OK, What is your favorite caliber for White Tail deer? I have used everything from 30-30 to .270 to 7mm mag to .300 Weatherby.

I am thinking of this year using either .270 or 7mm mag since .300 seems a little much and I have a bad right shoulder and the 30-30 seems a little light in the event of a long shot being needed?

If you've got a bad shoulder I wouldn't recommend a magnum, even a 7mm.

If you can't kill a whitetail with a .270 there's a problem.

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Stu

A good rifle chambered in 7x57 Mauser. It's easy to shoot, accurate and deadly. Easy on the shoulder too.

Charlie

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SWCA # 2294

This is a subject of some interest.

Here, where I live, shots are never more than 200 yards, and most occur within 25 to 50. (See the attached photo for a typical view on my farm.) As a result, lever action .30-30s have probably taken more whitetails in Virginia than any other rifle-cartridge combination.

However, there are times when I'd rather my Remington 700 VSSF in .270. Though legal here, I think the .243 isn't quite optimal, but a lot of people like this caliber. It just strikes me as a little too marginal if the shot isn't perfectly placed. I don't like having to chase through the brush and rhododendron thickets after wounded deer. The .270 overcomes that objection. And, it has the advantage of being pretty flat-shooting at the distances I am concerned with.

I agree with you that unless you're shooting whitetails at extreme distances, the 7 mm maggie and the .300 are too much. Elk in Montana, yes. Whitetails in Virginia, uh, probably more gun than is necessary.

My neighbor has an old rifle in .35 Whelen and he routinely gets his limit (and more ) with it. He's much better at fieldcraft than I am, which I guess is the point: the closer you can get, the less critical the caliber once you exceed the legal .243 threshold.

I plan on pressure canning a mess of venison this season. They are thick here this year. I saw three 12-pointers together a half mile from the house yesterday, and I've scouted out their path from where they bed down in a big pine thicket to their water source at a nearby creek.

Anyway, I wish you a bountiful whitetail season, regardless of the caliber you end up with.



Bullseye

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Well, after wading through and kicking aside piles of deer carcasses on the floors of hunting cabins, shooting range sheds, and sporting goods stores from all the expert passionate discussions about why "my caliber is the best and yours is a joke", all I can say is after 30+ years of hunting and dozens of eastern whitetails downed, what has worked best for me is the venerable .308 Winchester with 150 grain slugs in handloads and factory fodder. 99% have literally dropped "in their tracks", but I hunt with a bolt gun and am fastidious about taking my time and making a good heart/lung shot.

For variety another favorite of mine is a Remington 700 Classic in .35 Whelen (30'06 necked up to .35 cal). I know some like the term "over-kill" but dead is dead and you can't kill one any more dead with one caliber over another. But with 250 grain slugs in the Whelen it hits like a fly swatter and dumps them to the ground and because the bullets are generally made for heavier use than a whitetail, there really isn't much meat damage, especially compared to a 30'06 with 180 grain slugs - I've seen too many eastern whitetails "blown up" with that load. I'm sure some will disagree - to each his own. As I said, that is my personal experience. I've taken deer with everything from a .223, .357 mag, .41 mag, 7.62 X 39, 30'06, .35 Rem, 35 Whelen, and .308 to 45/70. They all work - some better than others. Shoot what you shoot best and most comfortably and my recommendation is for 30 caliber and above. The exception (which is so close it doesn't bear a lot of discussion) for me would be to add the 7mm'08 [ a little easier on the shoulder ].

YMMV

What's wrong with the 243, its great on muly's and they normally are a bit heavier then whitetails.

No recoil hardly, my wife broke her back and has three rods between her shoulder blade. She has no problems with the 243.

Its accurate, ammo is everywhere, re-loading is fairly easy and not as expensive as the 7 RM, and simular rounds.

.308 That is all.

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Festina lente - A. Caesar

Nothing. Most of my prejudices against certain cartridges come from observing folks use them who shoot poorly . Not exactly fair, but it leaves an impression. I hunted with a couple of guys who thought the sun rose and set on a .243 and saw them both shoot and lose deer more than once. Also knew a clown over 30 years ago that thought his .30 carbine was an all purpose killer from anything from mice to moose . . . he shot five or six whitetails each year and usually brought home one . . . no excuse for such "hunters".

My favorite is the .257 Roberts. I have also used a .264 Win Mag and the .270. Neither of the 2 larger calibers has ever dispatched a white tail any better than the Roberts.

I have shot 129 deer with a .308 winchester and 16 with a 30-06. For me, .308 is the caliber to use.

This is like what is your favorite woods handgun thread. Most of the centerfire calibers will kill a deer dead. Its about what combination of action and caliber that seems best for you. I have something like 12 to 15 rifles in every action and many calibers. Everyone of them will do the job. Deads, dead! Last year as almost a afterthought I took a remington pump 760 with a peep sight in 30=06 to the range. I had inherited it from dad 7 years ago. Dad always hunted and killed his last nice buck with it at about 86 years old. I cut my teeth on pump 22s and 12 gauges so its really the most natural to me. The pump was accurate, fast handeling and light. Whats not to like? I have shot my most deer with a 94 winchester in 30-30 that I bought new as a 16 year old kid back in 1957.
For a bolt action I have them in 7x57, 270, .308, and .300 H&H mag and I have a browning auto in 30-06. I find the bolts and auto with scopes to be too heavy and ackward compared to my levers and pump. I also have a winchester model 88 in .308. I really like a ruger 77 I have in 7x57. That cartridge shoots different bullet weights and brands to the same POA for some reason!
Just go with the action that appeals, and a rifle that fits. Take it to the range and know where it hits at various didtances and thats the best rifle for you.

When I do have time to hunt game, I've one rifle for the lower 48...

pre-64 .300 Win. - Load 'er up, load her down. She's good to go.



Su Amigo,
Dave

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

I think the most versatile rifle I ever owned was a 7x57 Ackley Improved with a 28" barrel. It worked on everything from groundhogs up and is still harvesting elk regularly in Montana. However the only centerfire rifle caliber that I've always had at least one of is 30-06. Boring, I know.

Any of the mentioned calibers would work fine. I've used .30-06, 6mm Rem (.243) and .270 on deer.

If I didn't have one, and was just buying a rifle for all around deer use, I'd have to go with the .308 Win. This cartridge is the "moral equivalent" of the .30-06 but just come in a slightly shorter package. If a .308 won't work...nothing will.

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G.P. Charlie

I killed my first and biggest whitetail (254# field dressed) with a .308 handload, 180 gr. Hornady RN. My favorites now are .257 Roberts and .35 Whelen, the Whelen accounted for an 8 pt. buck in '08 with a .225 gr. Sierra BT spitzer handload. Both rifles are pre '64 Winchester M/70's, the .308 was a pre '64 Winchester M/88.

Whitetail ? Sounds like you shot somebody's milk cow !

.308 works for me

I use a 6.5-06, hard hitting, long range capable, lower recoil.

Eventually I'll get a .260 and a 7mm-08 as I believe they are more than capable of taking any deer under any circumstance and have flat shooting hard hitting characteristics.

6.5x55 here.

30/30
308
25/06
250 Savage
30/06
44/40
In no particular order the calibers I have used with great success.

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Nothing to see here,move along

Just sold my Swede 6.5X55 which is a perfect game getter. Reason sold: eyes ain't what they used to be. My standard has always been a .308 but the venerable .30-06 has taken it's fair share of game.

75MM recoiless

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it just needs more voltage

30-40 Krag.

I used .30-06 in two different rifles for the approximate 30 years I was actively deer hunting. Never had any cause to cuss it and many of those years I loaded it back to velocity range of .300 Savage. That didn't seem to make any difference at all.

Were I to buy something today for where and how I would hunt here, I think I might look at a .260 or 7mm-08.

The .308 gets my vote. A few weeks ago, I loaded 100 rounds for a new shooter using Hodgdon's H4895 youth data. I got a 165-grain bullet going about 2,100 fps. Testing them was so much fun that I might use them this year in my Model 70.


Okie John

Depends on where.

Fields - .270 [Weatherby]
Swamp (You can see like 50 yards max) - 7-30 Waters [Thompson Center Contender]
Lots of woods walking - .357 Magnum [Smith & Wesson 686]

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In dog years I'm dead.

Been thru a whole range of calibers over the years and now shoot only one - 30-30. It's what I started with, and will end with.

30-30
30-06
300 Savage
280 Remington
7x57
257 Roberts
250-3000 Savage
These are a few of my favorite rounds.

My personal favorite is 7mm-08, there are so many good calibers this discussion could go on for weeks.

I have been hunting Deer here in Michigan since 1955,and most of those years with an 8 x 57 Mauser.I like it because it has never let me down. I have several others from 250 Savage to 300 H & H, but early this year picked up a Browning Mod.71,in 348 WCF cal. so plan to try that one this fall.(Befor I get so old I can`t get out of the cabin !)

Put me down for the .270.......but there are several dozen good choices.

Browning BLR in 300 win mag for long range. My favorite is the 629-1 6 inch barrel 44 magnum!!!Elmer Keith's, "Hell I was There" got me to start the revolver hunting!!!!

I really like a ruger 77 I have in 7x57. That cartridge shoots different bullet weights and brands to the same POA for some reason!

I love the 7 Mauser.

Many years ago, I bought a new Mark X Mannlicher in 7X57 that I thot I would rechamber to .280 Rem or 7MM Rem Magnum. A cousin of mine was a frequent corrersponder with P.O. Ackley. I wrote to Mr Ackley and asked his advice. He told me he could rechamber to either cal. but that, in his opinion, the .280 could do everything the mag did and "do it better." (His quote. I still have the letter somewhere.)

I never rechambered it since upon shooting it w/ factory 7 Mauser one day, it seemed to 'want to shoot.' I bought dies for it and soon discovered it was luckily long-throated (not 'free-bored') and would safely shoot handloads near or equal to a 280. It also shot the 140 Sierra and 162 Hornady with the same loads of 4350 since the Hornady had a sharper ogive and could be seated out a little further. It also shot them to the same points of impact @ 100 yards in 5 shot groups few would believe if I published them.

The two 700 7 Mag I had both seemed to require deeper seating that would mitigate their true potential. I personally favor the 721-725 series over the 700's.

((Did I ever sell the Mark X? Of course ))

my 6.5x55 Swede is my go to whitetail rifle...excellent round, low recoil, ammo is readily available...

I don't deer hunt anymore and haven't for years. If I did start again I'd probably take either a Rem 08 automatic in 30Remington, or one of the Mannlicher Schoenaurs.
It's more the rifle than the caliber. Others to choose from but those I've been shooting more lately. Unless the shots are extreme, most any decent centerfire caliber will do around here.

I've taken deer with my .30 carbine, 7 mm mag and a .308 .
FWIW and for my part of the woods..The 308 is my favorite..as others have
stated just about any mentioned caliber would work quite well in fact a 30-30
could be the all time game getter..

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John 3:16

.58 muzzleloading Parker-Hale Enfield

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I have more 30.06 than any other calibre,( I don't know why, it just happened!). I also have 7mm RemMag, .243, .308 and a 500/450. But if I go wandering in the woods where I might have to defend myself from bigfoot, it'll be my pre-64 Mod 70 in 30.06 with express sights. It just fits.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Seems as if there is a lot here favoring the 308. Sadly that is one caliber I have never owned or even considered.

Looks like I will be on the lookout for a nice Browning or Sako in .308.

Sure wish some of those posting here would have described their hunting terrain and avg shooting distance.

In Ohio I can't use a cartridge rifle for deer, so I use a 54 caliber T/C Scout. For out of state it all depends on the distances and cover as to which rifle to take, but generally speaking the .30-06 will do pretty much everything I need.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

For whitetails in a rifle, i like the .308 Winchester.

I'll take my midbores ie 270 Win, 7x57,308 Win, 30-06 or 8x57 depending which rifle I'm in the mode to shoot. I also like taking my Marlin 1894 in .41 Mag. But I'll miss this season like last years by being down range.

CD

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De Oppresso Liber

Well, 99% of my hunting has been done in the hills and on the farms.

Short shots are about 50 yards, long shot about 250 to 300. It pays to anchor them in this country since the hills are generally covered with laurel and pine thickets and a lot the terrain is steep enough that if you hunt the ridges or near the tops of the mountains a wounded deer in full flight downhill can cover a lot of ground and find lots of places to hide before they bleed out.

As I said in my first post, I can only recall one hit with my .308 that did not drop the deer in his tracks; and that was because of my shot placement and not the cartridge.

I was shooting between a gap in two trees about 50 yards away at the deer at about 75 yards, and the angle was such I only got one lung. He ran straight at me when hit and rolled like a rabbit about 25 yards before he got to my stand. I was prepared to hit him again about the time he dropped and he was dead when I got to him.

Like I said, a center-mass heart/lung shot and they've all dropped in their tracks. Having used many different rounds to take deer, at least to me, the .308 round with a 150 grain pill seems to have just the right shock power for an animal that size - turns out the lights immediately and doesn't blow them up. YMMV.

Hi, Steve here. I mostly use a 7MM O8 in PA. this cal. is so reloadable. I all so use a 7/30 Waters for the smaller mountain deer.

300 savage
8mm mauser
270 win

successfully used since 1955

Been sued over NOTHING - Not taking any chances!

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In dog years I'm dead.

You and I are in the same boat.
Unless I'm hunting in the snow (and it never snows in NC during hunting season), there is no way I can spot a blood trail.


Just about every deer I've ever killed has been with either a .243 or a .270.
I'll take either one any day of the week.
With GameKings, CoreLokts or comparable bullets, I see no reason why either one wouldn't work on nearly all North American whitetail (larger Canadian bodies may be the exception) with proper shot placement.

I believe there were 1 or 2 deer the last few seasons that I used a .300 Win Mag on.
For NC deer, I believe this caliber is overkill and it is likely I will not use it again in this state.

I've recently come into some new rifles and will hopefully be using a .308 and a .30-06 this year on some critters.

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#1. .30-06 #2. .308 #3. .270
Oh, and maybe .22LR on them Texas-size rascals

I've used quite a few cartridges through the years to hunt whitetail deer. For the past 11 years, the 6.5x55 and 7x57 have served me well. More thump, more come-back ain't necessary for deer.

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195th Session FBINA

My favorite rifle/caliber is a cut-down No 4 Lee Enfield in .303 Brit. It is smooth and after fiddling with the sights, it hits dead on with the aperture rear and post front at 100 yds. I've always wanted to own a 7mm Mauser, though.