The deer hunting battery in our household is 308 Win, 30-30 Win, and 300BLK. Have other calibers, but that's the primary lineup. The 30-30 is iron sights, goes to the back of the safe as the leaves come off the trees and the woods open up. Left the 308 for the wife, who was planning on hunting later in the day; she's a hunting newbie, and I want her to have the rifle she's practiced with most, with the most margin for error in terms of killing power.
The last few years, I've had great success with a Ruger American Ranch in 300BLK, using a hand-loaded Hornady 110 gr soft point. Ran out of those bullets, and now they are hard to come by. Only load I had on hand were boxed Remington 120 grain hollow points. They aren't marketed as hunting rounds, but with the hollow point, they are legal for deer, so I figured I'd give them a try. I've never made a bad shot with that rifle. Hunting earlier in the day, I figure the biggest risk is a 30 cal hole on both side of the deer, and it runs a bit further than I'm used to.
About noon, made a perfect shot on a 120lb doe at about 60 yards. She bled more than any deer I've ever killed. Half dollar exit hole. Blood trail was profuse. She ran about 50 yards in a half-circle and collapsed. I watched the entire run. The side with the exit wound was covered in blood before she collapsed. Sure enough, the blood spray in the last 20 yards was extensive.
300BLK is an excellent deer round at modest ranges. I've killed 6 deer with that caliber, at ranges up to 100 yards; all were clean, fast kills. I've now used two different projectiles that most wouldn't consider ideal for deer, but both have performed great.
Bottom line: Moderate velocity .30 cal is excellent for the deer woods in Georgia.
The last few years, I've had great success with a Ruger American Ranch in 300BLK, using a hand-loaded Hornady 110 gr soft point. Ran out of those bullets, and now they are hard to come by. Only load I had on hand were boxed Remington 120 grain hollow points. They aren't marketed as hunting rounds, but with the hollow point, they are legal for deer, so I figured I'd give them a try. I've never made a bad shot with that rifle. Hunting earlier in the day, I figure the biggest risk is a 30 cal hole on both side of the deer, and it runs a bit further than I'm used to.
About noon, made a perfect shot on a 120lb doe at about 60 yards. She bled more than any deer I've ever killed. Half dollar exit hole. Blood trail was profuse. She ran about 50 yards in a half-circle and collapsed. I watched the entire run. The side with the exit wound was covered in blood before she collapsed. Sure enough, the blood spray in the last 20 yards was extensive.
300BLK is an excellent deer round at modest ranges. I've killed 6 deer with that caliber, at ranges up to 100 yards; all were clean, fast kills. I've now used two different projectiles that most wouldn't consider ideal for deer, but both have performed great.
Bottom line: Moderate velocity .30 cal is excellent for the deer woods in Georgia.
