After years of hunting deer and killing them with different rifle rounds. My choice today is the good old 7x57 Mauser with 160 gr bullet

Killed more with a .243win than any other round. And I've killed alot.

223AI

7mm-08

Last few years it's been a 257 AI.

I'd hate to be forced to choose between the .243 and .30-30. Both have worked great on a whole bunch of deer for me.

.308

Probably 6.5X55, but not for any particular reason. I use a bunch of them. I probably carry a .308, .223, or .45-70 just as much. They all do about the same thing.

250 Savage

I've got two.....7mag, 7-08

Tree o eight.

6mm

With see-thrus and a Bubba-Buddy!

Roberts

257 Roberts with a 100 grain Partition

a Muzzy 125 followed by my arrow ...

Yep, the same for me...

7-08 is my favorite Missouri deer rifle with my 30-06 being a very close second but with unlimited doe killing here in my kneck of the woods I get to use all of my rifles every year.

You think I don't?


I could do the Bubba-Buddy, but I HATE the see-tru's.

Seem to always have my STW when shooting deer.But think the 25-06 is my favorite for deer.

300 Savage

And a 6.5-20X50 Barska to hunt the woods with.

+1 for the 7-08. 139gr. Hornady SP's in particular. Trying to like the 120 BT's as well.

350 Rem mag. Always use enough gun!

Have been working on that answer for more than a few years. Now accept I probably will never come to any absolute conclusion.

12 Gauge 3" Remington Copper Solids for shotgun only hunting. 243 105 Grain Speer Hot Cor or 30-06 180 grain Sierra RN, depending on where I'm hunting in rifle country.

I thought I was the only one that still used ACC's.

30-30 with a 170 grain bullet.

with a 243 or 6mm in a very very very close second

280 Rem.

6.5x54 Mannlicher Schoenauer:



Or 303 Savage:

270 or 243

270 Win or 25 Gibbs

30.30 followed closely by a 30.06.

7x57 in a Featherweight and 30-30 in a 64.

.280 AI, .243 Win/6mm Rem, .300 Winchester.

T/C prohunter in .50 or a 20 ga. slug rifle, all I can use here.

Doc

.260 Rem with 120 gr BT's

.308

Stan in SC

7-08 with 120gr. TSX'X.

Because Indiana limits us to pistol caliber rifles, my favorite is the 44 mag.


maddog

.35 Remington with 200g Corelokt, or .358 Winchester with 225g Ballistic Tip.

ACC's till I die bro.

There is always the .358 WSSM

7-08 with 140 Partitions.

250AI

223AI

7x57

6.5/06

30/06

35 Whelen

blah blah blah. Avoiding the extremes, everything kills them, though folks have problems with that concept.

Ditto.

Roberts

Big +1

I was going to post something similar to your post but you were quicker.

I killed a few with my first rifle, a 30-06 then a 25-06, 270, 308, 243, 300WM, 375 Win, and lately a 6.5x55. All the deer fell over and died after the shot.

I can't say either did better than the others. I did shoot through a live oak tree on my very first deer, with a Sierra 180gr bullet and the 30-06. Consider myself pretty lucky on that one. I don't recommend anyone try it.

Now I'm looking for things like recoil, trajectory, under MOA accuracy, and all that internet stuff many seem to write about so much. Sometimes I wish I could go back and just hunt like I did before I paid attention to all this stuff.

.30-30 Winchester.

Although I've killed more of them with the .30-06.

Whatever is in my hands at the time when I walk up on my next dead whitetail.

100gr broadhead or 180gr thirty ought-six

270

Sorry Bob...kneejerk reaction....

270 and 308

I looked to see how many different rounds I have answered this with already. I still think the 6.5 mm fits the game for our TX sized deer. Mine is a .260. Followed closely by the .270.

Jimmy C

.243 hands down. 30-30 close second. although the .260 I used last year sure worked well.

280AI

270 or the 308 Win. 6.5x55 is a favorite also.

I've only killed four critters with it, but the 7mm-08 strikes me as perhaps the finest deer round ever. Great bullets, great performance and very manageable recoil add up to near perfection, IMHO.

That being said, I've killed a dozen deer and elk with the .284 Win and find it to be devastating on game...and a bit more confidence-inspiring than the 7-08. I'd have to pick it if push came to shove.

I now own a .260 Rem and will need to wring it out a bit before I can give my final answer. But for now, it's the .284 Winchester.

Sure glad the Pooobaaah didn't see this or we would never hear the end of it...

.223 is all ya need...

LOL!

Seattle: I think that's a good choice because if you used a 284 and had good results on deer(no surprise),you have already "used" a 260,6.5x55,270,280,7x57,280AI and other AI creations of similar ilk (like the 7/08AI and the 7x57AI),30/06 with the same range of boolits......and a whole host of others I have likely forgotten....the whole bunch are as alike as a lineup of Las Vegas chorus girls viewed from a distance.

You will see no difference

I guess it's the .270 Winchester, I've sold or given away all the other ones..................


Doesn't much matter, they all work.Deer are easy to kill.

I think there's something wrong with my computer. I've been through every post on this thread and can't find any posts pontificating that the .22 CF's are somehow "wrong" for deer. I can't find any three thousand word dissertations full of ballistic gack or footpounds of energy. There's also no mention of through and through penetration versus expending all the energy inside the deer...nobody's gone off on a mud-slinging, azzhole-calling rant on anybody else because of their choices....what's wrong here?

Me,too.....years ago.

As with many of us, I have several contenders to be considered. But for the moment I'll go with the 7x57.

Anything with a bubba buddy is a good deer rifle!
Anything that the shooter can steer bullets into the vital organs with. I have had my best luck with my Remington Classic
in 35 Whelen. Mostly because that is what I use. I think any centerfire cartridge could be my favorite.

Anything that can pound a bullet through this stuff.

260 Remington...

I see lots of openings........

.270 Win. works well on both small and large bodied whitetails, in the woods are across an open pasture.

If there was only 1, god forbid, 6.5 Swede/260 Rem. Using only one would surely take a portion of the fun out of hunting.

A better survey might be what bullet if only one, still no slam dunk.

Joseph

An '06 with a 180 grain bullet. Dang I'm boring.....

Anything with a projectile size in the 6.5mm to 7mm range. I'm becoming a big fan of the 6.5 Rogue (6.5x55AI with 37deg shoulder). Mainly because of the accuracy with 140 grain SST's.

One of my new favorites .243/100gr Partition. Took out the runnin' gear then stuck in the pine.

ACC's till I die bro. [/quote]

the purple veins are a nice touch.

8x57 & 308 just seem to take the challenge out of killing whitetails.

.30-06 Remington 180 grain Core-Lokt.

Anything that shoots a bullet bigger than a gnats azz..they aren't that hard to kill !!!

270 win 130gr. I also like the 8mm Gibbs, but it's kinda lotta overkill on a whitetail.:)

30-30 is a KEEPER!!

I'm pretty happy with my .25-06, with my .30-06 as my backup. If I'm hunting close, then my 444.

My one whitetail was killed with a 30-06 and 150gr NBT. Might not be my favorite, but its what I had at the time.

I haven't shot a whitetail since (mostly hunt mule deer), but I'm thinking that a trim short action would be my choice now. Maybe an M700 Mountain Rifle, M7 Stainless or maybe a Montucky.

Anything from 243 to 308 would be my choice in cartridges. Pretty hard to beat the 260 or 7mm-08 overall.

And I guess it could be said that a Yugo is all you need to get from point A to point B. Some of us just like a little more in life.

Nice pics Bru, but you got too many S's in Lancaster county.

I wish we could legally kill deer witrh 22 centerfires, but we can't, so...

This year I may pop one with my 25-20. I try to rotate my deer rifle stock and it's worked its way to the front of the safe.

I've got a Ruger 77 being made into a 260 Rem, and that may be this year's Cat's Meow of Deer Killers (they all work----that's why we call them deer rifles).

Or maybe the 6-06 this year. It's tough having so many choices

7x57 and 6.5x55, in that order.

270 Win.

243 with 100 gr Partition
264 Win Mag with 130 gr Scirocco
270 WSM with 130 gr Interbond
308 with 165 gr Solid Base
358 Win with 225 gr Accubond
50 Cal ML with a 250 gr Barnes TMZ

All have worked and worked well for me. Which ever one of those that is in my hand is my favorite.

Whatever I have in my paws when I venture out is my favorite of the day!

Practical choice .308 Winchester

Sentimental favorite .30-30 Winchester

1st runner-up .45-70

25-06,I think I just became a ranger, does it make me feel more important? nah

In the past I have shot all my deers with a 270 Win. This year I gave the 270 WSM a try. I really liked it. It will probably be my go to gun from now on.

30.06 but I am liking the 7 Mag. more and more each season.

No argument from me Mike, just stating my favorite...

Either a two blade rage, a .45 cal SST, or a 308 win... Depends on the season.

the 223 really is a neat little deer slayer... i love them little buggers! it's not my only deer rifle but i make sure to take at least one deer with one each year... if not more..

I have not found it lacking yet, and I have used it alot...

Hi all, new poster/old hunter. I like the 300wsm, but my wife is old school practical norwegian, so I only get one rifle and have to consider moose someday!

12 ga. 00 Buck

7-08. This fall it will be my x-mas gift from my daughter, M99 Savage in 250-3000. She bought me that, as she stole my first year produced Rem.7 in 6MM. Pretty good trade off I guess.

My goto is the Bob because it has worked for me since 1982. On the other hand, we have so many does here that I usually get to try out something different each year. I always get a deer with a patched .45 caliber RB out of an old Hatfield Long Rifle, and I try to take one with the .44 Special or Magnum, or.45 Colt revolvers. I have used everything from .22 Hornet to .375, and next fall plan to use the .338-06 cause I have never killed a whitetail with it.

My favorite for the last dozen or so years has been the 25-06 caliber in a model 70 Winchester but lately I have been using a .264/06 (6.5/06 I hate metrics!) which I think is going to a relative soon and I am going back to my ole .270 Winchester, since my son has take the 1/4 bore to heart and loves it a bunch.

300 Savage

I like my .450 Marlin but I don't think an ADK whitetail is thick enough to open the bullets up. I shot two bucks with it and they never acted like they had been hit, just kept strolling along at a slow walk. I shot the first one three times before he dropped and the second one twice. They were both dead on their feet after the first one but I didn't think I was hitting them because they never broke stride.

But every one I dinged with a 180gr .30-06 dropped in his tracks like he'd been poleaxed, so I'm going to have to go with plain vanilla.

7x57 with 175 Speer grand slams

270 Winchester with 150 NP's

Gunner

Nothing wrong using an old M70 30-06 with 180GR bullets.

It puts them down like 'right now'.....

I'd have to say the 7mm-08 is my favorite round for deer so far. I've killed them with a .22, .22 magnum, .270, .30-06, .45/70, 7mm-08,and 7mm Rem. mag. I find that it is hard to beat the 7mm-08 for deer. It does not have much recoil, flat shooting, and seems to put a deer down just as fast or faster than the other rounds I've tried.

.257 Roberts.

4570 and 356 win.Shots are under 125 yds. so far. I like the large bullet concept despite having used an 06 for years.

I'm a fan of the 'large bullet concept' myself, even when hunting something as small as deer.

Although I didn't shoot them myself, last season a good friend of mine used my M70 .375 H&H to take a couple of very large Kansas Whitetail.

The deer were taken with factory Federal 270GR cartridges.

Two cartridges, two deer.

If I'm hunting the oak/hickory hardwoods of SW Missouri it's hard to beat a 200 gr RN out of my good old 35 Remington Marlin lever gun. For north MO farm country my favorite of late is the 257 Weatherby.
Of the sixty-some deer I've killed with a centerfire, my 30-06 Ackley has accounted for the most but I've killed them with everything from the 6mm Rem to the 45/70. They all worked well.

250 Savage

On the Eastern Shore of Virginia, 25-06 and 300WSM are great deer medicine!

Make mine a 280 Remington. Never a doubt about its capability with 150 CoreLokt's.

Love my 25-06! 110 gr Accubonds.

250-3000

(250 Savage))Yep! With 100gr X and 117gr roundnose Hornady.

I've got three...
240 Weatherby
25-06
270 Weatherby

I've killed the most with my old thutty-thutty, but that was back when I was young and didn't know that the .270 is vastly superior....

You still don't know anything.

Well I know something..my 220 Swift!! Just to pizz you off this AM!!

You must have 1-10" ROT, correct? Those bullets don't work too good in my Savage EG with a 1-14" ROT.

In my contender .357 Maximum and my Handi .460 S&W

In a bolt action my Tikka 6.5x55, my CZ 6.5x55, my 700 CDL .35 Whelen

I know an internet a**-hole when I see one.

Say's "Swampman 700" on it.

My favorite for the blacktail/whitetail hybrids (is that close enough? grin) I get into my favorite is my .358 M7. A fast killer that doesn't turn meat into jelly and is easy on my old ears.

My rifles are in .30-06, .303 British, .300 Savage, 7.65x53, 7.62x39, and .338 WM I would have to say .300 Savage. However I intend to send the .338 down the road and replace it with a .243.

Expat

What's a whitetail? Jeff O have you ever shot a whitetail?

what? you never played Cabela's big game? grins

I've used a .270 on a few, but the good old 30-30 is still my favorite.

might try a thudy thudy handgun this year...

What type pistol? I just bought a Magnum Research Lone Eagle in .308, and am seriously thinking about giving it a whirl.

I went to Ft. Lee today with my .44 mag and the Lone Eagle, but the RSO wouldn't let me fire the Lone Eagle, it is outside of the caliber restrictions. But, I understand the centerfire rifle range is due to open in the summer.

He said he wanted to see it fired, but couldn't let me, the last guy who brought a .45-70 pistol got him in trouble..

7mmRM then a toss up between 260rem and 338wm depending on the type of deer I'm chasing.

Cool pic

Holy mackerel look at that hammer! I bet it shoots one-holers.

What stock is that?

BTW I like my .223 for deer and next year hopefully my 223 AI

just an old school contender. i have a bunch of different barrels for it. I have two actions. Never got really into the new encores. i like the older contenders.

Where's FT. Lee? i can't recall for some reason?

Near Petersburg, south of Richmond. It's the big Logistics/Quartermaster school.

I think if I run across a Contender in .30-30, I'm subject to snatch it up. That, or .35 Remington, or .30 Herret, or .223, or......Well, you know how it is.

i hear you. I have a ss 7x30 waters that i want to get broken in as well as the standard 35 rem and a 45/70 and well, you know... grins

they are fun play toys but i don't ever make time to hunt with them. i think i'll change that this year!

don't know why i thought it was closer to me? musta been thinking of something else?

Paul from time to time I think about getting a scope T/C for tossing in the pack for long hikes where I'm looking for bruins. Steely and I were chatting about it the other day.

Thinking I'd go 35 or plain old 30/30.

What do you like for a scope on them?

Thx
Dober

Wellllll.... it's like this <g>.

My honeyhole is on the northern border of the (endangered) whitetail herd down by Roseburg. I actually get stuff in the mail from ODFW about it, from the doe tag I also usually get for there.

A couple of the bucks I've killed were clearly hybrids. Most are blacktails. Haven't killed a whitetail and don't plan on it!

They have different horns, among other things. It's a hell of a thing to have to be on the lookout for, let me tell you! I'm guessing it'd be pretty obvious on a 4x4 buck, but on a forkie and even 3x3 it's not so simple. But luckily, while my spot isn't all genetically pure blacktails, it's certainly dominated by blacktail.

I was lucky enough to kill a bentleg (benchleg? I've heard it said both ways) mulie/blacktail up near the Pacific Crest trail... that was cool. He was only a 3x3 but had a very large, and LONG, body. Compared to a blacktail I mean.

I'm itching to kill a mule deer. I see them while elk hunting and camping over east. Just gotta make my pref points work out right. Still considering a Steens hunt with a buddy (5 pts each) or a solo Trout Ck Mtn hunt (10 pts). I have 10 points you see... But I just found out a month or so ago that my sister is getting married in late September in N. Idaho so this may not be the year to do my big muley hunt...

I would have to say my 6mm-06 with a 95gr combined tech or
95gr SST unless I go to thick areas then it is the .35 whelen
with 200gr roundnose interlocks

and not a 257 weatherby mentioned ??

i like a 30-06 with 180 gr. round noser's myself.

but,
just about anything will do, they aren't that hard to kill.

i hope to go back home to pa. this year and try my 7-08 or roberts.

308 Winchester.

Dober,
I run Leupold, redfield and Burris for my pistols and i hate to say it but the Burris seems to be the better of the three! normally fixed 4x's but i also use 2x's on the 44's. They really are a good time! I'm not that accurate with them but i can hold Minute of deer to 200 with one of the rifle cartridge ones. i have been thinking about a variable power just for S&G's.

Paul

You mean cold.. Man, that was cold [bleep] morning to be sitting in the bushes.

I've got a Leupold 2X20 on my .44 mag, and a Burris 3X20 on the .308.

i really like my 300 wm w/ either 180s or what im soon to load into it some 165 accubonds...but im gonna start usin a 243 w/ 95 grain nbt's this year

If I'm only shooting deer, then the Tikka T3 .25-06 takes the cake hands down...

Rancho_Loco: I bet it was, I complain when it's in the 30s here I can't imagine snow in MT and hunting.

Tikka T3 Lite 300WSM 150gr Swift SciroccoII.

I have used the 243 with pretty good results, but I would have to say the 7mm08 has got to be my favorite whitetail deer round right now.

30-06 Springfield with 150gr Swift SciroccoII's.

.375 H&H with 235 grain Speer handloaded to 2850 fps. Perfect expansion, VERY LITTLE meat damage.

Terry

So hard to pick, I really like the 45/70 and 30-30 in my Marlins

I also love the .308 out of a BLR

In the traditional bolt action the 270 is my favorite for specifically deer.

The last two seasons it's been my .300 WSM with 175 grain Berger VLD's. (also toss a couple of mulies in there as well)

460 S&W

308
358
45-70

Dixie 12 gauge Tri-Ball 3" buckshot. Three .60 caliber pellets drop a deer now in the thick cover I hunt. You don't want to drag a buck
through a deep south pine plantation.

my ol .06 180 grain slam in the neck or up side the head down for the count

358 winchester

Ditto !!
130 gr, core-lokt in the .270
150 gr. core-lokt in the .308

270

Do I have to pick just ONE? I seriously hope the day doesn't come when I'm forced to choose my only favorite.

Not too many yrs. back I would have said 270 Win and it's still a top contender. However, there's PLENTY to say on behalf of the 7 RM. Obviously the 06 deserves its consideration (why would you pick the 308 WHEN there's a 308+ in every 06?) JMO

The last 3 yrs. I've deer hunted a LIGHT 300 WM and I'm impressed with its performance. At least 8 maybe 9/10 have succumbed and NONE went far. Those that went anywhere left a good blood trail.

Certainly there are other GOOD cartridges but these 4 are my favorites.

JWALL
________________

VEGETARIAN..........Indian Word For Poor Hunter

270 WSM 130 gr XP3 bullet

or

25-06 110 gr accubond

Something in .35 cal with 200's, an /06 with 180's or a .260 Remington; odds are you will find me with one of those during rifle season.

Last year I packed my 1895G a lot though.


This season I may be sipping the 53gr TSX Kool-Aid via .223 Remington.

280....also tote a pre-64 '06 that usually hammers a few every year.

Tony

I have two favorites, both are hand loads for lever guns.
First is the .44 Mag using a 270 grain Speer GDSP over H110, the other a .30-30 using a Speer 170 grain FP over IMR 4320 powder.

I hunt swamps, along creeks in heavy cover, and planted pines. The distance it not long, most shots around 50 to 75 yards.

keep it pretty simple these days. 7mm-08 Rem and 6.5x55 Swed

When I'm mad at them the 7 Rem Mag goes to the stand, when I am in a light hearted mood the 257 Roberts goes.

GreggH

I still love my 30-30 and have used everything from 243 through a 338-06. Add in other leverguns like the 35 rem and 444 marlin but out of all of them, my favorite is the 7mm-08

You, sir, are an enlightened gentleman, full of knowledge, grace, and good taste.

Jeff O & andrews 1958: The 358 W is a very good, dependable killer. I'm trying to remember if I've had 3 or 4. I've killed several deer and 1 or more Turkeys (legal in Miss.) On that subject, I have shot several T. with centerfire rifles and IF you shoot them IN THE BREAST, you have only a SMALL entrance hole and usually LOOSE the back.

If I hunted woods ONLY the 358 W is a WORTHY candidate. However where I hunt there is too much open territory and long range possibilities to choose ANY short to medium range caliber. That's strictly related to the AREA where I hunt.

JWALL
_________________

VEGETARIAN...........Indian Word For Poor Hunter

7/08 280 7saum

.270

Hornady .308 150gr BTSPs.

First choice: my 45-70 Guide Gun with 405 gr Remington JFP's...

Close second: my Ruger 77 MkII in 260 Rem, with either a 129 gr Hornady Interlock, or a 125 gr Nosler Partition...

Third place (tie): My Win 94 in 30-30, with a 170 gr Sierra FP, or my VZ-24 8x57 Mauser with 180 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips...

Honorable mention goes to my 6mm Rem with a Barnes 115 gr Original...though this coming fall I'll be trying the 95 gr Combined Technology ballistic Tip for this cartridge...

Did I mention my 8mm-06 AI with a 200 gr Accubond...?

That's what I get for having too many favorites...

They all kill deer and hogs

7mm-08, 120 grain Fusion

.308 with 165's

338 rum 225 interlock

.270 WIN with a 130 grain C&C, closely followed by either a .308 WIN/.30-06 SPRG shooting a 165 grain C&C.

7mm-08 with 139gr Hornady Light Mag or 140gr fusion
6.5x55 with 140gr Nosler Custom Accubond or 140gr Fiocchi SST

I like the little 223AI, but the last couple seasons I've been using the 243/243AI pretty heavily and been very impressed with it.

130gr TTSX out of a 30/06. Hitz hard; cutz through them like a hot knife through budda.

.270 w/ 150gr Speer HC

25-06 Nosler 110 grain Accubond.

30/40 Krag factory, out of Contender

708 with 150NBT.

For now, my .270 Win flingin 110grain TTSXs

7.62x39 120gr

7x57, 140 grain NP's, H4350
.308, 165 Sierra SPBT, Varget
30.30 160 gr leverevolution (new favorite)
.45 cal, 275 gr Powerbelt, 80 grains Blackhorn 209.

Any of the 4 of them.

After years of hunting deer and killing them with different rifle rounds. My choice today is the good old 7x57 Mauser with 160 gr bullet

44 MAG carbine for tree stand hunting.

30-30 for forests and foothills.

308 for open prairie and alpine areas.

Sherwood

220 Swift.

.535 roundball

.30-'06.

32 Win. Special, 44 mag, 8x57, '06, 25-06, 444 Marlin, 22-250, 35 Rem, or something I've forgotten? Them's the ones that quickly come to mind.

7X57, 280 Rem,and 5.56X45.

257 wby with a 100 TTSX.... WOW!

270 wsm, 140 NAB

They can be killed handily with most any centerfire round with proper bullet construction and placement being the key. However many have their pet deer slayer round for logical and/or illogical reasons. However it is hard to beat the rounds based on the .308 case as a general all around efficient, shootable, reliable killers of deer. But 'I' don't like the .243 but think the .260, 7/08, .308, .338, and the .358 are super. In recent years I have settled on the .260 as about perfect for me. PH

.308 Win 165grain

Interesting cross section of cartridges. Got the chores done and it is raining so had some time to kill and I did a head stamp count to determine the most popular Whitetail cartridge.

If a post listed more than one cartridge, I did not count any of them.

Top Five Ranking

7MM-08 and 270 Win tied for first place
308 Win
25-06 and 30-06 tied for third place
30-30 and 7x57 tied for fourth place
257 Roberts and 260 Rem tied for fifth place

Barnes Triple Shocks are my favorite bullets.

Favorite cartridges:

Long Actions -
1. 30-06
2. 280
3. 270 Win.

Short Actions -
1. 7mm-08
2. 308
3. 260

Depends on where I'm hunting....

Either 30-30 or 270, both are shooting handloads.