# Help choosing general deer rifle caliber



## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

There are so many calibers that are more than adequate for whitetails in MI that it is hard to pick one. 

Many have told you to pick the .06 due to its ability to shoot bigger game. On a similar note the 243 makes an excellent deer caliber with minimal recoil and makes a fine varmint gun on the opposite end of the spectrum.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

> My personal favorite is a .308.


 Notice the .308 gets more than a mentyion or two when it wasn't in your origonal list? There is a good reason for that.


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## sourdough44 (Mar 2, 2008)

A 308 will fit right in your criteria.


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## Justin (Feb 21, 2005)

Another vote for the 308. Sold my '06 and bought a 308, never regretted it. It is much more comfortable to shoot during long bench sessions.I'd use it on anything but the big bears.


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## inland44 (Dec 1, 2008)

Ill cast my vote for the .308win if your looking for a general deer round. Cor-lokt ammo is relatively cheap and avalable in several diffrent loads, priemium ammo is also pretty reasonable. If your confident in your shooting abilities and keep your ranges within a reasonable distance its more than capable of taking larger game. You can get it in a more compact rifle which means a stiffer action.


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## Perferator (Oct 18, 2003)

Burksee said:


> "Exotic" calibers for the "general shooter" would be .243, .270 and possibly a .308


A .308 "exotic"?:lol:

.....now that .270win might well be.


(sorry, just had to poke some fun here)


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

Perferator said:


> A .308 "exotic"?:lol:
> 
> .....now that .270win might well be.
> 
> ...


LOL! I did say "possibly"! It is for me anyways! :yikes:


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

decoydog said:


> Hey what the heck, Ill throw in the 260 Remington as my perfect choice for deer. Mine is a Rugger M77 and you literally can shoot it all day and not feel the recoil. In that respect it shines. As well as the ballistics speak for them selves. Near perfect ballistic coefficient, and sectional density. Shoots flatter than most of the guns mentioned and has a surprisingly high energy retention.


Not too far behind the great 270. I've always wanted one myself ever since it came out. It doesn't seem to be doing all that great so I should get one in a M7 or something before they stop making them. Unfortunate as it seems to be such a great little round. Remington seems to have some poor marketing at times. 

I'd take it, the 7-08 or 270 over the 308 any day :evil:


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## 3fingervic (Jan 28, 2009)

I think the .308 may be the way to go. Ammo should be cheap. It is a pretty common/available round. Can be reloaded easily also.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

M1Garand said:


> I'd take it, the 7-08 or 270 over the 308 any day :evil:


I've got a .260 (in an M7 coincidently) as well as a 7mm-08 & .270 and I agree with you. 

As I said before, I'd take a .308 over an 06', though.

My .270 and 7mm-08 just got back from Idaho, I lent them to a friend and his son who went on a mule deer hunt. The son bagged a big muley doe at 180 yds with the 7-08, 1 shot double lung, the doe went about 30 yards. My buddy got a fork-horn muley at around 225 yards with my .270. The bullet grazed the heart, took out the lungs and busted the far side shoulder, it went about ten steps and collapsed. It was the first time either of them had been deer hunting! Both were using my hand loads with 140 gr. Hornady BTSP Interlocks in the .270 and the same bullet in 139 gr. for the 7-08. Both are excellent deer cartridges and I'd have no qualms about using either of them on Elk, either.


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## garyrodbender (Feb 2, 2001)

Like most of you I too have had the 270,308, and 30-06...Now my long gun of choice is my Remington model 700 in .260.It shoots the 120gr well but really likes the 139gr,both are of the CorBon persuasion .Also would not hesitate using the 139gr on elk as stated above.


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## Niles Coyote (Jul 22, 2009)

jiffymack said:


> Cost of target ammo (I'll need to do a good amount of practice)
> 
> Availability of both target and regular ammo
> Power. I'll be hunting primarily Michigan deer but having the flexibility of a round that will take on larger game if needed would be nice.
> ...


The 308 would be hard to beat in availability, quantity of options & quality (surplus to long range match and everything in between). Factory ammo is available that would allow you to hunt anything in North America. It may not be the "be all, end all" cartridge in every category. But it does seem to do everything needed. 

Now if I were to limit myself to Michigan whitetail. Where shots will be less than 200 yards for the most part. I would just use a 223 with a fast twist barrel, with hand loaded controlled expansion bullets in the 65+ grain range. --Varmint bullets need not apply-- If shots were to be well in excess of 200 then I would turn back to any of the many cartridges based off the 308 or 06 case, but most likely choosing something in 243, 260, 7mm08 or 308.


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## Skibum (Oct 3, 2000)

First thing I'd do is go to a a gun store and handle as many different rifles as I could to find the one that handled, fit and felt best. Then I'd worry about caliber. 7mm-08, .270, .280, .308, 30-06 are all great rounds that will serve any hunter well. For ammo availablity I would list them in order of .308, 30-06, .270, 7mm-08, .280.

In regards to the recomendation of a .300 Win mag, I actually think that is an ideal round for one rifle to handle the broadest range of NA big game but I think you need to really look at how much big game hunting you really plan to do. In my mind it's better to get a rifle tailored for whitetail hunting that you can use on the occasional trip. Then again, I'm a rifle whore. My deer rifle is a trim custom 7x57 partnered with a .338 for bigger game. Unless I decide to take my .270...or 6mm...or 30-06...or .375...I'm so ashamed...:lol:


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Munsterlndr said:


> I've got a .260 (in an M7 coincidently) as well as a 7mm-08 & .270 and I agree with you.
> 
> As I said before, I'd take a .308 over an 06', though.
> 
> My .270 and 7mm-08 just got back from Idaho, I lent them to a friend and his son who went on a mule deer hunt. The son bagged a big muley doe at 180 yds with the 7-08, 1 shot double lung, the doe went about 30 yards. My buddy got a fork-horn muley at around 225 yards with my .270. The bullet grazed the heart, took out the lungs and busted the far side shoulder, it went about ten steps and collapsed. It was the first time either of them had been deer hunting! Both were using my hand loads with 140 gr. Hornady BTSP Interlocks in the .270 and the same bullet in 139 gr. for the 7-08. Both are excellent deer cartridges and I'd have no qualms about using either of them on Elk, either.


Munster I agree with everything you said but I will add, I've shot a lot of 308 but have never had a desire for one, I prefer other cartridges based on it myself. Sounds like your friend had a great hunt with two perfect cartridges. It's a good thing they didn't read Lee Hoots recent article in Rifle magazine though...he claimed the 270 was marginal for mule deer and recommended the 300 WSM...:lol:

I've always been a fan of the Hornady SP bullets. They have always shot well and not been overly pricey (I've had good results with Sierra's too). I picked up a bunch of the 154 grn SP's too work up an all around load for my 280 M700 Mountain Rifle. I'd love to have a 7-08 and 260 eventually too, but since I now have the 280, I may just look at the 260. Out of curiosity, what is your 7-08?


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Niles Coyote said:


> The 308 would be hard to beat in availability, quantity of options & quality (surplus to long range match and everything in between). Factory ammo is available that would allow you to hunt anything in North America. It may not be the "be all, end all" cartridge in every category. But it does seem to do everything needed.
> 
> Now if I were to limit myself to Michigan whitetail. Where shots will be less than 200 yards for the most part. I would just use a 223 with a fast twist barrel, with hand loaded controlled expansion bullets in the 65+ grain range. --Varmint bullets need not apply-- If shots were to be well in excess of 200 then I would turn back to any of the many cartridges based off the 308 or 06 case, but most likely choosing something in 243, 260, 7mm08 or 308.


I can say that anyplace that sells 308 will also have 270, '06 and many times 243 as well. With so many choices we have and with so many rounds that do such a good job, I think in the end, it boils down to preference and the make of rifle, how it feels and what it's available in may sometimes be a huge deciding factor. 

Personally I don't know what the infatuation with using a 223 on deer is when there are so many other better choices out there. I know many have been successful with it, but most of them are experienced and know the limitations of it. Using bullets such as the TSX, Partition or even the 64 grn Win PP l know make it much more effective, but even though I'm open minded, I'm still not sold on it as a deer round.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

M1Garand said:


> Munster I agree with everything you said but I will add, I've shot a lot of 308 but have never had a desire for one, I prefer other cartridges based on it myself. Sounds like your friend had a great hunt with two perfect cartridges. It's a good thing they didn't read Lee Hoots recent article in Rifle magazine though...he claimed the 270 was marginal for mule deer and recommended the 300 WSM...:lol:
> 
> I've always been a fan of the Hornady SP bullets. They have always shot well and not been overly pricey (I've had good results with Sierra's too). I picked up a bunch of the 154 grn SP's too work up an all around load for my 280 M700 Mountain Rifle. I'd love to have a 7-08 and 260 eventually too, but since I now have the 280, I may just look at the 260. Out of curiosity, what is your 7-08?


The 7-08 that I lent to the son was an Encore, stainless/laminate. I had planned on lending him my Model 7 .260 Rem ss/syn but his son was left handed so a right handed bolt gun did not make as much sense as a break action single. Also, the kid was a novice hunter and did not have much experience with rifles, so I felt there was a safety advantage to the single shot, as well. It sure did the Job! The Dad used my Sako Finnlight in .270 I have to say that of all the guns I have ever owned, the Finnlight has to be the sweetest shooting one. Dead nuts accurate and it just feels really, really good to shoot.


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## TIMfromTroy (Jan 24, 2005)

It really comes down to personal preference. I own both a .308 and a 30-06 and shot my first deer ever with a .270. 

The .308, .270 and 30-06 are all excellent Michigan deer cartridges which are widely available in Michigan (at a reasonable price compared to other calibers) and anywhere in the world for that matter. While not light on recoil none have an overpowering amount of recoil either. 

The 7mm-08 is also a great choice. Its only drawbacks are increased ammo expense and perhaps fewer available factory loads.


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