Mule Deer: You made my day.
Let me just touch on another aspect. I don't come off as an expert deer hunter, but I do think of myself as an expert beginning deer hunter. I've been at it for over 35 years.
Is a 150 grain 30-06 bullet better than a 180 or 150? The answer is completely overshadowed by shot placement.
Is BC as important as MV or F? Put down the magazines.
Should I use bullet X or Y bullet? The deer will not know the difference.
So shaman, what is important? Recoil.
If you're new enough at this game to be reading this thread for anything but chuckles, then the answer is probably recoil. What you feel at the shoulder directly influences your accuracy. It influences how much you practice. It influences your cheek weld.
But shaman, I don't feel recoil when I'm hunting. I'm concentrating on the deer.
Take it from a reformed recoil junky. Anyone who feels the need to use a Lead Sled for sighting in a deer rifle ain't doing it right. Anyone that's losing sleep waiting for the Managed Recoil loads to get restocked is missing the point. One of the best things that happened to my DRT average was getting shoulder trouble back in 2007. I developed chronic bursitis, and had to give up bow hunting. It made me concentrate more on my rifle hunting. I'm a big guy, and I can shoot anything I want. I'm not prone to flinching. However, I've found 35 Whelen is about my highwater mark as far as recoil is concerned. The older I get the more I appreciate good stock fit and moderate loads. It keeps me shooting more, and most importantly it keeps me out shooting away from the bench more. How this changes my DRT rate is that I mount my rifle more consistently, even in clutch situations. My brain is functioning better, because it isn't waiting for my bell to be rung.
The hidden point here, is that DRT success is more about the indian than the arrow.
Its always been about the indian and not the arrow.
Recoil wise, I have never seen a lead sled. I've shot deer with lots of weapons. But due to the competition back ground, recoil is not a factor for my wife or I. We understadn the mental part of the game and manage it.
That said, for most folks less recoil is a good thing.
And I"ve often thought to myself, while I"d be happy hunting deer with a 22 rimfire, if legal, that in reality, a 243 is more than enough gun for almost any deer I've ever seen shot.
And I know a family that has a few book deer, and the last of them are all shot with a 223....
I tend to grab my 308 as a default round.... when not grabbing the 300/221 suppressed these days. As noted it just doesn't take much.
