Best caliber for deer

[Brad09]

Okay, you guys are probably sick of hearing from me by now, but I've still got nagging questions. Firstly, I work in a sporting goods dept. of a Can. Tire, so I see quite a few hunters coming and going, especially during this season. And since the bug bit me about 2 weeks ago, and I've decided to give it a go, I've picked the brain of every hunter that comes in. Right now, I haven't asked about techniques and great areas for a couple of reasons. Seems to me that I actually need to go out hunting to fully appreciate the best techniques, and that nobody wants to give up their prized spot lest I go out there and (doubtful though it may be) steal their buck. Therefore, I've been keeping to questions about rifles.

Now, when I ask what the best all-round caliber is for North American hunting(no trips to Africa in my next 10 years), ninety-nine percent of guys tell me that a 30-06 Springfield is good from everything from white-tails and mules all the way up to monster moose. However, when I ask what the best caliber for deer is, I get a few different responses. Lots of people seem to say that .270 Winchester is a safe caliber, and good for pretty long ranges and up close. However, I had a pair of guys in the other day, older guys and clearly grizzled veterans, and they told me that they wouldn't even think of shooting a deer with anything less than a 7mm Remington Magnum. Now, a friend of mine told me that a 7mm Mag kicks like a mule. When I told these guys this, both of them smirked, and one of them looked at me and said, "You're a big boy, you can handle it." And another guy I know, an Army vet and a former hunter, was telling me that a 7mm Mag was a good way to wreck the meat and rip a perfectly good Bambi to ribbons.

Now, for some reason, speaking to these 2 guys has stuck in my mind. So, there are two questions that come to mind. Firstly, myself, at a tender 22 years of age and perhaps having put 20-30 rounds through the barrel of a .22in my life, wonders what the kick of a 7mm Mag is like. And secondly, I'm curious to know what everyone here prefers for white-tailed and mule deer. When I look at hunting elk and pronghorn later on down the road, I'll look at buying a gun specifically for shooting them.

In reading several forums similar to this conversation, I seem to hear a lot of comments to the effect of, "it doesn't matter what caliber you shoot, it matters how you shoot it." And really, it makes perfect sense to me. But at this point, I need a starting point. I'm wondering if perhaps it's more about your personality, and that guys that grow up firing big Magnum calibers are more apt to shoot them successfully on all game, or if it's a general consensus that when you shoot little Bambi with a Magnum cannon that you're asking for confetti no matter what, and some guys just get lucky. I guess it boils down to whether or not specific calibers are meant for specific game, or if it's all just guesswork and opinions, and when you get good at shooting a specific caliber, you should just stick with it no matter what you hunt(as long as you don't chase moose with a .243).

Please offer your opinions.

Brad

[jasonburrows]

Doesnt matter what you shoot, if you make a proper broadside shot through the lungs you're only gonna wreck a few ribs, if you make a bad shot and hit the animal in the front or hind quarters with a magnum rifle youre gonna make hamburger, stick with the 270 winchester its a good first gun especially since you dont have any experience shooting you want to practice shooting and not be afraid of recoil,

[Jason Balesdent]

Caliber only really comes into question when you start after much larger game. The best rifle / caliber you can hunt deer with is the rifle that fits you well and the caliber you can shoot accurately over and over again. For whitetail anything from the .243 and up is enough as long as you put the shot where it needs to be. Try to find someone who owns a few different calibers that will go to the range with you for a day, try out a few and see what you can shoot comfortably and go from there.

Originally Posted by Jason Balesdent

Caliber only really comes into question when you start after much larger game. The best rifle / caliber you can hunt deer with is the rifle that fits you well and the caliber you can shoot accurately over and over again. For whitetail anything from the .243 and up is enough as long as you put the shot where it needs to be. Try to find someone who owns a few different calibers that will go to the range with you for a day, try out a few and see what you can shoot comfortably and go from there.

2X have to agree well said when i started i had a 303 cal first 5 years then a 7mm next 3year's ,308cal the next 5years i now shoot a 270 cal for the last 14 years will never need another gun ever.Hope you find what you are looking for . ps.as for tearing up meat with different cals that will vary from one hunter to the next.

[Leverboy]

I had a pair of guys in the other day, older guys and clearly grizzled veterans, and they told me that they wouldn't even think of shooting a deer with anything less than a 7mm Remington Magnum.

..............veterans with no brains. A .25-06, .308, .30-.30, 270 are all calibers i have seen absolutley level good sized deer. A 7mm rem mag as a minimum???? Ha ha thats alot of needless powder for a friggen deer.

[Dick284]

Depends.

What style of hunting do for see your self doing?
close cover hunting will move you towards light handy carbine type rifles in calibers which produce moderate muzzle velocities, with mid to heavy weight bullets.

Open country will move one towards longer barrels and faster velocity cartridges with lighter weight bullets.

Now if you are like 90% of all the Alberta hunters out there, your primary quary will be deer, with and elk or a moose thrown in on a 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 year rotation.

If you hunt a mixed bag of style, sometimes skulking through the alders, while other times over looking long cutlines, or hay fields, certain options for calibers really stand out in my mind.

A classic 270Win rifle wilth a 22" bbl.
A 7mm-08 rifle with a 22" bbl.
A 308Win rifle with a 22" bbl, or maybe even a 20-18.5" bbl.
Go with a varible power scope like a 2.5-10, 2-7, easing away from a 3-9 if tight quarter stuff is too often attempted.

All the hype about 30 cal and larger is exactly that hype, a well constructed 130 or 140gr bullet of 0.277" to 0.284" placed where it belongs will put any moose or elk on the deck if broadside shots are maintained, and sub 300yd ranges observed.


There is no need for a long barreled magnum especially for a beginner.

Good luck.

[SkytopBrewster]

Originally Posted by jasonburrows

Doesnt matter what you shoot, if you make a proper broadside shot through the lungs you're only gonna wreck a few ribs, if you make a bad shot and hit the animal in the front or hind quarters with a magnum rifle youre gonna make hamburger, stick with the 270 winchester its a good first gun especially since you dont have any experience shooting you want to practice shooting and not be afraid of recoil,

All that arguing to get back to the first response to his question.

[FallAirFever]

Brad first off let me comend you on your attitude as far as wanting to make an ethical kill. It is the very least the game we hunt deserves. I have been reading many of your posts you have come up with some great questions, keep them coming and like dick284 said in another one of your threads look to other sources for information, seek out the answers on you own, but I am pretty sure you are doing this as well.

I have voted for a .270 for you as well, but I will freely admit I am ver biased. My only hunting rifle right now is a 270 ruger I have been using for 4 seasons, I bought it used off a friend of mine. Everything I have seen from this caliber tells me it is a deer slayer, it is a very accurate gun. i put a limbsaver recoil pad on it last year and love shooting it almost no felt recoil.

My second choice would be a .308 great all around gun and range of bullets, same can be said for 30-06 but recoil might be an issue? 7mm-08 is a really cool caliber as well and would fit the bill nicely, but a little limited by availability of factory ammo, i know i had a buddies and wast trying to find ammo to try out and it was a bit of a pain, but if you reloaded it would be awesome.

I would like to extend you an invitation to the range, I live in langdon and the range i go to is just on the south east corner of Calgary. you can shoot my 270 and i have a 30-06 in my possesion right now so you could shoot that too to see what you like. Sorry I dont have more for you to try but might give you an idea where to start. PM me if you are interested we can try to get out for a couple hours one weekend.

Dont get too hung up on brand as far as guns go, shoulder them all an see what fits and feels good if it has the features you are looking for, go for it, hope you get a bit of a staff discount!

Good luck in your search.

[378 Wthrby]

Wow, I haven't heard this discussion for aprox. 3 hrs. Not a new conversation and can be debated forever. If this is your first rifle get something that isn't going to cause you to flinch. With that being said use a large enough caliber to kill quickly and as humanely as possible. Next and probably the most important rule of hunting is "Sight in your gun shoot it alot and know that when you put the cross hairs on an animal 99% of the time you will hit your target. I would say if you want to hunt this year you are to late to know your new rifle that well. Next lookup the animal you will be hunting and understand when it is broadside or quarteing away from you or towards you that you know where to aim to kill. This is probably the #1 factor with hunters wounding animals and having to track them for miles or giving up and not bringing home what they shot. That drives me nuts and puts a blemish in hunting in general and in the eyes of bleeding heart Liberals.
My experience so far is I own alot of rifles and have shot alot of rifles but my first rifle was a .270 winchester, still have it and have hunted with it for 22 years and have killed everything I have shot at. I'm not bragging just my experience. It knocks the crap out of deer bear and moose from 50 yrds to 300 yrds without ever having to chamber a second round. Recoil is minimal and if I was to put my life on the line I would reach for my .270 because I know that rifle the best.
Sorry for the long thread "Just my 2 cents" well maybe 4 cents, lol.
Good luck and Good hunting

[gube]

The 270 win is my favorite. I still use the same one I started out with over 30 years ago. My next favorite would be the 2506.

[roger]

Brad, welcome to the world of online arguements where being a better typer is more important than a sniper, there are three things that should never be discussed here politics, religion and which caliber to use on the first two..
anywho,
308 -30.06- 270
even tho i find these three choices hohum, these are the proverbial vanilla icecream of the cartridge world... start here...they are economical, have predictable performance in a multitude of situations and popular for that reason. plus the load selections are endless.
put a couple of thousand rounds through it, maybe someday youll crave something that is faster or slower, flatter or heavier. stay away from (dare i say) oddball stuff, like weatherbys, lazzoroni, 3030's, custom grinds and grampa petes army surplus 303's guns. these are specialist tools for specialty applications, sure they work, but right now you need reliable, available, affordable and above all , SAFE.
there are many entry level guns that are the quality that will do justice to your ability/desire. (and of course, it fits ya)
get some miles on your set up and decide at another time. maybe someday youll focus on 'rocky road icecream' and youll have the history to back it up

i would suggest you spend more on a scope than the rifle..then the scope moves with you (if) you get a new rifle someday. for example put a zeiss conquest on a HR single shot break action in 270 win. you cant go wrong with quality optics.

[rem338win]

Go .270! It has always been the king of deer cartridges (and sheep for that matter) and may it live on many years to come. It is to North American deer hunting what the 375 H&H is to Africa.