Best All Around Caliber for Whitetail and Mule Deer?

[kgarrett]

Great choice and good for everything in NA! IMO, the 7 and 30 cal magnums are some of the most versatile cartridges around. My rifle really likes Barnes 160 gr TSX and it's killed everything from whitetail to moose cleanly for me. The 139 gr LRX has a higher muzzle velocity and the 150 TTSX has a higher muzzle velocity and BC, but my rifle likes the 160's best <shrug>.

I've had a 7 rem mag for 10 years and love it. I've replaced it with a switch barrel Nexus 6.5 PRC and 300 PRC, but if I'm honest with myself that was mostly new rifle-itis, not because my 7 RM wasn't great. In fact, if the 7 PRC had been out when I ordered my Nexus, I'd probably have one of those instead of two barrels that I switch back and forth.

The 7 mag's are just such a great combination of terminal performance, reasonable recoil, good ballistics, and availability.

 

[Turpentine21]

Very good choice. You can run it hot or dial back the load and make it comfortable to shoot and still have power to spare. My brother shot a 7mm Rem mag for a long time. All he ever shot in it was Remington 140 grain soft points. That made for some bad medicine indeed. Today there are plenty of different bullet choices that will work just fine for you.

 

[johnmyers]

7-06 Ackley 168gr Berger HVLD is great never had a deer or antelope walk when hit with this. A lot of good deer cartridges out there use what makes you smile

 

[Trushot]

I love my 7 rem mag. Never had a deer take more than a couple steps.

 

[Muddyboots]

Aw c'mon! Not one mention of the .270TH?
@Calvin45 ?

Can't wait to see WTHELLO is that?
Search LRH.

 

[memtb]

Very good choice. You can run it hot or dial back the load and make it comfortable to shoot and still have power to spare

Absolutely, you can "dial the big ones back"…..but there's a limit to the performance of the little ones! memtb

 

[AussieWriter]

Absolutely, you can "dial the big ones back"…..but there's a limit to the performance of the little ones! memtb

Memtb,
I've got a 7mm Mauser that heard that......

 

[memtb]

Memtb,
I've got a 7mm Mauser that heard that......

I guess that it (your Mauser) didn't even need a translator! memtb

 

[Calvin45]

Aw c'mon! Not one mention of the .270TH?
@Calvin45 ?

Can't wait to see WTHELLO is that?
Search LRH.

I'm falling to the dark side Muddy ol' pal!

Got too many things on the go BUT have decided my .270 is gonna be reincarnated…
As a QUARTER BORE!

I had originally wanted to build a truly overbore fire breathing .257 bigger than a .257 weatherby. But I think I'm gonna leave things as they are instead and put the 32 inch bartlein 8 twist barrel I have (just confirmed it's an 8!!!!) on my current 270, a savage 110 action. I won this barrel on an auction….the description was lightly used….BE DARNED IF I CAN FIND EVIDENCE THAT THIS THING HAS EVER BEEN FIRED AT ALL!!!!

And it's presently chambered in .25-06 Ackley improved. A 32 inch 25-06 Ackley improved stomps the daylights out of the 24 inch barreled 257 wby I used to have by all indications so my goal of outrunning that gun will be satisfied AND….the more I research the more I'm seeing that it's REALLY hard to meaningfully exceed the performance of the .25-06 Ackley improved. Like you can but not by much it looks like, the wby round only beating it by like 100 fps, the monster wildcats like the 257 stw only beating the weatherby by about as much. So i think its gonna just stay a .25-06 ai and im gonna try the 134 hornady eld m out of that 8 twist. Should be a death ray. Still got some 75 and 90 grain hammers kicking around too…

 

[johnmyers]

I'm falling to the dark side Muddy ol' pal!

Got too many things on the go BUT have decided my .270 is gonna be reincarnated…
As a QUARTER BORE!

I had originally wanted to build a truly overbore fire breathing .257 bigger than a .257 weatherby. But I think I'm gonna leave things as they are instead and put the 32 inch bartlein 8 twist barrel I have (just confirmed it's an 8!!!!) on my current 270, a savage 110 action. I won this barrel on an auction….the description was lightly used….BE DARNED IF I CAN FIND EVIDENCE THAT THIS THING HAS EVER BEEN FIRED AT ALL!!!!

And it's presently chambered in .25-06 Ackley improved. A 32 inch 25-06 Ackley improved stomps the daylights out of the 24 inch barreled 257 wby I used to have by all indications so my goal of outrunning that gun will be satisfied AND….the more I research the more I'm seeing that it's REALLY hard to meaningfully exceed the performance of the .25-06 Ackley improved. Like you can but not by much it looks like, the wby round only beating it by like 100 fps, the monster wildcats like the 257 stw only beating the weatherby by about as much. So i think its gonna just stay a .25-06 ai and im gonna try the 134 hornady eld m out of that 8 twist. Should be a death ray. Still got some 75 and 90 grain hammers kicking around too…

Thank God someone talking about a 25-06 ai. I love mine running 133s at 3155fps it is kick *** over smaller cases and if I burn barrel I will buy another one. I like the phrase there is no replacement for displacement. All to what they like and I like speed

 

[Calvin45]

Thank God someone talking about a 25-06 ai. I love mine running 133s at 3155fps it is kick *** over smaller cases and if I burn barrel I will buy another one. I like the phrase there is no replacement for displacement. All to what they like and I like speed

I have no experience yet. From what I'm seeing in doing as much research and asking around as I can it seems like it really is a sweet spot for the quarter bore and a meaningful improvement over the straight 25-06 both in performance and especially case life. And I hate trimming!

I do have experience with the 257 weatherby and holy smokes what a blast (pun intended) that gun is!!!! So much fun, just awesome.

I was originally wanting to do a 25-300 weatherby off this big 32 inch barrel. The .25-06 is positively tame, practical in comparison haha. A part of me still just wants to drag race with the full length belted magnum but I honestly anticipate it might be disappointing in how little it gains over this 25-06 ai and for once in my life I just might listen to those who have gone before me and not need to find out for myself….or not….


What barrel length do you run yours with?

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

25-06, 257 weatherby (classic fast flat almost no recoil)
6.5 PRC (for the new age guys)
270 wby and 6.8 western (will do it all)
7mm rem mag 7 PRC --never a wrong pic--

 

[johnmyers]

I have no experience yet. From what I'm seeing in doing as much research and asking around as I can it seems like it really is a sweet spot for the quarter bore and a meaningful improvement over the straight 25-06 both in performance and especially case life. And I hate trimming!

I do have experience with the 257 weatherby and holy smokes what a blast (pun intended) that gun is!!!! So much fun, just awesome.

I was originally wanting to do a 25-300 weatherby off this big 32 inch barrel. The .25-06 is positively tame, practical in comparison haha. A part of me still just wants to drag race with the full length belted magnum but I honestly anticipate it might be disappointing in how little it gains over this 25-06 ai and for once in my life I just might listen to those who have gone before me and not need to find out for myself….or not….


What barrel length do you run yours with?

24" and 1:7.5 twist

 

[Turpentine21]

Absolutely, you can "dial the big ones back"…..but there's a limit to the performance of the little ones! memtb

Precisely!