Best All Around Caliber for Whitetail and Mule Deer?

[NorthernShot]

Oh dang. You might have just made me doubt my next choice of .28 Nosler. I wish Browning made the 6.5 300; I have my heart set on another X Bolt….

Hahaha! It's one heck of a round! But don't let me sway you away from what you want! I just fell in love with the speed and energy that it can dump in an animal! I loved the idea of eventually getting a 28 Nosler myself because it's got a bit more frontal diameter and heavier bullets (especially the sleek 160 gr Barnes LRX) that would honestly be better for large moose like I took this year with the 6.5-300. But I killed my moose with 1 shot through the heart and all it did was fall down the hill so I'm pretty settled with the 6.5-300 until I burn the barrel out in a few years. When that happens I'll have a hard decision between re- barrelling in 6.5-300, a custom 7-300 Wby, or a 28 Nosler in a magnum length action or just a straight up 300 Wby because I do like a 30 cal too!

 

[Brushcutter]

"Best deer caliber" for Muleys and Blacktails in my case. I just made 2 lists, 1- rifles of mine capable of ethically and legally hunting deer in Oregon, and 2- handgun calibers that I currently have and can or have hunted deer with. Rifles from 223 to 460 - 16 cartridges, and handguns from 223 to 460. For example, 30 years ago I handgun hunted deer with a 357 maximum blackhawk and a scoped 223 Contender. Interestingly, exactly in the center of each list are the calibers that I hunt deer with the most. Rifle - 308. My go-to Rifle is my Savage 99f. Handgun 357 and 44 magnums. S&W 686+ pro 5", Ruger Super Blackhawk 7 1/2" (I wish it was stainless since we moved to the coast.)

 

[bama92]

Depends….
If I'm filling the freezer in Bama, .280 or .25-06….
Annual trip to Alberta, 300 RUM
Two totally different situations….

 

[kgarrett]

Put a 6.5 Grendel AR into those kids hands with the stock collapsed to actually fit them. They will shoot it accurately and won't be under gunned at the distance a novice will be shooting. They also won't be scared to practice. If the AR thing scares you just load one bullet. The 7.9 foot pounds of recoil is very easy to handle. Especially with a Limbsaver recoil pad on it. One of the best things about this package is it will actually adjust to fit them all the way into their adult frames if necessary. A lot of the lightweight "Youth" rifles kick like mules. Even in modest calibers. There are of course other calibers in the AR 15 that will work also. 300 Blackout, 350 Legend just to name a couple. I have no idea how effective those are though. I know what the Grendel will do.

I agree - I've got a 6.5 Grendel in a AR style rifle for my kids to start with when the time comes!

 

[kgarrett]

I guess since everyone is giving their favourite and reasoning why their cartridge is the best all around for deer hunting out west I don't have to sit on the fence and say "pick one that fits your distance, energy, and recoil tolerance because there are just too many to say best all around that fit the bill."

So that being said; in my opinion the best all around factory loading for western mule deer and whitetail is a 6.5-300 Wby Mag shooting 127 Barnes LRX!

Zeroed at 300 yards it's a point and shoot rifle out to 400 yards with it 2.5" high at 100 yards, 2.8" high at 200, and 7" low at 400 yards. It's also got 1800 ft-lbs at 500 yards still and only 19" drop. No lead in your meat, and the deer drops like a stone in place when that bullet zips on through like lightning. It's expensive at $120-$140 per box (unless you reload, but you said factory) but it can be found in more places than you'd think you would as it's the second most popular Weatherby cartridge (last I checked) behind the 300 Wby. It's inefficient and expensive but it works better than I ever expected and with a muzzle break on it, the recoil is softer than a 308. You'll have confidence in your shot if you place it in the boiler room! Heck, you can use it on moose, elk, deer, black bears,and pronghorn, everything you can hunt out west!

I'm thinking of switching to the 127 gr LRX in my 6.5 PRC. Of course it won't be doing quite the velocity of a 6.5-300 Wby, but it's encouraging they have been working well for you.

 

[Turpentine21]

I agree - I've got a 6.5 Grendel in a AR style rifle for my kids to start with when the time comes!

I steered my brother that way 8 years ago. His daughter has been killing deer with hers since she was 7. He liked it so much he built himself one because she didn't want him hunting with her rifle. He hunts with one about 90% of the time now. He likes Hornady SSTs. I like the Eldm the best. Both work very well.

 

[NorthernShot]

I'm thinking of switching to the 127 gr LRX in my 6.5 PRC. Of course it won't be doing quite the velocity of a 6.5-300 Wby, but it's encouraging they have been working well for you.

It'll work great for you in the PRC. It's worked in dramatic fashion for me on 4 big Alberta whitetail (2 bucks for me, 1 fat doe, 1 buck for my wife), a BC black bear, a BC mountain goat, and a big northern BC Bull moose. With copper just make sure you know the low end velocity when it still opens up properly (1800 fps according to Barnes) and the energy at that range and it'll work well above what you expect. Great bullet for me so far in 2 seasons so far.

What rifle are you using out of curiosity?

 

[Rflshootr]

So bearhtr2, whatcha gonna pick?

 

[bearhtr2]

Lots of good options out there and lots of sound wisdom from those experienced hunting both species. I think for a gun to hunt both species at the same time I am going with a 7mm magnum. I have history and knowledge using it on lots of game. I was looking for feedback on which one everyone would carry when presented with shots out to 500 yards weather it be whitetail or mule deer.

 

[Roughrice]

Good choice. Not a thing wrong with that one. Good ammo on the shelf in a pinch as well.

 

[Roughrice]

Deleted duplicate

 

[Rflshootr]

Lots of good options out there and lots of sound wisdom from those experienced hunting both species. I think for a gun to hunt both species at the same time I am going with a 7mm magnum. I have history and knowledge using it on lots of game. I was looking for feedback on which one everyone would carry when presented with shots out to 500 yards weather it be whitetail or mule deer.

That's a good accurate potent caliber. I won't try to talk you out of it, just be aware that if you plan on shooting it any amount, you'll have to reach deeper in your pocket for ammo and your barrel life will be considerably less than the cartridges I mentioned. Good luck!

 

[kgarrett]

It'll work great for you in the PRC. It's worked in dramatic fashion for me on 4 big Alberta whitetail (2 bucks for me, 1 fat doe, 1 buck for my wife), a BC black bear, a BC mountain goat, and a big northern BC Bull moose. With copper just make sure you know the low end velocity when it still opens up properly (1800 fps according to Barnes) and the energy at that range and it'll work well above what you expect. Great bullet for me so far in 2 seasons so far.

What rifle are you using out of curiosity?

A Gunwerks Clymr. I have had some good experiences with monometals in the past but don't have enough of a sample for a definitive opinion.

 

[Turpentine21]

Lots of good options out there and lots of sound wisdom from those experienced hunting both species. I think for a gun to hunt both species at the same time I am going with a 7mm magnum. I have history and knowledge using it on lots of game. I was looking for feedback on which one everyone would carry when presented with shots out to 500 yards weather it be whitetail or mule deer.

The 7mm mag would be a very solid choice. You could definitely get more barrel milage from 270, 280, or 280AI but the 7mm REM Mag is a very good cartridge. And you don't always have to run it wide open. I personally like 140 grain bullets out to 400 and a favorite is the 162 eldm for all around use. The Eldm really comes into its own with shots over 200 yards but it'll handle shorter shots just fine.

Best of all it's been around. There's ammo in the stores for it and brass is plentiful.