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Caliber For Deer
I know I'm opening a can of worms here, but what is everyones OPINION on best caliber for deer? I'm going to get a new rifle this fall and not very familiar with deer hunting but wanting to learn. I'm sure its more personal preference than anything huh?
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if it is just Whitetail, .243, .257 Roberts, 25/06, 7mm08, .308, .270, .280, 30/06, 30-30win, 35rem, 45-70, 444 Marlin, kinda depends on where and style of hunting. I prefer .243, 7mm08 and .308 but thats just me. Whitetail are not made of ballistic steel that some lead to believe. Take out the pump station, air compressor or central nervous system and you have meat on table. Shot placement is far more than caliber as long as you choose caliber wisely. If heading to large foodplots, beanfields or wide open country some of the flatter magnum rounds might help a touch with trajectory.
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Thanks for the input. I've had .223, 30-06 and .308 in the past but never shot past 100 yards with any of them. I like the .308 round and might go with it again.
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All calibers mentioned above are good. Pick caliber that has greatest diverse ammo selection nearest you.
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I have killed deer with a 30-30,7mm-08 now have a 308 Hope to get a deer with it this season.Wife just bought a Savage 6.5 Creedmoor today.Take a look at it,gets good reviews.
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.280 for me. I love this caliber..
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I like the 30 cal. 30-06, 308 being my favorites . I do shoot 7mm rem mag for power line/bean field type hunting . Will be able to give judgement on 25-06 after this year . 150 gr. in 30-06 or 308 will be more than plenty and tracking will not be an issue . Great shot ? 243, 270, 7mm-08.
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Sorta depends on where you're hunting. If you're hunting in the woods, I'd get a larger caliber and shoot round nosed, heavy bullets. If you're hunting a bean field, I'd get something like a 25-06. I own a 7 mag and have not been a fan. Killed a pile of deer with it, but have lost several with it. Some were just bad shots but some weren't.
I've killed a bunch of deer with everything from 22-30 calibers. Bows, shotguns and muzzleloaders. I'm about burned out on deer hunting but my weapon of choice these days if I'm going is a 7mm-08.
Light rifle, light recoil, short action. Nice compact gun for treestand or stalking.
Overall, if I just had one rifle, it's hard to beat a 30-06. You could probably find ammo in a hardware store in any state in the Union if you just had to have some.
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Thanks for the info gentlemen. Going to go take a look this weekend
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I’m in the exact same boat, and I went 30-06. I figured it would handle a lot of situations, and at this point I don’t plan on buying an arsenal! Key phrase, “At this point.”