Best Whitail Caliber??

[benelli]

I am looking for the best whitail caliber. This gun will be used for nothing but hunting whitails. I have a .300 for elk and a great varmant gun already.

Right now I am thinking about a 25-06.

Any thoughts?

[Birddog]

So many good choices!! Over the years I've used many different calibers for whitetail, my choice is the .270. But I also like the .280, 30-06, and 7mm. Good luck with your decision.

BIRDDOG

[Unlogged T-Mac]

Tough question.
The main thing is having a gun that you KNOW you can shoot well. Because we all know...it is where you hit the animal that counts.

My personal choice for deer was the 25-06 and I killed many deer with that Remington BDL in 25-06. I killed several elk (one shot... 120 grain pills) with it too. But, the main thing is.... I shot that gun well, and I had confidence that I would hit where I aimed when using that gun.
I killed a few deer and alot of Antelope with a .22-250, too. But, that was in open country and I have a tack driver .22-250 and I shot it a lot. I would not necessarily recommend a .22-250 for deer, but my point is...shot placement is the deal. You need to know your gun and shoot it alot.

[Mike-WY]

A 25-06 is a great gun for white tail deer. I'd say that or a .270 would be the most popular. Very similar rounds with very close ballistics. I'd stick with a 120 grain bullet with the 25-06.

[reelman1]

If you are looking strickly for a whitail rifle for eastern USA with most shots being in thicker cover and shorter range then I would suggest a .308 or .30/06 in a semi-auto. Bennelli now makes a nice auto in '06 which would fit your handle. Now that I said that I have never shot a deer with a .308 or an '06, or for that matter with a semi auto. I prefer bolt guns (Win.M70's to be exact) and I hate to use calibers that everybody else has. This is why I use such calibers as .300 H&H, .350 Rem Mag, .375 H&H, etc.

In reality your question is a lot like askinig which is better Ford or Chevy? There really isn't a "right" answer. There are so many calibers that will work great I would recomend that you decide on a caliber and then live with it.

[jigman 2003]

Here in southern and central WI a 30-06 is more than adequate for whitetails. My dad uses a .308 and it too is an excellent gun. Either one, as well as a half dozen others will get the job done. Of course, my new baby is an Ithaca Deer Slayer Storm. I bought for hunting in my "backyard" because it is slug only here. That thing throws a slug consistently and accurately out to 125 yards. Shot a 125 class whitetail last December with it at 85 yards. Ran 50 yards and died. My point is, any weapon will kill deer if you are comfortable with it and have good shot placement.

[Sven]

It's true that if you shoot them in the right spot most calibres will work just fine. Up here in Saskatchewan I have shot most of my Whitetails with a 270 and 130 grain bullets, awesome gun, but if you check my photos and find the one of all my big whitetails, the second one from the right (169 7/8 B&C 6 x 6) was a 8 hour tracking job after a night shift because I led him a little to much and whacked him in the shoulder at 8:20 a.m and finally put him down at 4:40 P.M. I then decided to put my pride aside and pick a gun that will allow for a little human error. I bought a Steyr Mannlicher 300 Win. Mag. Fantastic gun, fantastic calibre, if you already have a 300 for Elk that is what you should use for Whitetail. Fast, Flat, Hard Hitting what more could you want.

[Unlogged T-Mac]

See... I went the other way, Sven.
I went from a .30-06 to a 300 Win Mag...and started flinching like a mother. It was the muzzle blast and noise.... you know, ...shooting prone..on paper...UFFDah!
Then, I went back downward in terms of wallop. Went to a .25-06 and .270...no more flinching.
I killed a lot of game with those two guns for those next 20 years.

But...now I just follow my dogs and shoot my shotguns...:)

[Sven]

I hear Ya T-mac, those big calibres can beat you up at the range, but I have never noticed the kick when I'm shooting at an animal. Adrenaline I guess.

[tds2180]

7mm-08 is also a good option

[AllenW]

Might help to know where you are and how much you want to spend?
Here in Minn a 30-30 has probably taken more deer than any other caliber, but if I was going to go buy one now, probably a 30-06 or 308.
These are proven calibers and ammo can be found almost anywhere, not always the case with some of the more exotic calibers, not that any of us would ever forget our ammo... :)

Al

[cspierings]

I already had a 243, 30-06 (two actually) and a 300 win mag. I started thinking I need a mid range caliber for deer. I looked long and hard at the 270, 280/7mm, 25-06 and 7mm08. I went to Chuckhawks and looked at the recoil for the different cartridges, then I went and looked at the different bullet weights available by the different manufacturers.

Here is how I rationlized it. The 7mm bullet weight gave me the most flexibility in terms of weight and game. So that narrowed it down to the 280 and the 7mm08. Then I started looking at what rifles were made in those calibers. Ultimately I decided the 7mm08 was the way for me to go because I thought it would serve as a nice rifle to graduate one of the kids into when they get bumped out of the 243. Btw I don't think the 708 is a good fit for the heavier bullets in the available but for deer more than adequate. THe 08 is my "saddle" gun. Course I have never been on a horse and if I was I would probably be chasing elk and that would mean the 300 win mag.

I bought a Rem Model 7 CDL and put a Leupold on it. So far one shot one deer.

I am still thinking about that 280 though;)

I think a full size rifle in 7mm08 would be awesome because you wouldn't feel much recoil at all. The model 7 is a bit snappy in terms of noise and recoil. Having said that I was suprised at what factory rounds cost. I bought 200 but after they are empty they will serve as the brass for reloading it.

[Suzuki]

There is no one answer to your question.

[6.5]

either the 6.5x47 laupau or .264 win mag or the 6.5 credmore

[caffeineforall]

I'm more radical. I've used everything from a 20 gauge slug gun, up to a 30/06. I was in love with the 30/30 lever action for quite a while. Then I moved up and loved on my 7mm Rem Mag. However...

Now I just use an AK-47. The 7.62x49mm cartridge is just right for my hunting grounds where there is a lot of thick cover with random open spots of 150 yards. Now in Michigan, its perfectly legal to hunt with an AK-47 so long as you aren't running around with a banana clip. They make 5 round clips and thats what I used. I love that its semi-auto for quick follow ups, relatively low recoil, and just impossible to break on ya. It isn't orthodox, but a full metal jacket slug with do a once over in the cavity of any size deer and not leave you worrying about lead.

Last year I downed a small buck and a big doe within 15 minutes of each other. Made believers out of my friends who called me whacky for using an assault rifle for deer.

One other thing to note if anyone is looking into an AK-47 for sport or hunting is to not get suckered by the cheap stamped AK-47's out there. Take your time, and find a milled AK and your shot group will be astounding.

Just my thoughts.

[guidedfishing]

Although there are many calibers that can take whitetails here are a couple that are exceptional.

.280 remington which also takes elk nicely
.35 whelen which really puts a nice thump on a big northwoods buck, and takes moose nicely.

In the end it only really matters that you can put a proper weight bullet in the boiler room.

So the answer to the question is easy, but it is always nice to pick up another rifle if you need to fill a specific niche. Once such rifle is the .257 roberts, especially if you hand load.

good luck
GF

[Sportdog]

Well it's 0430 and I can't go back to sleep so I may as well chime in on this one. I've used 20 gauge foster slugs, 12 gauge foster and sabot slugs, a .243 Winchester, a .270 Winchester, a 30-06 Springfield, and most recently, a 7mmWSM. That said, my vote would be for the 7mm-08 Remington in a good bolt action rifle. I like the short action, the mild recoil, and the high ballistic coeffecient of the .284 caliber bullets. There are really a lot of good and great whitetail cartridges out there. Just pick one and use the proper bullet weight and construction for the job.

[Chad]

I hear Ya T-mac, those big calibres can beat you up at the range, but I have never noticed the kick when I'm shooting at an animal. Adrenaline I guess.

One word "Lead Sled", okay so it was two.
No more flinching!

[Chad]

I am looking for the best whitail caliber. This gun will be used for nothing but hunting whitails. I have a .300 for elk and a great varmant gun already.

Right now I am thinking about a 25-06.

Any thoughts?

Tikka .270WSM is what I ended up with after asking the same questions.

My conclusion is a 30/06 if you are considering other species such as elk or moose since they have so many options..

[archer66]

.300 Win mag is a fine caliber for Whitetailed Deer. Save your money and use what you already have.

[dclelandfishing]

buy a 25,06 you cant go wrong for deer, dont kick hard and will kill one as far as you want to shoot,a good coyote gun to,doesnt leave big holes i got a 300 win mag, and a 3006 and a 7mm ,and iam buying a 2506 or a 243 both good acuarte guns and dont kick and dont make big holes in varmits,and will kill a deer