What's your favorite caliber?

[Wyobohunter]

You lumped the anemic .308 with the mighty 30-06?

SHAME!!!!

 

[URE_G]

308. easy to load, easy to find ammo , solid and it works. There are other calibers that are better at certain tasks but 308 is pretty good at everything.

 

[KINGSNAKE]

Whitetail. Who cares about caliber. Shoot the gun you like best and choose the best bullet for that caliber.

 

[Wyobohunter]

308. easy to load, easy to find ammo , solid and it works. There are other calibers that are better at certain tasks but 308 is pretty good at everything.

My comment was in jest. Both of my 30-06 rifles are actually closer to .308 ballistics. My Tikka barrel is chopped (some might even say neutered) to 18” to cut weight so I only get 2570 fps with 180 gr bullets. My second 30-06 is an M1 Garand so… I suppose if I were honest I’m fine with the .308 Win

 

[BeecherDan]

30.06 for me. Will harvest any animal I will ever hunt and at distance greater than I will ever have to shoot.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Tkdistributors]

Hunted whitetail most offen with a 300 win mag over the last 20 years. Last year I swapped over to a 6.5 creedmoor and I dont regret it for a second, none of the three I shot took more than a few leaps and they were down. No more punishment for me.

 

[Brandon.miller.4]

Big fan of the 300wsm. Same terminal performance as 300 win mag, but with less recoil, less powder, and ability to run a shorter barrel. Run it with a Suppressor or a brake and 165 grain bullets and you have a light recoiling VERY flat shooting Load. With 200 grain bullets you have a very capable long range cartridge without having the punishment of the big 300s like prc, nosler, RUM, etc.

 

[Brandon.miller.4]

I've killed deer with a .44 mag Marlin, 30-06, and most recently a .243. I shot my buck this past year with 100 gr .243 American Whitetail. Hit him right behind the shoulder at 20 yards. I didn't find a single drop of blood until I found the deer. Thankfully it was in the snow so the tracking was easy. Upon further inspection, the entrance hole was smaller than my pinky and there was no exit wound. I love that gun and it drives tacks, but I feel like I need to go to a larger caliber next year.

Bullet choice will have more to do with having an exit than caliber choice. Especially at those distances/velocities. Out of curiosity what bullet were you using?

 

[Fogalo]

I have the urge to make a 35 Whelen for whitetails. Haven’t it done it yet but it seems like a great option. Overkill is underrated.

 

[Patexalva]

Bullet choice will have more to do with having an exit than caliber choice. Especially at those distances/velocities. Out of curiosity what bullet were you using?

I was using 100 gr American Whitetails

 

[Brandon.miller.4]

I was using 100 gr American Whitetails

Not surprised it didn't pass through. Violent expansion should be expected with any cup and core bullet at 20 yards...especially something as light and fast as a 243. Had it been monolithic or bonded you'd have a higher chance of getting a pass through.

 

[NGA]

Hard to name just one. For majority of NGA/TN/NC area I love my .35 rem 200gr for out to 80-100yds. I also prefer/carry 308, 30-06, and every so often for fun carry 6.5 creedmoor if situation will let me

 

[Oncorhynchus.nerka]

I have had great luck with my .270 on Coues whitetails. I have shot hand loads with sierra pro hunter 130 grains and recently with Barnes 129 grain LRX and Hornady 130 grain GMX.

Have you had any issues with bullets stability with the Barnes 129 grain LRX and Hornady 130 GMX? I too have a 270 Win. With the standard 1:10 twist, and have run the bullet lengths through Berger Stability calculator and the stability seem questionable? I would love to switch the the LRX but am hunting coastal forest near sea level in Oregon. Just curious about your experience...

 

[TSimons9]

Have you had any issues with bullets stability with the Barnes 129 grain LRX and Hornady 130 GMX? I too have a 270 Win. With the standard 1:10 twist, and have run the bullet lengths through Berger Stability calculator and the stability seem questionable? I would love to switch the the LRX but am hunting coastal forest near sea level in Oregon. Just curious about your experience...

I did have some issues with the GMX. I am not smart enough to know exactly what the issue was but they did not group as well as the barnes LRX and when I did recover a GMX from a deer it did not expand as I would have hoped. The Barnes however has always grouped very well and I have recovered two bullets from deer that expanded perfectly. These different results could be due to the GMX loosing stability and tumbling but I am not a ballistics expert.

 

[elkguide]

I probably would have gone with my 6.5 PRC but you put the "NEED MORE" in that category so I had to go elsewhere.

 

[Oncorhynchus.nerka]

Thanks for the information! Out of curiosity, roughly what elevation are you shooting?

I have never heard anything negative about LRX and stability, but the numbers from the calculator do not lie, and I only have one box of primers left...

 

[homers]

Voted 270 but love the 7x57 mauser as well.

 

[chicoredneck]

I’ve only killed one whitetail. It was with Hornady 5.56 75gr BTHP superformance factory ammo. I guess that makes it my favorite caliber.

 

[npro04]

I voted 270 and by 270 I mean my 270wsm. It has quickly become my do all rifle. Here in Ohio we can’t use bottlenecks so at home I use a 45-70. But any level of traveling and deer are an option I’d be taking my 270wsm.

 

[Seeknelk]

.30 caliber or whatever rifle fits the hunt ,means more to me
than what it's chambered in.
I generally use my 300 prc ,215 Berger for everything. Will be suppressed this year.