Friday, February 12, 2010

What caliber is recomended for long range whitetail deer shots?

I am looking to buy a deer rifle i was curious on trajectory and power. I do not want to buy a 300 win mag thoWhat caliber is recomended for long range whitetail deer shots?
.30-06 best damn cal in the worldWhat caliber is recomended for long range whitetail deer shots?
I am a long time Alaskan hunter, trapper, and ex-military Olympic Class competition shooter.





My longest deer shot so far has been 635 yards with a 243 Win on Kodiak Island. This was a rifle I had spent a year on Attu Island with 50 pounds of ammo and a 2,000 yard condemed runway as my practice area. 600+ yards was in my range. That particular deer was on a small peninsula and had to get past me to get away. Today, even with the experince I had on that rifle - I wouldn't take a shot over 500 yards with unless I practiced up with a few hundred rounds.





308 is 'the' caliber for military and NRA Highpower Rifle competition at 200, 300 and 600 yards with open sights. At 600 yards the 308 Win has just barely enough energy to take down a deer.





That said - long range shots at deer are not recommended. I had to track down a deer once an idiot hunter shot at long range and only took out the lower jaw. The guy was too poor a shot to get a second one off, and too out of shape to go after it.





Most hunters will lay down prone and shoot nice groups at 300 yards and think they are awesome shots. Come hunting season, they are now shooting offhand and can't hit the side of a barn. Offhand is no fun to practice - and I never see hunters doing it.





If you can stand and put 5 rounds in a standard 10'; paper plate in 30 seconds or so without using a sling or leaning up against something - that is the 'long range' you are good at. Having a low recoil rifle (243 or 308) will help, good optics will be a big help, Having a proper sized stock and decent trigger pull (4.5 to 5lb for hunting, never any lighter) is a huge help since many factory triggers are closer to 8lb these days. It's imporatant to have the right scope and have it installed correctly for you and your vision. You need to throw that rifle up to your shoulder and have it dead on - no back and forth head action or leaning or canting.





My advice. Start doing NRA Highpower Rifle Competition. They shoot in the rain, fog, sleet, snow, high wind - all the ugly weather conditions normal people don't go to the range in. You will learn more in one match on one afternoon than a whole year of practice once a month. That, and you will learn to read the wind. If your match rifle is a M1a in 308 and your deer rifle is a also a 308 - your should be a damn fine long range deer shooter in one summer or two.





Hope this helps.
I use a 7mm mag with a 150 gr Remington accutip sierra boattail for mule deer hunting where shots can be 400 yards. My rifle loves those bullets. At 200 yards I'm 2.5 inches high which puts me dead on at 275. if you don't want a magnum, the .270 in a 140 gr bullet is also a great choice. Not as flat shooting and the knock down at longer ranges isn't as good but less recoil and 1 more round in the magazine. After you buy the rifle in whatever caliber, try different ammo manufacturers and bullets. I've found that different rifles are more or less accurate with different bullets.
The answer to this used to be the 25-06. The adequate power at long range, combined with the low recoil to justify enough shooter accuracy for long shots, is hard to beat for Antelope hunting, which is an extreme case of the type of hunting you describe. The 120 grain boattail Nosler Partition bullets should be fine on even larger deer with good hits. Regards, Larry.
I switched over to the .270 30 years ago and have never regretted it. A 130 grain bullet for white tail ( I prefer sierra BTSP) and 150 grain for mule deer, black bear and elk. This is a great flat shooting, hard hitting cartridge made popular by the late Jack O'Connor.


shoot safe
The most frequently used calibers for your purpose are the 30-06, 308, 270, 6mm, 30-30, 32 Winchester Special, and 243.* Pick one* Magnum calibers are not needed or necessary for Harvesting Deer.* The vast Majority of Big %26amp; Small Game is harvested within 100 yards or less.*
As others have pointed out --- The .270 Winchester is an excellent choice.....





http://www.chuckhawks.com/270family.htm





.270 Ballistics chart....





http://www.shootingtimes.com/ballistics/…





I happen to like and use the .308 Winchester.... When I am not deer hunting I target shoot a lot... So the .308 works best for me.....





http://www.6mmbr.com/308Win.html





.308 Ballistics chart....


http://www.shootingtimes.com/ballistics/…
6.5x55, 260 Remington, 270 Winchester, 7x57, and 7mm08 are all good choices. If you're shooting at longer range than those can give you, you need to go home and stop the fantasies. You aren't that good.
.308 winchester. Best deer / all purpose rifle. Check out the Remington 700's or if you're on a budget check out the Savages.
.270 or 7,62 x 54r.
7mm Rem Mag
I agree with Randy 270 will get the job done.
I use a .30-30. But if you want more power then that try a .30-06.
45 caliber handgun never does you wrong
.223
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