Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting The BEST deer cartridge!

308, 270, 6.5 X 55, 7 X 57, 7-08 it's a push. In the past 20 years of keeping records I have used 18 assorted cartridges to take whitetails from the 6mm's up to an including a 375 H&H. I'm a recovering magnum-a-holic and so I try to manage my condition better of late.

Interesting thread.

I seem to differ from the rest of you in that I couldn't care less if I had to use a brick to belt them over the head...probably should be pleased I do not have to though as a bag full of bricks carried for a days hunting would soon wear upon ones resolve.

There are a lot of best cartridges. Depending on where and what kind of terrian. I have shot a lot of deer with calibers from .243-.300win mag. My two favorites have become .260 and 7-08 in a 5.5 pound rifle. Short compact and light. With federal Fusions the Deer are DRT 99% of the time. And when they not they'd only go a few yards. little meat damage with great terminal ballistics. Little recoil they are a Dream to shoot and being very very accurate. JMHO

6.5 Jap.

Duh!

358

270 wby. Not that you need much power to kill a deer. But in South Texas where I hunt, you don't want to have took for him. Hasbeen

Yep, we all know how well armored them 150# corn fed TX bucks are.

Seriously dude, do you really think a 270 Webby actually kills a whitetail any faster than a 308 with BT's, Scenars, or Bergers?

I understand it shoots a bit flatter and will have a Max PBR a little further out, so if that is your goal, due to hunting Senderos, that makes sense, but "killing power"?

Absolutely!

Nearly any CF cartridge will kill deer handily within that cartridge's range of effectiveness. I've killed a bunch with a .243, and never lost a deer wounded with the cartridge.

Works for me . I hate thorns and snakes . Like my deer DRT. All the country looks alike. Really hard to find if the run a little way. How many S Texas hunts have you been on. Hasbeen

6mm

The one you have the most confidence in OR the one you have at the time.

This in spades.

Don't have a favorite so to speak, though I"m somewhat partial to my tackdriving 308 and my suppressed 300/221 lately.

One due to extreme accuracy, other due to quietness...

Deer are not hard to kill, if legal a 22lr would likely be high on my list of meat guns...

My favorite is 308 with 150 grain flat base interlocks.

The buck I shot this year was with a 223 with handloaded 65 grain Sierra Gamekings. I used it because I had just bought the rifle and had too many people telling me that I'd lose deer if I shot it with a 223. The handloads were actually made for an AR I had. I didnt have enough time to work up a load with anything else. I just grabbed a handful and shot a 1" group and went hunting.

Then you should try a Berger Hunting VLD in 243 or larger, high shoulder shot.

No kidding..... My little .260 drops them DRT every time. And these are Wisconsin swamp Bucks..... Much much larger than those tiny Texas Fawns, oops deer. But, if big gun helps than more power to you...... To each their own...

For all around deer hunting my initial response is the 25-06. Covers just about all the bases. But I do have a fondness for the 7mm-08 that we got for my stepson..

I'd throw my hat to a .308 with 150gr cup and core, but really its bullet/slug placement that does, or doesn't do the job with all in your list.

I started hunting with a .308 back in the early 70's back then many considered the 180 grain bullet was best. I took the best deer I have ever harvested with a Hornady 180 grain RN bullet. I later switched to the 165 grain bullet and used that for as long as I hunted with the .308, it always produced a clean kill.

Speed helps kill... so you say the fast 270 ain't it.... but dredge up a fast 243.... WTF.

DRT is always about shot placement to be 100%. Nothing more or less.

I shoot 308 a LOT with bergers... I've yet to see a DRT... FWIW... but then I shoot lungs and don't like wasting meat on shoulder/high shoulder shots...

I should clarify, I see a LOT of DRT with the 308 when I want to, but thats due to head shots.

rost, well said. Shot placement is what causes DRT.. I have to smile when I hear some of these comments.. Hunting antelope one gets to see clearly the reaction of the animal to the shot most of the time.. Deer often are hidden quickly by brush or trees.. A high shoulder shot puts them down, but as you pointed out ruins some meat.. A lung shot mostly involves the animal moving some distance..