Top 5 Underrated Deer Cartridges

[Deleted]

A neat article in American Hunter.  In case you are interested the five listed are as follows:
6.5 X 55 Swedish,  7mm 08, .250 3000 Savage, .338 Federal, and .257 Roberts.  

www.americanhunter.org/articles/2019/11/4/top-5-underrated-deer-cartridges/

I can think of a couple that I might add, but what the heck.  Let the fun begin.

[ridgecommander]

Love my 7mm-08. My favorite deer round. I have it chambered in a Browning A-Bolt short action rifle with a 22 inch barrel.

[CoureurDeBois]

I do like that 257 bob. Had one in a Ruger 77 ultra lite, my DIL now has it. I'm looking for another, found a couple on gun broker, but not to my likings yet.

[Muab Dib]

My primary deer rife is a 300 Savage in a Remington 700. In my not so humble opinion there's no need for anything else in PA's woods.

Muab

[davet]

My handloads for the 6.5 Swede provide all the downrange energy (140gr bullet) that my .308 (150gr bullet) provides.....with half the felt recoil. IMHO the 6.5 calibers....or most of 'em, would be a great cartridge for recoil shy people.

[acorn20]

I "second" Muab's post. However mine is chambered in a Model 99 Savage!

[Deleted]

My gun safe is overstocked with good deer hunting rifles. Of course "good" is a relative term, but IMHO, any rifle that will cleanly harvest a deer with proper bullet choice and placement is a good deer rifle. My very first was a Marlin 336 in .30 30 caliber. It killed deer. The second was a Remington 760 in .30 06. It killed deer. One of the best deer rifles I ever owned was a Remington model 700 ADL in .308 Winchester.  It for sure killed deer.  I have three Savage model 99 rifles in the safe. One was my father in law's .303 Savage. It kills deer. A second is in .250 3000 Savage, and I have not used it to kill a deer yet, but that is coming. I also have a model 99 in .300 Savage. I know it kills deer because my mentor Amos used one, and so do Muab and Acorn, whose evaluations I think are probably spot on. I still own two rifles in .30 06; one a Browning Acera and the other a Remington 700 mountain rifle. They both have killed deer.  My 'go to' deer rifle is a well-used Browning A-bolt hunter (with several dings and scratches on the stock) in .257 Roberts. It kills deer, and has done that a LOT.
There is no need to go into the magnums, but that Deerfield hunt Loridr and I go on, the .257 is usually the lightest caliber in use, unless there is a kid or woman there who uses a .243, which will also kill deer. Most down there use a minimum of .30-06, with a goodly bunch using .300 Winchester Magnums or such. While I do own two rifles in .300 Weatherby, and two in 7mm magnums (Remington and Weatherby), I feel that such is way too much for a smaller critter like a whitetail buck, but have used them in the past, and they sure do kill deer. I used to have a Weatheby Vanguard in .243, but gave it to a kid who needed it more than I did. He's happy with it, and yes, it kills deer.  I do own a Savage Axis in .270 Winchester, but have never used it to kill deer.  I know that is will do the job because .270 is what my buddies Dave and Larry use.  Some day in the future, a 6.5 Creedmore is in my mind.  I don't "need" one, but Dutch says it will do everything but cook dinner and wash the dishes.  I have to take his word for it that it kills deer.
One thing I have learned as I got long in the tooth is that a guy can never have too many deer rifles. For sure, he can have too few. It is a nice thing to have to make a decision which one to take out of the safe. It is also nice knowing that no matter which one you choose, you will be choosing a good one. It is also nice to have an extra one available to give to some kid down the road who might need one. For that, you will want one that doesn't kick like a healthy mule, but still kills deer.

[Dutch]

I own a 260 Model 7 Remington. I do love that gun. Remington brought them out with the wrong twist. It shoots ok tho.

The new Creedmoor is just plain accurate. I like accurate. Not in love with the gun tho.

I do like the 6.5 caliber. My father in law had a Swede years ago in a Featherlight. That thing shot. He sold all his guns before he died, never offering them to his son or me. Sad that one went. I'd have liked to have it.

[Dutch]

My brother has the 250. He loves it, but now that bears are open during deer season, he's less likely to take it out. It kills deer pretty dead tho. 🙂

[3212]

Apparently the .243 is the wimpy choice,so just give them all to me.

[Deleted]

Nov 22, 2019 10:59:21 GMT -5 3212 said:

Apparently the .243 is the wimpy choice,so just give them all to me.

Nah.  It is a fine choice for a deer rifle, especially for those who are not fond of recoil.  I think it is a great choice to start a kid or a woman on.  I know a bunch of men who love it, wimpy or not.

[3212]

As I said,give them all to me.I have watched many deer fall through the scope at the shot.Not enough recoil to throw me off.I have seen the impact take a buck off his feet while running at me and push him back.No damage beyond the chest.

[GlennD]

My first good mountain deer was killed in Elk County in 1966 with a sporterized 6.5 Swede. I still have the rifle.

Attachment Deleted

[GlennD]

My all time favorite walk around rifle is a Marlin 336 in .30-30. I used to have a Williams 5D receiver sight on it, but aging eyes eventually required a Leupold 2x7. )

[Deleted]

Own .257 Roberts, .270Win and 30-06. Have kill deer with of em. But if I had to pick one,  Jack O'Connor's favorite  hands down.  JM

[GlennD]

I too have a Remington 7600 in Jack O’s favorite cartridge. My meat gun. Base of the neck and the blood trail is vertical.

[3212]

Took my first 16 deer with a scoped Marlin 336 .30-30.Cheap Bushnell 3to8 power.It had parallax,so I kept it on 3 power.

[turkeykiller]

I bought my Marlin 336 30-30 in 1970. $107.00. Made weekly payments till it was paid for. It has the old original walnut, unlike the newer ones. Anniversary model with medallion in the stock and gold trigger. Shot many deer with it, the last buck shot with it was 2010. I use it now in doe season.

[3212]

Paid $65.00 for mine in the Navy store at release from active duty in 1964.Civilians were paying $80.00 back home.Paid $20.00 for the Bushnell Banner scope at a lgs.He had cartons of them.It was my only centerfire rifle for 25 years.

[Deleted]

Nov 22, 2019 5:49:14 GMT -5 Dutch said:

I own a 260 Model 7 Remington. I do love that gun. Remington brought them out with the wrong twist. It shoots ok tho.

The new Creedmoor is just plain accurate. I like accurate. Not in love with the gun tho.

I do like the 6.5 caliber. My father in law had a Swede years ago in a Featherlight. That thing shot. He sold all his guns before he died, never offering them to his son or me. Sad that one went. I'd have liked to have it.

That isn't the first rifle Remington brought out with the wrong twist.  When they brought out the .244 Reminton, it was set up for varmint bullets.  The .243 that Winchester brought out about the same time was set up to shoot 100 grainers.  Remington corrected their mistake later with the 6mm Remington, but by then the .243 had that niche cornered.

[3212]

I used my Model 70 in .243 for groundhogs in the summer and in that same field for deer in the fall.

[Dutch]

Nov 24, 2019 9:43:44 GMT -5 muttleysback said:

Nov 22, 2019 5:49:14 GMT -5 Dutch said:

I own a 260 Model 7 Remington. I do love that gun. Remington brought them out with the wrong twist. It shoots ok tho.

The new Creedmoor is just plain accurate. I like accurate. Not in love with the gun tho.

I do like the 6.5 caliber. My father in law had a Swede years ago in a Featherlight. That thing shot. He sold all his guns before he died, never offering them to his son or me. Sad that one went. I'd have liked to have it.

That isn't the first rifle Remington brought out with the wrong twist.  When they brought out the .244 Reminton, it was set up for varmint bullets.  The .243 that Winchester brought out about the same time was set up to shoot 100 grainers.  Remington corrected their mistake later with the 6mm Remington, but by then the .243 had that niche cornered.

Big Green, apparently, didn't have smart people running the engineering department

[Dutch]

I never believed in the 243. Saw my buddy wound one and I had a heck of a time chasing it down and finishing it off. I even passed up a nice 8 point when I was carrying a 243.

About 15 years ago, I took it out for a doe, back when we had some. One came my way, I put that Nosler in her and I don't think she even twitched. Loved that gun. Ex wife has it. Daughter will use it this weekend

[3212]

A bad hit is a bad hit.No matter what caliber.

[Deleted]

You got that right, and a bad hit results in either a lost/wasted deer or a really long tracking job to finish it off.