good deer caliber...?

Question

i have heard a lot about the .30/06 and everyone says its a great gun. i would use it for deer only. i live where it is a mixed landscape. parts of where i live are thick woods, but there are also a lot of open cornfields that i hunt on. lots of people have recommended a .270 winchester to me too, and i like what i hear. any ideas or thoughts?

Answer 1

For deer you can safely choose between the .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield by flipping a coin. Lately I've been using a .270, but have shot more deer with the .30-06. The advantage of the .30-06 is that it can heavier bullets should you have an opportunity to hunt larger game such as elk. The advantage of the .270 is that it has a (very slightly) flatter trajectory with the optimal bullet weight for the caliber (bore diameter). The optimal bullet weight for the .270 is 130 grains while the optimal bullet weight for the .30-06 is 165 grains (I generally use the 150 grain bullets). For either cartridge you do not need "premium" bullets for deer. The Winchester "power points", Remington "Core Locks" and Federal "Boat tail Soft Points" are all excellent deer stoppers.

Answer 2

Cartridges such as the 25-06, 270Win and 30-06 are excellent chamberings the 25-06 shoots flatter than the 270 which shoots flatter than the 30-06 but the 30-06 is more powerful than the 270 and so on. The 30-06 is considered the gold standard for the all-purpose rifle able to take any game in North America. The 270 and the 25-06 are both contenders as the best thin-skinned game cartridge, IE mule deer, whitetail deer and antelope. Unless you some day plan to hunt dangerous game or African game the 30-06 is the only rifle that you would need but truthfully the same could also be said of the other two cartridges.

Answer 3

The .30-06 Springfield is a great deer rifle. In fact, it is suitable for ANY North American big game. The .270 Winchester is a .30-06 necked down to .27 caliber; it shoots a skinnier, lighter bullet than the .30-06. Another stellar deer rifle, and my personal favorite when strictly hunting deer, is the .25-06 Remington. This is a .30-06 necked down to .25 caliber and it shoot an even lighter, skinnier bullet than the .270.

Whatever you chose to hunt deer, don't pick anything smaller than a .243 Winchester and then ONLY with the 100 grain hunting bullets.

H

Answer 4

Personally, I shoot a 25-06. It is a very flat shooting rifle, and suits me well. I would suggest finding friends that have the calibers mentioned and just shoot them. You will find one that you like and prefer. the 30-06 is also a great gun and so is the 270...and 243. All are good for deer hunting. It is all about personal preferance. They will all get the job done. No matter what you choose, make sure to become a proficient shot with you gun of choice. All of these rounds will stop a deer cold if the shot is placed right. Happy Hunting.

Answer 5

To tell the truth there's not much difference between the two, the .270 is a bit smaller, but the shell casings are of similar size. With a .270 Winchester (130 grain)you are getting a greater muzzle velocity of 3060 foot-pounds, where the .30-06 Springfield (150 grain) has a muzzle velocity of 2910 foot-pounds. With in 200 yards they are both similar, at 300 - 400 yards the .270 is a little more accurate and has a bit more punch to it.

You want a Rifle that fits you
Personally I like the .270 !
You can take down a Deer at 400 yards easily, tolerable recoil, It's light, and the Ammo is availabe at almost any hunting store

Answer 6

Definitely can not go wrong with either one, those two cartridges outsell any other caliber every deer season, even the 30-30 Win. I am 14 and I hunt deer with a Savage 30-06 and it drops them like a brick, never had a problem with it. My good friend has the exact same Savage rifle, except in the good 'ol .270 Win. He has also had great succes with it on deer. Both are good in the woods, but if you know you will be hunting on fields, go with the .270, in woods, the 30'06 Springfield

Answer 7

The 30-06 is really over-powered for deer, but as Elmer Kieth once put it, "You mean you can kill 'em too dead?" and it's certainly going to work. The 270 is the same case, necked down, and it wouldn't have been so popular for the past 3/4 of a century if there were anything terribly wrong with it. It, too, burns a lot of powder for the purpose. Probably the best cartridge ever made for the purpose is the 7mm Mauser, which is rarely chamberd any more in production rifles but still very popular in custom guns, and its ballistic equivalent, the 7mm08, is probably the smartest choice for your purposes. The 260 Remington is a close second. Very efficient, inherently accurate cartridges that shoot long bullets (good sectional density) for reliable performance, and the recoil is quite pleasant.

Answer 8

Any caliber between.243 and.300 magnum are suitable for deer. Choose the caliber that YOU can shoot effectively,ie. a caliber whose recoil doesn't cause you to flinch when squeezing off a round. The .270 or .30/06 are both excellent calibers for deer, but I'd go with the .30/06 because it can utilize a wider range of bullet weights.

Answer 9

Both the .270 and the 30-06 are good, and so is the .308 Id gwet something bigger than the .243 and that is the minimum, and i wouldnt even use that. A 30-30 is a good short range gun, but isnt good over 150 yards in my opinion.

Answer 10

Either is fine for whitetail although I would prefer a .308 to the 30/06 and only because it is a shorter cartridge and is usually put in a shorter and therefore lighter action. Either is capable of stopping a deer in its tracks if you do your part in putting the bullet in the right place.

Whichever you choose, learn to shoot it reasonably well, know yuor distances and sight settings and don't overestimate your own abilities. If you can not hit where you want to, you and others are going to spend a lot of time tracking wounded deer.