Hunting Fun

308

Any caliber in the 30′s is excellent for hunting whitetail deer. Such as 30’06, .308, 30-30, 7.62 x 54mm, 8mm Mauser, there are many calibers that you could use. The best caliber, is a tough question to answer, that would depend on what kind of caliber you are most familiar and more comfortable shooting with. The best whitetail caliber to me would be the 30’06 and second the 30-30.

30-30 would be your best option.

check out a .30-30 or .35 Remington, a little older but both have taken many a whitetail deer in their day. I like .243 , .25-06 and .30-06 for all deer species. My first deer was a Kansas whitetail at 100+ yards with a .243, the deer ran about 20 yards and went down hard. I have shot 2 other whitetail since that one both with a .30-06 and neither of them went far after the shot. I used a .25-06 on mule deer in Montana at a range of 200 yards, the buck ran about 30 yards and went down, 2 doe dropped right on the spot. I like .25-06 for Mule deer and antelope and maybe blacktail deer. Good luck, whatever you choose I am sure it will bring you loads of great hunting fun.

only because it is brushy i would strongly suggest the 30-30. But if there is a feild then with out a doubt i suggest the 270. win

if you are going to be in a wooded area i would go with 30/30 great knockdown power up to 150 yards

You can go the .308 route but really it’s overkill. All you really need for whitetail is .243 win.

The thirty calibers make good brush-bucking and buck-busting calibers, but if you ever go somewhere outside the woods, you’ll prefer the longer range capability of the .30-06 for those wide open western state shots at deer, antelope and elk. If I had to pick just one from the many suitable calibers available, it would be the 30-06 in a Remington Model 700. (There’s a reason it was and still is one of the most respected and desirable guns and calibers for sports hunters and military snipers alike.) You can count on it to get the job done. I do!

Any gun from a 30-30 to a 300 wsm is going to smoke a deer real good. Depending of how far you want to shoot, how much recoil you want to handle and the hunting conditions will be a factor. Assuming it is a brushy area like you mentioned, a lower velocity caliber with heavy round will give you a little bit less deflection from any brush and a higher chance of a good hit. However I don’t recommend ever shooting through brush, but it can happen incidentally. A 30-30 is a good option, but so is the 30-06 with 200 gr rounds. I would say pick up a few guns at your local dealer or test drive them if they will let you and see what feels the best. If you do plan on hunting other large game in the future eg elk or moose, stick with the 308 or 30-06 so you have the option without having to fork out money for a gun.

But on the other hand, its never bad to have an excuse to give the wife for buying another gun down the road.

To start with a centerfire cartridge! You may laugh but there are more that one idiot out there that think that a .22 LR cartridge is more than adequate for deer! It most certainly is not!!! If you are only 15, be sure that there is an adult who is willing to take you deer hunting. As far as caliber, a .243 Winchester is up to the task! It has mild recoil and is quite capable of cleanly killing a deer. Also the .257 Roberts is good too. Be sure that you know the hunting laws in your state. Here in Pennsylvania you would be illegal if you were to hunt with a semi-automatic firearm so be safe and be legal!!

Many good calibers for whitetails. They arent that big. Pretty much anything from a .243 on up will work. .308 is a great, versatile caliber, as is the ’06.

Either one of those will work well on deer. Chose the caliber you are most comfortable with.

H

ive been hunting since i was 8 and for deer ive never shyed away from the good ol .308 calliber. perfect size for killing

with the .. landscape .. you are describing a 30-30. i recommend a marlin 336.

308 and 30-06 are more powerful than you need for whitetails under any circumstances; on the other hand, nobody’s ever killed one too dead, so there’s no reason not to choose one of those if you want.
The middle range for deer is calibers like 6.5×55, 260 Remington, 270 Winchester, 7mm08 and 7×57 Mauser. Those are all fine performers, though the 270 is really designed more for longer ranges. At 15, I had experience with only a few calibers, myself, but over the decades have accumulated a lot more, so think of this not as your deer rifle but rather as your first deer rifle.

.308 Would be fine…. Read the below articles….

Lots of info here…..

If you like the .308 then great!… There are some obvious advantages… Its a popular military caliber and is quite popular with target shooters…. Whats great about that is you can find .308 ammo in bulk at really decent prices…

Be sure to check this site out — Although its geared more towards target shooting the info here on the .308 is quite relevant for hunting…

.308 in bulk = lots of practice time on the cheap…

The ‘O6 and the .308 are both great rounds for deer hunting. The .308 is the better choice, in my experience, because it is inherently more accurate, and because it is available in short-actions, giving you a slightly lighter rifle with a stiffer action.

There are so many cartridges that are ‘great’ for deer hunting that it is ridiculous; essentially, anything that you can shoot well that is heavy enough to do the job (and it doesn’t take much) will suffice. In spite of what the gun mags say, deer are very easy to kill, even the biggest. Shot placement is everything; put it through the boiler room and take the heart apart and you can use a .223; if you’re not sure about that kind of consistency, use at least a .243. Sounds like you’re heading in the right direction with those two fine old .30 cal flavors.

A piece of advice; I read about many people that aim for the shoulder with deer. Don’t do it. You’ll ruin a lot of meat, and if you miss bone, you’ll likely have a lot of tracking to do. Aim behind the shoulder, and you’ll be sure to take out the heart and/or lungs. They won’t go very far, and you won’t ruin meat. Don’t aim too far back or you’ll bust their guts, maybe have to track farther, and have tainted meat (and a mess).

Good hunting, and good luck.

My opinion is worth what it costs, which is nothing but….I’m partial to the .308. Let me explain, I’m a former Designated Marksman for the US Marine Corps and we shot the M40 A3 in the .308 caliber, in which I have recieved much practice. So thats why I’m comfortable with it. Now, I’ve seen in here where people say shoot what you’re comfortable with That is outstanding and crucial advice. However, being 15 you probably don’t have a whole lot of shooting experience with a lot of calibers.

Now to the science of it all, .270 Winchester and .338 Lapua Magnum are perfect rounds. Perfect meaning the powder load perfectly matches the size and weight of the round that makes them extremely flat shooting up to long distances. Meaning you wouldn’t have to account for bullet drop until out past 200 yards. The wind does’nt even effect the .270 in my experience. So with all this said, for you, I say start with the .270 it’s absolutely perfect and it will absolutely get the job done, brush or not.

30-30 is a very good deer rifle. i am 15 and love my 30 -30 it will bag ya a nice buck someday