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

Easy…
338 Fed for most days and 7mm-08 for the rest. Both of mine are Rem600s but would be fine with a M7 as well.

I guess I'd have to say the 6.5X55 is my favorite deer cartridge. It does everything it has to do (very, very well) and nothing it doesn't have to do. That said, I would be hard put to say my Sako 85 is my favorite rifle. I like it a lot, but there are three other rifles I use a lot: a Ruger 1B in .308, a Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70 and a Remington 700 XCR/CTR in .223. Additionally, there are several other rifles/cartridges I will use when the mood strikes me. There's the matter of what we consider a deer "rifle" as well. Sometimes it's one of my N-frames in .44 or .41 magnum that gets the nod. I like a lot of them.

I agree with Dean. Depends on the terrain and the weather.

Depends on how and where I guess. Walking and jump shooting, the Savage 99 in 250. East to carry.

For what I do in the Southeast it's a 22-250. If I was paying to go on a trophy hunt I would take the 25-06 or my daughters 6.5.

Recent years a Savage 99 F in .300 although there is always a .270 in the truck as a loaner, back up, bad weather rifle. I try not to take my Savage out in the rain.

I have a 338 federal in the works, a Savage 99. I’m eager to get hold of it. I’m hoping the 160 Barnes shoot well in it. It should do a trick on deer and pigs.

275 Rigby/7x57mm always gets the job done for me.

Favorite deer caliber? The 25 caliber. Other than that real hard to nail it down. My 257 Roberts has killed more deer for me than the others. The 257 Wby has been awesome on deer. The 25 BR AI is extremely accurate and is perfect for youngsters or shooting does in the ear. The 25-06 needs no explanation. The 25-284 (a custom in a Remington Hunter McM) has been really good to me the last couple of years. The 25-284 I guess would take the slot.
GreggH

I've used a lot over the years but my 1954 M70 in Hollands " Super Thirty" was for a long time my go to.
Custom 98 Mauser I built for a Colorado Elk hunt. 30-06.
This past season a 1986 " European Featherweight" in 6.5 x 55. It has sights on it, but I don't use them. Talley QD levers and a Leup 2.5x8 x36.
For one season I used a Interarms MarkX in .458 win mag. That one earned me the nickname "Cannonball".

I was ask once at camp if I had ever hunted with the same rifle for more than one season. I replied"I try not to".

So many calibers,so little time.

On combo deer and elk hunts, I switch between a 7mm Wby and .300 Wby until the elk tag is filled. My most carried deer only rifle is a Ruger 77 .257 Roberts. Although, if I’m deer hunting an area with big bears, I’ll stick with a lightweight .30-06 or .35 Whelen. Diversity in action!

I "favor" which ever one I feel like using that day.
The one (beyond any doubt) that I have killed the most deer with is a Mauser in 270 which is now on it's 3rd barrel. It was the first rifle I ever built and I did it when I was 12-13. But it's not a lot of fun to kill deer with it anymore because it's just too easy. For the last 25 years or so, the rifles I prefer to use are all iron sighted and many times it's a flintlock in 62 cal.

My Rifle 3 by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
In the last few years it's been mostly my 6.5X54 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
My 303 Lee


OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
My Marlin 30-30
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]

A Winchester M95 in 270

IMG_20190918_192827625 by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
One of my 9.3X57s

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
and I have broken down and used my 8X57 with a scope some

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]

and also my Ruger #1 in 9.3X74R some. (no pic of that rifle)
In addition to these I have killed a number of deer with my Remington Pump 35 Rem M141 and my two 300 Savage rifles, a 99 Savage and also a Remington M81. (No pics of them either)
I just enjoy hunting with old fashioned rifles and where I live my seasons are long and deer are usually plentiful so I have no disappointment in the times I go out and don't get to shoot one. My average of deer killed per hunt us over 50% so I am doing just fine with the old fashioned guns.

I prefer a Winchester 94 30-30 for deer

357 Herrett for caliber, using a Contender, and my favorite rifle is an early 700 C.

I only have one hunting rifle.....so, I guess it’s my favorite! Though, I’d like to kill a few animals with my handgun. Haven’t killed anything with a handgun since 1989, when I quit handgun hunting.....trying to get back into it! memtb

Haven't decided yet. Get back with me on my death bed.
Someone should crunch these numbers and come up with the perfect choice!

I have shot more deer with the 30-06 than all other cartridges combined. As far as favorite - I suppose that has changed but I’m not sure to what? The longest shots I’ve made were with the ‘06 also. If shots were limited to under 100 yards the cartridge wouldn’t make much difference but the rifle would be light and fast to the shoulder.
As far as rifle it would easily be the Remington 725/721/700. (I’ve restocked my 722’s and 721’s with 700 stocks.)
But if under 100 yards the Winchester 94 would be a good one as would the 336 be or even a 99.

If I were down to one rifle - a 700 Remington in 30-06 with a Leupold M8 4x, I’d be satisfied. I’d use that on elk and pronghorn too. But a 270, 280, 7mm RM, 280AI, any 300 mag (except the short ones) would work ok too.

My favorite really depends on where I'm hunting. If I'm hunting fields it's my Remington 700 280, if I'm hunting woods it's my Savage 99 .308.
I've played around with others and my Tikka 7-08 SL is also becoming a favorite.

Use to be my Model 88 Win. in 308 with 165 gr GK.. Lately it is Sporterized 6.5 Swede with139 gr AB's

Rem 660, 308.
Brown Precision stock/Decelerator
3x9 Leupold in Talley lightweights.

Needs a trigger, and headspace set back. (For 30 years)
But it's light, handy, fast. We work great together


Or.

T3 stainless 6.5x55. Bushnell 3200 3x9.
This should be number 1, but I don't shoot it as well,
And find it somewhat less effective even when I do.