On our little deer down here, I shoot them in the shoulders and let the dogs have em. I’ve used 223, 220 swift, 25-06, 270, 270 short mag, 7mm RM, 45/70, and 338 LM. I’ve killed a lot with most of them. Least favorite was 338 LM. Most favorite is anything over the 22 calibers up to the 7mm RM. I’ve killed a lot of deer and hogs with 22 caliber rifles and don’t have anything against them because the all worked for my application well, it’s because over longer ranges they lose a lot of azz. The larger rifles typically carry a bigger payload over longer distances. The 338 lapua looked like you drove a steel rod through the deer.
223 is H&R 220 Swift savage 25-06 Savage 110FP 270 Savage 270 short mag Savage 7mm RM Rem 700
