Rifle-Caliber Combinations for
Whitetail Deer
Which one works the best for you?
by Kevin Lee McIver
I get numerous questions every year before
deer season asking about the best rifle-caliber combinations for
whitetails. Which rifle is the best? What caliber should I use? What type
of rifle is the most accurate?
Well, that's an easy one to answer -- all
of them. I've seen deer taken with just about every rifle-caliber
combination imaginable, and I personally have used most of them to put
meat in the freezer.
I shot my first deer with a Thompson-Center
.50 caliber muzzleloader. Next I moved to a Marlin 336CS lever-action in
.35 Remington. Later I went all out and bought a Remington Model 700 BDL
in .30-06. I upgraded from there for a sleek Ruger 77 MKII in 7mm
Remington Magnum.
I have also used a Winchester Model 94
Wrangler lever-action in .30-.30; a Rossi 92SRC .357 magnum lever-action;
a Savage Model 110 bolt-action in .30-06; an SKS semi-automatic in
7.62x39mm; a Remington Rolling Block in .444 Marlin; an EMF Sharps in
.45/70; and an Ithaca Model 37 pump-action shotgun in 20 gauge.
I have used these rifle-caliber
combinations to take deer at ranges as little as 15 yards out to well over
200, each one has been the appropriate weapon-caliber of choice as long as
I used it within the limitations it was designed for.
So which one should you use to hunt North
America's favorite big game animal? To answer this you must look at
several factors to include you budget and the terrain you will be hunting.
You can get a new lever-action for $225 to
$500. These include the Marlin, Rossi, Savage and Winchesters in .30-30,
.35 Remington, .308, .30-06, .44 magnum, .444 Marlin and .45/70.
If heading to the woods with a cowboy gun
isn't your thing, you could go for a bolt-action for $275 to $600. Here,
the selection is larger to include Remington, Savage, Marlin, Winchester,
Ruger, Howa, Browning and Weatherby in just about every caliber
imaginable.
If you decide you need quick follow-up
shots, you can purchase a semi-automatic sporting rifle for $400 to $700.
Browning, Marlin, Remington and Ruger are some of the companies known for
good-quality automatics. Like bolt-actions, these are also available in
many calibers.
I didn't mention single-shots like the
rolling and falling block rifles, but these are also available for $500 to
$2,500. EMF imports Italian reproduction Sharps; Navy Arms imports and
Dixie Gun Works import Sharps and Rolling Blocks. These are fine quality
weapons in .45/70 caliber.
Browning is also in the competition with
two excellent modernized breechloaders -- a low- and a high-wall model.
Unlike the others, these can be had in many calibers. Of course there is
the infamous Ruger No. 1, which is still being produced in everything from
varmint to elephant calibers.
As you can read, there are many rifles
available to fit every budget, but that's only half of the equation. The
other side of buying a new deer rifle is contingent upon the terrain you
will hunt.
It doesn't do any good to use a .30-30 if
your shots are in the 200+ plus range; just as using a 7mm Rem. Mag. for
50 yard shots is the wrong choice (.30-30 can reach it, but the energy
remaining is considered minimal at this range -- 7 mm will normally punch
right through at 50 yards and the deer will keep moving many times).
Let's say you hunt river bottoms, thick
with hardwoods. Although great calibers, a .30-06 or 7mm will easily
deflect off the smallest twig, causing you to miss the target. And you
sure don't want a bullet traveling at over 2,200 fps going anywhere but
the intended target.
For this scenario, a brush-buster would be
the answer. These include the .35 Remingtons, .444 Marlins and the old
workhorse .45/70. Each will punch through vegetation and drop a whitetail
in its tracks, versus ricocheting into oblivion.
On the other hand, let's say you're to hunt
open woods or fields with 200 yard shots. Here the brush-busters can work,
but I wouldn't use them for anything over 150. In this case, any of the
.243, .270, .30-06, and 7mm's are appropriate. In fact, this is where they
work best and most will shoot farther than we can actually hit anything.
But what if you don't know what type of
terrain you'll hunt, or it will be a combination, or you only have enough
money for one deer rifle? Well, buy a lever-action in .30-30 or a
bolt-action in .30-06.
The trusty .30-30 has probably taken more
game animals than any other caliber and will do the job if you can. When
noted that it comes in a fast action lever gun, it makes for instant
follow-up shots.
I remember taking a friend deer hunting two
years ago. It was his first time, but since he had his grandpa's
Winchester 94, I said come along. Well, I had to start calling him
"The Rifleman." Every time we went hunting, I would hear five or
six shots sounding like an automatic. By the end of the season, this
"cherry" had taken four whitetails. He was as fast as Chuck
Connors with that repeater.
If you want a little more bullet, then go
for a .30-06 which has been around since the turn of the century. This
flat shooting, tack-driver can effectively take an animal out to 400 yards
and was a favorite of President Teddy Roosevelt.
If you're wondering why I recommend these
two calibers, it's simple. You can walk into any store in America and buy
these cartridges. I don't care where you are, they will have .30-30s and
.30-06s.
The last item to quickly talk about is
accuracy. Everyone seems concerned, and many hunters deliberate to the
point of going crazy over this. Well, forget it. Any new rifle you buy
today will be accurate straight out of the box. You might not be -- but it
will.
Don't worry about anything. Just pick a
good rifle in an acceptable deer caliber legal in your state, put a scope
on it if you desire, sight it in at 100 yards and drive on. That's it,
that's all you need. Nothing more, nothing less in most cases.
Most deer a killed within 100 yards and if
you bore sight dead-on at 100 you'll knock him down every time. If you
live out west, or hunt long open fields all the time, sight in at 200 and
you'll hit the mark.
Regardless of the rifle-combination you use
for whitetails, if you are like most, it won't make any difference because
you won't practice with it. Oh many hunters spend countless hours at the
range refining their trade, but most don't. They pickup the rifle a week
before opening day, head to the range and shoot three rounds. And they
wonder why they didn't hit that big buck when he stepped out into the
open.
Make sure you practice -- practice --
practice until you can hit a target the size of a coke-can lid out to 100
yards every time. If you can accomplish this, that buck won't get away and
you'll have meat for the rest of the year.
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