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Light Deer Caliber?
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Whats a good "light" deer caliber. Ihave a 3006, and a .243(bolt guns) but i want to buy an encore barrel in a different caliber. I want a light recoil so its fun to shoot that still is powerfull to do good on whitetails. Yea i know i can easily use one of the guns i currently have, but what fun is that.
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Posts: 782 | Location: Maryland | Registered: 03 April 2008Reply With Quote
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This should be good! popcorn


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Posts: 820 | Location: Black Hills of South Dakota/Florida's Gulf Coast | Registered: 23 March 2011Reply With Quote
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How about a 25-06.
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Posts: 782 | Location: Maryland | Registered: 03 April 2008Reply With Quote
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260 remington


Mike

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.
 
Posts: 10096 | Location: Loving retirement in Boise, ID | Registered: 16 December 2003Reply With Quote
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257 Bob
 
Posts: 402 | Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado  | Registered: 15 January 2005Reply With Quote
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Why not your .243 in an Encore? It'd be perfect. A hunter friend who hunts where rifles aren't allowed wanted to get a specialty, scoped bolt handgun for deer and was asking me what caliber. I told him .243. Maybe study 6 mm Rem too. Or maybe .223 or .257 Roberts. There's also .17, which will kill a deer, though it's below what I'd consider.

And then you have the trusty old 30-30. Perfect for an Encore.

What range are you shooting? Will a scope be involved?

If 100 or less, how about .44 Rem Mag? A 240 projo @ 1250 is not heavy recoil and is a real deer smasher. I shoot it at 1350 with Hornady factory JHPs and don't notice the recoil in actual hunting situations.

Overall, flip a coin between 30-30 and 243. You can find the ammo at any back woods store. Ammo for .223 used to be common but as you probably know there's been this run on it...
 
Posts: 2999 | Registered: 24 March 2009Reply With Quote
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Light deer I guess we are talking deer under 100lbs. Roll Eyes

Couldn'thelp myself. Eeker

260
7-08
250sav
30-30
35 rem
257R
300sav
30-40krag
6.5x55
7-30waters
30 herret

The 300 sav really shines I have killed dozens with it. 165gr at 2400fps works really well
 
Posts: 19437 | Location: wis | Registered: 21 April 2001Reply With Quote
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6.5x55 or a 260 tu2
 
Posts: 3073 | Location: Pittsburgh, PA | Registered: 11 November 2004Reply With Quote
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I shot my first 2 mule deer with a 222. My wife shot her first mule deer with a 223. My father always hunted deer with a 22-250. Premium bullets and shot placement are a must. But then I live by the saying that a gut-shot deer with a 300 Mag is a gut shot deer. I shoot a 280 on everything from mulies to moose now. I would probably stick with a 243, but that 22-250 will kill deer slicker than slick. Flame away and throw me under the bus.
 
Posts: 783 | Location: Utah, USA | Registered: 14 January 2005Reply With Quote
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If you're going custom, consider a .257 Ackley. I had one for a while and it was amazing with 100 grain TSXs. I parted with it because it was a 24" full bull barrel and weighed too much for pleasant carry. I would love another, lighter contour barrel chambered thus for my Encore.


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Posts: 3296 | Location: Southern NM USA | Registered: 01 October 2002Reply With Quote
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7mm-08
25-06
257 Roberts


Graybird

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Posts: 3722 | Location: Okie in Falcon, CO | Registered: 01 July 2004Reply With Quote
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Mine is a 7-08


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Posts: 7361 | Location: South East Missouri | Registered: 23 November 2005Reply With Quote
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I've been eyeing a .260 Rem for this


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Posts: 3320 | Location: Permian Basin | Registered: 16 December 2006Reply With Quote
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25.06
 
Posts: 1355 | Registered: 04 November 2010Reply With Quote
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If you already have a .243, unless you just want something different I would stick with that.


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Posts: 31014 | Location: Olney, Texas | Registered: 27 March 2006Reply With Quote
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22-250
7x57
7mm08
223
222
 
Posts: 6263 | Location: Dallas, TX | Registered: 13 July 2001Reply With Quote
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6.5X55/260Rem/7mm-08 or 257Roberts
 
Posts: 161 | Location: Denair Ca USA | Registered: 21 March 2012Reply With Quote
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All the girls in my family (and boys under 11 y/o) use .30-30s. Big Grin
 
Posts: 201 | Location: Florida, USA | Registered: 22 January 2012Reply With Quote
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Add another vote for the Swede.
 
Posts: 1039 | Location: Colorado by birth, Virginia by employment | Registered: 18 August 2012Reply With Quote
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For what you are using, I will put in another vote for the 7-30 Waters.


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Posts: 3065 | Location: Hondo, Texas USA | Registered: 28 August 2001Reply With Quote
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7X57 or the American version 7-08


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Posts: 1317 | Location: eastern Iowa | Registered: 13 December 2000Reply With Quote
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For a good caliber between the two you mentioned I'd go with the 25-06. I can shoot my Ruger all day just like my Sako .243 with no felt recoil.
 
Posts: 1576 | Registered: 16 March 2011Reply With Quote
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You have a 243 and a 30/06, and you stated light recoil.

So, I would take a look at the 260 or the 7mm/08.

The 257 Roberts, the 6.5x55, and the 7x57 fit the bill as well, but I do not know if they make those calibers in the Encore.


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Posts: 16134 | Location: Texas | Registered: 06 April 2002Reply With Quote
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If you reload, I vote for the 250 savage, with a fast enough twist to shoot 120 grain bullets. Since its a single shot, you don't have to worry about magazine length.

If you don't handload, maybe 6.8 SPC. I'm thinking about getting a barrel for my Contender.
 
Posts: 641 | Location: SW Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: 10 October 2003Reply With Quote
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30/30,35 rem.
 
Posts: 4372 | Location: NE Wisconsin | Registered: 31 March 2007Reply With Quote
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.22-250


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Posts: 1632 | Location: Boz Angeles, MT | Registered: 14 February 2006Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
22-250
7x57
7mm08
223
222


X2 on the 22-250. All my kids used it on their first deer, each one, one shot, in one side and out the other
 
Posts: 3617 | Location: Verdi Nevada | Registered: 01 February 2013Reply With Quote
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One of our members brought his daughter to the ranch and we hunted a Red Deer Hind. IIRC, she was shooting a 22-250 (possibly a 223?) with a Nosler partition. She shot a hind, and when I gutted it, I was amazed at the blood in this deer chest cavity. I have dressed a lot of animals, and this one was by far one of the bloodiest I can recall. It didn't go very far either. Maybe 20 yards.

If I had one choice, I would say 7mm08. But don't discount the .223 or 22-250. They are deadly.
 
Posts: 6263 | Location: Dallas, TX | Registered: 13 July 2001Reply With Quote
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6mm, 6.5 or 7mm TCU



Don't limit your challenges . . .
Challenge your limits


 
Posts: 4243 | Location: TN USA | Registered: 17 March 2002Reply With Quote
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A 6x45 mm is legal in most places, nice and light with 85 grain bullets.


TomP

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Posts: 14435 | Location: Moreno Valley CA USA | Registered: 20 November 2000Reply With Quote
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If you want lighter than your 243, get a 22-250.

If you want something in between your 243 and 30-06. 257 Roberts, 6.5x55, 260, or 7mm-08.
I personally would choose a 7mm-08.
 
Posts: 2034 | Location: Black Mining Hills of Dakota | Registered: 22 June 2005Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by OLBIKER:
30/30,35 rem.


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Posts: 5708 | Location: Ohio | Registered: 02 April 2003Reply With Quote
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I don't recall woodsie saying if he's a handloader. If not, everyone remember, he's got to be able to easily find the ammo.

That's why I suggested 30-30 and 243. I think 44 rem mag's pretty easy to come by too. Some of these others really aren't.
 
Posts: 2999 | Registered: 24 March 2009Reply With Quote
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Another vote for the 260.


Larry

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Posts: 3942 | Location: Kansas USA | Registered: 04 February 2002Reply With Quote
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First two that comes to mind are the .257 Roberts and a 6.5x55 Swede.
Not knowing if any .224 Caliber is legal in your state but .223 and 22/250 would be great.
Other fun ones are .250 Savage, .260, 25/35, 30/30, 7.62x39.
 
Posts: 5604 | Location: Eastern plains of Colorado | Registered: 31 October 2005Reply With Quote
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I'm with LittleJoe...25-06


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Posts: 383 | Location: Oklahoma | Registered: 24 December 2011Reply With Quote
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.257 WBY
 
Posts: 736 | Location: Helena, Montana | Registered: 28 October 2009Reply With Quote
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257 Roberts
25-06rem
260rem
6.5x55

I have a 25-06rem and 260rem and like them both very much.
 
Posts: 510 | Location: Iceland | Registered: 15 May 2006Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by woodsie:
I want a light recoil so its fun to shoot that still is powerfull to do good on whitetails. )


If you reload almost anything 30 caliber or less in a standard cartridge will suffice. In fact an 8X57 is a fantastic option for a light recoiling deer rifle. Just load it up with some 150 grainers and go. Another forgotten caliber that is a great light recoiling yet powerfull deer round is the 300 Savage. Pick up one of those in a model 99 and you have a real classic that can be loaded up to near 308 ballistics. My Dad had one in a bolt rifle with a dreaded steel crescent butt plate, but the recoil was mild enough that it didnt matter.

I have built a couple 260 Remingtons and they are a fabulous deer round, as is the Sweede, 7X57, 7-08 and a plethora of other chamberings. The only other suggestion I personaly would make is to go at least 25 caliber. Otherwise pick whatever caliber sounds good and enjoy. Deer just really aint that hard to kill.
 
Posts: 10159 | Location: Tooele, Ut | Registered: 27 September 2001Reply With Quote
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7mm-08
120-175 bullet weight
something for everyone


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Posts: 3103 | Location: Southern US | Registered: 21 July 2002Reply With Quote
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