no one need agree with my choices, and everyone's certainly free to select what they feel best matches their needs,
no you don,t need a magnum, a 25/06 or 270 win does a great job,
and obviously I'm posting mostly to get people thinking about what they use,
not expecting them to change a damn thing,
but hoping they think about their options.
the bullet selected does all the damage, and a good deal of thought should go into its selection,
its generally a mistake to select the fastest projectile based mostly on speed in any given caliber, in my opinion,
try to find one in the .240-.290 sectional density range that provides decent velocity, designed for the gamer you have in mind,
then do your best to get well under the max range your comfortable, in where you can consistently and accurately place your shots where you intend too.
precise shot placement and a good knowledge of both the games anatomy and your rifles trajectory are the critical factors
but you can,t ignore basic physics, and theres a very noticeable difference in retained inertia and energy in a heavier and larger mass,
mass, retained inertia and accuracy matter.
select a projectile with a similar ballistic shape
grab your 25/06 and compare it to a 340 wby
use similar ballistic coefficient bullets
around .394 in both pushed to about 3000 fps
theres no way to dispute the greater energy retained and potentially more rigid thicker jacket, higher mass and more retained energy of the larger caliber projectile
obviously the larger caliber rifle has increased recoil but if you can handle either option I see advantages in the larger caliber, especially if you don,t get the ideal shot angles.
you certainly don,t need a magnum on deer, a 25-30 caliber bullet of the correct design,at modest impact velocity's , will do all thats required.
a 257 roberts, 270 win or even a 30/30 used under its intended range limitations works fine.
https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/25-cal-257-117-gr-interlock-btsp#!/
https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifl...rlock-sp-rp#!/
