What you vote the most "suitable" small bore for small/medium Deer ??

.243/.6mm/.257/.25-06/.260/6.5x55/6.5x54/6.5x68/etc,etc

Personally the 6.5 family seem to have an awful lot going for them,accurate,plenty of power,excellant ballistic coefficient, and light recoil.

Dont seem to be to popular in the U.S....................

What calibre/cartridge and bullet would you vote for ?????????????????????

Englander

Hello Englander - let me extend your list downwards a tiny bit.

In August a 100 gn bullet from a 250/3000 passed right through a Springbok at ~ 300m. He stumbled about 15m and stopped - biggest one of the hunt.

I then had fun coaching a fellow engineer how to use it and he bagged another 4.

That brought the Springbok total to #35 for that rifle since I bought it. All but three were one shot kills. Over the years I have missed maybe another 4 shots and one where I hadn't removed the scope covers ....... that one still hurts.

It's a 1938 Winchester model 70 that I bought 24 years ago. What it accounted for in the previous 40 years, I don't know. Sufficient to say that all its checkering had been worn off away and very little bluing remains on the barrel. I've recut the checkering, sanded and oiled the stock - so that now it looks more like it did 64 years ago. When I think that my hunting days are coming to an end I'll re-blue the metalwork.

Back to the hunt, my friend pestered the life out of me - wanting to buy the rifle. When I refused, he tried to make me agree to leave it to him in my will.

The only bullet that I ever recovered was from a Fallow Deer - under the skin an the far side. The deer stopped right there - range ~ 140m.

cheers edi

I would pick the 260 all things being equal.

Eng.,

I would also pick the 260 Rem.......but then I like short actions. You can gain a little velocity with the 25-06 but it's not a huge difference. It's chambered in nice, handy rifles. Doesn't kick much even in a light rifle. You can drop down to 85g bullets for varmint/plinking. Shoot 100-129g bullets for deer. And if the need arose, use 140g bullets on elk (or the 120g Barnes X). An accurate and flat shooting cartridge. You could do a lot worse.

HogWild

Actually the 6.5 x 55 is fairly popular in the US, it has an excellent reputation for accuracy and is quite suitable for the game you mentioned. I just had a new Mauser action rifle built in 275 Rigby (ok, it's also the same as a 7 x 57 Mauser)because it's so much better with slightly heavier bullets up to say 170 gr. for red stag or elk at medium ranges.

I'd say you can't go wrong with the 6.5 or any of the 25's, they'll all do the job.

My choice would be the 25-06.

257 DGR or if you must have a factory round the 250 Savage (250-3000) are my picks for anything up to and including Mule deer.

My choice would be the 6.5X55. I have 2,(a mod.94 swede carbine that has been sporterized and an Encore handgun with a 14inch barrel)They are both very accurate. The carbine has accounted for several whitetail deer and I believe the encore will do just as well.
Rick

6.5x55! I like the 129gr. Hornady at 2900fps for all light big game. It totally owns them. If I had to shoot something bigger than deer/antelope I'd use the 140gr. Partition. Anything smaller deserves an 85gr. pill (coyote/fox/wolf).

I've seen the .243 and the .25-06 work on lots of deer class and elk class critters. The secret with the .243 is use a good bullet. Back then, it was the Nosler Partiton. You need not worry about "picking your shot." The .25-06 works fine with any of the 120 gr. Winchester, or Remington, factory loads.
I hunt with a .25-284. That's my pick. .25-06 ballistics in a short action, 7 lb. 2 oz. rifle. E

The 6.5mm bore diameter dominates our household, and the 6.5x55 is still my favorite of the various 6.5s we use. It is as close to the perfect medium game round as one can get -- and it's more than 100 years old. Interestingly, despite modern technology, we haven't been able to improve on its performance without significantly more powder, noise or recoil.

I prefer the 140 grain bullets for everything from deer to hogs, and I just used a 140 grain SST to take a bobcat at 90 yards. It worked quite well, I might add...

6MM Remington, nothing more is needed. Using the 85 gr. Sierra HPBT or the 87 gr. Hornady fbsp I can only remember quick kills.

Depends on the terrain I guess. For wide-open areas at nothing larger than deer take a look at one of the "big" .22 center-fires. The 22/243 or 22/6mm with a 1:8 twist and a long premium bullet that you can drive 3600-3700fps and you got a wompin'-stompin' deer rifle......flat shootin',no recoilin' hammer.

You can also add the 220 Howell if you like the 30/06 length action.

DB Bill and Englander ,
Make sure you check the regulations on LEGAL calibers for deer. PA, WV and several western states last time I checked require a .24 or larger caliber.
As I live in Ohio and centerfire rifle is not an option, I wanted something I could 'chuck hunt with in addition to take somewhere and deer hunt with hense my .243 as an all-around middle power centerfire.

[ 10-10-2002, 22:13: Message edited by: amosgreg ]

257DGR first, 250Sav, and 250AI next.

www.duanesguns.com

[ 10-11-2002, 06:42: Message edited by: DuaneinND ]

Im just in the process of building a 6X51 specifically to shoot the Sierra 85gr HPBT Game king.
This will be absolutely the ticket for deer. Im not worried about it even with big alberta deer.

Englander,
Is it fair to assume you mean a rifle for your roe & fallow? I would say all of the above would be adequate. But, my personal choice would fall between the .257R and the 6.5x55 on your list.
I shot my 25-06 when I was in England, took 3 roe and 3 fallow. Shooting 120gr Remington Core-lokt factory load. Six shots, six deer, no problem. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on Reds if I had the chance either.
Barry

257 Roberts...why?.. because I have one.Good enough reason I guess....6x51?..is that "51" like the "51" in 7,62x51,if it is,I think you might have a 243.If I'm wrong,fill us in on this wildcat.

6.5x55

To be honest with you I must say I would use a 257 WBY it has to be one of the flatest shooting guns around and with a 100 gr or a 115 gr bullet you be able to shoot short or long range with out problem up to 400 yards with very little drop in the bullet I love it and once you see how deer just drop you won't want to use anything else

I have had great success with the 243,257AI & 257 WBY. I have used these on whitetails,muley's and antelope.

Well some say the 7X57 and others the 6.5X55, while at the other end of the spectrum there are the 243 and 6mm Rem advocates. But they all know that the 257AI right in the middle is the "most suitable"..

I have killed quite a few Michigan whitetails, including some big ones, with a 243. You do have to be careful with shot placement.

I have never wounded and lost one; however I did experience a spectacular bullet failure with remington factory ammo about 10 years ago (may have been CoreLokt, not sure) when I shot a big spike at short range. It left a melon-sized hole in his near side, just behind and slightly above the knee joint; fragments scattered through the heart and lungs, so he still dropped right there. Not ideal for preserving meat though. I have since switched to Federal Premium ammo, and one of these days will start reloading in earnest for this round.

Todd

Englander - All the cartridges you named are dang good. The "right answer" is simply a matter of preference.

There are no flies on any of the .25's or 6.5's, but my .250-3000 jerked the rug out from under a whitetail this past Monday morning. 100 Hornady Spire at approx. 2650-2700 from the 20" barrel. In the left shoulder, across the chest, out at the very front of the right shoulder.

No wonder the little .250 was so popular 70 years ago - no recoil to speak of, a soft voice that doesn't bloody your eardrums, and the deer don't know that they've not been hit by something much larger.

So, a tip of the hat to Edi Malinaric and his prewar M70 from a fellow .250 Savage enthusiast. I'd sure love to haul my M99 to the RSA for a go at the Springbok, Impala, and such.

BigIron

My choice would be any one of those. What ever rifle you can find a good deal on would be the one to go with. The 260 is the one I would choose though if I had to go with one.

My 6.5x55 has taken many whitetails. The real loads of coarse not the new sissy ones. The 140 has high sectional density and ballistic coefficient so driven at 2800-2850 will hold its velocity well and penetrate well.

The calibers you mentioned will all do the job. What you need to be concerned about most of all is matching the bullet to the task. Call some of the bullet manufactures and ask them which bullets are best suited to what animal, and at what distance and velocity. I have heard literally hundreds of stories about calibers just not doing the job. Reality is that they mismatched the bullets for the animals they hunted.