Deer rifles
 

ok guys i'm going to wyoming again this fall and looking for a deer rifle that will put him down in one shot. I brought my 7mm out there two years ago and hit one in the shoulder and he didnt go down. i wasnt aiming there but thats where it wanted to go.. where we are hunting the longest shot is maybe 150 yards.. any suggestions and what type of bullets to go with it to nock one of these muleys down? thanks

RE: Deer rifles
 

Are you talking about a 7MM Rem Mag?? It didn't knock him down? My wife uses a 250 Savage and has no trouble knocking them down. Mayhaps its not the gun.;)

RE: Deer rifles
 

OK Dfeathies this sounds like a problem not with gun and more like abilities and bullet choice so here we go.



Hunting Is Knowing Your Abilities

Ability =Lots of practicenot just at the range on perfect benches/distances,
but in the woods with your stands or blinds. (they are not perfect benches)
The woods also have variables and obstacles:trees,bushes and limbs ect...
these are bullet deflectors. Deflected bullets are misses and/or wounded game.
When you become aware of all of these.......
Then we get to GAME FEVER this causes problems with nerves, rapid heart rate,
shaking,and some blindness to range and obstacles such as trees and limbs which
takes us back to bullet deflectors.(missed and/or wounded game)
The next thing is knowing what type of bullets to use for the game you are
hunting. How much penatration, how much expansion, how much penatration
before expansion and how fast to expand.(example .224 50 grain sx bullet with
muzzle vol.4000fps only penatrates1/2-3/4 inch explodes massive damage for next
3-4 inches with no exit on coyotes/deer)( .224 50 grain sp bullet with muzzle vol.4000fps
penatrates 1 inch with max. expansion in 3-4 inches exits with 1- 3 inch blowout)
(.284 139 grain sp bullet with muzzle vol.3000fps penatrates 3 - 4 inches before it starts
to expand max. expansion in 6 - 8 inches. 3/4 inch exit from12 inches of solid meat)

If you think about this a .284 139 grain sp bullet would travel 1/3 of the way through a
deer before it starts to expand (note: lung tissue is not solid meat either)

A better choice in bullets would be the .284 120 grain sp or hp for the faster expansion
it penatrates 1-2 inches, and starts to expand max. expansion in 3-5 inches 3/4-7/8 inch
dia. and pushes through about 12 inches of meat
(By the way reloads and hornady bullets) sp=spire pt. sx=super explosive hp=hollow pt.
BULLET CONSTRUCTION IS IMPORTANT TO CLEAN HUMANE KILLS ALSO!!!!!.

When you take practice, game fever, ammo/bullet construction, obstacles, and all
variables such as range/wind in to consideration before you pull the trigger then you
should have the Ability and Confidence to make clean humane one shot kills on game.

PLEASE DON'T EXCEED YOUR ABILITIES AND CONFIDENCE!!!!!

MOSTWEEKEND WARRIORS DON'T TAKE THESE THINGS INTO CONSIDERATION
THEY TAKE GUN OUT OF STORAGE A WEEK BEFORE SEASON, FIRE A FEW ROUNDS
JUST TO CHECK SCOPE. GO TO LOCAL GAS STATION, HARDWARE STORE, WAL-MART
BUY THE CHEAPEST AMMO THEY CAN FIND FOR THERE GUN AND JUST GO OUT
BLASTING. = (MISSED,WOUNDED AND/OR LOST GAME)!!!!

I know this is going to offend some people but things to think about before hunting
just my opinion thx

RE: Deer rifles
 

You haven't told the whole story here, but this statement sounds like you have other "issues" besides caliber/bullet selection. I am not a fan of 7 mag myself, but there is nothing wrong with it for deer IF YOU CAN HANDLE THE RECOIL. I am at a loss here and honestly don't know what to say to someone that can't hit where they aim besides PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!!

RE: Deer rifles
 

I put at least 400 rounds through my 7mm mag by the end of July every year. (even with reloading it still is a few bucks but well worth it). I only bench shoot the first few and the rest are from field positions at different ranges. I also use a recoil pad and shoot no more that 20-30 during a session. I have been doing this with the same gun for over 15 years and the gun still looks out of the box new. Practise practise practise. I use Sierra 150gr.BT Gameking bullets in my reloads. I've tried barnes but with the amount I shoot I don't think they are worth the cost. I've harvested some big deer at long ranges and after 35 years of hunting I'veseen some wild things that those animals can do. A couple of years back I hit a perfect dbl. lung heart shot at 180 yards and the buck still ran for about 70 yards. When I dressed him all that was left of the heart was one of the ventricles. I have also seen someone hit a buck in the shoulder at a bad angle and the bullet deflected off the shoulder blade.Make sure you have a good shot before you pull the pin and the 7mm mag will do the job. Everyone on this forum will have their favorite cal. but the 7 mm mag is still the one for me (fits my hunting situations and I like the big bang). Best of luck next time.

RE: Deer rifles
 

Yeah gotta agree with the others the problem isn't the cartridge and likely not the bullet either,it lies elsewhere;). I have taken plenty of game(antelope to moose)with the 7mm rem mag and variety of bullets ranging from 140-175gr,it has neverposed a problem (including shoulder shots of close and long range). You need to hit the rangefor somepractice, sight in and always verify POI prior to the hunt.

"not where I aimed but thats where it wanted to go" comment - Bullets do nothave a mind of their own! I Gotta ask if you never recover the animal how do you know what you hit??:eek:

whitetaildreamer you mean to say you've got 6000 plus rounds through the original tube?? If so WOW, I rebarreled atless than3000 due to throat erosion and loss of accuracy.

RE: Deer rifles
 

Skeeter 7mm
You bet, cleaning is the trick. After about every 100 or so I use a bore solvent that not only removes leading and powder residue but also copper fouling. A quick soak and the clear liquid comes out green with the copper. Most gun solvents will remove the lead and the powder and many don't even think of ridding the barrel of the copper. Be careful when using these products for a solvent to remove the copper will also remove the blueing from your barrel. My reloads max using 4350 at about 62-63 grains. I have been reducing the powder to 57. 6 grains. In my rifle I have been getting better grouping at this charge. Through the chrono I am still at vel. of over 2900 ft/sec. Also, make sure it is well vented using the copper solvent for it stinks like hell. Don't leave it in the barrel too long. Better to use 2 or 3 little cleanings than dump the bottle in the barrel and power out the copper. If you have never used a copper solvent, give it a try, you can not believe the difference it will make. Best of luck.

RE: Deer rifles
 

There's nothing at all wrong with your 7mm. And, my opinion is the same regardless of whether your are talking about a 7mm Rem Mag, a 7mm-08, a 7x57 Mauser, etc., etc., etc. Any of the 7mm's is more than adequate for deer. As everyone else has said, you need to be sure of your shot placement. How do you know that your deer was hit in the shoulder? Did you find it?

It's not at all unusual for a deer that has been hit in the shoulder to run 20-100 yards after being shot. Don't expect deer to just drop in their tracks. Some will, some won't. The only way to "drop them in their tracks" every time is with brain or spine shots, neither of which is the optimal place to shoot them... Shoot for the heart lungs area. It's nota bullet failure if the deer run a little way after being hit. Usually they'll go less than 50 yards. My first 4 deer were taken with a .30-06. Two went between 20 and 40 yards after the shot. Two dropped in their tracks. In the last two years, I've shot four deer with my .243. One went about 50 yards after the shot. One took three steps, and dropped, and two dropped in their tracks.

RE: Deer rifles
 

I clean after every range session, usingShooter Choice for power/carbon fouling and sweets or cr10 for copper. I never let my barrel get really hot - no 5 shot groups with heavy loads unless they are spaced out.No doubt i could have left my barrel longer I just didn't like theloss that came with doing so. GladI did as the replacementbarrel is faster &fouls less.

RE: Deer rifles
 

I use a Remington 700 in 30-06 and have never had one go far.