My Favorite Deer Calibers

[Psilloh1]

Not sure if it's as much as Favorite caliber as it is trusted gun.. Here it goes.

Steyr 7Mag
Ruger #1 .270


Guarantee this one has not been mentioned...

Remington Model 673 Guide Gun .350 Remington Magnum. That gun has killed no less than 15 Georgia/Alabama Bucks

 

[overdfl]

300 Blackout for under 150 yrds suppressed and 308 suppressed for beyond that..If I need a thumper I go to the 444 Marlin ported guide gun.

This... exactly

 

[joewilly]

308

 

[45ak1911]

280-6.5x55-25/06

 

[Major Wader]

Burdy said: ↑
Surprised to see .308 on so many lists. Its a satisfactory deer round, but nothing stellar.

Agree.

Disagree. Killed a 250 lb Axis at 225 yards, and a big scimitar oryx at 200, one shot each with a .308. Oryx are known for being hard to kill, and this one stumbled about 50 feet before piling up. Nosler Trophy Grade 165 grain Accubond traveled through about 30 inches of meat and bone before stopping just inside the hide of the oryx. If I could only own one rifle, it would be a .308 with a 20 inch barrel. Luckily, I can have some variety.

Like any other caliber, you have to know your ballistics to be effective, but the .308 carries more energy than the .270 as far as anyone needs to shoot.

My longest kill so far was a mule deer buck at 328 yards, with a .25-06

Other outstanding hunting calibers are .280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm-08. Precise shot placement is the key.

 

[Burdy]

Burdy said: ↑
Surprised to see .308 on so many lists. Its a satisfactory deer round, but nothing stellar.


Disagree. Killed a 250 lb Axis at 225 yards, and a big scimitar oryx at 200, one shot each with a .308. Oryx are known for being hard to kill, and this one stumbled about 50 feet before piling up. Nosler Trophy Grade 165 grain Accubond traveled through about 30 inches of meat and bone before stopping just inside the hide of the oryx. If I could only own one rifle, it would be a .308 with a 20 inch barrel. Luckily, I can have some variety.

Like any other caliber, you have to know your ballistics to be effective, but the .308 carries more energy than the .270 as far as anyone needs to shoot.

My longest kill so far was a mule deer buck at 328 yards, with a .25-06

Other outstanding hunting calibers are .257 Roberts, 280 Ackley Improved, and 7mm-08. Precise shot placement is the key.

I never said .308 couldn't kill things. My farthest kill came on a whitetail with a .308, but I fully believe there are better options for whitetail deer. Whether a bullet carries more energy than another is just one of many factors that need to be taken into consideration.

A .308 carries more energy than 5.56 but which is the better cartridge for coyote? I can never say what cartridge is more superior to another until you tell me the use case and your needs. The most effective cartridges are effective because they are perfectly matched to the game. Bigger, longer, faster, heavier, slower, flatter etc is all irrelevant without context.

.308, just like 30-30, .223 and .22 magnum have killed many deer and will continue to do so, but that doesn't mean another cartridge couldn't have done it better, faster or been more consistently reliable in doing so. If we are judging a cartridge by number of dead animals per shots fired, we would only be shooting the heaviest loads we could possibly handle.

I say cartridges should be judged by how consistently they produce bang-flops from a variety of impact locations and ranges, all while conserving meat and beating up the shooter only as much as is needed to get the job done. Your needs may be different.

.308 likely is mentioned more, not because it is superior to other whitetail cartridges like the 25-06 or .270, but because it is more commonly used and much more widespread in the market place.

 

[quikstang347]

300WSM
30-30
6.5CM
308W

 

[bbooker]

30-06
270 WSM
243
6.5 CM

 

[hops2899]

7mm-08
35Rem
358Win
30-06

 

[Lionheart]

In the woods: 30/30, .450 Marlin or if neck shooting anything from .223 up.

Out west or on the soybean fields: .264 Win Mag, .270, .280, 30/06, .300WM or possibly my favorite 7MMSTW with brake.

Also depends on the size of the deer. Big difference between 110lb Ga doe and 300+ lb Kansas buck.

And inside 250 yds the .257 Roberts is hard to beat.