Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Which '06-based cartridge is best for deer out to 200 yards?

Out to only 200 yards the list would go on and on

I used a 9.3x62 this past fall and even though it's 287 grain bullet at almost 2500 fps delivered almost 4k lbs of muzzel energy deer didn't seem to care

They died no more or no less than deer I have shot with everything else

Location location location

Any one of those will work @ 200yds.

.30-06 with a 150 grain bullet.

I don't understand these replies, all of my experience is the bigger impact and holes made by the Whelen, not to mention less meat loss, is a no brainer. Even with the limited bullets available if you don't hit the heart a double lung with that size hole is devastating. For deer I use a 25-06 and 270 but I want to be prepared for a long follow up shot if needed.

I have a Featherweight in 6.5x55 and I find it to be a puppy dog regarding recoil. I shoot a lot with a UL .30-06, so maybe that is why.

Good Bud is running a .30-06, but it is really a .300Savage.
Works fine at 200.

What does that mean? How can it be a .300 Savage?

He is a machinist and has trimmed a Rem700 .30-06 down, in addition to putting it in a pounder stock. With normal .30-06 loads it kicks more than a little. So for Deer-using 150's-he loads it down to upper end .300Savage loads, which are not much off of lower .30-06 loads.

If it is running at .300Savage speeds, what would it be?

When he went Moose hunting he moved it up to normal .30-06 loads.

to 200 I would rather have a 35 whelen. Accurate hits hard and will clip off bushes and still deliver a serious thump.

Agree with /\/\/\, a 35 is a massive shock and plows through without doing a lot of meat damage, no question

Mmmm....enlightening.

Let me ask a dumb question...if a 35 Whelen is the "best" 06 based cartridge for a 200-300 pound deer,what's required for a 600-800 pound bull elk ,or a 1200 pound moose?

Just curious..

Ahhhh, well, ahhhhh, let me see, ahhh, hummmm, ohhhhh, hummm. Shock, lots of shock. Really large amounts of shock. I mean like massive shock.

There.

Did you mention shock?

Yea, but I left out dust cloud when they are slammed to the ground shock. My error.

Nice save

I have never seen deer stand up to much, so you are really talking flip-factor here. The discussion king of reminds me of the old question, 'how bad was he dead?'

Who lets these idiots in?

Is the idiot light still on somewhere? They are swarming like flies.

Good thing you're here to point out that everyone but you is an idiot.

Not so, but anyone who thinks the .35 Whelen (or any other cartridge) "cuts brush", etc., is truly an idiot.