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Opinions please, What is the ultimate mule deer rifle? There was a big debate about this today at the local gun shop. | ||
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Wow, I'm sure the majority will say 270. Me, I built my ultimate around a M70 & the 280. It will easily take the biggest muley out to 400yds & that's about as far as I go. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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6.5-06 or a 270 are probably ideal, but the biggest mule deer I ever killed was with a 30-40 Krag at about 30 yards!!!  Barstooler | |||
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The one you can hit a pie tin with at 200 yrs offhand on a regular basis. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If the 270 won't do it the .338 will, if the 338 won't I can't afford the hunt! | |||
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300 wby mag. You can throw a nice 180 grain bullet about as flat as anything out there. I worked up loads for my Sauer 202 .270 and my Sauer 202 300 WBY prior to my hunt last November in New MExico and I always took the 300 wby. I shot my deer at 215 yards but there were places where shots could have been much longer. The 270 would have been fine too but I like the extra diameter and bullet weight. | |||
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On my last mule deer hunt, I was carrying a custom 7mmRemMag; very accurate and perfect for the long pokes I wound up taking. The problem was the weight. It was too heavy for the amount of walking and stalking needed, so next time I'm carrying my 7-08AI. It's far lighter, and even with a 22" barrel, it will launch 140gr bullets at 3015fps and still group under 1". However, I usually load it down to around 2965fps +/-, because accuracy at the slower speed is consistently under .5". Where I hunt, there are a lot of shot opportunities on mule deer between 250 and 350 yards, and beyond that if you can steady the rifle enough under field conditions (very few trees around to use as a makeshift rest). Accuracy will mean more than the difference in velocity on any long range shot. The other problem with going long is the wind. A heavier bullet with a good BC will usually fare better. The good news is there is now a very good selection of cartridges that will fill the bill. | |||
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I guess I am a 270 fan.......weatherby that is and a 130 gr bullet. But then I also like my 6mm rem at ranges up to 350 yds. Rad NRA Benefactor Member | |||
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Ultimate? 264 Win Mag.(period) end discussion Pancho LTC, USA, RET "Participating in a gun buy-back program because you think that criminals have too many guns is like having yourself castrated because you think your neighbors have too many kids." Clint Eastwood Give me Liberty or give me Corona. | |||
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I prefer the 270 Weatherby. Great long range deer rifle. | |||
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The rifle you're carrying when you shoot your deer.  To be dead honest, there is no end-all solution, because each person will have their own preferences and idea of what the ultimate rifle for hunting mule deer will be. Any flat shooting round in a relatively light and accurate rifle (within reasonable bore dimensions) will work. Too many variables in terrain, shot distance, wind, etc. to claim one will work better than the other. They have been shot with hundreds of different cartridges, and they're all dead to the same degree.  gd | |||
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7STW...it's what it was designed for, plains game at extended ranges. Rich DRSS Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost... | |||
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 Sometimes the best answer is not the one sought. 577 BME 3"500 KILL ALL 358 GREMLIN 404-375 *we band of 45-70ers* (Founder) Single Shot Shooters Society S.S.S.S. (Founder) | |||
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For me it would be my Sako 7x64, but it's what ever makes you feel good. Lou **************** NRA Life Benefactor Member | |||
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My custom model 70 super grade 257 wby. | |||
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I used two Mannlicher-Schoenauer .270 carbines for this work, and they both did quite well. But if I were to build one today, I'd select the .280 over the .270 because of the availability of heavier bullets...... "Bitte, trinks du nicht das Wasser. Dahin haben die Kuhen gesheissen." | |||
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257 Weatherby loaded hot with 100gr Barnes TSX. Free men should not be subjected to permits, paperwork and taxation in order to carry any firearm. NRA Benefactor | |||
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Not mine.. but one sweet rifle!!!! Bare Rifle - 5 pounds, 10.5 ounces Rifle w/ Scope & Mounts - 6 pounds, 9 ounces .257 Weatherby Magnum 700 TI Action - Bolt face opened up with Sako Extractor 25" Tube by Lawton Barrels, contoured to match a Lilja #2 McMillan Hunters EDGE Stock Added BDL Metal, stock Remington aluminum Rifle Basix Trigger Gre-Tan Aluminum Shroud/Fluted Firing Pin Assembly Leupold 3.5-10 VXIII LW Talleys Bedded by CAS   | |||
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The "Ultimate Mule Deer Rifle" is whatever the "Ultimate Mule Deer Hunter" has in his hands... I don't know what its make and chambering are but I do know finding the "Ultimate Mule Deer" is a lot tougher than finding an appropriate rifle and chambering, of which there are dozens!  | |||
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lightweight .270 Wby Mag, either 140 AB's or 150 NP's... Regards, Craig Nolan Best Regards, Craig Nolan | |||
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I would have thought one of you guys would want a 300 RUM in a light, 7 lb. rifle. Maybe not. Seems that throwing a heavy 220 gr. slug would be good against the wind. ------------------------------- Will Stewart / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun. --------------------------------------- and, God Bless John Wayne. NRA Benefactor Member, GOA, N.A.G.R. _________________________ "Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped “Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped. red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com _________________________ Hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go. | |||
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I as well as several hunting partners have been taking them with .243 ,6.5X55 , 7X57 , 270 ,30/06 , and what I use 7 mm RM Mauser . Worked for better than 40 years in CA,ID, NV, AZ , CO, UT, NM ,MT . I like the post by Wayfaring Stranger ; " The one you can hit a pie tin with at 200 yd. offhand on a regular basis." Which ever caliber and accurate gun works for You . I practice shooting a lot , but before hunting season I shoot empty beer or soda cans up right and lying down off hand 100 200 300 yd. , resting out too 450 yd . Generally 2 or 3 boxes of ammo . Then when I get out in the field , I use 1 nickel plated cartridge with 160 grain NP . It impresses my hunting buddies all 17-26 of them . That I'm the ONLY one of our group who has Never shot twice in the last 32 years at Mule Deer !. Can't say that for Elk !. No I'm NO special long range shooter , or special anything , I'm quick to the mark and squeeze the trigger . IF the shot is there !, if it isn't I STALK until it is . This is an annual gathering of originally 7 hunting Buds who went to school hung out grew up together . A couple of others who joined the band and Sons Daughters and now their sons and daughters !. If everyone shows we break into two camps . Every year we pitch into a hat the state we'll hunt the following year . Majority rule . I also hike W/60 lb. pack on my back for two months prior to hunting season about 3 -6 miles at a time up down rouged terrain . Yea I die the first week , I'm so sore . I do this so I can keep up with the Kids and Grand kids . This year I'm going to ambush hunt , let the young folks flush em . That's the way the elders of our group used to do it . Why break tradition !. Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ... | |||
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Either one of my 270s, my 270 AM, 7mm Rem Mag, 30.06, or my 300 RUM. All are ultimate mule deer rifles, as I wouldn't hesitate to use any of them. If I was going to buy or have built a specific rifle just to call my ultimate mulie rifle that I do not already own, I'd probably go for a simple, well documented, accurate killer with a long proven history: 300 Win Mag and a 180 bullet. That takes care of even the longest of pokes I'd dare take. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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My .257 Wthby with 100 gr TSX or my .300 Win Mag Tikka with 130 gr tipped TSX. Both are fast and flat for the open, hilly country I hunt. | |||
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discussion reopened! The 6.5-06 and the .270 Winchester are right on the heels and a bit lighter. But the old .264 is a fine choice. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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Any bolt action rifle chambered to shoot bullets from .257 through a .308 (in a non-magnum configuration) is ideal. If you get your kicks shooting them with bigger calibers and all sorts of magnums, by all means, knock yourself out. It's all good and we're all out to have fun. | |||
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I think my 6.5-'06 is ideal, but the last one I took last year was with my NULA M24 in '06. The largest mule deer Ihave taken was in Idaho with a 7mm Rem Mag and 160 gr screw-turned Nosler Partition (it was a few years ago). jim if you're too busy to hunt,you're too busy. | |||
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I personally have never seen anything about Mule Deer that causes them to require any special gun or cartridge to do the job. I would be perfectly equipped with whatever I took from my gun cabinet and it contains everything from 257Roberts to 450/400Nitro. What it does not contain is any long range 'wonder' cartridges just mostly OLD calibers, probably the most modern cartridge I own in a centerfire is the 257Roberts or the 270Winchester. Have never seen or had any real need for anything else and I've hunted most everything here and in Africa. SCI Life Member NRA Patron Life Member DRSS | |||
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My 7mm STW with 160 TSXs at 3300 is pretty good.  | |||
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About any good caliber is the ultimate Mule Deer round...there is little difference in any of them IMO... My favorite rounds are the 270, 06, 7x57, 250 Savage, but I hunt mostly with a .25-35 just because I like the rifle and have owned it for many years, shot a ton of deer with it and its my fun gun... I suppose the "ultimate" would be a 300 magnum of some sort..I would probably opt for the 300 H&H handloaded with 200 gr. Noslers.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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30-06,308,270,338,9.3x62,243,6mm,7.63x39,223, and even a 44 mag revlover have all been the ultimate mule deer catridge at the moment that a mule deer presented itself as potential freezer wrap. Most "trophy" bucks? 270, probably because that the one that has killed the most mule deer. Favorite bullet? Well, Hornady's work, so do Remington's, Nosler Partitions work great but so did the Solid Base Bullets, Norma Oryx's did in one doe and a nice buck, bullet weight ranged from 60grs. to 232grs. In the 270, 130gr, 140gr and 150gr by several different manufacturers all seemed to work just fine. Currrently using 130gr Solid Bases for practice and 130gr Accubonds for serious shots, both very accurate in both our rifles. What bullet weight and or cartidge combination worked best? The one where the shot placement was perfect... | |||
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257 STW with some 130+ grain Wildcat bullets. Oughta shoot nice and flat for a ways. Love shooting precision and long range. Big bores too! Recent college grad, started a company called MK Machining where I'm developing a bullpup rifle chassis system.  | |||
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With any luck that 25-35 will ware out SOON!  rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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Anythin between .257 roberts and 300 Win Mag or equvalent. Weighing less than 8 lbs scoped and loaded with 4 rounds. Me personally 308 Win shooting 168 grns Barnes XLCs in a lt wt Rem 700 with a leupy 2.5x8 wighing at 6 2/3 lbs loaded.   Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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there are probably a dozen or so that would work equally well. For me, it is my 264WM with 125gr Partitions. | |||
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Several said .257 Wby, and I'm another one. 100TSX at 3600 plus. It doesn't get any better than this for a mulie. A shot not taken is always a miss | |||
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Last year my M70 270 wsm accounted for four one shot kills on one 4 point mulie buck and three mulie does. My father used his M77 25-06 for about a dozen years with decent success. I remember him taking at least two mulies a year and maybe a white tail or two with seldom more than one shot. In 1999 he found a deal on a M70 in 270 wby. that was too good to walk away from. So it took the 25-06's place and has performed well when allowed out. I think I have taken more deer with it than he has. "I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me." -- General George S. Patton | |||
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My choice is a Remmy 700 30/06 in a 180 Sierra Game King out to 400 yards. It is all I shoot in the 06. Tony  | |||
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This thread could go on for centuries... I own all of the best Mule and White tail rifles.. They are in my safe. They are: 7mm Mag 7x57 284 Winchester 250 Savage 257 Roberts Don | |||
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I have killed mule deer with lots of cartridges. But I would say some of the best cartridges are, .257R 25,06 270 280 308 ,30,06 hell I could sit here and type all day. I am thinking aboud getting a .257 Weatherby for mule deer. Not that it will kill them any deader than a .270 or that I would shoot it much farther, but I like the long point blank range. If use a 100 grain tsx , and sight in at say 250 yards I am dead on about as far as I can shoot. So If a guy could afford it a great way to go would be to get say a used 700 BDL in 7mag , send it to mabye Rifles Inc and have it turned into a .275 weatherby at a nice light weight. Double as a wonderfull antlope rig. ...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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roger  Old age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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