I prefer a bigger bore caliber. Current option include a 338 Federal, Marlin 1894SS in 44 mag, a Winchester 1886 and Springfield carbine in 45-70, and a Sharps carbine in 50-70 Govt.
Being stuck at home has lead to me watching a bunch of hunting shows. I am disappointed to see how often the shoot deer and how far off they run. I expect deer to drop where they stood and if they run out of my sight I suspect a miss. I understand that a lot of guys are recoil shy but I never even notice it when shooting at deer.
Besides, it is only one shot.
Pick the caliber based on the quarry and the distance. Still hard to beat the 30-06 with 165 grain bullets for deer.
For me a long shot is over 100 yards. The last two were both under 30 yards. In 30+ deer I only shot two over 100 yards. One at 110 with a 12 gauge Ithaca slug gun and one at 130 with an open sighted Marlin 1895 (45-70, 300 JHP reloads).
