I remember this thread before my red deer stalk last week.

So over a pint after the hunt with 06 game keepers from neighbouring estates drinking with us I did an amateur survey of their 03 calibers of choice

Between the 06 of them they have 98 years of stalking and guiding experience with red stags
on the hills

Results are

First choice 270
Second choice 308
Third choice 243

There you are boys .................

Pretty solid knowledge base, nice to see the old girl up at the top.

Steve

I would agree 270 is a real advantage in all respect. These guys make a living from the hill and average shots are 150 yards plus.

They prefer 243 for hinds from January less meat damage and also with a mod in the last few years they can cull a larger number per day and the owners are happier.

It all make sense now once I have been there and done it.

I hate to admit it but I would be one of those internet shooter before my trip.

Now I would say get a sensible caliber practice lots and lots and lots and be done with it.

I stick to my 308.But my Kiwi mate swears by his 25.06, but most of his hunting is on open tops, where most shots are long.

Hello my friend

Can you enlighten us in Europe

Is shooting from a helicopter culling pigs still legal?

Can you recommend an outfitter's name

thanks

6,5x55 with 140 grain in open country and 156 grain in the forest.
cheers
yes

No question about it, experienced calibers are best. The johny-come-lately 270 needs a few more years yet before it can be called reliable.

No Gnu is nearly notatous enough for reds, whether molycoddled or not.

The cartridge for, not only reds, but ALL deer antelope,sheep species is undoubtably the 7x57.Go with a 120gn GSC HV bullet over 51gn BL-C2 for 3235fps or the 160gn Woodleigh and 46gn ADI 2209 (H4350) for 2700fps and there is nothing short of the DG 5 that you could'n't be confident about.

Von Gruff.

So you are changing the original thread question and including something like an Eland Bull ?

quote:

Originally posted by Von Gruff:
No question about it, experienced calibers are best. The johny-come-lately 270 needs a few more years yet before it can be called reliable.

I don't know, I took two in Bavaria 35 years ago with a .270 and 150gr Norma Spitzers. Both DRT with one shot each.

I think that areas where deer are under 300 pounds then any cartridge that will kill a Blesbok, Whitetail, or Fallow will kill a Red.

In areas that are over 300 pounds more gun is probably preferred, but I doubt that the 338 Magnum, 300 Magnum, 8mm magnum or bigger are necessary. The 308, 7.5x55, 30-06 and 8x57 work well at a lot of ranges.

But animals that get away are hurtful toward trophy fees. So I would use a 9.3x62 in the forest and some kind of 8x57, 8x68, 8x64, 30-06 the rest of the time.

My ideal Red cartridges,
7x64
308
30/06
All with around 150grn bullets.

The 270 worked a treat on those Scottish hill stags.