Overgunned for Whitetail
 

In the past few years I have used a 6mm Rem,25-06, 270win,270 WSM, 7x57,7mm-08,280 REm, 7WSM, 7 Rem mag, 308,30-06, 300 wthby,300 WSM,300Win for my deer hunting. My longest shot was 300 yards(Doe in a food plot 300 wthby)and that was twice the length of my previous long shot.That is onlyone shot out of a tractor trailer load of dead deer. I pretty much hunt bottlenecks between food plots and bedding areas and my shot is usually 30 yards or lessand none over 120 . The question is why am I not using just a plain jane Remington 7600 in some civil non magnum caliber ?

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Thats kind of like when you see a guy who is 5'3" tall driving around in a lifted Ford F-350 crew cab.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Because then you'd have no way to justify the purchase of all those other guns! That's why.

If you really want to get a vote, put a suggestion box out near your hunting area and if any of the deer you're shooting suggest otherwise I'd just keep doing what you want.

Tom

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I 'd be willing to bet probably 90% of hunters in America are overgunned for Whitetail deer. There's just something about the word "magnum" that drives deer hunters crazy. They got's ta have it!

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Out of all these guns the one that irks me the most is my first Elk hunt and picking a caliber, I made the big dumb mistake of reading Jim Zumbos first Elk book and he described appropriate calibers and rifles. My Sako 30-06 Fiberclass wasn't listed in his book. He thought the 06 was an ok round. That really planted the seed and I didn't use the Sako(one of the best shooting rifles I have ever owned period)and bought a magnum blaster remington 700 that froze up on the hunt because we were hunting in near blizzard conditions and Getting in and out of a truck repeatedlyduring the hunt caused a bunch of condensation to build in the bolt body which caused an unbelievable amount of rust(you know the sage advice about using a thouroughly degreased firing pin and bolt) [:@]. Thankfully I don't own that 700now. I would howeverpay a great sum to get that exact Sako back

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Good question ...? I’ve gone down on power for deer hunting and my 2 designated cartridges for deer hunting will be my 260 Rem. & 7mm-08...

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Not all of us. Some of us are able to avoid the hype and make sane decisions about deer cartridges. I use a .243 Win.... :D

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

A lot of us also hunt western game and a lot of us like to use one gun on everything..there is no such thing as the all around gun in my opinion if one were to hunt in all types of terrain andon all types of Deer and Elk.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Interesting thread... I've thought about this stuf myself.

I went on my first hunt out west this year and killed a buck with the same .308 I hunt whitetails with here in PA. I had no intention of buying a different rifle just for the sake of that hunt. I still would have used the same gun if I had drawn an elk tag. I sighted in a little higher at 100 yards than I normally would have and practiced out to 300 yards regularly. I had extreme confidence that if I could get within 250 yards of a buck he was dead. The buck I took was at 225 yards give or take. He didn't care that I wasn't using a magnum.

Sometimes I think there is too much made of all this when a round like the old30-06 or a .308 can get the job done pretty well regardless of location.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I use a 300 WSM. I hunt in PA, DE(shotgun only), AL, and LA every year. And about every other year we go to Canada. I was using a Remington 710 in 30-06 but got tired of the gun and decided to get a new rifle. I wanted another 30-06 or a 25-06 but the local gun shot had 2 Tikkas for cheap. A Tikka T3 Hunter in 338 Win Mag for $450 and a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless in 300 WSM for $520. So i want with the 300 WSM. He couldnt order another Tikka in for the prices he had there otherwise i would have got a 25-06 if i had to order a gun.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Yes, but, this thread is not about "all types of deer and elk." It's about whitetails. As for your "all around gun opinion", I would venture to guess that the .30-06, the .308, the 7mm Rem Mag, and any of the various .300 Mags would fill that bill quite nicely.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Well, you're one of the 10%. My uncle uses a .243 as well and it'll put 'em down just like any other big "magnum" will. Of course he's shooting those skinny Florida deer though. All that is needed down there is a sling shot:D!

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I guess the best thing that ever happened to me years ago was I became a devout follower of P.O. Ackley. This made me totally immune to the Madison Avenue hype and magnum BS. The biggest gun I've ever hunted deer with was a 30/06. The smallest was a Marlin .357 Magnum shooting mostly 38 ammo and a 170 gr cast. No deer, mulie or whitetail ever took more than a dozen steps. America is the most over-gunned place on earth.[&o]

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I am not overgunned I am over prepared.. Different calibers with different stock/barrell lenght combinations..

22-250 for fun
6mm for long shots out of a shooting house
243 for long shots out of a ladder stand
Another 243 for long shots out of a climber
7mm-08 for walking thru the woods..
308 for short shots out of a climber.
444 Marlin for primative weapon..

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Are you asking for something that'll be more appropriate up close yet will shoot 150yds? 300yds?

.30-30 in those close 30yd ranges would be great, and now with that hornady ammo it has become a 300yd gone. 150yds it certainly will do. This would be my 1st choice at 30yds i think, esp since I already own it.

.308 might be nice for that situation, or better yet, 7mm-08! I think I solved your dilema. haha.

I certainly wouldn't be using the .300 mags at 30yds.

If you really are taking way more at 30yds, I don't think you could do better than a .30-30, it'll do 150yds no prob, and 300yds can be done.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Really,, wow a 300 mag is needed for deer . I really think you didn't read entirely what I wrote and you enjoy arguing if so go for it.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

So if you had a 30 yard shot present it self when deer hunting , you wouldn’t shoot with a 300...?

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Did you even read my original post..? BTW i have takend deer at less then 30 yards with a 300 mag

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Of course it's not "needed" for deer. That's not what I said. The thread was about being overgunned for whitetails. I said I didn't buy into the magnum hype, and that I used a .243. You responded that some folks like to use one gun for hunting out west (for deer and elk). I took this as an inference that you didn't mind being "overgunned" for whitetails. You then made a statement that "there is no such thing as the all around gun in my opinion if one were to hunt in all types of terrain andon all types of Deer and Elk." I was simply offering an opinion that there are several cartridges that would work well as an "all-round" round (and left a number of other excellent cartridges off my list).

I wasn't trying to "argue"... just offering an opinon.

Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying. If so, sorry...

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Out of all the rifles you mention many of them would serve you out to the 120 yards you mention is the normal long shot. However you metioned that you have had at least one 300 yard shot. So if you are going to settle on ONE rifle to do all your bidding you're stuck with one that you shoot well, has a decent flat trajectory, or at least one you know well enough to compensate for on long shots.
But since you own so many different rifles in different rounds I guess you're covered for different opportunties (as long you can predict which opportunities you're going to have!)
Me, ... if it was a matter of choosing just one I guess I'd go with the 280.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

If most of your shots are at 30 yards... becuase you are hunting bottle necks... well me personally I would just be carrying the bow. No point in ringing my ears for a 30 yard shot.

My deer caliber of choice is a 7mm-08 or a 30/30 Ackley Improved. Neither is really too terrbily much... but just about right for the job at hand. You can certainly get away with less, but much more for the little tiny deer we have in SE VA is overkill.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I used to be a bowhunter and loved that over rifle hunting that is until I screwed up my shoulder and elbow. I do kinda like the flame coming out of the barrel at last light.:D

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

It is hard to beat a Remington Pump Carbine in 30-06 with the 18-1/2 barrel, with a Zeiss 3X9 scope. Oh ya-That is what I hunt with in tight spots like you are speaking of. I have also went to an Encore with the Swarovski A-Line 3X10 scope.

I realize the pump will obviously give the faster second shot. But I can not remember how long it has been since I took a second shot at a deer(over 20 years). I like the Encore because it has a Left Handed Thumbhole stock. And It handles better than the pump rifle, and I can shoot the rifle from the off handed position considerably more accurate. Tom.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

In that case I'd say you should consider a muzzleloader!

I didn't want to insinuate based on your name that you were out of commission with regards to the bow hunting game.

Have you ever considered a handgun? .357, .41 or .44? Heck perhaps a contender in a caliber you already have ammuntion for?

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Uhhh....OK.......????

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

"Overgunned"??????

What the heck does that mean. Is that like "that girl is too pretty"??

No such thing. Dead is dead. The only person that is overgunned is the one who cannot shoot the "magnum" well.

For deer my favorite rifle is a browning a-bolt in 280 rem. It may be a tad on the large size, but so what. I shoot a 338 win mag for elk hunting. I try to stay on the large for species side of the spectrum. Thats not to say that the others aren't capable, because they are.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

If I was going hunting, to a spot/stand where I knew the shot was going to be 30yds, my 300mag wouldn't be my first rifle choice. If I was out west or wherever and a deer appeared at 30yds, he's going down, my point is that if you konw you're shot is going to be 30yds, why would you ever use a 300mag? at 30yds you'd be better off with a .375H&H than a .300mag.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

My gun list for a 100 yds an under would be .22 Hornet, .222, .223 and a 30-30.
100yds to 400 yds .243, 25-06, 270, 7-08 30-06, 308
over 400 yds, 7 mag 300 mag.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I have taken over 40 deer with a Remington Model 7600 .30-06 with a Leupold 3-9 X 40 from 6 to 130 yards walking, bedded, and running in the past 7 years. I couldn't imagine a better deer rifle for stand hunting in the woods, making drives, or still-hunting. Some people shooting longer ranges out west or in fields may use something else, but it sure gets the job done for me. I wouldn't buy another rifle even if I did get the chance to go out west. I couldn't bring myself to watch big fields anyway as far as food plot hunting goes. That's just a personal preference that contributes to my rifle of choice.

.30-30s just don't have the same power. Yes they kill deer, but honestly if a marginal hit does occur and it does I don't care who you are, a .30-06 will kill deer that get away when hit in the same marginal spot with a .30-30. .243s kill deer too. They're just a step above the .30-30 in my opinion though. I'd stick to the .270, .308, .30-06.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Heck, overkill isn't a bad thing, use whatever rifle makes ya happy! no such thing as too dead

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I have a friend who uses a 450 Marlin for deer..lol...he loves it. Overkill ?? Heck yes...but this is America and its his choice.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Right on...

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Let me tell you what I said in the original post..I questioned why I had shot so many different standard and magnum calibers when MOST of my shots ARE AT 30 YARDS OR LESS.Do you like switching rifles during a hunt ? Well neither do I when I get a chance to shoot deer in a hayfield and may get a 400 yard shot(longest to date there is 100 yards in reality) I like using the same gun for everything but realize now that I should get more specialized and for that I don't need a MAGNUM.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I just love magnums:D

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I "know" i'm "overgunned" for whitetails, but i use my "one gun for everything", and in it i usemy "one load for everything". (200NP's) That means my 8x57jrs "is" morecartridge than i need for whitetails, but i still use it...

I also know anything inside 300 yards is mine, but i don't get shots over 200 yards here on my place, and i'm glad of that...

My "second" in line rifle for deer, is a custom .280 that i have, built on a LH Rem. 700 action... I've harvested whitetails, blk tails, bear, caribou and many other animials with it...

I really think the 280 Rem. is waaay under rated!

DM

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I don't believe in "overgunned". Shoot what you are comfortable with. I have recently started shooting a 9.3x62 and love it. My other favorite is my 30-30's.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

It just means I am really good at making up excuses to buy more guns.. :D

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

when i first got into guns and hunting, i took a good long thinking about what to get for the oppertunities i would have. dont think ill make it on an african big game hunt!
then walmart had a sale!! got my first real gun, a marlin336cs 30-30 for $170.00! slapped a leupold 4x on it and so igot my close range or brushgun!
found a freind in need of some cash willing to let one of his bar's go, so i got my 30-06! got long shots coverd and if i use different grain bulletsit will kill from elk,bear,antelope,hogs,deer, pretty much any game in the us!
i gotan ithica 37 with combo barrels, coversthe featherd crittersand slug only areas.
a 10/22 for small game.
and a mac90 w/several 30rd clipsfor plinkin and protection.
and i think im almost set, all i need now is a 44mag 9"!!
what else could i possible need?

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

I have one to that I bought for hog hunting it is bigger than I needed but I like it. I also usedit on deer and it will put a big hole through them but it doesn't blow out the far side like a lot of the higher velocity rounds do. Like someone said about the .45/70 one time you eat right up to the hole.

RE: Overgunned for Whitetail
 

Gotcha!!!