Which calibre has taken the most deer?

[jammygunner]

Probably the .270 in more recent times and .303 prior to. Though the last twenty years or so a lot more deer have been shot using various legal calibres.

 

[Peeblesshire Stalker]

In the Highlands I’d definitely say the good old .270 and probably in Parker Hale flavour! It was just about every estate rifle for decades!

 

[sikamalc]

Back in the day, when I was culling and managing large areas in Scotland, my choice of calibre on the hinds was a 25.06. An under rated round in my opinion. With a 100g bullet and a good steady rest 200 plus yard shots were easily taken. Second to that a 270 is my go to for stags at the time.

The most hinds I personally took in a day was 6, off a 14,000 acre lease I had in the highlands. I was in my fourties then. So its going back a while, but I can still remember certain events, including dropping a yield hind in a tree!!

 

[25 Sharps]

I think the recent BASC article on the 243 mentioned that number.

Edit : just looked at the article - it mentions that 60,000 stalkers use the 243. There are about 150,000 FAC Holders. A reasonable proportion of those will be target shooters who don’t stalk, so 243 is used by a very significant proportion of deer stalkers. Appreciate that many FAC holders will have more than one centre fire rifle, equally many FAC holders will be non FAC holders.

Did BASC reference a source? I think the .243 holding is an exaggeration, based on 2025 figures for England and wales and 2020 for Scotland there’s around 170k FAC holders.

No way that 1:3 of those FAC holders has a .243.

Counting both my clubs there’s around 60 FAC holders, I can count on one hand those who have a .243.

I’ve got a .243 but it’s on my certificate for fox, which is what it’s used for, I’ve never shot a deer with it.

 

[sammuz75]

I would assume it’s .243 in the UK

 

[RoyalRedStag]

308 for sure