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

[okie archer]

Thank you sir. Not as nice as yours though.

 

[streamerfish]

Anything between .223 on the low end, and.....maybe 6.5 creed on the high end I guess. However many options that is.

Personally. I would go with something like....

6mm GT
6mm Creed
.243 (love for the legacies)
25-06 (love for the legacies)
25 Creed

 

[StupidLightweight]

Years ago, I read an article by Layne Simpson (I believe) on the best bullets diameters for deer hunting. He interviewed a longtime outfitter in the Carolinas who was meticulous about recording data like bullets used and distance traveled of the deer his clients killed.

Over the decades and hundreds and hundreds of deer kills, his data concluded that the best bullet diameters for quick kills were the .257s followed by the .243s. After that, it jumped around to .30 and then 7mm and so forth. It was an interesting article that I wish I could find again, but it mirrors exactly what many open-minded hunters are rediscovering about lethality.

I've seen a good number of deer die, and I don't believe anything kills deer faster than a 6mm Creedmoor/.243 Win./6mm Remington or .250 Savage/.257 Roberts/.25-06 when distances are reasonable and fast-expanding bullets are used.

 

[Fisherman5000]

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