up to you. There are none of the rounds mentioned in your post that hold a MPBR close to that. Use the correct rifle for the application, there is not a 1-gun does all, real well. It's kind of like those Weedeaters with all the attachments, it'll do some leaf blowing and hedge trimming, but there are better tools to do the job with.

My choice for your parameters would be .300RUM or .30-378 Weatherby. And then there are the infinite bullet choices. I'd probably go with a 150 or 165 Swift Scirroco or maybe a 165-gr. Accubond.

 

[Boom]

If you are not going beyond 500, why not shoot the 300wsm? Not that its not capable beyond that but you get perfomance of the 300 with less recoil, still plenty of ammo and lots of choices in rifles. Best of luck.

 

[buck slayer]

257 weatherby mag ? low recoil and doesn't have much bullet drop according to http//www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.rifle-cartridges-ballistics.html
270 wsm ?
thanks for the input

 

[Niles Coyote]

IHMO, any of the calibers you listed will work well... but the further out you go the more you need to pay attention to what bullet you are using. There are a lot of store bought "hunting ammo" I would not feel comfortable using much past 300 yards in 243, 6.55x55 swede and 308. If you load you own you can better match your ammo for what you are doing or want to do. My 308 load I use, 600 would be as far as I would want to go under ideal conditions and my 243 loading will add other 100 yards to that. Just make sure you have dedicated the trigger time at those distances under field conditions first, before deciding to take deer way out there or you won't like your results...


And as others have said, the 30-06 is a great round and superior to the 308 when reloaded. Many people have read some old military test results between those two but failed to consider the platforms being used at the time as well as the ammo. If one were to retest them in equally built precision rifles with each cartridge loaded to its full potential the 30-06 will win every time. After all, the 30-06 is just a 308 that can be run another 200 fps faster with today's powders getting the shooter very near the 300 wichester magnum's ballistic territory.

 

[Dalebow]

I have an MG arms custom 300wsm built on a M 70, 23" one of their custom stocks, Pac Nor barrel 23", Iam shooting 165 gr Barnes TTSX and it is a death ray on deer. Now i have used the 150 gr BST out of my 300wsm and it is the hammer of thor, they do not take one step afterwards but I was going on an out west hunt and had mule deer, bear, elk, tag so I wanted one gun and the 300wsm is fast becoming the new 3006, faster, flatter and no more recoil than a 3006 with a 180 gr round.
I am dropping back to the 150 gr TTSX for whitetail and mule deer and will be be able to shoot them broadside and if I get that extreme quartering shot like last year it will drive thru the deer and thats that!

 

[FAL Shot]

The .30-06 is actually quite accurate, if the rifle and shooter are accurate. It may have too much recoil for some shooters, and that can cause accuracy problems.

The .308 Win and .243 Win are the best choices from your list. The .308 Win is the most versatile if you can handle the recoil. The .243 Win is a top choice for smaller shooters that can't handle 7mm or .308 cal recoil. Mucho choices in factory ammo with those two.

The 7mm-08 and 7x57mm were not mentioned by poster, but probably the most versatile deer/elk combo cartridges that are capable point-blank to 500 yards for both. The 7mm will have a better BC than .308 for the same bullet weight, also a better SD.

Magnums are not a good choice for close range shots.

 

[rash powder]

I will probably catch some flack for this, but out to 250 - 300 yards, I use a .223. I figure if it can kill a man, it can kill a deer. And it has. Every time for me anyway. I have never lost one.

For ranges beyond and out to 500, I would use a .25-06. Or if you want just one rifle, the .25-06. It can be reloaded light or heavy, and has the range you want.

I believe in shot placement. For me, smaller is better as I am out for meat, not trophies. Larger calibers wreck to much meat for my taste. I know there isn't a lot on the ribs, but my father and I have been told we don't leave much on the bones for the cats to live off of. We strip them as clean as we can.

So .223 wrecks little meat and makes them as dead as anything else. .25-06 with at least a 117grn will do the job well out to your 500 yards as well as the near stuff too.

As to reloading, I use all off the shelf stuff. The groupings I get in .223 are great, as are my .25-06 groups. More than sufficient for the ranges I shoot and you are mentioning (about the same yardages).

As mentioned before, pick one. Learn it and become proficient with it. It doesn't matter what you pick if you can't put the bullet where it belongs.

Matt N.

 

[FAL Shot]

I am with Matt on this one. I have a fast twist .223 Rem CZ 527 in Kevlar that I would prefer at 200 yards or less range. A 75 grain Scirocco II will mushroom to at least .45 cal and pass through a deer, without too much meat damage. Problem is, most of my shots for mule deer will be beyond that range. I would not expect good expansion past 250 yards on a lung shot without bone being hit.

At long range, a soft and heavy-for-caliber bullet has the most reliable expansion and best accuracy. Launching the bullet at moderate speed means moderate speed on target and lower risk of bloodshot meat so I can put the bullet where I need to as the shot presents itself.

I have never owned a magnum rifle except for a .204 Ruger. The moderate speed cartridges are best for meat retrieval and the ability to use lower cost bullets that allow enough target practice to be really good at hitting what you are aiming at. If your rifle has over 20 ft-lbs of recoil, you have a very good chance of developing a flinch, especially if you shoot it a lot. The .308 Win and 7x57mm Mauser are the upper limit of what I want to shoot in long strings of shots when I am practice shooting. There is nothing on earth those two cartridges can't kill with proper shot placement.

Please understand that a hunting cartridge is not a dangerous game stopping cartridge. If I were in big bear territory, I might carry a .375 RCM or 9.3x62mm, as both fit in the .30-06 length action. The .338 Federal is a new cartridge that may prove to be the versatility champ for everything except long range shooting. Would love that cartridge in a Sako 85 Bavarian carbine or Kimber 84M.

If you do a form factor analysis, you will see that the 9.3x62mm is almost exactly a .308 Win that got equally bigger in all dimensions, except it was invented first. Or you could say they are both an adaptation of the .30-06 which came first, which they are, the 9.3x62mm being adapted for African dangerous game and the .308 Win for shorter barrelled automatic military rifles. Just look at the .30-06 and make personal adjustments from there, as it is truly the cartridge that North American hunting revolves around. Since I practice a lot, I can shoot a somewhat weaker cartridge and be just as deadly or moreso than the occasional .30-06 shooter. And the 7x57mm was the inspiration for the .30-06, never forget.