Preferred Calibre.

[Sako75Hunter]

As others have said, one of the 6.5 options hits the really sweet spot for sika: very light recoil, but does the job *highly* effectively. I use Sako Powerhead 120gr. solid copper ammunition in 6.5x55, which works an absolute treat every time.



But I ended up with that calibre mainly because I found a nice example of exactly the rifle I was looking for in it (Sako 75 stainless synthetic). Given a choice, I'd have opted that same calibre (6.5x55), but otherwise would probably have happily taken pretty much anything between (but not including) .243 and 30-06, if no 75 s/s had been available in 6.5.



I was lucky.

 

[Home Loader]

The calibre is not that important as long as it is deer legal, and you can get your chosen ammunition. A rifle you are comfortable with and fits is more important if it's set up right and fits you you will be accurate if you are accurate anything from 243 up to any 30 call will do. If it's setup in a manor that you feel the recoil or are reaching for the picture in the scope you this will impact your shooting and confidence and you will have issues whatever the calibre.

 

[LeftHandGuy]

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.

Or go the other way, handle as many rifles as you can, and apply for a variation in whichever deer-legal one feels best in your hands and in your shoulder, safe in the knowledge that there's little to nothing between most of them for killing the deer, and that the experience of shooting it is far more dependent on how well you fit the rifle and it fits you.

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

Indeed, that is probably the best argument for taking up reloading, certainly it's the only way reloading has ever "saved money" for me!

 

[stubear]

I really like .25-06, .300wm, .45-70 and .222 on roe in Scotland.

JMHO and all that.

Anything deer legal that goes bang will kill them so pick the one you like.

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

One rifle is not enough… ever
You will need at least a .222, a .243 to prive them wrong, a 6.5 Creedmoor to stay current, a .270 just because, and a .300Norma Magnum because everyone should have one

Oh and don’t forget some quirky wildcats that you have to homeload for when you convince yourself you NEED one

I suggest a 6.5 Grendel and/or 6.5-284….


Budget and Cabinet size
The only two things getting in the way of yiur dream arsenal…..

 

[Scarpa]

I wanted one rifle to do everything but bought quick release mounts and two scopes for it, a standard 2 - 9 x 42 stalking scope and an illuminated 1-4 x 24 as I want to do some driven boar. I would have been happy with 7mm 08 but it wasn't available in my chosen rifle, so after a lot or research I ended up getting a 30-06. It shoots 123 grain bullets at the range very well but really loves copper, at the moment I have TTSX 150 gr as an all rounder but will also try the 130 gr version. With the lighter copper bullets it has a nice flat trajectory. I was a little worried about recoil as i was stepping up from shotguns and air rifles but it is very sweet on the shoulder, even without a mod on it. The calibre is extremely versatile for a wide range of bullet weights.