Best cartridge - deer sized game?

J

jaybob

Guest
Hello. I am looking for some advise on a rifle/cartiridge. My intended use will be mule deer and coues deer up to 400 yards. I want enough gun to get the job done but my main objective is:
1.) Light recoil
2.) Gun I can shoot enough to become very comfortable with it
3.) Light gun

Thanks for your educated advise.
 
460 weatherby mag would be my first choice.

jb

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
--Benjamin Franklin 1759
 
300 RUM 150 gr.barnes 97 gr. power drops about 6" at 400. There is NO light recoil,you can shoot it a ton if you put a good recoil pad on it, and as the weight just suck it up and carry a gun that will get the job done.
 
First two are just pulling your chain.

There is no need to consider anything but the 270. Does everything you want, and as cheap or as much as you want to spend on ammo. Ammunition at any corner store.

I have killed 2 big mulies in my life (a 160" and 180"). Both with my 270 that I have owned since 10th grade. Out to 400 yards, it can not be beat. The bigger bodied of the two was a mature, in rut buck, and my 270 took him down at about 410 yards.

I shoot 140 grain Hornady light magnum with interlock bullets because my gun shoots 1/2" groups with them. However, if their new light magnum with 130 grain interbond shot as well, I would use them because they shoot flatter and the interbond is a more solidly built bullet.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
.270 would be my choice. Get one and put a nice recoil pad on it. You will love it. A lot of good deals to be found in rifle chambered in the great cartrige.

Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"
 
How much do you want to spend, do you use a muzzle brake, what do you consider light, and do you reload? You can go a lot of different directions if you use a muzzle brake. I personally don't use them on hunting rifles, but I do use them on my Ground Hog gun. (7mm STW 120Gr Ballistic Tips 3575fps) If you use a brake the only thing limiting caliber is ammo availability. All "Standard" factory rifles weigh almost the same, but you save a little with the LW and "Mountain" rifles at the cost of FPS and accuracy. You can get into the exotic rifles for a butt load of money and save maybe a pound or so. Considering the range you are shooting I personally don't like bullets smaller then 7mm/.284. If you are going to be shooting a true 400yds I think you should be using any one of the "mags". Yes smaller will work, but you can not argue with the trajectory and KE on target. Then you have to factor in availability of ammo if you don't reload. I shoot a custom built, no brake, 300RUM, 165 Partitions at 3600fps for any open country game. (I won't have another one built because I don't see any difference compared to factory rifles, but that is a different topic.) No it does not have light recoil, but if you put a brake on it they recoil like a hot 243. So, to get to the point you asked with out more extra I would suggest any "mag" with a break and any "standard" caliber 270 and up. Also don't forget the bottom line is able to hit where you should at any range.
 
Check out the WSM's 270,300,or 7MM. Tikka T3 offers good value for the bucks. Guaranteed 1" MOA out of box. For whatever reason the WSMs have light recoil.
 
jaybob,

There are many cartridges that will do a fine job for you in regards to the hunting situations you described. Certainly, the ones mentioned by the fellow MM folks will all work well. Maybe what you do is look around for a particular rifle that you like the looks and feel of and then buy that rifle in whatever caliber it is chambered for and then start shooting a bunch of ammo out of it to become familiar with the rifle and sighting system you choose. Anything from a .25 caliber to the .30 caliber non-magnums will all satisfy your needs.

Good luck and let everyone know what you end up with.

Jim
 
predator,

This is a very fine rifle and caliber combination-underappreciated IMO. My Dad has this setup and it is a fine hunting rig.

Jim
 
I would get a 25-06 and never look back. They are flat shooting, and the recoil is low. It will kill any deer that ever walked the earth.
 
Hands down the 25-06, something secret about that catridge I swear it has some sort of hidden knock down power. Have somebody load it with good brass, cci large primers 53 grains of IMR 4831 and 120 grain nosler partitions and at 400 yards things will die.
 
I agree with Deerbedead, I absolutely my 25. But another good choice if you handload, is the 30-06 with 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tips, I load them for my hunting bubby, and they work great and shoot really well out of his gun, I watched him drop a buck antelope in its tracks at 400yards, this combination seems to shoot very flat also. But I am still sticking with my 25, I Love it.
BOL, Kim

BS Hunting Club Co-founder
 
If it's a choice between a 270 and 25-06 the 25-06 would get my vote it is a flatshooting machine.
 
ahhhh haaaa finally the old boring 30.06 is mentioned ,,, now granted i dont shoot out a zillion yards like everyone else :) i shoot things and they fall over :) guy told me once he shot a buck like 6 times or something , then apologized and blamed it on the 06 he was shooting , said his 7 mm woulda dropped it in one shot ,,, guess a 7 mm in the knee is fatal :) tell you what not to do , dont buy an "odd" caliber that shells are hard to find ,,,, i have a 284 savage lever gun ,,, is a great gun , but you cant hardly find shells ,,,,, get something you feel comfortable shooting , find the load that the gun likes , know your limits on how you shoot ,,, and watch things fall over :) and yes i shoot the old boring 30.06 , 180 grain rem cor lokt , and i keep my shots at about 250 yds and under ,,,, all i know is i shoot and things fall over ,,,,,
 
what jfwrc said. finally, another smart guy on here. not to say you're all dumb, just ignernt. man, model 70's make me drool. and in a .270, it almost causes a seizure. i have so many model 70's that my wife wants to shoot me with one. and a .270, well hell, it's like only the most perfectual bullet/cartridge combo ever. all an '06 is, is a necked up .270. all a 7mm is, is a german .270. only .007" difference. yep, a .270 is the best there is from mice to elephants. and in a pre 64 model 70, well that's just real nice.
 
Can't go wrong with a 270 Win. in a Model 70. RLH is right. My favorite setup in my arsenal is a stainless synthetic Model 70 in .270 Win. It's got a lightened up trigger (I done it myself)and wears a stainless Leupold 3-9 X 40 Vari-X II scope. It will group an inch and under and i've made numerous 300-400 yard successful one shot kills with it.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-10-06 AT 08:26AM (MST)[p]My recommendation is a 25-06 in a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker. The .25-06 is potent, accurate and in this model, light weight.
 
Need2hunt,
That setup you have really nice. I'm looking to get myself a setup just like that, sans the synthetic.
 
I just picked up a 270WSM in a Savage Weather Warrior. Havn't shot it at game yet but so far I really like the gun and how accurate it is. I would also have to second the .280 Rem recomendation. I had one in a Win fetherweight. In a moment of maddness I sold the gun several years ago and have regreted it ever since. Really anything in the 25-06 though 270, 30-06 range is going to work well for you.

Mark
 
I used a 7mm rem Mag. for years (22), it seemed to work great with 160 gr gamekings. now the guns of choice are a .45 knight disc and a .50 TC encore. They dont shoot as far but there is allot less orange!
 
.280 Remington KS Custom Mountain Rifle SS. I got mine on Gunbroker.com a few years ago, and LOVE it. '06 would be my second choice.

Ziess Conquest rides atop.

Semper Fi
 
If I am lucky enough to see the buck of my dreams circumstances may dictate that I need to make a difficult shot. In this case I want my Rem. 300 ultra. With a muzzle brake and practice it is no problem to shoot accurately. Just my opinion.
 
how about a Browning .50 cal? For those 1000-2000 yard shots. Just make sure you get the proper mounting hardware for your 4 wheeler or 4x4 so you can have a nice steady rest
 
I bought a Browning A-bolt stainless stalker in 270 short mag. Shooting 140 accubonds. It shoots excellant groups, is light weight and does not kick the crap out of you. Did fine on a 180 class buck at 320 yards too. Love it.
 
If recoil is really an issue, I'd suggest a 7mm-08. With 140s, it does pretty well. In addition, many of the 7mm-08 shoot very well. Remington's factory 140s are pretty effective. If you are a handloader, I give accubonds or interbonds a try.
 
your right tylercreek2.i shoot a 30-06 model 54 win.when i shoot things fall over too. tylercreek ca.hotsprings? riverdog
 
The .270 Winchester is a superb deer cartridge. I have used that caliber for many years and it is excellent for mountain hunting. The pre-64 model 70s have never let me down and I've used them for forty years.
 
Wow you really opened a can of worms here didn't ya. The best is the one you can shoot accuratly. the best is the one you can shoot accuratly. The best is the one you can shoot accuratly...........and on and on and on. Broken record? But seriously the best is obviously a .577 tyranosaur...or 270 win...both will kill a deer and if you run into a game farmer you can .577 his A$$
 
Kinda hard to beat a .257 Weatherby Mag. with 120 grain Noslers. It shoots fast and flat with plenty of knockdown power and minimal recoil. Only thing is they can get a little heavy.
 
Calibur and sweet shooters are a issue
of money! see all kill deer, some even turn them into
a cloud of blue-green crap with an hint of pink
(REF .50 BMG smart guy)! I like weatherby's!
however they cost bank to shoot if you don't reload!
my best shooter is my custom .257 ultra light!
RM
 
.270 Win - Gasp. I never could figure out the popularity of this caliber. It's so darn close to 7mm - only 0.008" difference!

I assume you don't reload or wildcat, so . . . . I'm gonna rock the boat a bit

#1 - 260 Remington
#2 - .308 Winchester
#3 - 7x57 Mauser
#4 - 6.5x55 Swede

All these can be had in a light, short action rifle and all are mild recoiling.
 

Similar threads

J
Mule Deer and CWD
Replies
45
Views
2k
HIcountryman
HIcountryman
Founder
Fun Adventure in Mexico - Client Testimonial
Replies
1
Views
589
Muleman1
Muleman1
M
JCR, statistics, counts, objectives and harvest reports
Replies
33
Views
2k
mightyhunter
M

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos

Member Gallery Photos and Videos!

C7BE549D-616D-469B-B189-4B6450BD1E8C.jpeg
Mrs. Asplin & her 13A buck 2022.jpg
8A8A6165-2BCF-48FC-80C9-F5301E286BE5.jpeg
Big Velvet Buck
6B7F972D-6672-4E67-AFA1-3EA08F68B902.jpeg
wades bull.jpeg
68941641-3862-4122-A351-8D270B03FDC9.jpeg
Screenshot_20210130-101420_Chrome.jpg
FA95EC78-760F-4B7E-B4C7-DF0419965640.jpeg
BF696D27-11E1-4BF7-A6AD-CFB9C39F2F94.jpeg
13A buck 2022.jpg
ID bull 21.jpg
Back
Top Bottom