Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Your favorite deer caliber and rifle?

8 x 57 BRNO carbine...yup, way overkill on deer but a lot of confidence as it's 'enough gun' in the rare possibility when bruin contests ownership of a deer carcass or territory. It's more about the fast handling, light, short, rifle than cartridge choice. Say what you will about the Europeans, but when it comes to steep forested terrain, the foresters carbine, or alpine carbine as it is sometimes called, is hard to beat.

Remington 700 LTR .308

Remington model 7 in 358 Winchester loaded with 200 grain ttsx

Marlin MR-7 chambered in 280 Rem
139 grain Hornady SST

Ive had .243 to .300 mag.
Really enjoy my puddly .35 rem for under 150 yards.
Its like shooting a 20.ga field load.....no earth shattering roar, just a boom and a bump.

Have .308 and .3006 in heavy rifles that are easy on the shoulder. Purchased before i developed a shoulder issue.
Now that its screwed up I really like a comfy rifle even more.

Was worried about any rifle, shot the .35 w buttplate and just a T shirt and was wondering how bad itd be.
Thought I had a squib load it was so mild. 😂

For short range work a 308 loaded to soft 300 Savage levels is a pop gun, very pleasant to shoot.

I just found a great load for my 300 Savage with 4064 and 150 grain Accubond. It's going on a Aoudad hunt in Texas this fall.

For deer,257 Weatherby ultra lightweight shooting 120 grain Nosler partitions. Long range or short it doesn't seem to matter.

I've shot them with several calibers...from .30 Carbine to 300 RUM in 30 cal, little 6mm/47mm wildcat, 6mm/284, 240 Wby, 220 Swift, .280, 7mm RM, 257 Wby, 25-06, 7mm/08, 6.5/284.
Of all these, I find I tend to "favor" any round that is based or equivalent to '06 capacity/speed. I just find, to me, they kill better/faster, shoot flatter.

.223

I have a .45 caliber Remington 700, short action with a Brux barrel in a carbon fiber stock with a Night Force scope sitting on top. I shoot a 275 grain Pittman bullet over 4198 powder.

I have a few. 25-06 probably nothing better for killing deer.
I love my 358 just a awesome caliber and great blood trail if there was one. Haven’t had one yet, DRT.
The mild recoil of the 7-08. It very effective on deer at any distance. Recently bought a Rem 742 in 308. Very nice to shot and the parent case of my other two rounds, isn’t half bad either. I have decisions to make when I go hunting and I’m torn between them all.

Used to be my 6,5x57R but these days I am leaning towards a 1:8" 22-250 shooting 77gr TMK.

While I like them all the hands down all time favorite is a pre64 M70 7MM carbine.

Remington Model Seven, 7mm-08.

CVA Mountain Rifle
.50 cal

it's is a toss up between my 700 BDL in 7 Rem Mag or my Custom Stocked Model 70 FWT in 280 Rem. though my Christensen Ridgeline in 28 Nosler is growing on me

More than necessary maybe, but I wouldn't call it way overkill.

Well
Always been a Savage 99 fan and have several.
And
Since it just became legal in my state.
358 Winchester in said Savage 99
👍😊

WOW!! I'm embarrassed to say what speed I'm getting out of my 25-06 shooting 100gr Hornady.

I too have a few choices for caliber's.. I'd even use you my 22-250 loaded with a 55 grain Barnes on our little Couse WT.