Hunting & Fishing Point-blank range caliber for deer?

[ccasanova]

Looking for light recoiling, flat shooting caliber recommendations for a new whitetail hunting rig. Thinking 243, 6mm Creedmoor, 25-06. I don’t reload. Have a 8x56 S&B to mount. Will be running suppressed. I don’t do much hiking to the stand, few hundred yards at the most. Shots are 75-200 yards, occasionally out to 300.
I have a Tikka .204 compact threaded/suppressed, same scope, which is a laser to 300 for coyotes. Looking for something larger but similar for deer.

 

[WB300]

I have found the 243 and Barnes 80 gr TTSX combo to be perfect for smaller southern deer. Works well when that occasional hog comes out too.

Of course as with any caliber, shot placement matters most.

 

[ccasanova]

I have found the 243 and Barnes 80 gr TTSX combo to be perfect for smaller southern deer.

I’ve killed several deer and hogs with .223 70gr TTSX. I’m a fan, it just runs out of steam in the .223.

 

[Aescobar17]

243 or 6 Creed seem like a great choice for that use. I’ve taken a doe at 404 and 598 with a 6x47 and 105 Hybrids. 300 and in would be easy work.

 

[Stooxie]

Anything giving you 3,000 fps (several of the calibers already mentioned here) will have a very flat trajectory out to 200 yards. +1" at 100 yards for zero at 200 yards. An 80 to 100 grain bullet at that speed will definitely do the job on deer. I've shot several deer wth 90gr Federal Fusions going about 2,950 fps and they have all been just as dead just as quickly as heavier calibers/bullets.

I am a big fan of flat trajectories in a relatively mild cartridge without going too small on the bullet.

-Stooxie

 

[ccasanova]

I have an older Ruger M77 .270 Zytel stock. Thinking about rebarrel to 25-06 , slightly larger profile and threaded.

 

[Roo_man]

Good ole .308

 

[ken4570tc in WY]

+1 on the 243 and Barnes 80 gr TTSX. The Barnes TSX and TTSX are as good if not better than moving up in caliber for putting down game. You'll appreciate the lower recoil of the 243 over anything larger/heavier.

 

[NorthernGentleman]

If you don't reload, I feel the obvious choice is a 6.5CM, the factory ammo will shoot great. Or the trusty .308.

 

[jakelly]

In your case, I’d pick up a 25-06 and drive on. If SA short Barrel considerations are a must then I’d consider the other two.

 

[Jimgal62]

In your case, I’d pick up a 25-06 and drive on. If SA short Barrel considerations are a must then I’d consider the other two.

I prefer the 308 Win, 20” barrel w suppressor. Long barrel life. Very little recoil and lots of factory hunting loads.

 

[jakelly]

Yeah that .308 is a laser.

 

[krw]

Reallistically, if you will sit down with a ballistic chart there is a pile of cartridges that work good at 300 yds. Its past the 300 mark where magnums, bullets with higher BC, longer bbls really start to shine. I do not own a 6.5 CM but it would be great for what u are wanting. My 260’s do!

 

[kackling-jackel]

Looking for light recoiling, flat shooting caliber recommendations for a new whitetail hunting rig. Thinking 243, 6mm Creedmoor, 25-06. I don’t reload. Have a 8x56 S&B to mount. Will be running suppressed. I don’t do much hiking to the stand, few hundred yards at the most. Shots are 75-200 yards, occasionally out to 300.
I have a Tikka .204 compact threaded/suppressed, same scope, which is a laser to 300 for coyotes. Looking for something larger but similar for deer.

Out to 300 any of your choices are poi capable

 

[myronman3]

stick with your 270. the 6mm’s lose too much energy at 300. point blank on my 270 is 311 yards. you aint gonna gain anything by going to the calibers you mention.....quite the opposite. you’ll lose.

if you are looking for something that out performs the 270 winchester, you’ll have to look at the various 7 mags and the 300 mags. everything else is a step down. UNLESS you are extending out past the 300 yard range...then the 7-08, 280, and the 6.5’s might offer you something. but 300 and under? you are going to be hard pressed to outdo the 270.

 

[Emmaandhaley]

I agree with the 270. But of course being on SH you get the itch as all of us do. Shot placement is key with smaller bullets.

 

[HogsLife]

243 and Barnes TSX or TTSX. Those are awesome hunting rounds. They hit HARD and kill well.

I shot a buck a few years back. 200+ yds running away. .308 using a 168gn Barnes TSX (way to big a bullet). Droppped him dead like a pallet of bricks landed on him and turned the left side of his body from his hind quarter to his front quarter to jelly. Only got 1.5 back straps, 1 hind quarter and 1 front quarter. The rest of the meat was toast. A 168 TSX was a bit to big for that little buck. A 243 and 80 TSX would have been just right.

Light recoiling, flat shooting and great factory ammo, within 300 yds on deer sounds like it’s got 6mm Creedmoor written all over it.

 

[HogsLife]

Yeah that .308 is a laser.

?

 

[myronman3]

?

If the point blank range of the 308 doesnt get it done for you, and you need something flatter shooting from 0 to 300 yards, then friend, you have some issues.

 

[HogsLife]

If the point blank range of the 308 doesnt get it done for you, and you need something flatter shooting from 0 to 300 yards, then friend, you have some issues.

Lol. I actually thought you were joking, just never heard anyone call a .308 a laser before. I suppose out to 300 yds it’s very flat shooting, like just about every other caliber out there at 300 yds ....

Oh yeah, I absolutely have some issues, ? none of which apply to understanding a 308 though....

And when someone asked my advise for a flat shooting, light recoiling rifle out to 300 yds for deer hunting, I’m sorry, but a .308 isn’t the 1st thing that comes to mind.... Top 5 maybe, but definetly not 1st.

 

[flyer]

If you like ARs and can afford ammo loaded with Barnes Bullets, a 6.8 SPC firing a 95 grain (I think) TTSX at close to 3,000 fps is a proven killer.

It should do point blank to 200 yards pretty easy and effective to 300 yards or more.

Recoil will be a little more than an AR in 5.56x45 but not bad at all.

Magazines and bolts are common and are becoming more common because they are shared with .224 Valkyrie.

My first choice for a barrel would be AR15PERFORMANCE 16" in whatever profile you like and buy a Super Bolt from them too.

 

[Healy]

Vital area on a deer is pretty large with a 200 yard zero you shouldn’t have any trouble with a 308 or whatever else you’d like to shoot

 

[sabrecross]

Not so flat shooting, but I concur with the .308. I've only had one deer out of two dozen take several steps after shooting them with the .308. Not so much with the 25-06.

 

[myronman3]

Lol. I actually thought you were joking, just never heard anyone call a .308 a laser before. I suppose out to 300 yds it’s very flat shooting, like just about every other caliber out there at 300 yds ....

Yes, I absolutely have plenty of issues, none of which apply to understanding a 308 though....

And when someone asked my advise for a flat shooting, light recoiling rifle out to 300 yds for deer hunting, I’m sorry, but a .308 isn’t the 1st thing that comes to mind.... Top 10 maybe, but definetly not 1st.

it wasnt me that called it “a laser”. but as you said, like most rifle calibers based on the 308 case or the ‘06 case, they are all pretty dang flat to 300. that’s all i was saying.

 

[myronman3]

And i will admit...i have killed exactly 0 southern deer. All mine have been big northern whitetails. From what i remember of the southern deer, they were tiny compared to the deer here (body size).

 

[Healy]

North, south I think either one will drop with a double lung shot

 

[HogsLife]

it wasnt me that called it “a laser”. but as you said, like most rifle calibers based on the 308 case or the ‘06 case, they are all pretty dang flat to 300. that’s all i was saying.

10-4 bro. I can agree with that. Got my who’s posting whats mixed up. Lol. My bad.

 

[shooter65]

308. Jack of all trades

 

[Lynn Jr]

Take up reloading and build a 6mm-06 for the 105 Berger VLD hunting bullets.
Lapua 30-06 brass Fed 215 primer and 56-57 grains of H1000 in a 26+ inch barrel.
Point blank range over 400 yards and extremely flat shooting.

But since you are not reloading 240 Weatherby.

 

[bab029]

I don’t know what the factory hunting ammo looks like for the 6 creed, but speed kills. You’re on the right track with 243 and 25-06.

For a 300 yard gun, don’t overlook the 270. It’s the mullet of the deer cartridge world, but it packs a ton of heat like the 25, but the ammo is much more plentiful. Green box core lok 130s have killed a mountain of deer among my people.

 

[jakelly]

I mockingly called it a laser.

The OP said he wanted a larger scale .204 for deer, and guys are recommending a .308. That’s laughable.

 

[wrightjr]

I'll probably catch flack for this, but I'm an overkill type guy. I have shot 180s out of my 30-06 for years even though I know, and have seen that 150s will do the job well on South Ga white tail. Part of this mentality was due to my experiences with a 25 - 06 that I hunted with for a short time. I very well know that the 25 is a capable an flat shooting round, but I didn't have the same level of confidence in it as I did with the 30 - 06 after having to trail a few deer and even loosing one due to the sometimes having to take a shoulder shots in heavily wooded areas where you only have a few seconds of good visibility before the deer is out of sight. This was due to me being accustomed to 30-06 blowing through bone and everything in its path leaving fist sized exit holes with budget corelockts and etc. So it's on me for expecting to take these same type shots with the lighter bullets in the 25 and expect the same outcome from a varmit round. I have an uncle who hunts open fields and he loves the 25, but that is an apples to oranges comparison where he normally can pick/ place his shots more precisely. So in other words the heavier bullets in my 30 - 06 is like a security blanket in my mind I never feel under gunned with it no matter the range, and it was endorsed by the great Carlos Hathcock.

 

[Stooxie]

How big are the deer there?

 

[wrightjr]

Normally 100 - 200 pounds.

 

[Stooxie]

Interesting. I routinely use 90gr bullets for shoulder shots, 2750 to 2950fps. Never had one not pass through. Never had a bullet not pass through ever. Kinda wish I did so j could see how it expanded!

-Stooxie

 

[wrightjr]

I know lots of guys that shoot similar loads to what you are describing with success, but I have had mixed results. And it definitely doesn't take that much rifle to cleanly kill our whitetail (I used a 30-30 with great success in my early teens). Granted I wasn't shooting a premium bullet (normally basic factory stuff). Maybe it was the combination of high velocity / short distance of my shots (normally under 100 yds.) and cheaper light weight bullets contributed to this trend, but this shaped my mindset.

 

[Stooxie]

Now that you mention it, I did just read somewhere that very high velocities coupled with smaller calibers can lead to higher rates of bullet "failure." The 25-06 was specifically mentioned. You definitely won't have that issue with 30-06 180gr pills!

-Stooxie

 

[RTH1800]

What is your AO like concerning brush and timber? In open country anything will work including the .204 if legal.
If you are hunting brush country a more knock it flat ctg like .308 or 30-06 will be SLIGHTY BETTER. I guide hunters and occasionally do deer removal on contract. I shoot a .204 32 grain Hornady factory load in very open country and mostly a 5.56 with Mk 262 77 SMK in denser cover. The 32 grain bullet will blow up on a blade of grass or twig. Otherwise kills well.

 

[wrightjr]

What is your AO like concerning brush and timber? In open country anything will work including the .204 if legal.
If you are hunting brush country a more knock it flat ctg like .308 or 30-06 will be SLIGHTY BETTER. I guide hunters and occasionally do deer removal on contract. I shoot a .204 32 grain Hornady factory load in very open country and mostly a 5.56 with Mk 262 77 SMK in denser cover. The 32 grain bullet will blow up on a blade of grass or twig. Otherwise kills well.

If this was for me, we have a mixture of brush and timber with the average shots being in the 30 - 50 yard range were trees may be spaced 5 - 10 yards apart with scattered brush and palmetto bushes. So if you aren't ready you may miss a chance to get a shot, or if you stop the deer you may not get to see all of him. You may only be able to see his legs/ shoulder and the bottom half of him or only his had and neck as he looks around. So the heavier stuff seems to allow me a little bit more margin for error, but I know several guys who use 22-250s and 223/ 5.56 successfully but the mostly hunt fields and open land as you stated. Most of them tell me that they prefer to take head, neck, and ribcage shots. I know shot placement is paramount with any cartridge, but in my experience it is even more crucial with the lighter bullets.

 

[kthomas]

Fast shooting centerfire .22.

.220 swift, .22-250, .22BR, etc.

 

[RTH1800]

Short range brush country, limited visibility, no shots beyond 200 yards. Likely also has rattlesnakes. .358 Winchester with Spear flat nose 220 grain bullet.

 

[Chernobyl]

Looking for light recoiling, flat shooting caliber recommendations for a new whitetail hunting rig. Thinking 243, 6mm Creedmoor, 25-06. I don’t reload. Have a 8x56 S&B to mount. Will be running suppressed. I don’t do much hiking to the stand, few hundred yards at the most. Shots are 75-200 yards, occasionally out to 300.
I have a Tikka .204 compact threaded/suppressed, same scope, which is a laser to 300 for coyotes. Looking for something larger but similar for deer.

All calibers you listed above would suffice and be great for whitetail within 200 yards. At 300 yds I would start swaying toward larger calibers.

 

[hlee]

My uncle was loading 130 grain bullets over a stiff load of powder in a 300 weatherby magnum. Very flat shooting... my vote is the 270 win, but I'm biased. I reality a 223 is flat shooters my snd will kill deer dead at 200 yards. At that range I wouldn't sweat the choice.

 

[RTH1800]

Everyone's definition of "light recoiling" varies. Also not sure why it really matters much. If for some reason it is a factor the 22-250 with a good bullet will serve you well.

 

[ccasanova]

I picked up another Tikka Compact in .243, already threaded. So will have identical rifle/scope combo to my .204. Both are a bit short at 20” but will be more handy, suppressed. Plan to grab some Hornady 58gr Vmax for varmints and Barnes 80gr TTSX/TSX for deer/hogs. Any other ammo suggestions for deer/hogs? My 7yr old is getting more interested in shooting/hunting and this should fit him well.

 

[WB300]

Awesome! Throw up some pics when you get a chance. Especially when the youngin gets a kill.

If the TTSX's don't group (never heard of a Tikka that didn't like em), try a Partition. Any bullet will work on a hog hit in the head/neck region, but hogs rarely stand still for the perfect shot. Partitions, like the TTSX penetrate deep.

Keep us updated.

Oh, and if you reload... i have a reduced recoil recipe that i started my son on. With the can, its great for working the fundamentals with the sound and recoil of a 22.

 

[thejeep]

I picked up another Tikka Compact in .243, already threaded. So will have identical rifle/scope combo to my .204. Both are a bit short at 20” but will be more handy, suppressed. Plan to grab some Hornady 58gr Vmax for varmints and Barnes 80gr TTSX/TSX for deer/hogs. Any other ammo suggestions for deer/hogs? My 7yr old is getting more interested in shooting/hunting and this should fit him well.

.243 at 30yds = backflips from the front and limbs almost completely detached from the side at 70yds.

 

[W54/XM-388]

If you are shooting 155gr out of a decent length .308 barrel, they do get out there pretty fast and compare very well in the 100 to 300 yards to many other calibers.

 

[The Durk]

Hornady 110gr Full Boar 300 Blackout dropped a deer for me at 82 yards.