Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Deer rifle caliber with least amount of meat damage

Centerfire.22's are illegal for deer here in Colorado - the minimum is a .243 caliber. Lots of good choices in that cartridge, whether you handload or use factory.

The last deer I took was with my .300WM at less than 50 yards. The bullet was a 180g Barnes MRX (predecessor to the TTSX) that left the barrel at ~3038fps. Here's a picture of the exit wound:



With the hide off:


Here's the entrance wound:


I agree with others that bullet choice is a bigger factor than the cartridge. A .243 with the wrong bullet can make a mell of a hess.

The deer above was taken during elk season in open sage country. I took two others with the same load, also in sage but at much longer ranges. Both went straight down and again meat damage was minimal. One got hit broadside, the other in the chest. Both bullets exited. That said, a .300WM wouldn't be my first choice is I knew ranges would be under 300 yards.

I prefer my .257 Roberts to a .243 but the .257 is more of a handloader's cartridge as factory options are pretty limited. In short action rifles I'd go with a .260, 7mm-08 or .308. In long actions a .25-06, .270, .280, 7mm RM or .30-06. In any case, I would use a Barnes TTSX or low velocity to minimize meat damage.

That, and I would put my shots just behind the front leg.