What are some good rifle calibers for deer hunting?

51mm cases: 243 Win, 260 Rem, 7mm08, 308 Win. 358 Win

57mm cases: 6mm Rem, 257 Roberts, 7mm Mauser, 8mm Mauser. Throw in the 6.5x55 Swede, which has a different case but it's close.

63mm cases: 25-06, 6.5mm06 (custom only), 270 Win, 280 Rem, 30-06, 338-06, 35 Whelen

Also, don't forget the 250 and 300 Savage, if you happen to find one.

One of my favorites is 348 Win, but the rifles have been out of production for fifty years. 45-70 and 444 Marlin are somewhat popular, and Marlin's new 30 caliber looks promising. Throw in 30-30 and 32 Win Spl, and you've covered the bulk of them.

The 6mm's and quarter bores are good varmint rounds with plenty of power for deer if you use a good bullet. The 308 and above are more than you need, but there's no sin in "killing them too dead."

The .25-06 Remington is a stellar deer caliber that can be managed by most hunters. The .270 Winchester is also a great deer caliber. The .243 Winchester and .6mm Remington are considered the 'minimum' deer calibers. Another great deer caliber is the old .7x57 Mauser. The .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield are also great but may be a bit big for some hunters.

Just stay away from the .22 centerfires (.223, .22-250, etc.) and you'll be fine. In some States these aren't even legal for deer anyhow.

Good luck.

H

These gentlemen are all correct. The 243 should not be put down, it is a very accurate and plenty powerful enough round.

I do belieave one small thing was neglected. If you are hunting in the 200 yard range or under and through heavy brush like much of VT - i would suggest investigating the .35 remington as well.

When in doubt go with .270 or .308. If you want a kill all rifle go with the 30-06. With even average shot placment the 30-06 will kill anything in north america. (that means brown bears) Plus there are probably more loads for the 30-06, or atleast more that are stocked at local stores and easily obtained. This makes the weapon you have chambered to 30-06 very versitile. some guys hunt only one type of deer. some don't...

For Deer hunting, the hands down favorite in the U.S. is the 30-06. It can be loaded light with something like Remington's reduced recoil loads in 125 grain loading for small sized shooters. That combination is still good for deer, and if you can handle a little more, the 150, 168, 180, or 200 grain loads are great. You can get the 30-06 in pump action, single shot, semi-auto, and bolt action. If you want something other than the 30-06, there are the .270, .308, 7mm-08, 7mm mag, .280, 30-30, and many others that are really good calibers.

The .270 winchester is a flat shooting caliber with enough power to take a deer cleanly and it shoots pretty flat meaning it will reach out and touch a deer. With some kinds of ammunition though, the recoil can be a little much, but with most loads, the recoil isn't too bad. May I reccomend either a remington or a savage bolt-action because they are more on the affordable side of the deer rifles, being anywhere between $400-$1000.

From what I've read for I'll put it in a light recoil, heavy recoil category. These are the calibers I'm familiar I'm no expert, I'm going by what I've read from experts and non-experts.

Light: .243, .30-.30, .308

heavy: .270, .280, .30-06, .35, .300 mag, .7mm

I have a .30-.30 with a slip on recoil pad that is about 1.5 inches thick that extended the butt stock to fit me with out haveing to buy a new stock. The gun is a pre-64 win 94 passed down to me. I can shoot this gun with any load on the market all day long and there is absolutely no felt recoil it was light enough before.

The two(2*) Best choices are 30-30 or 30-06.* I prefer the 30-06 because when you own a 30-06 you will never have to buy another Rifle.* A 22LR and a 30-06 or 30-30.* The 22LR is for target and plinking and hunting small game.*

It depends on what distance from the animal you are most likely to be. Under 150 yds. pretty much anything other than 22 L.R. will work. 150-300 yds you need a flat trajectory so something on the order of a 260 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem or 25-06 would be good. Over 300 yds, you would pretty much need a magnum caliber to be lethal. And only snipers are trained for beyond 1/4 mile (440) yds.

Light End:

6mm Rem. , .260 Rem. , 257 Roberts , 25-06 Rem. , 30-30 Win. , 7mm-08 Rem.

Medium Calibers:

.270 Win. , .280 Rem. , .284 Win.

Heavy End:

.308 Win. , 30-06 Springfield. , 7mm Rem. Mag. , .300 Win. Mag.

Out of this entire list, in my opinion, the .270, .308, 30-06, and the 7mm Mag. are the best. Though, the recoil will get to your shoulder.

I agree with much of what others have said regarding calibers, ie. one over .243 through 30-.06. I would like to add consideration of managed or reduced recoil ammunition that Remington and Winchester have in the last year or two began offering in .270, .308, 30-06 and one or two others. This way you can start with a reduced load and move on to a regular load later or to allow another person (larger vs. smaller frame) person to use the same gun.