kind of a genuine question but at the same time it’s more of just me showing what one caliber has done and asking what y’all think the other ones could do better
Posted by Sixgun-I-owe-you-one@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 13 comments
What caliber do y’all think is the best for deer hunting? I’ve been using a browning BAR Chambered in 270 it served me very well but I’ve been hearing a lot of stuff about the 3030 and 308. I know a lot of stuff about the 308 but I’m pretty new to the 3030 so what do you guys think is the best. The first two pictures are the three bucks that I have decided to keep but to be fair there are two up in the attic that I just don’t wanna make the journey to go find one is a five point and the other one is an eight point both of them were taxidermy and you may think those are really small for deer but you gotta remember in Mississippi. It wasn’t too long ago that it was rare to just see a buck in general. And the last one is something I planned on with this gun.
AKC74Y@reddit
The 270 is better in pretty much every way than a 308. It’s a necked down 30-06 that takes better BC bullets. It shoots flatter and faster. Recoil difference is practically none. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to give up a 270 for a 308 if your primary game is little southeastern deer - in fact I think .270 might be the best cartridge for North American game, period, at almost any range.
The 30-30 is a different type of cartridge altogether. It’s very close ballistically to 300 BLK supers and 7.62x39. It’s less capable at long range compared to 308 or 270, but that’s not a big deal in thick brush. It is meant to be shot from lever action rifles, which means that your bullet selection will be smaller since it’s being loaded with tube-feed in mind.
If you’re in the brush and you might need a fast follow-up the lever action will be a bit quicker than a bolt gun (but not as fast as a semi-auto in 7.62x39 or 300 BLK).
firearmresearch00@reddit
30-30 imo is perfect in a short carbine when you've got nothing but walls of brush and brambles and the visibility is only 20-40yds. It really shines there.
AKC74Y@reddit
Potentially yes, but for situations like that I find a 30-30 is still not the absolute best option. An SBR AR or AK in one of the equivalent calibers is shorter, can carry more ammo and shoots faster, I would prefer that for hogs for example.
firearmresearch00@reddit
My counterpoint is that a lever action is a decent bit slimmer with less protrusions and snag points. I imagine one of the short 16" norinco "para" sks would do fantastic
Mdmrtgn@reddit
Growing up in sticks 270 was the round of choice. One guy I knew used a 30-06 for deer but he was old and always went for neck shots, his trophy days were over.
Missouri_Pacific@reddit
Sounds like you have met my dad. He was into neck shots with either of his 30-06’s one bolt action and the other one was a semi automatic rifle.
caterham09@reddit
Absolute best for deer only imo is 243 win. Adequate power, least damage to the meat and low recoil.
Larger rounds have the advantage of being more multipurpose, but for deer only I say 243
firearmresearch00@reddit
I'd argue that its entirely dependent on region. If it's a 70lb Florida key deer the size of a dog a .243 is almost overkill but in my area the majority of wounded but not killed deer were shot with a .243. Its definitely a matter of shot placement but I was hunting with a guy who shot at a large buck with his .243 and upon inspection we found a little bone dust and almost no blood at the site. 2 weeks later someone else shot and killed said buck and we found the .243 bullet lodged in the shoulder bone. It didn't even fracture it to a debilitating degree.
I came from a 30-06 house and have never needed to track a deer more than 100yds with most dropping directly within eyesight. One shot was poor and hit the shoulder bone similar to the previous story and the entire bone was ground to mulch.
That's all anecdotal and milage may vary. .243 is a great little cartridge, I'm no hater, its just not a one size fits all
Sixgun-I-owe-you-one@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I did hear good things about the 243 as well but also I heard that if you’re going for a survivalist role and you only wanna take one gun To survive off of you take a 22 long rifle Because you can kill a bunch of small game And stuff, but also you can kill Deer elk and even moose this comes from a guy who did survival videos a lot, and has it on recording of him dropping a moose With a 22 as long as you put it directly behind their ear and it goes straight to their brain And not to mention If you aim it correctly proper doesn’t damage the antlers much and Also, if you aim it correctly, it could potentially not damage The pout that much
jaunesolo81829@reddit
Depends on the person. The ones I’ve taken most deer and game with are my .270 mannlicher and my 7mm Mauser mannlichers.
Sixgun-I-owe-you-one@reddit (OP)
OK, thank you for sharing that information But I just think I would enjoy the model 94 Winchester for some reason I don’t know why I’m into western and stuff and I like the look of it in Satisfying sound of the action has So I guess that’s why
Hoplophilia@reddit
The .30-30 is more of a "gun" than a cartridge. If you're shooting a bolt action you can dismiss it. The .308W throws heavier bullets than your .270, but not enough so as to matter. If you had a .308 I'd say don't go buy a .270, but you having a .270 I'm not going to tell you a .308 is something you need.
Other cartridges can shoot bullets of higher BC faster, can shoot significantly heavier and higher SD bullets plenty fast, can run in a short action with the arguable benefits that go along, etc. none of it matters as much as a well-fit stock and training, and knowing wind and how to stalk.
Sixgun-I-owe-you-one@reddit (OP)
Yeah, that’s what I meant. I meant just like caliber as in. Caliber or just a specific gun sorry for not specifying