I went on my first deer hunt last weekend, now I'm researching calibers for a deer rifle. I had borrowed a .223, and right before I got off the stand and left, I picked out a nice stump just to see how it shot (had never shot it before, the owner--honest guy--told me it was a tack driver), and was horrified at how 'tiny' it felt. Seemed like it wasn't sufficient to be pointing at a deer.
But anyway. I'm looking at a few calibers, okay, more than a few. Basically, here's the list I found appealing:
.270 WSM
.270
.308
7mm-08
7mm mag
And just about anything else
I want it to be pretty accurate out to a few hundred yards, and be suitable for mostly whitetail deer but possibly elk as well.
As far as recoil is concerned, I can shoot a 2 3/4 12ga skeet load all day and not mind it, and 3" turkey loads aren't a big deal. But I don't want something that will knock me out of the tree (I'm 6'1, and not a real big guy) .
Ideas? Also, what about the brand? I like the Winchester 700 and Remington 70, as well as the savage 10FP
Since you want to be able to use it for elk, I would get the 30-06. The 308 or 270 would also do double duty but the 06 would be a slightly better choice. If money was not critical I would pick up something like the 7mm-08 or 260 for deer and buy a elk rifle if you ever really need one. Its nice to have a deer rifle thats comfortable to shoot and something you can enjoy using. To much recoil is just no fun IMO.
I'm a small "guy" (14 years) and I use a 7mm. I had a choice between 30-06, 270, and 7mm Rem Mag and I got a 7mm just for the addedpower and range. I don't plan on shooting way out there, but when I get good enough to hit past 300 or so I won't feel undergunned. 30-06 by far has the most loads for it and shell price is very low, especially with surplus though.
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Small kid with big guns.
Look at that .13 C-T-C group!
30-06...cheap to shoot, doesn't kick too hard, and I don't know why everyone thinks that they blow deer apart, even on my smaller WV does it doesn't do too much damange (just don't use ballistic tips)
This is a stainless & laminated stock rig that weighs in a 6 1/2 Lbs w/o scope. I think the7mm-08 is one of the best whitetail calibers out there. It has very little recoil so you can shoot all day and not get beat up, yet with the right bullets it has plenty of power to take on elk at reasonable ranges. There is quite a bit of factory ammo available and if you hand load you can really make the most of all the 7mm bullets available.
firstshot
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Make your first shot count!
I just built a 7MM-08 for my 12 year old son. He can shoot it as easily as a .243. We are elk hunting right now. Have plenty of confidence it the gun's ability to kill an elk out to 300 yards with this load - 150 Swift Scirocco at 2750 fps. No different than the impact velocity of a 30-06 with a 180 grain Core Lokt at distance -and probably about as good of wound channel .
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A man has got to know his limitations . . . . .
I went on my first deer hunt last weekend, now I'm researching calibers for a deer rifle. I had borrowed a .223, and right before I got off the stand and left, I picked out a nice stump just to see how it shot (had never shot it before, the owner--honest guy--told me it was a tack driver), and was horrified at how 'tiny' it felt. Seemed like it wasn't sufficient to be pointing at a deer.
But anyway. I'm looking at a few calibers, okay, more than a few. Basically, here's the list I found appealing:
.270 WSM
.270
.308
7mm-08
7mm mag
And just about anything else
I want it to be pretty accurate out to a few hundred yards, and be suitable for mostly whitetail deer but possibly elk as well.
As far as recoil is concerned, I can shoot a 2 3/4 12ga skeet load all day and not mind it, and 3" turkey loads aren't a big deal. But I don't want something that will knock me out of the tree (I'm 6'1, and not a real big guy) .
Ideas? Also, what about the brand? I like the Winchester 700 and Remington 70, as well as the savage 10FP
thanks!
jonathan
The cartridges you listed are all excellent, and with premium bullets, all will kill elk with no problems, as long as you hit them in the correct spot. But this is true of any and all calibers!
The .270 Win. and the 7mm/'08 are likely to be the lightest recoiling rounds in that list. For elk, I'd use a 150-grain Nosler Partition bullet in the .270 Win., and a 160 NPJ in either of the 7mm's you listed.
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"Bitte, trinks du das Wasser nicht. Dahin haben die Kuhen gesheissen."
Deer/Elk caliber, recoil?
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