Choosing a deer rifle calibre with recent ammo availabilty

Southcountryguy said:
The biggest bonus of using a common caliber is small stores that don’t have much selection usually have the common calibers, in normal times. So if you lose or need forgotten ammo on a trip it’s easier to find, normally.

In these crazy times the only thing left on the shelves around here is the uncommon calibers nobody is using. The “common” stuff sells out fast. Go figure.

Best caliber depends on the truck you drive. If it’s a Chevy you want a .260 rem as you won’t settle for nothing but the best. If it’s a Ford we know your not picky and anything, like a 308, will do....LOL

Have a great weekend.

SCG
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And if you drive a Dodge; you're likely able to actually handle recoil, they are a touch short on Creature comforts... but, hey... you can handle anything then. Always nice to not pee a little when someone hands you a 30-06 ( milquetoast round that it is)
 
tokguy said:
And if you drive a Dodge; you're likely able to actually handle recoil, they are a touch short on Creature comforts... but, hey... you can handle anything then. Always nice to not pee a little when someone hands you a 30-06 ( milquetoast round that it is)
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Haha, but the OP stated this was for hunting therefore it needs to be reliable.

Enjoy...

SCG
 
7m08 is a great round. I watch everywhere I go for calibers of the guns I have. 7m08 is the least common to see in gas stations small stores. Canadian tires with small selection. I know nothing about the 308. 3006 ammo is everywhere. I know of 5-6 guys that reload 3006 only. If I could only Carry one gun across Canada I would have the 3006 on my shoulder. Confident I could find ammo when I needed it
 
Make sure your local area allows whatever option you go for. Someone mentioned a 223, in Quebec you need a 243 and up. I have a 30-06 but the recoil is a bit much if you plan to go through 2 boxes at the range. I'd consider a 243 or 270 max.
 
I would recommend being very realistic about how you indeed on using the rifle.

If it is 100% for hunting then I would go with a fast bullet (less drop over distance = less chance of a miss) such as a .243 or .270 (plenty of ballistic calculators on the internet to compare bullet performance). Honestly a 20 round box of ammo should do you years if can get sighted in with 5 or 10 rounds.

If you want something you can plink with too then yes, .30 cal for sure and I would argue for .308 for versatility and availability.
 
The 6.5 creed is a great choice! Low recoil fun to shoot great deer round lots of ammo choices around actually debating buying another 6.5 cause I like mine so much
 
I’m on the west coast, but I looked at Canadian tire the other day and they just had the usual suspects: 30-06, 300 win, 308 and I believe 270.

Check out a couple local shops and I’m sure you will see what’s available and popular in your area.
 
.303 British. Ammo shortages happen because of the market in the USA, but it's not very popular as a hunting round down there, so they are much less likely to clean out our supply. Low cost rifles and a good choice for deer and moose at less than 200m.
 
strange times call for an sks! buy a bunch of hunting ammo online and never think about ammo shortages again. If the open sights don't work for you, add a scope. Just sayin.
 
I have a theory that anyone who is not a complete newbie and who buys ammo specifically for their next hunt is simply unprepared. I have enough ammo on hand for the rest of my life if i'm the least bit frugal with it while shooting targets or practising. So the choice of ammo based on current retail store availability is, or perhaps should be pretty much irrelevant.
My suggestion for a deer cartridge is any modern cartridge between .25 and .30 caliber, in a rifle you really like and that fits you well and is accurate enough to give you confidence from field shooting positions. Ultimate accuracy off the bench rest is irrelevant. Being able to shoot quickly and with "good enough" accuracy is more important. Power is third or fourth on the list of desirable attributes. It doesn't take much power to efficiently kill a deer. A good trigger, a decent scope, improve the rifle's effectiveness. Ammunition that is cheap to purchase does help one practise more, and therefore hit where you aim. But use good quality ammo / bullets for actual hunting.
 
As you can see everyone has its opinion :)

Mine is:

Hunting deer only (any range, low recoil, easy to find normally: 243 win
Short range 150yards or less: 3030

Most versatile hunring anything in NA: 3006 or 308 (med recoil)
 
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