What caliber for deer hunting
 

I have decided to go with the savage 110, but not too sure on what caliber. I will be deer hunting and varmit hunting. Maybe black bear. Most of my shots will be from 100 to 200 yards. Occasionally 300 and 400yds. I am looking for a caliber that is very accurate. I have thought about the .308, but not sure. Any suggestions?

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

Well SEEING YOU WANT A DEER, VARMIT AND MAYBE BLACK BEAR ,
I GO WITH THE .270 CAL...
IF YA JUST WANT A DEER ,VARMIT 25-06 COULD WORK.....

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

7mm STW if you want long range shooting!;)

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

Lets say i was just using it for deer and black bear, what do you think of the .308. or maybe 30-06

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

Hi Crump: Varmints to Blackies is alot to ask of a caliber. What kind of scope are you envisioning for this project? If you areplanning on alot of varminting/range time, I would say the .308 is theway to go as ammunition should cost considerably less than most other "big game" legal calibers. In fact, Midway is selling the Federal Speer Grand Slam (150gr) for less than $8/box!!! (better hurry though). Otherwise Wolf "stuff" is about $4.50/box.

Good luck,
CE

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

Bushnell Elite 4200. I am just looking for an all around good, accurate caliber. thanks for the replies

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

If you are going to stay within 100-200 yards the .308 will do more than enough, even the .30-30! Now if you are going to occasionally be shooting at 300-400yds, I would go with the 7mmSTW or the 7mm Mag which would do good at all these yardages you want!

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

Nothing wrong with the 7mm if you want the extra muzzle blast, recoil and expense of ammo, but the 30-06 will do it all and would be my pick for what you want to do.

Drilling Man

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

I have even thought about 7mm-08, but didn't think it had the distance for a 350yd shot. Heck, ive even thought about a .243. I just can't make up my mind.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

what about the 243?? i would look into it... maybe a little under powered for bears...

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

What can you guys tell me about the .308 or 30-06. I was told to stay away from the 30-06 because it shot like a rainbow and I would have trouble judging distance and hitting my target, if that makes since.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

.243 is probably the most accurate gun out of the box. Extremely flat shooting and has good BC and SD.
You can shoot 55 gr bullets for varmints, and go up the 100 gr. for deer, elk or blackies. Well capable of 400 yd shots for deer and varmints, blackies I would keep it under 200 yds.
check out my threads on the .243.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

Crump, I think you are mistaking the .30-30 Winchester and the .30-06 in terms of trajectory. I would'nt want to take a '-06 out for a day of varminting, but it would be a great choice for deer and blackies.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

In 1925 Winchester developed the perfect cartridge for what you are asking. It was called the 270 and has yet to be improved on as a deer caliber form 0 -400 yards. Easy to get ammo for, acceptable (to most)recoil, great ballistics and wide spread availibility. You could ask for more but probably won't find it. The 25-06,260,6.5x55 Mauser,7x57,7mm-08, 280, 308 and 30-06 would also be good choices. The 30-06 is really more than needed for deer but is hard to beat as an all around NA caliber. I probablly missed a few good ones. The 25-06 minimum is because you through in the 300-400 yard part.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

crump116,

Forget the 243Win. It's an excellent varmint cartridge, and will pass for some for deer hunting if shots are kept within a couple hundred yards.
There are far, far better cartridges for use on black bear. Hell, IMO it should be illegal to hunt bear with this cartridge.
I don't know where you're at, but just for some interesting reading I'd suggest you look at the information on bear hunting on the PA. Hunters forum. The largest dressed weight black bear taken this year was a 747 pound male. There were several others going well over 600 lbs.
One poor fellow took on a large bear with his 444Marlin, and got bit a couple times for his trouble before the bear expired. If you want to go after a bear with a 243Win., please, be my guest. Just do me a favor and name me in your will. I'll be laughing all the way to the bank!

Link: http://www.huntingpa.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/Cat/0

For what you want I'd seriously look into a 270Win. (minimum, but better suited to both deer & varmints), the 280Rem., 7mmRem.Mag., 308Win., or
30-06. If you really anticipate shooting over 300yds., then the 7mm Remington Magnum is probably the best bet.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

crump116

In my opinion, of course I'm totally biased ;), the 7mm-08 would be an excellent option for your application as ithas a wide variety of 7mm bullets available from 100Grn (Varments) up to 175 Grn (Anything else), andis more than capable of making shots in to 350 Yd range.

I've gota 7mm-08in Rem 700 Mtn LSS flavor and have worked uploads for the 145 Grn Speer SP (HotCore) that has a muzzle velocity of 2,848 FPS and 2,622 FtLbs energy and at 400 Yds is still running at 2,158 FPS and 1,500 FTLbs of energy which is more than enough for the types of game you are considering. The 7mm-08 also has the added benefit ofvery light recoil.

As has aleady been mentioned, there are a number of calibers that could meet your needs. Here are a couple of links to the Remington and Federal sites that allow you to compare the ballistics of multiple cartrdges.Even though thisis"factoryammo" ballistics, it may help you with your decision process. Another thing to keep in mind, especially if you are not an handloader, is the availability and variety of factory loads. These two sitesshould also at least give you a feel for that availability and variety.

Remington:
http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics/

Federal:
http://www.federalcartridge.com/default.asp?pg=27&firearm=1


I'm sure you know that there are a whole host of things that impact accuracy, and in my opinion,the specific caliber isNOT at the top of the list. Every rifle is different and one rifle might like one particular load and a different rifle of the exact same make and model may like something entirely different.

With that said, I have found it to be easy to develop accurate loads for the 7mm-08, at least in my gun. I've developed loads forthe 154 Grn Hornady Round Nose, 145 Grn Speer SP (HotCor), 140 Grn Nosler Accubond, 140 Grn Sierra SBT, 139 Grn Hornady SP, and the 140 Grn & 150Grn Nosler Ballistic Tips. With the exception of the Ballistic Tips, all of these shoot sub MOA at 100 YDs in my gun and even the Ballistic Tips shoot at about 1 1/4" @ 100 Yds. (I think I just need to try some different powders with the Ballistic Tips). Also, the 145 Grn Speer SP's and the 140 Grn Sierra SBT's shoot sub MOA at 200 Yds. I just haven't tried them at longer distances yet.

So don't just through the 7mm-08 out with the bathwater.....you should do a little research on your own (do a search on 7mm-08) and pay attention to what the folks here have to say as many have a lot of experience to share.........but in the end it's you that will have to make the decision.

Good luck in your caliber quest.....I hope some of this helps!

firstshot
------------------------------------
Make your first shot count!

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

in the hands of a skilled marksman, there are alot of good long rage shooting calibers that can take down deer or bear. the 30/06 was used by many accomplished marksmen in 1000 meter shooting matches. lately that has been replaced by the .308. i havea cousin who has killed deer at 600+ yards with a 7mm Mag and can still group well at 800-1000 yards(documented on video,although i havent seen the video) My personal reccommendation is the 30/06. I have hunted with it since i was 11 and the farthest i ever had a deer run was the first buck i shot(i got buck fever and pulled to the left and hit it in the liver) and it ran about 2 steps before it hit the ground. that was with 150 grain loads. it is possible to get loads up to 220 grains(wich would be plentyfor black bear) and clear down to 55 grains(i am told, once again i havent seen these) which would be good for varmints...well bad for the varmints but good for the shooter
but i dont pretend to be an expert, someone will probably tell me that my cousin could not shoot like that, blah blah blah, but in WV we tend to pick up a rifle at a young age and put it down only when we are no longer able to hold them (sometimes after that) and i doubt that anyone who has seen west virginians shoot would bet against us in a shooting match

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

I'd say leave the varmints out of the equation! All day varminting, to bears, is asking a lot from one caliber. Anything from .270, .280, 7MM-08, .308, 30-06, 7MM RM, and a couple of other "7's" that I missed, would be perfect!

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

If black bears are definately possible. Go 30-06...if varmints are definate go .243 I don't feel like you can ask a gun to do varmints and bear. 30-06 will definately take varmints ...a 243 would leave me uncomfortabel in bear country, so I guess I'm saying 30-06

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

James hit the nail on the head. 270 is seldom the wrong choice when the word deer is mentioned.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

i only hunt deer and hogs, with this being said i use a weatherby .300 mag.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

Cop, it's everyones prerogative to use which ever caliber they wish, but being fromFLA. why .300 Mag?:)
Do you hunt the power lines where the shots are 300-400yds? I use to use the 7mm Mag and there was no need to do so. If you go out west alot, I can see the .300 Mag, but here in FLA.?

I use the 6.5mmSwede in Ruger M77 with 140gr and sometimes 156gr Norma. I shot my moose in Canada(1995) with 156gr Norma, at just over 200yds.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

Cop, Bench Rest Magnum Cartridges

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

Rebel, i like to hunt where i can maximize my seeing distance. i do hunt dense swamps on occasions, when i do i carry my .30-06. the buck i shot this year was range find at 350 yards. i was hunting on the edge of a dried up lake. the lake is about 600 yards across and the deer i was watching were consistently bedding in the middle of the dried up lake (approximately 300-400 yards away. my stand was positioned at the closest point to where they were bedding. a little after day break, 7:30 a.m., i observed three doe's stand up in the middle and start to walk to a briar thicket. 5 minutes later the buck stood up and started following the doe's. he made the mistake of stopping for a brief second, so i seized the oppertunity and dusted him.

RE: What caliber for deer hunting
 

I would say 7mm-08 as well. For deer it's perfect, can be used for bear and other game. 30.06 will work too but i still think it's overkill for deer or varmints.