Bigngreen you'd absolutely love my 84M with a Lilja 8 twist on it. Cut to 23", .62" at the muzzle "all up" it weighs 6.5 lbs with a 3-10 Leo and M1 on top, in Talley's and one of Scenar's Montana gun slings.
Absolute drill!
Smallest caliber for Montana Mule Deer Rifle
- Thread starter nksmfamjp
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Absolute drill!
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
My problem is I still love big stuff with long barrels, everytime I build a rifle the barrel ends up staying long.
I tell myself again and again, " I can always cut that 26 or 28 back"
And NEVER do.
Such a simple question and anyone who answers it honestly has the correct answer. "What is the smallest caliber YOU would build for this purpose." Always amazes me that Karen won't let you do you without a fight. I have not killed a mule deer past 505 yards and I have only killed 2 Montana mule deer at any distance so I have no first hand experience. If you practice enough to hit deer vitals at 600 consistently and can do math you can probably pick one of the countless cartridge/bullet combos to get this done from 22 cal. on up without 30 pages of strangers arguing. I guess it passes the time until there are tags to fill again. Carry on.
That'll be back around. I would guess I have chosen the worst...and best bear pistol too.Guess we could always switch to best pistols for bear protection...
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
Lots of guys have to over compensate using big magnums because they fail at killing game animals with non-magnum rifles. I know some of those guys. Ethics has no place here in the discussion on what's the minimum cartridge or caliber that should used on a deer. If someone can't kill a deer with a .243 after failing at it several times, they need to look in the mirror and not pass judgement on others for it. I don't use my 22-250AI for deer often but I have. Kills them just as dead, just as fast as my magnums. I prefer bigger, heavier bullets but that's a choice not a requirement.LMAO.......Okay. However, I don't use to many tree stands here in the West.
Should I "resurrect" all those dead game animals I should not have killed with 22's, 6mm's and 25's? And what about a couple of friends who have been killing "elk" for decades with 243's??
69precision
Well-Known Member
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I've shot a few nice Muley bucks with a 22-250. They die quick when shot in the lungs.
crkckr
Well-Known Member
Just off hand I would say something in the 6mm range as a minimum (.243, 6mm, many, many others if you use the right bullet!) although I personally prefer my 270 Win., mainly because it shoots very well with the 130 & 150 gr. Partition bullets. I am a Partition junkie and have sold rifles that wouldn't shoot them to my standards! When I find a rifle that likes them I feel like I've struck gold, it's a good feeling. .22's are ok in the right hands but you have to know your (and the rifles) limitations. It's a personal thing, of course, but I use my .22's for what they were intended... varmints! Big game gets the larger stuff. Just me, YMMV.
Cheers,
crkckr
Cheers,
crkckr
Flatbow
Well-Known Member
This sounds like a great combination.
I shoot a Kimber 6.5cm that weighs 7lbs ready to go and is very nice to carry and has killed out 600yds.
I would love to see how well one similar would shoot with even less recoil.
Why small caliber?….why build?…(8 pages of conflicting suggestions.)
Use the "deer" gun and caliber you're most familiar with and shoot the best …practice with it till you know it well…
Leave your "minimalist" experimentations until you gain some MT/western hunting experience under your belt….wind seems always present in the mountainous west…in my home state of Nevada it's always a factor.
65x55Shooter
Active Member
I have to agree. I hunted eastern Montana for 40 years with a 25-284. Wind always blows there…always. I used 100 gr TTSX for the last 15 years, but never shot a deer at 600, not that I didn't see them at that range or further but chose to get closer and they never walked away.
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
Soooo...your the mastermind of the 25-284 wildcat. I love mine. It's just a faster twist version of yours if yours is 40 years old.
