In your opinion what 3-5 rifle cartridges are best for Mule Deer?

[Buglebrush]

6.5 PRC has taken five in the last three years. All one shot kills, and none went more than five yards. 567 - 342 yards.

 

[Clark33]

Smashed quite a few with a 6.5prc and a few with a 6creed. Lately I’ve been grabbing my 6creed

 

[AntelopeEater]

Well, I have killed only two mule deer so far, one with a .50 cal muzzleloader, and the other with a .308 Win.

Truthfully, I bet any centerfire rifle would work just fine, though some stuff can do it from farther away than some other stuff.

That being said, if a new hunter asked me what centerfire I'd recommend it would be .308 first choice because its the second most common centerfire rifle cartridge, lots of ammo choices, recoil is fine for most adult rifle shooters, and it has more than enough power and range for 99% of deer hunting.

But 6.5 swede or 6.5 creed or 6.5 PRC and anything else in that ballpark would be a great choice as well, just less widespread factory ammo choices.

30-06 needs an honorable mention of course as well.

So does the old classic low recoiling western deer/pronghorn cartridge, the .243 Win. That is what I'd recommend to someone small or recoil adverse.

 

[huntnful]

Any cartridge pushing the heaviest for caliber frangible lead target bullets near 3000fps. They all make nasty wounds and kill out to a damn long ways.

 

[BH107]

Is this research for another one of those clickbait articles by (insert any hunting media)?

 

[canyonhunter47]

Any cartridge pushing the heaviest for caliber frangible lead target bullets near 3000fps. They all make nasty wounds and kill out to a damn long ways.

Much less to process too!

Being serious if I was going to build a new rifle I’d probably go 22 CM or 6 CM. Probably 6 CM just because I want CO-legal

 

[fishslap]

I’ll just list what I’ve used:
7mm rem mag - my current go to
300 win mag
270 wsm
6.5x284
260 rem

 

[Tobwright]

Is this research for another one of those clickbait articles by (insert any hunting media)?

Nope just a regular guy just interested in this question.

 

[SDHNTR]

.243/6 Creed/GT
.260/6.5 Creed/Swede
.270 win (granddaddy of em all!)
7mm-08
6.5 prc

Anything more is unnecessary.

 

[okie archer]

400 yards with my 300 WM.
220 grain eld-x with 64 grains of h4831.
Double lung, went about 45ish yards.

 

[2Stamp]

The 5 rifles I have and have killed deer with are:
.223
6Creed
25-06
280ai
30-06

The two I've used the most are the 25-06 and the 6 creed.

 

[Mtaylor]

I was always a 30 cal guy, until my son shot a deer with a 243 last year with 1 shot and dropped it like a bag of rocks. Now I am rethinking my approach. There are threads and podcasts all over of what is the "best" for xyz hunting. Just find something you like to shoot and are proficient with. Every caliber that has been listed is a great caliber.

 

[SDHNTR]

Every caliber that has been listed is a great caliber.

Most of what has been listed here are cartridges, not calibers!