What is everyone favorite caliber for deer?

[73driver]

MOD 70 Classic in 270

 

[oldpilot]

7mm Why mag, 140 gr, deer, antelope elk, caribou, bear, sheep, dogs n hogs...been my go to rifle since they came out with the LaserMark.

 

[JASmith]

400 yards is a good number for medium range.

Check the wind drift for your rifle in a 5 & 10 mph crosswinds.

For many rifles, the uncorrected drift takes the bullet out of the animal's vital zone by then. It is difficult to tell the difference between 'calm' and '5 mph' winds. Worse, too many of us fail to correct for wind drift even when we know it is windy.

Hence, I recommend that most shooters keep a personal max range of about 300 yards but recognize that knowledge, practice, and the resulting skill can produce some amazingly long range game harvesting.

 

[Greyfox]

Having used most all of the various calibers over 5 decades of deer hunting, my favorite caliber for whitetail and mule deer is a 6.5 driven at 2950-3000 FPS. This combo has accounted for over 50 deer, effectively taken from 100-1000 yards.

 

[baldhunter]

30-06,168gr Nosler Ballistic Tip

 

[CCAguns]

Very hard to beat the venerable 30-06, especially in a bolt action. Great bullet selection. Excellent hole diameter for a good blood trail. Inexpensive ammunition that can be found everywhere. In a semi-auto, I can appreciate choosing a 308 Winny!

 

[skinnyjk]

I was and always will be a 270 win fan. However the last few years I bought into the 6.5 Creed hype and have used one on several hogs, deer, mule deer, antelope and elk. I have to say it works as long as you do your job.

Thinking of building another 270 win though as it is my favorite.

.280 Ackley Improved

 

[Dan Jenson]

Used to be 308 and 6.8 SPC, but now my 6.5 Creedmoor is my top choice for most of my hunting.

 

[mpayne]

TC Black Diamond XR 50 muzzle loader!

 

[wardog5]

.284

 

[fmuguira]

Have taken Deer and antelope with 243, 7-08, 257WB 270Win, 300WM and 50 cal muzzleloader. The DRT ones happened with 243, 257WB and 270Win. Smaller caliber and faster bullets.

I believe where you hit them and the type of bullet and velocity are as important as the cartridge assuming you re
using a reasonable choice. ( i.e.: 17 Hornet fast and small bullet but NOT reasonable!)

 

[John 264]

(ware are you hillbillies that like a 22mag and a spotlight for the best deer cartridge )
the best deer cartridge is what you shoot well not what someone else tells you if you can't take the recoil or it doesn't fit it's not right for you

 

[DJ Fergus]

I was and always will be a 270 win fan. However the last few years I bought into the 6.5 Creed hype and have used one on several hogs, deer, mule deer, antelope and elk. I have to say it works as long as you do your job.

Thinking of building another 270 win though as it is my favorite.

My all around favorite is 7mm rem mag, yes it is over kill for deer. I use 180 gr bullet for long shots. If I miscalculate wind and happen to put a round through the shoulder where the mass of bone is, the 180 will push on through. 7mm-08 is a fine round also but I reserve it for tree stand hunting and shots under 300yds, although I have killed deer out to 450yds with it( 7-mm 08 xbolt). 6.5 cal is my personal minimum preference for deer but I have killed many deer with a 243, 25-06, 270 win& wsm and 35 Remington. I've never had a deer run using 180 or 162sst bullets from the 7mm rem mag. Had a 300 win mag also and no problems with it either. I have a 7mm stw, 300 norma, two 6.5 creedmoors and two 7mm rem mags and other calibers/cartridges. 7mm rem mag is my all around favorite. But I do like most all of them, Wish I could have a rifle chambered for each cartridge out there.

 

[sturner]

270 or 308 however for the last few years I have been using a 22-250 with 75 grain bullet