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

358 Winchester is a favorite of mine….Winchester model 88

Think it's gonna be a toss up between the new 260 if it get's here in time to work up a load and the 6.5x55. 6.5x55 is a Mod 70 Featherweight and the 260 being built on my old mod 700 243.

I have several I could put at the top. All would be 257 Roberts, In my simple mind it’s the perfect deer cartridge. I guess for the rifle it would be my browning blr in 257.

I have a 77RSI tanger in 250 and a Montana in 257 Roberts. The Ruger is a sweet little rifle, but that Montana stole my heart.

I’ve owned 3 Montanas over the years. They’ve all been great once their individual foibles were sorted out. Now I just have the Roberts. It’s a great cartridge for an ultra light rig. I’m still figuring out how to get the best out of it, but so far it’s a 3/4 MOA rifle. I think it can do better, but I’m stopping here for now.

My 260 A-bolt........pretty sure....

No Wait....my 6mm Rem Model 700.....


But I love my CZ550 270Win.....so

Been a sucker for all things 280, for years it was my 700 Classic, then 700 mountain rifle, now my go to is a semi custom 280AI i picked up here on the fire.

I think I’m going to dig out a couple 264’s, hunt with them this fall. It’s been a few years.

.284 for the win

284 is nice, have a 99 in 284

For years I saw no need for anything other then my early 90s model 70 FW in .30-06. Would still be a fine choice except now it is a .25-06 which is what it will most likely be for the rest of my days.




It rarely gets used anymore except for antelope.

Where I do most of my buck hunting there is always a chance of elk and I prefer synthetic rifles so shoot either a paddle stock .300 WM or a Rem 700 .30 Gibbs in a KS stock.





When I am filling tags the last few days of the season with riverbottom whitetails it is kind of an "anything" goes and whatever project rifle I am most in love with at the moment gets to go on a field trip. This year it was my .400 Whelen.

I love the 6mm’s and .25’s and have killed a bunch of deer with them. If I had to pick just one though, which would be an awful thing to have to do, I would go with the .30’s.

My favorite deer rifle of all time, I think, is a NULA Model 20 in a .308.

That’s my answer as best as I can give it, it’s a really hard choice because I love rifles.

Your Whelen looks awesome. I bet it’s a hammer.

Barrett Fieldcraft in 30-06. Its easy to shoot well and not picky about ammo.

when i was young a Win m94 in 30-30, boy did it kill deer. the '06 (Rem model A, B, CLD and Mountain rifle and Savage m116/brake) was good, but it just wasn't fer me. then i bought used a Savage m110 in 270, great cartridge, great shooter but the 110 was like an old brick. then i had the custom '98 FN Mauser in 7x57(Douglas barrel) and that was what i wanted. years later, the FN went to my oldest son. then there is Rem m7 (18.5 barrel) in 7-08 that i liked so much so i bought another to give to youngest son. then there was Ruger SRH (7.5" barrel) in 44 Mag that i used for few years. a Rem m760 in 308 was used and i got my first black bear (398lbs). then there was Rem m700 A and BDL and a m7 in 243 that was cursed (i don't wanna talk about it). there is a few more that i just can't remember. i ended selling the '06s, 243s, 308 and 44 Mag because i was going thru a divorce and my lawyer needed paid.

a couple of years later, when i got back on my feet, i started to build up my collection. i've hunted deer with the 22-250AI all the way thru the 45-70. JES Reboring got my 30-30 and he did 35/30-30. i have two rifles that are TC Encores in 20 Vartarg, 444 Marlin and 500 Linebaugh (every one them are 23" MGM barrels). i had the Encore in a 15, 16 1/4 and 23" MGM barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor and a 27" MGM in 22-250AI, but i sold them. my grandpap gave me a 1898 Springfield Armory in 30-40 Krag (its been passed down from my great grandpap) and its my first cast boolit kill, 165gr Ranch Dog. i had the TC Venture in 25-06 but i sold it. i have three '91 Argentine Mausers in 7.65x53, '16 Spanish Mauser in 7x57, '08 Brazilian and a 24/30 Venezuelan Mauser in 7x57, a custom '16 Spanish Mauser in 6.5x55 (my youngest son now has it), a semi-custom 1944 '98 German Mauser in 8x57, Husqvarna m46 in 9.3x57, Ruger #1 in 270, two '98 Springfield Armory actions, '95 Chilean Mauser action, Remington m14 in 30 Rem, two Carcano's in 6.5 and 7.35 and a Jap Type 99 in '06. oh and another '98 Springfield Armory in 30-40 Krag. although it looks good on paper, they are sporterized Mausers and Springfield Armories. i luv my guns to be wood and blued!!!

my dad passed away last year and now i have his guns in my safe. he had a TC Contender in a 14" muzzle brake in 7-30 Waters, but i got a 10" barrel in 30 and 357 Herrett. this year i'll be using the 30 Herrett with 130gr Speer HP and Rel7 for hunting deer. i just got done fire forming the 30 Herrett, next step is the loading ladder.

i like all of my gun,s but my first spot is a Win m94 in 35/30-30 with 200gr RCBS FN GC and the second is the Husqvarna m46 in 9.3x57 with 275gr WFN GC.




35/30-30 sighting it in


9.3x57 with 280gr RN GC


7-30 Waters and 30 Herrett

My son has his late mother’s Remington 722 with a 308 barrel and a Pachmayr pad.

If I only had one rifle, that would be it.

I like my 243 AI for deer, and my 6.5 Fieldcraft if there’s any climbing to be done.

I answer this question in one form or another every few years.

About 20 years ago I grew fond of Savage 99s. I have a pile of them now. So, if someone knows a better handling whitetail rifle, I would like to hear it. I have sometimes missed, but never with a Savage 99.

Mine is either a Savage 99R in 308 or a Savage 99C in 284 Win. Both are death lasers on bucks. The walls in my two homes proves it.

If limited to just one for anywhere close to long range I would still pick my 700 bidl in 300 win mag. It’s a killer. Edk

Lately my pick has been a scarred up M700 Mountain in 7x57, slinging 140gr. NPTs. That combo seems to be just about perfect for PA whitetails. This coming year, my son has once again challenged us to use open sighted levers or mil-surps. Now the problem,,,, to pick one!

That 7x57 is about ideal...don't think my eyes could manage an open sighted lever, good luck!