what bullet cartridge do you prefer for killing deer?

Answer 1

There are a number of fine cartridges available for deer hunting. Here are some of my favorites:

.243 Winchester:
Over the years, I have killed a lot of deer with the .243 Winchester. I have a 1968 model Sako chambered in .243 caliber, and with handloading, it will shoot a five round group under 1/2" (when I can hold it still enough). To me, the .243 is quite adequate to kill whitetail deer, up to 300 yards. Beyond that point, you are stretching the capabilty of the fine cartridge (and in most instances the shooter). The recoil is minimal, and most rifles are very accurate with the round. You should use around a 100 grain bullet for hunting whitetail deer.

.270 Winchester:
One of my close friends hunts with a .270 Winchester in a model 700 Remington. He has been hunting (and killing) big (horns) deer with the same rifle for over twenty-five years. I have never known him to miss a deer with it, and the deer he has shot, very seldom run over a few steps before falling. As a result of what I have seen him do for the last quarter century, I would have to rate the .270 as one of the best rifle cartridges available for whitetail deer. If I remember right, this was also the cartridge that Jack O'Connor used in his model 70 Winchester. As I remember, he used his .270 Winchester to take a number of plains animals in Africa and around the world.

6 MM Remington:
The 6MM Remington is a souped up .243. Both the .243 Winchester, and the 6MM Remington are actually .243 Caliber. The 6 MM Remington, is loaded in a slightly larger case, so that the bullet can gain a little advantage by having a slightly larger powder charge than the .243 Winchester. Personally, I don't know if there is really any practical difference in the two rounds, so whichever you prefer, you should have an adequate cartridge for whitetail deer.

30-06.
No discussion of deer cartridges would be complete without including the '06. Originally a military round, ("ball cartridge, caliber 30, Model of 1906") the 30-06 has probably killed as many, or maybe more deer than any other cartridge. The .30-06 is a .308 caliber bullet. Probably because of the availability of both the surplus military rifles and the availability of surplus ammunition, plus being manufactured in every type and brand of rifle, the 30-06 has a reputation, and rightfully so, as an excellent deer cartridge. The rifle is available in a large number of bullet weights, from around 110 grains up to around 200 grains. It has been my experience that about 150 to 165 grain bullets perform better in most rifles. The smaller bullets are not as accurate, probably because of the diameter of the bullets being so large, the lighter bullets are not long enough to be as stable as the middle weight bullets.

.308 Winchester:
Another military round, the .308 Winchester is the same bullet used by the 30-06, but in a shorter, smaller case. Quite accurate, the .308 Winchester is a very good deer cartridge. A lot of people prefer the .308 to the 30-06, because of the shorter case. You can use a rifle with a shorter bolt throw, than you have to have for say a .270 or the 7MM magnum. By the way, the .243 Winchester is a .308 necked down to .243 caliber. I have taken once fired .308 cases, and necked them down and trimmed them to reload in my .243.

.30-30 Winchester:
Supposedly, the 30-30 Winchester is a "leg breaker cartridge". This probably comes from the fact that the 30-30 does not have as flat a trajectory as some of the other cartridges, so that the bullet drops more, and deer out at 150 to 200 yards are often hit in the legs, rather than in the vital parts of the body. If you use the rifle under 100 yards, the 30-30 rifle is quite adequate to kill deer. A couple of years ago, we were hunting in Alabama, and one of my hunting companions killed two deer with one shot each at about 150 yards. One of the deer weighed (field dressed) 195 pounds, and the other weighed 214 pounds. These are the two largest (body weight) deer that I have ever seen killed with the 30-30. But, this just goes to prove that the 30-30 is an adequate deer rifle at reasonable ranges.

.338 Winchester Magnum:
This cartridge is probably on the maximum end of the range to be considered a whitetail deer rifle (it is a .458 Winchester necked down to a .338 caliber bullet). I have killed several deer with the .338 and it is definitely a one-shot cartridge. None of the deer that I shot ran at all. Part of the reason, was not necessarily the cartridge, but where I shot the deer that made the difference. Shot placement will be covered in another article, and you may be surprised at the best place to shoot a deer to anchor him. Where you have always been taught to shoot deer is not necessarily the best place. Be sure to catch our next article on shot placement.


I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings because I haven't mentioned their favorite deer cartridge. These above, are just a few of the fine cartridges available for whitetail deer hunting and are by no means the only or the best cartridges available. If you would like to submit your opinions on your favorite cartridges, and the reasons why, send us an email message. You can get the contact information at the bottom of this page.

Answer 2

Well, I prefer 8mm Mauser - cause that's what fits in my rifle!

Hell, you can use about anything.

I know a guy that uses a .223 AND a .45-70.
He likes his .45-70 cause he's had it forever,
but there one spot he goes that he needs a little more distance for, so he uses the .223 he got for his boy.
They both work fine.

The 8mm Mauser works fine. I shot two at once with it (well, I'm exgerating - I used two shots a couple of seconds apart).


I got a cheap .50 caliber muzzle loader, that loaded with 90 grains and a saboted .44 caliber 300 grain bullet will go through more walls than a SKS round.
I haven't gotten around to trying it on deer.
That one turned to crap - I should'a got a inline.
Mmm...

I've seen a 30-30 used - that works great!

So does a 1988 Dodge Dakota 4WD pickup.
First one dropped like a rock, but the second one got away.
I saw him just a little bit before and slowed down. If I knew he was gonna mess up my A/C, I'd have sped up. (In Missouri, if ya hits it with a vehicle, you can keep them, but ya gotta call and report it).
Works good, but the side facing the truck's usually a little bruised so I give that to the dogs.

Slugs are good. More popular in states that require or have extended shotgun seasons.
I got some cheap red plastic cased 3" slugs labeled "Active" that I got at a hunting store chain I really like.

I use those in my use in my 12 gauge Savage 30 model D full choked shotgun and they'll do a 3 round 3-4" group at 50 yards. Better than any of the brand names I tried including that German one - Rotweil or something?

I mainly use that when I only want one gun to carry around and there's two things in season or when it's too dark to use a scope. I usually keep that in my pickup too in case I run into someone that wants to go hunting or some deer that want to be hunted.

Answer 3

ive hunted with a lot of guns the 243 is great for open long distance shooting, but the two ive found to be best were the 12 gague shotgun with a rifled barrel, and my all time favorite was the 30-30 winchester with 6 shots, the barrel is short enough for shooting in tight spots and light enough to carry all day, i use either a 150 -170 grain bullet, its heavy enough to plow through small branches and not get deflected as easy as with the 243 shell....any body whos hunted in the mountains of ny will tend to lean with the heavier guns..30-06/ 270/ 30-30...and the 30/30 you can fire as quick as you can pull the lever..although any good hunter will tell you .....one shot is all you need, if you need more than one shot, why did you waste shooting at the deer..?

Answer 4

I have used the .30-06, the .308, the 8x57, and the .300Win. mag. Now I have settled on the .30-30 Winchester M94 carbine with a Redfield receiver sight. Light and handy. It allows me to more easily pack out my buck without being overtaxed by a 10.5 lbs rifle/scope combo.

Answer 5

In Ohio we can only use shotguns or handguns.
For a long gun I use a Remington 870 Express 12 ga.synthetic with fully rifled and ported barrel with 3x-9x32mm cantilever barrel.
For handgun either a T/C Contender .357 or S&W 686 with scoped 8-3/8" barrel.

Answer 6

30-06 in a 150 grain, i jump up to 180 grain on bear . i also prefer remington core-lockt i use to use winchester silvertips but i got tired of plucking aluminum(or whatever the silver part is) shrapnel out of the meat, but it did do a real nice job.
I now however have a friend reload them using nosler boattails.(he is damn good at reloading)

Answer 7

Bound's hubby here:

For short range, wooded areas, under 100 yards, I use my old .25-35.

For ranges beyond 200 yards, I use a .308 WInchester or a .30-'06.

Answer 8

30-06 Springfield in a Remington auto.

Nighthawk, I am so jealous, wish I had a Barrett.

Answer 9

30-06!

Answer 10

.30/06