I wil mention the ones I like:


7mm-08, 140 grains
.30-06, 180 grains
.300 mag, 180 grains
.376, 270 grains (this one is great and fun)

quote:

Reply

Well I guess everyone has the same ideal, well place shots a must , guns all of you

have said what I was thinking. All but dogcat ,please say it ain't true, your not

a bow hunter hater are you ?

For the people who don't like the 243, do you like a 257 Roberts? That's what I hunt with and I love it. I think the 243 is a fine caliber for Whitetail.

I remember a friend of mine's father called my Model 7 Remington 257 Roberts with a manlicher stock a "pea gun". Then he invited me to his farm where I killed the biggest deer two years in a row with one clean shot and he stopped calling it a "Pea Gun".

I have never lost a deer with my 257. Cannot say the same for my .280 which more had to do with ging to ballistic tips than the caliber itself.

243 --- hands down, the shittiest caliber ever invented in terms of deer use, as it does nothing but promote the "let's see how much less of a gun we can use to 'git-r-dun' syndrome" already mentioned.

the 270 is by far the best deer caliber, period. end of story.

The 270 is by no means the "best" deer caliber. It is, however, one hell of a coyote round.

I agree [from experience ] hat if you use a Ford the F150 works very well !! You know , big bore ,like a 45-70 !

Until recently, the .243 is one I loathed for whitetails. Yes I've seen a lot of dead Deer taken with a .243, and many of them were damaged so bad much of the meat was ruined. And I've heard plenty of "the big one that got away" having been wounded with the .243. Today I would be a little more accepting of the .243 and that due to heavier constructed bullets that are now available. I would use a .223 over the .243 if given a choice.

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
I agree [from experience ] hat if you use a Ford the F150 works very well !! You know , big bore ,like a 45-70 !

I can also attest that a dodge dakota works great, with no tracking. When I was 17 I hit a deer with my dakota. Thing about it I was actually on my way to the farm to zero in my deer rifle.

Any .300 Magnum. They ruin too much meat. I guess you can include the 7M/M Mags. as a close second.

LOL@ the .270 being a coyote round. Certainly read up on your Elmer Keith.

This year my hunting buddy used a .223 Rem (long story, it was a new gun and his wife demanded that he use it for something more than praire dogs). One shot to the head and the deer went down like a box of rocks.

Another hunting buddy shot a nice doe with a 25-06, and never recovered the deer. Using those examples, the 25-06 is worse than the .223.

My point is that shot placement counts for a lot. A .223 isn't good for deer, but can work. A 25-06 is great normally, but if you blow the shot you have a wounded animal that will not be recovered.

Just one more nail in the 243 cause!

If you're going to use anything greater than a .243, it's all good.

A cousin of mine uses a .450 Alaskan in the thickets of NY State where shots are less than 50 yards.

ANY NORMAL caliber in the hands of someone who can't shoot.

THis guy worked for my dad and he would hunt with us. He carried a long barrel .30-30 Marlin lever gun. He was amazing. It didn't matter if the deer was 40 yards or 400 yards. He would hit it badly enough that it would get away and not badly enough you could write it off as a surviving wounded. As soon as I heard that rapid fire lever gun go off I would head for his blind, because I knew he would hit, and I wanted to get there before he destroyed the trail. And of course being a 30-30 there was no guarantee of an exit wound. He couldn't follow a blood trail out of a phone booth. And the track would begin.

Eventually got him into a BAR in 3006 with a nice Leupold scope. This allowed him to get two bad shots into them before they ran off. But it bled them out quicker.

quote:

Originally posted by molar1:
The 270 is by no means the "best" deer caliber.

YES IT IS!!!

I don't know the ABSOLUTE worst, but the .243 comes to mind as not being ideal. However, I do think the BEST deer guns are the large .30 calibers (.300 WSM, .300 Win. Mag, .30-06, etc... NOT the .30-30). I hunt almost exclusively with my .300 WSM and it works magnificently on Whitetails. I seriously doubt I will ever shoot another Whitetail with anything else (except my .223 for head shooting does ).

I have said this over and over. But for all of you that think a 243 is not good for deer you need to learn how to f&^&in shoot. If you can't kill a deer with a 243 you can't shoot period. I inherited my first deer rifle from my grandpa, a Rem 700adl 243 made in 1976 or 1977. grandpa killed deer with it,I lost count of how many deer I have killed with it, plus my nephew, dad, step-brother, some friends of ours have used it over the years. These deer must not of known that they weren't suppost to die from being shot with a 243.
Also dad has been using a 700 BDL in 243 it has killed a HECK of a lot more deer than my my 243 has. When he first got it was back in his younger days well that is all I will say about that. When I say his younger days just read between the lines. and of all. Of all the deer he has killed with it none have ever got away.
We have killed them with everything from 55gr Ballistic tips, varminator, to 100 gr everything, and just about most bullets in between. The majority of them fall in their tracks, and the ones that do run usually go anywhere from 2 steps to a 50 yard dash and pile up. Let me make it clear though that I am not recommending using varmint bullets for deer, just stating that we have done it.
My point is if you can't kill a deer with a 243 then I don't trust you to kill a deer with any caliber. If you bring yourself here I will be glad to attempt to teach you how to shoot. but dont ever tell me a 243 is not good for killing deer. Learn how to shoot and learn at least close to where the heart and lungs are. but if you can't kill a deer with a 243 then you probably ought to do the hunting community a favor and start using a CAMERA from now on. This I am dead serious about.
SO I guess I will go and get my 243 and dad's, oh yeah and also my little nephew 13 years old that can outshoot most grown men get his 243 and sit them all beside each other and tell them that they can't kill deer, of course the rifles can't talk back but I am sure they wouldn't listen anyway.
Deer are not that hard to kill heck you could kill them with a slingshot if you hit them right.

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:
I don't know the ABSOLUTE worst, but the .243 comes to mind as not being ideal. However, I do think the BEST deer guns are the large .30 calibers (.300 WSM, .300 Win. Mag, .30-06, etc... NOT the .30-30). I hunt almost exclusively with my .300 WSM and it works magnificently on Whitetails. I seriously doubt I will ever shoot another Whitetail with anything else (except my .223 for head shooting does ).

If someone feels they need a large 30 caliber of any kind to kill deer. I would assume there is a good chance they fall under the category of needing shooting lessons bad. If that is what they enjoy shooting fine, but if they feel they need it they need more help than just a large 30 caliber.
But you mention headshooting does so I assume from that you are probably a fairly good shot.

Anything smaller than .243 cal, 100 gr.bullet. 2900 fps min, 3300 fps max velocity.
Anything larger than .308 cal,180 gr bullet.
2200 fps min, 2700 fps max velocity.

quote:

Originally posted by Jarrod:

These deer must not of known that they weren't suppost to die from being shot with a 243.

This reminds me of all those people who think a .375 H&H is not big enough for elephant, rhino, and cape buffalo.

I have this vision of many thousands of those animals suddenly springing back to life, saying "Damn! I can't be dead! I wasn't shot with a big enough rifle!"

anything that shoots a bullet less then 120grns
is just asking to lose a big buck. sure you can kill a deer with a pellet rifle if you hit him perfect,but shoot a bunch of deer with it you may just lose that once in alifetime brute. i like 140grn bullets atleast.i'll give up alttle speed foe bullet weight, plus where i hunt i never know when a 500-600 bear may show up.

I have shot and seen deer shot with every thing from 22rf to over 40 cal dgrs.

The smaller ones from 257 on down one has to be more careful about shot placement put they well kill deer. One shouldn't take hard angle shots with them other then that they well kill deer.( I killed my first deer with a 22 hornet one shot one kill.)

It more comes down to the hunter and the shooter then the caliber. No matter what gun and caliber one has to know the limits of it.
As with any of them when use in the proper way they all will work.

Push the wrong or right one the wrong way and you end up with wounded or lost deer.

I now perfer a 270 or larger bullet with a bullet weight of 150 grs or more with at least 2300fps. Giving me a better chance on hard angle shots.

My favorite for the last few years with a couple of dozen deer to it is a 300 sav with a 165gr rem cor lock. From 15 ft to 300 plus yards.

Shoot what you like know its limits and kill deer.

Jarrod, I wasn't implying that the .243 doesn't kill deer. My first rifle was a .250 Savage, which has ballistics very similar to a .243, and I never lost a deer with it. However, I also never (not even once) got an exit wound. There are two reasons I shoot a .300 WSM:

1. It is a GREAT all-around caliber for damn near any animal on God's green earth (not all, but almost all).

2. I ALWAYS get an exit wound with it on Whitetail and I ALWAYS get a blood trail (if they run, which isn't very often).

I didn't intend to degrade the .243. I just said that it isn't "ideal" for Whitetails (especially large bodied bucks). It is a great gun for introducing youngsters to the sport. You are more than welcome to shoot your .243 and I will keep shooting my .300 WSM.

I don't feel like I have to use it to kill a Whitetail, I just like the extra insurance. And yes, I would consider myself to be an above average shot. I have never needed to use more than one bullet on a Whitetail and the majority of my shots end up blowing the top half of the heart off.

All this ranting is just my opinion and I do not expect everyone to agree with it. Good hunting and God bless!

The worst rond I have experince with is the 7mm Rem mag. The only thing it does better than my 270win is make more noise and recoil. Also the average hunter shoots the 7mm much worse than the 270win becuse of the excess noise and recoil.

DR B

"Deer are not that hard to kill heck you could kill them with a slingshot if you hit them right."

A kid in my class did that...went right through the front of the skull. I would never try it, but it proves a point.

.22 mag...

378 Wby with 210 Barnes X @ 3500 fps.

I killed my first deer with a .243 but haven't killed on since with it. I had no problems never recovered a bullet but I was using 100 grain pills on my deer. Since then I've graduated to the .270 Win and .50 Cal BP for deer. While I haven't shot any Whitetail deer I've taken some pretty big Mule deer and the buck I took with the little ol .243 weighed in at 290 pounds.

I've kind of figure that if I fail to kill cleanly while hunting it has less to do with the cartridge than my shooting ability. Of course using lighter grain bullets than legal or less than legal caliber is the hunters fault as well and has little to do with the cartridge. I find Magnums rarely necessary for hunting but if that is what gives you the confidence to make a clean kill then use it. I haven't found a deer or 600+ pound elk that my .270 bounces off of yet or has failed to put down humanly as long as I do my part.

So I guess there is no bad caliber for deer as long as it is a legal one and the person using it shoots it well.

.22 and under aren't legal here. So the .243 win gets my vote

Gidday Guys,

105mm HESH.

Change the HESH to APFSDS and it becomes very usable though.

Correct bullet selection goes a long way to ensuring a successful outcome.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

I don't know why .243 users are getting insulted. You shouldn't. If a .243 works for you that means you're a very good shot. It's like going to the skeet range and seeing someone using a .410 and breaking 25/25 pigeons.

It's also about what you feel comfortable with. If that's what you feel comfortable with, knock yourself out. Some like a .243, others a .27 or .30-06. Some like a .35 Whelen or .358 Win. That's what it's all about. Use what you like.

quote:

Originally posted by mmaggi:
I don't know why .243 users are getting insulted. You shouldn't. If a .243 works for you that means you're a very good shot. It's like going to the skeet range and seeing someone using a .410 and breaking 25/25 pigeons.

It's also about what you feel comfortable with. If that's what you feel comfortable with, knock yourself out. Some like a .243, others a .27 or .30-06. Some like a .35 Whelen or .358 Win. That's what it's all about. Use what you like.

Well I must be a good shot. Even though I have used other calibers to kill deer with a 243 has worked for me since I was a kid. Maybe if more people used them they would learn to depend on their marksmanship thanb to think they can make up for by thinking if they use a 378WBY it will make up for their poor shooting.

Go read some arrest reports. The 22 LR is the prefered cartridge of most poachers, whether for doe meat or horns. I cannot condone it's use but the facts are that it works. By extension the 243 and up are more than adequate. gianni.

US Rifle Cal.30, MI carbine (110 gr) (For you older types, yeah, that one) I personally saw a white tail buck hit 5 times with one come running out of woods and still alert enough to veer away from me when he saw me. The shooter hollered to me (on the other side of a narrow ridge of woods) and this masterful hunter dropped him with one shot from a 30-06, 180 gr. (the only caliber, of course, to use)

how's this for over kill
http://www.buckstix.com/howitzer.htm

I've seen deer killed very effectively with these calibers .223, .243 and 7.62x39! I think the real problem with using them is that you can/will sooner or latter run into a hog or bear while hunting deer and be very under gunned!


With that said, My vote for the worst legal deer caliber is the M1-30 caliber carbine!



PS: The 270 Wnchester gets my vote for the best deer caliber!

quote:

Originally posted by RaySendero:
PS: The 270 Wnchester gets my vote for the best deer caliber!

that's because it is.

anyone hunt with 410 slugs? i'd think that would double suck the worst

Originally posted by RaySendero:

quote:

PS: The 270 Wnchester gets my vote for the best deer caliber!

Very mediocre when compared to the 280 rem and 30-06

quote:

molar1
Originally posted by RaySendero:

quote:
PS: The 270 Wnchester gets my vote for the best deer caliber!


Very mediocre when compared to the 280 rem and 30-06

molar 1
Put the pipe down and back away slowly

DR B