Is there an ‘ideal’ deer caliber?

[wildfowler.250]

Folks I’ve been humming over a new rifle for a while now and I’ve been toying between a 6.5 and a .30 cal,(mainly an 06).

The more I look into it, there seems to be a lot of plus points for a high BC bullet.

The 6.5’s recoil less. Even if we tolerate recoil well, in theory, there is increased gun movement and higher recoil is harder to shoot as accurately.

But the .30 cals,(mainly the 06) can be used for almost anything bar dangerous game.

The Americans seem to really rate the 7mm’s at the moment as a happy medium between recoil and down range efficacy.

I was listening to an interesting gunwerks podcast recently and they were chatting about moving away from a ‘bigger hole is better’ and more towards high BC bullets minimising effects of wind and drop, so easier to hit the target.

Now I appreciate most of our deer are probably shot at around 150 yards so this becomes academic.. but is a 6.5 creedmore the boring, sensible, cover most boxes caliber these days? Or is the .30-06 still the one rifle to fill a cabinet that covers everything?

 

[Tazz]

Just get a 270 and relax, ammo easily available flat and fast I have shot everything from Zebra and Kudu to CWD and Muntys

 

[splash]

I’ve had
.308
Now use .260 , 6.5 x 55 yes I know that the ballistic’s are virtually identical
But the rifles aren’t one is a finnlight the other a varmint
Also have a .243 but that’s a stutzen so is a summer light weight special day gun

 

[Smellydog]

No.
They are all ideal right up to the point when it's not.

 

[HonestJohn]

Yes, 7x57

 

[oldhamstocks]

Hard to argue against .308

 

[HallyButt]

I have both, 6-5 cm is boringly brilliant, it means it’s harder to justify buying more guns… for that reason, I wouldn’t buy another, it’s too good at everything, which makes it dull.

 

[VSS]

Just get a 270 and relax, ammo easily available flat and fast I have shot everything from Zebra and Kudu to CWD and Muntys

What he says

 

[Klenchblaize]

I'm of the view that far greater importance should be attributed to selecting the perfect scope mounting system than ringing one's hands over the measurements of a given rifle chambering.

K

 

[Heym SR20]

Yes, 7x57

Agreed,

But the 7x64 is well worth considering

 

[maximus otter]

6.5 Swede: Doing it all since Victoria’s days.

(.270 and .30-06 on muntjac? Really? How much pâté can one man eat?)

maximus otter

 

[HarryG]

To answer the OP’s question I don’t think there is a free lunch here. Caliber choice and bullet weight is a trade off between recoil, meat damage, ‘knock down’ and trajectory. You don’t get anything for free so each of us has to make a judgement on what compromises we accept with respect to different quarry. Having said that I’ve only ever shot two rifles in my 20 years of (very amateur) stalking a 243 and now a 308 so I’m probably not that well qualified to have a view!

 

[alberta boy]

Yes

 

[Craigsaun]

308 job done

 

[Rake Aboot]

.222

 

[turner.jc1]

OP. I’m assuming you’re a reloader.. what calibers do you have already?

The 6.5 PRC is in a sweet spot here really. Although for those that think a 270 is too big perhaps it isn’t.. but it fits the criteria of the op. It shoots ~100gr copper like a 25-06, or ~160gr lead like a 30-06 if you want, same as a 270 really. But you get all the high bc 6.5 bullets in 130-156 gr range to use unlike the others. Ideal bullets weights for most deer. It comes as factory standard in an 8 twist and has enough case capacity (and cartridge design) to use any bullet you can buy for it optimally, which you can’t in the 6.5 CM, 270 or 30-06 etc. There’s not much to dislike. The 6.5x55 I think normally comes in a 9 or 8.66 twist so good for most ~140 gr lead/120 copper, but there’s plenty of bullets that require an 8 twist out there.

The 30-06 will handle traditional bullets up to ~220 gr. So there’s obviously benefits there if required. The high bc .30 bullets are very heavy though, 200 gr +, so not really applicable to most deer, or probably the ‘06 case/twist rate. A 280 ai or 7x64 is available in some factory rifles and would be as good as the 30-06 for heavier bullets up to 175 gr. Thy have usable high bc bullets in ~160 + range too.

I take the horses for courses approach, and have a few different rifles in different chamberings. There’s no right or wrong answer, they all work and there’s no ideal for everything.

 

[Cootmeurer]

Yes, a 460 weatherby magnum. Kills everything from those big gray African tucked deer, down to deer mice.
And after a full season of that pounding your shoulder you’ll sell it and take up golf or tennis

 

[Shootgun]

.270

 

[Dr.Dolittle]

Yes, 7x57

Second this

 

[cjm1066]

A 6.5 Creedmore in a 15lbs target rifle is horrible for stalking, in a lighter nicely balanced outfit it might be a pleasure to use.

Of course other calibres exist, that target rifle might work in 375 H&H.