what caliber should I buy?

[Buano]

I've been using a 270 on deer since the 80s. I've killed a LOT of deer. I can think of maybe 2 that didn't drop dead but actually made it around 3-15 steps, at best maybe 30 yards from where hit.

The bullet I used more than any other was a ballistic tip.

Just a thought, but if you are tired of deer running off then put the bullet in the shoulder and it won't matter what you shoot.

The problem with shoulder shot deer is the mess you uncover when you butcher — especially if you use a loading that penetrates the far shoulder!

It's also not true that shoulder shot deer will always drop immediately. I've seen a whitetail run 100+ yards after the heart was disconnected from all veins & arteries — it doesn't happen often, but it happens! The only shots guaranteed to cause an instant drop are shots to the brain or spine.

 

[ishootkittens]

Whatever you choose.. make me a promise you will never use a ballistic tip on deer. I have seen 4 deer shot with ballistic tip. .300 (1) 7mm (3)... All of them where literally torn to pieces inside. The meat was damaged, the deer was all but in half...Sure it puts a hurting on deer.. but shooter beware.. very messy

 

[Buano]

Whatever you choose.. make me a promise you will never use a ballistic tip on deer. I have seen 4 deer shot with ballistic tip. .300 (1) 7mm (3)... All of them where literally torn to pieces inside. The meat was damaged, the deer was all but in half...Sure it puts a hurting on deer.. but shooter beware.. very messy

A ballistic tip with a .243, .257 Roberts, or even .25-06 won't destroy a lot of meat because the bullet will generally break up in the chest cavity & not exit, but a 7 MM Rem mag or anything bigger with a ballistic tip cartridge will leave a cannonball sized hole in a deer (unless the deer is 300+ yards away). I've seen a deer all but cut in half with a .260 Rem firing a ballistic-tip cartridge at 50 yards when the bullet caught the deer just below the spine — 8" of spine was missing.

 

[WildRose]

A ballistic tip with a .243, .257 Roberts, or even .25-06 won't destroy a lot of meat because the bullet will generally break up in the chest cavity & not exit, but a 7 MM Rem mag or anything bigger with a ballistic tip cartridge will leave a cannonball sized hole in a deer (unless the deer is 300+ yards away). I've seen a deer all but cut in half with a .260 Rem firing a ballistic-tip cartridge at 50 yards when the bullet caught the deer just below the spine — 8" of spine was missing.

The "hunting ballistic tip" perfoms very similar to the Hornady Interbond. Much thicker jacket than the varmint/target ballistic tips.

I shot the latter years ago and really didn't like the fact they usually wouldn't exit a big hog or deer and frequently they needed to be tracked unless you had a shoulder smash or spine hit. Tracking without an exit wound can be very, very difficult because there's little no no blood loss. Most of it will instead stay within the chest cavity.

I had to track down a very well shot buck last year for my neighbor that went nearly a full mile before expiring and he'd been hit dead center in the bread basket with a ballistic tip from a .270 at about 130yds.

Had to do the same on a big hog I shot about a twenty or so years back that was hit in about the same spot with a regular BT 140gr 7mm STW at almost exactly 450yds.

He still had enough fight left in him to charge us when we finally found him about 800 yards from where he'd been shot initially.