Best All Around Caliber for Whitetail and Mule Deer?

unclecroc said:

If penetration is the main concern don't overlook copper bullets in smaller cartridges. I witnessed a 35gr hammer penetrate a deer darn near stem to stern and land on the ham bone.

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I love, our only hunting bullets….. mono bullets.

All of the monos (to my knowledge) require a bit more velocity to give good expansion. The Hammer's seen to have a little lower BC than some of the other leading monos.

These two things combined, IMO, keep some LRH's from using them…..preferring to go with high BC cup & core bullets. At extended ranges, these seem to perform pretty good (though not my standard for good) on game. However if used in a close range shot, and heavy muscle, bone, or both is encountered ……they can fail miserably!

I see that especially true, perhaps exponentially true, when the small caliber, high velocity bullets are used!

That's my story…..and I'm stick'n to it! memtb

cajun said:

The point is a larger round with more mass is more likely to exit. Heck at moderate ranges even the old 30/30 consistently produced exits. I know we all think of ourselves as capable of executing a perfect shot every time but stuff happens. My deal is I spend most of hunting season guiding grandkids, kids and some disabled relatives. When I get to hunt it's the rut. The big boys are on the move. Encounters are quick and there is often a less than desirable shot angle. There ain't no waiting on a broadside shot. That one opportunity may be the only one I get so I want the insurance of a larger caliber heavier bullet.

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I hear your point but with proper bullet selection/placement it's a nonissue. For the record, I hunt with a 7mm myself but feel a 6mm with the right bullet is more than up to the task of tackling even the biggest bucks, even the big 22 calibers should be able to do this with ease. Personally, I'm on the fence about 5.56mm but do know they use it effectively in Alaska for all sorts of critters.

wilkup said:

I hear your point but with proper bullet selection/placement. For the record, I hunt with a 7mm myself but feel a 6mm with the right bullet is more than up to the task of tackling even the biggest bucks.

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I can't/won't argue with that at all.

I'm much more concerned with the use of .22 caliber, highly frangible bullets @ high velocity……which some folks insist upon using! memtb

Was asked this question innumerable times, working in a gun store.

"Use the largest caliber you can shoot comfortably!" was my standard reply.

The 7mm Rem Mag is no more than a noisy .270 Win.
Check the data in your loading manual. If you check comparable bullet weights, you'll find that the 7mm RM uses copious amounts of powder to gain very little velocity over a .270 Win.
The biggest difference in a .270W and a 7RM is that the 7RM will handle some heavier bullets than the .270W.
If you can kill anything on the North American continent with a .270 Win with 130 or 150 grain bullets. WHY put up with the "magnum" recoil of a 7RM?

To each his own!

Makes me wonder about those guys in East Texas brush that shoot a .300 Win Mag!
I've killed a butt load of those deer! A .300 Win Mag isn't necessary!

I often wonder if the person who initiates such posts are just looking to stir the pot. What's the best rifle for this, for that - like there ever will be a consensus! There are so many variables and great combinations of calibers and bullets and platforms these days that it's pretty obvious to anyone who knows rifles just a little bit that there isn't a best all-around but sooooo many that are up there.

wilkup said:

I hear your point but with proper bullet selection/placement it's a nonissue. For the record, I hunt with a 7mm myself but feel a 6mm with the right bullet is more than up to the task of tackling even the biggest bucks, even the big 22 calibers should be able to do this with ease. Personally, I'm on the fence about 5.56mm but do know they use it effectively in Alaska for all sorts of critters.

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Thats kinda the thing. Kids no matter how well they shoot targets are not going to make perfect shots. During the rut. You take what you get. It might be a hard quartering or straight on. Texas heart shot even. When our deer are rutting they have one thing on their mind and are not going to give you much of an opportunity. Several years ago I had a big boy walk out in a field straight at me. I didnt have my 7 mag I had a new to me CM with factory bullets. So waited for him to turn. He just took off like a cow dog and cut the hot doe out of the group she was with and went in the woods. Never got off a shot. Unlucky for him when he finished his business he cut the corner of the field and I put one in the last rib and into the off shoulder. The 129 gr cm bullet didnt exit but he didnt go far luckily.

nksmfamjp said:

Are there other options that leave my shoulder in place? I'm tired of having my shoulder beat on to more kill.

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My best, LOW Recoil, Deer / Antelope and Steel Plate, "Option" was, to Buy, a 6.5 Creed, launching 130's @ 2,800+ FPS, in, a BRAKED Tikka !
It's still, My BEST "Move", in a Cartridge / Rifle,. " combo choice", in the LAST, 20 Years !
The Tikka 6.5 Creed, Replaces my, .243 Win that, I gave to my grandson, Who HAS, done "Well" with It out to, 300 Yards on, Big Muley's.
And the PVA "Back Country" Brake, does a FINE Job, "Taming", the 6.5 Creed. even, MORE !

Idaho Lefty said:

My best, LOW Recoil, Deer / Antelope and Steel Plate, "Option" was, to Buy, a 6.5 Creed, launching 130's @ 2,800+ FPS, in, a BRAKED Tikka !
It's still, My BEST "Move", in a Cartridge / Rifle,. " combo choice", in the LAST, 20 Years !
The Tikka 6.5 Creed, Replaces my, .243 Win that, I gave to my grandson, Who HAS, done "Well" with It out to, 300 Yards on, Big Muley's.
And the PVA "Back Country" Brake, does a FINE Job, "Taming", the 6.5 Creed. even, MORE !

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The 120 Ballistic tip at 3k is a beast.

125 NBT and 125 Accubond in the common old 308 and 30-06 makes spectacular DRT whitetail kills also.

Just so many great combos listed here that the OP can choose from!

Here's my old .270.
Only thing changed is I had to rebarrel it. After 40 years, the barrel was shot out. This is the 140 gn Sierra SBT I shot Elk with. As you can see from the date, I'd been shooting that load for a very long time. The drop data on the rifle is for this bullet/load.
Don't leave home without it.
It will be interesting to see if that load shoots as well out if the new barrel.
Stated tuned!

.50 BMG lol. 257 Roberts Improved +P

I'm a believer that less recoil is better - improves shot placement - all things being equal. It's not though, is it?

My question is if 22 center fires are so great why not a 20 cal or a 17 ? 204 Ruger on elk - you heard it here first!

I believe 22 cal's can be effective on deer sized game but there is just not enough upside. A 6.5 creedmoor to 7 mm rem mag offers so much more momentum, energy, frontal area, etc. without a huge penalty in recoil that anybody can learn to shoot one of them well. I think the 6 mm's are sensible minimums for big game and don't support using anything less for hunting. For culling operations, the 22 centerfires may have their place. They may be as effective as larger centerfires in some circumstances and in some shot placements, but they are NOT superior in any circumstance IMO. To go a bit further, arguing that 22 centerfires are the best, most versatile deer hunting cartridges would be asinine.

They are a niche choice for big game hunting for a reason. You don't need a 30-378 or a 340 Wby to kill a deer and likewise cartridges that do not meet legal minimums in many jurisdictions are a crap choice.

My opinion, of course, is worth what you paid for it.

Idaho Lefty said:

My best, LOW Recoil, Deer / Antelope and Steel Plate, "Option" was, to Buy, a 6.5 Creed, launching 130's @ 2,800+ FPS, in, a BRAKED Tikka !
It's still, My BEST "Move", in a Cartridge / Rifle,. " combo choice", in the LAST, 20 Years !
The Tikka 6.5 Creed, Replaces my, .243 Win that, I gave to my grandson, Who HAS, done "Well" with It out to, 300 Yards on, Big Muley's.
And the PVA "Back Country" Brake, does a FINE Job, "Taming", the 6.5 Creed. even, MORE !

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Shoulder surgery and a deep hidden desire to never shoot left handed, I had to accept "low recoil"!
I stayed with the .270 caliber I'm so fond of, but the cartridge went to 6.8mm Rem SPC in an AR platform.
Works VERY well with 100 and 90 grain bullets.

cajun said:

Fyi where we have landed with our youngsters is a 7/08 or 6.5 cm and a 120 gr ballistic tip. It's a light bullet so you can push it with good speed and it has very good terminal performance and will usually exit. The 7 mm is a very tough bullet. My grandson shot a doe last weekend. Shot was low in shoulder. Broke the leg bone at shoulder in two and blew up the heart and exited. Massive trauma.

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My favorite round for kids has become an AR in 6.5 Grendel shooting 123 SSTs or Eldm's. It works so well because of the adjustable stock. I've had kids as young as six use it for deer and it is easy for them to shoot accurately. It won't wow you with its specs but It will flat out put deer on the ground and felt recoil is around 8 ft.lbs. It's my main depredation round and I killed around 80 deer with mine this past summer at ranges from 50 to 450yards. I also use an AR in 6.5CM,a 6.5-06 and an AR in 308. The Creedmore gives me a bit more point blank range than the Grendel and I use the same 123 grain bullets in it. It has a 20" barrel which cuts performance but does fine for what I bought it for which is nighttime use with thermal. It's pretty new but I killed 25-30 with it this summer and it's on game performance is quite good. I've shot the 6.5 Creed in bolt actions but i'm certainly not wowed by it. I prefer a bit flatter shooting cartridge for long range use. Would I sell my 270 for one? Not hardly. The 6.5-06 is my choice for deer and hogs at long range and it has been everything I hoped it would. It's an easy rifle to shoot accurately. When the barrel wears out I'll screw another one on and keep on trucking.