Preferred Calibre.

[Stephenbuck2489]

Good afternoon all.

As an up coming new stalker looking to shoot predominantly roe, with the potential for sika in the west and red up north with friends, my personal choice for compatibility has been to opt for .308win.

I know it all comes down to personal preference but what is the "perfect" all round calibre.

Just followed a thread on here earlier stating the .270 was an out dated hero as such.

Popular options ive seen of late seem to be the 6.5 Creedmore, .243 and .308 calibres.

 

[75]

I know it all comes down to personal preference but what is the "perfect" all round calibre.

No such thing. Internet has pages and pages of wasted discussion on this topic. They all work when you put the bullet in the right place.

 

[sh1kar]

If Sika on menu I would go 6.5 minimum. Other than that whatever chambering you fancy
S

 

[Sakoodin1]

There’s was and will still be more deer shot with a .270 than any other calibre in Scotland I would say. All them highland estates and fls added together it will be more deer culled than you can imagine over the last 60 years and into the future. I have a .270 plus many other rifle calibres and the .270 is as good as any of them to be fair if not a bit barky!

 

[8x57]

Good afternoon all.

As an up coming new stalker looking to shoot predominantly roe, with the potential for sika in the west and red up north with friends, my personal choice for compatibility has been to opt for .308win.

I know it all comes down to personal preference but what is the "perfect" all round calibre.

Just followed a thread on here earlier stating the .270 was an out dated hero as such.

Popular options ive seen of late seem to be the 6.5 Creedmore, .243 and .308 calibres.

You're confusing calibre with cartridge.
As for the perfect cartridge no such thing, there are dozens if not hundreds of cartridges that will do what you require. As you say it mainly comes down to personal preference plus availability ( especially so if you don't reload).

 

[Dickie]

If you're not going to be reloading, bare in mind some places only allow factory ammo check what your local gun shop has the most/best selection of on the shelves.
Couple that to a rifle you like and fits you comfortably for shooting and job done.

 

[MAH]

but what is the "perfect" all round calibre.

That's a bit like asking a golfer; what's the best all-round golf club?
For sure you can try and T off with a putter, but it's not going to give you the best outcome.
Designs evolve 5to be optimal for specific tasks.
An all rounder, is enviably compromise on many tasks.
M.

 

[VSS]

I'm sure that they're all as good as each other.
It's just that the 270 is better

 

[Stalker62]

You're confusing calibre with cartridge.

@Stephen Buck

This is lifted from the BASC site. It may help.

Calibre describes the bore diameter of a firearm. The rifling is usually measured from land to land as per British military convention, but this can vary on rifles of other origin. It should be noted that calibre is distinct from cartridge. The former describes bore dimension, whereas the latter describes ammunition. Both calibre and cartridge are largely a matter of personal choice, provided the applicant’s choice meets any minimum legal requirements.



A 6.5 Creedmoor would be a decent fudge...

 

[8x57]

"The rifling is usually measured from land to land as per British military convention, "

I think we best ignore that bit because as others have often pointed out in the past, that would technically make possibly the most popular deer rifle chambering in the U.K. illegal for larger deer species.

 

[Stalker62]

I know it all comes down to personal preference but what is the "perfect" all round calibre.

 

[geoshot]

I've shot deer with 303brit (my first rifle/deer), .243w, 270w, 308w, 30-06 & 375H&H - all of which I owned at some point or still do
I've also shot deer & other game with other chamberings which I've borrowed too, including some rarer (in the UK) chamberings/cartridges such as 8x68S
They all worked
Good starter chamberings or cartridges include, but certainly aren't limited to, 308, 270, 7x64, 7x57, 6.5x55 (or its modern equivalent the 6.5Creedmore)
Get what you fancy and/or what your local FEO/FET will readily approve
Have a look to see which cartridges are carried in good quantities in local RFD's, unless you take up loading you're going to prefer readily available ammo

Another thing to consider is that the good old standby chamberings are also typically easier to sell on if & when you decide to change rifles later - which you probably will, see my list above

 

[NickJ]

As has/will be said all legal deer calibres will kill deer very efficiently

For what you have described and, assuming you are using factory ammo then indeed .308 or, as you mention 6.5 Creedmoor will serve you very well

Some places will prefer you don't use .243 on reds and sika and there is limited options if you need to use non lead so I'd personally avoid that one

 

[Heym SR20]

There is endless debate on cartridges. Any deer legal cartridge works on UK deer.

The holy trinity of 243, 270 and 308 still stands true, with the recent addition of the 6.5 Creedmoor. Plenty of ammo in a range of different loads available everywhere. But some are more popular in some areas than others.

Most important is the type of bullet used and where it is put in the animal. So take a Barnes TTSX or a Fox or a Hornady ELDX of the appropriate size and shoot them from a 243, 6.5cm, 270 or 308 (or many other calibres and shoot them from identical rifle / scope combination and you or you end target will notice very little real world difference in recoil, trajectory or terminal performance inside 250 to 300m.

Much more important is how well the rifle and optic combination fits you and what works for some doesn’t work for others.

 

[Dunwaters]

There is no such thing as a perfect deer cartridge because there are too many different types of deer.
However, the middle ground is your friend.
.243 is legal minimum for the bigger deer species, so go a bit bigger, 30/06 is on the heavier side, so maybe go a bit less.
Given your specification, I’d opt for a 6.5, either Swede or Creedmoor.
The heavy bullet selection is a bit better with the Swede, but either one would do everything that you need.
But so would a .308 or any one of at least half a dozen other cartridges…

 

[rem284]

If you are not going to reload 6.5 cm, 308w, 6.5x55 or 270 will do the job and you will be able to get a factory rifle and will be able feed it easily.

If you want a bit more oomph then 6.5 prc but high octane vehicles cost a bit more

If you are going to reload then it opens up more choices

 

[Greener Jim]

Perfect doesn't universally exist, but can do for individuals. Makes no odds. Recommendations are usually just based on personal bias.

I shoot what I shoot because I like it, not because it is better. In fact it is pragmatically worse than most anything else.
I'd not recommend it to anyone, but I wouldn't switch it. Perfect for me, nobody else

 

[old 30-06]

Lots of advice in this post. I do not wish to confuse, so I will keep it brief. Look to the future, your chosen rifle should be a "popular"one, ammo readily available in a range of weights, and able to accommodate non lead bullets. The rest is personal preference. Personally I would stay away from 243 and 270.

 

[cjm1066]

It's a question best asked on Google on a long winter evening with a nice glass of malt.

What the local gun shop sells and has ammo for is a good starting point.

Then you need the perfect bullet, that's the bit that does the work. Aurging if the bullet is better if discharged from a 6.5 Creedmore or a 6.5x55 requires another glass of malt, oh happy days.

Then you need the perfect knife, car and wife, that bottle of malt is emptying quickly.

 

[Mungo]

Good afternoon all.

As an up coming new stalker looking to shoot predominantly roe, with the potential for sika in the west and red up north with friends, my personal choice for compatibility has been to opt for .308win.

I know it all comes down to personal preference but what is the "perfect" all round calibre.

Just followed a thread on here earlier stating the .270 was an out dated hero as such.

Popular options ive seen of late seem to be the 6.5 Creedmore, .243 and .308 calibres.

It doesn’t matter.

Go into your nearest gun shop (probably @Edinburgh Rifles), see what ammunition he has the most of in stock, in the widest range of flavours. Get a rifle in that cartridge.