200 M deer cartridge.

Hunting is another word for surprises... a 308 would be a very good compromise. Just seems to put deer down a bit quicker at the shorter ranges, say below 300m. 6.5's did not and still do not have a good reputation in our part of the world for deer, especially on evening stalks. I shoot a 6.5CM my friend a 308. His deer just drop that bit better or run less with better blood trail. If I didn't have two dogs to track I'd probably use my 308 more. 308 has probably the best ammo availability and long barrel life so the deer rifle can be used to practice without worry.
edi
 
Deer limited to 200 yards? Based on my safes contents I would likely grab one of the 30-30's, of if I was wanting to use something different it would be 375 win, 45-70, 454 casull, 405 win... one of the lever guns anyway.

I don't think there is a "Best" choice that will apply to everyone. All a guy can do is pick one that makes you happy! They all work.
 
Holy, talk about over thinking things.

,243
6mm
250/3000
257 bob
6.5 M/S
6.5 Swede
6.5 gimick
6.5 manbun
6.5/308
7 mauser
7-08
.280
.300 Savage
.308
303 Brit
8 mauser
338/308
358
35 Whelan

Etc etc………

Shoot more talk less!
 
time4t said:
The 308 with good bullets is indeed an excellent choice for deer under the parameters described. I'm not sure how much experience with, and what issues that you have had with your 6.5 cm on deer. Granted, higher hits, wound site debris, plus "z-track" type bullet paths which can produce a lot of internal bloodshot and reduced outflow may reduce the blood trail considerably. Even though I 've done well with a variety of smaller calibers on game, the make-a- bigger hole concept has great merit, especially if things go "sideways" a bit. regards t4t.
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First I heard of some not being happy with the performance of the Swede was from our hunters and guides in our Wicklow mountains especially at evening stalks. Guides would not be happy taking clients out with that cartridge as tracking deer in the dark was an awkward task. Our Sika/Sika-Red hybrid deer are quite tough especially in the rut. Another reason was that we often only have permission on a smallish piece of land or farm. If the animal runs onto neighbours land or across a road one might not be able to follow with a deer ending up dead on a tree hugger farm.
Next problem was 6.5x55 related as ammo supplies were not good a few years back and are now going backwards due to 6.5CM being popular. My then hunting pal had a 6.5x55 and the only ammo he could get was either Sako Target or Lapua 155 Mega which if I remember right was around 2450fps from his 22" Ruger. Side on heart/lung shot on our smallish Sika deer would not get the sturdy Mega bullet to expand and just pencil through. Deer would die eventually, because shot placement was not bad. I wasted a few weekends tracking his deer and lost interest hunting with him. Overall just the wrong bullet for the job. Why bother if you could just as well get a 308, 270, 30-06.
edi
 
The bullet diameter from .270 to .264 is like .4mm .

Bullet selection is so good now for the 6.5.

You can pretty much handload 6.5x55 to 270win speed if you want. (I think 2750fps for 140s is plenty anyways, especially if the accuracy is there)
 
Another .308 vote here

What’s not to like about it? Large selection of both factory ammo, reloading components and barrel life make it a serious contender. Besides, your already covered if the notion of Black Bear or Moose should arise. Not so much with the 6.5. Needmore..
 
ShrtRnd said:
Another .308 vote here

What’s not to like about it? Large selection of both factory ammo, reloading components and barrel life make it a serious contender. Besides, your already covered if the notion of Black Bear or Moose should arise. Not so much with the 6.5. Needmore..
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I agree with your statement that the 308 can be a great deer, bear and moose rifle.

Unfortunately your 6.5 Needmore joke is way off!....:(

The 6.5 Creedmoor was extensively tested in Africa on many different species. As with most calibers, shot placement and bullet choice play a huge role in game harvesting and actual retrieval.

The Creedmoor can easily dispatch any of the hooved African ungulates and they did just that. One shot and most animals either dropping in their tracks or going only 40 yards before expiring says volumes about the 6.5 Creedmoor.

Nothing wrong with the old school 308 or 30-06, they work very well, however so does the Creedmoor and with a lot less recoil......:)
 
Thunderhog said:
I agree with your statement that the 308 can be a great deer, bear and moose rifle.

Unfortunately your 6.5 Needmore joke is way off!....:(

The 6.5 Creedmoor was extensively tested in Africa on many different species. As with most calibers, shot placement and bullet choice play a huge role in game harvesting and actual retrieval.

The Creedmoor can easily dispatch any of the hooved African ungulates and they did just that. One shot and most animals either dropping in their tracks or going only 40 yards before expiring says volumes about the 6.5 Creedmoor.

Nothing wrong with the old school 308 or 30-06, they work very well, however so does the Creedmoor and with a lot less recoil......:)
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LOL I’ve been light heartedly calling it that since it came out and initially discussed here. I dismissed it shortly after it’s arrival based on some of the below..

Originally the train of thought was it was inherently accurate from the get-go, but most of us (back then) were stating why make the move when a host of other Cals in the same range can do the same thing or even better(read more energy at longer distance)? Also a lot of us didn’t really buy into the obvious, blatant and redundant marketing hype being shoved down our throats by Hornady and paid (read sponsored) articles around it either..

Yes it’s been around almost 20yrs now. Yes it’s proven itself effective on Med Game (Deer sized) over & over. Yes it has less recoil, which in theory makes follow up shots and/or long range days easier to manage. Not bad considering it was originally designed as a LR Target round. A bit of a bonus actually.

Yet there are reasons why it has been called the Needmore, Wantmore, Manbun etc cartridge. 20yrs of interweb drivel and hype about this Cal will never change those monikers. And yes.. that could be applied to a host of calibers in reality.

Not to get into a BM discussion about the 6.5CM or its effectiveness/ineffectiveness on Med-Large Game by any means. I’ll leave that to individuals to draw their own conclusions as to whether it’s right for them in their typical scenarios….

Personally would I feel comfortable having it as an only Cal for Deer, Bear and Moose? No..
 
The 338 Federal is another cartridge that gets overlooked by a lot of shooters. This hard hitting blown up 308 Winchester case has similar knock down power of the 358 Winchester.

It all comes down to which firearm manufactures make these cool different calibers. I would already have a 338 Federal if one of the manufactures that I like made one, and no, I am not a Tikka fan, sorry.

Getting back to the 6.5 Creedmoor, would I have only one rifle in the Creedmoor caliber? No, I wouldn't. Most of us firearm enthusiasts have several different calibers to choose from. I'm no different, but I would bet my life on my Creedmoor against any threat, including Grizzly bears.

Now I wish we could address the slob hunter issues, I see more drunk hunters in the fall than the country bar I used to work at. Beer cans all over the roads, idiots taking sound sounds, wounding game and killing illegal type animals to rot in the bush. Another 106 five point bull elk were shot and left in the East Kootenay region again this year. Not to mention how many three point Mule Deer Bucks that were shot and left.

How many times have we all seen hunters at the gun range shooting their hunting rifles, firing 12-13 shots and are lucky enough to hit a 12" pie-plate at 100 yards with eight or nine of those rounds fired. And then stating, well I'm sighted in for the season!.....:( For me, too many times to remember.

My point is: choose a caliber you can reliably hit the target at any distance, don't mix alcohol and firearms, know the regulations, and make quick clean shots on big game or any other animals.
 
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welllll, i actually Dig the 7.62x39 as a Two Hundaaa Undaa cartridge!

as a matter of Fact its comin out in the morning for exactly that.. 150gr SP :)
i chronoed this load at 2200fps in my zastava
 
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Back to the OP's question: between the 2, I would pick the 6.5 CM (I own 2, and my wife owns 1), whereas I do not own a 243. This is just my preference, as I may press my rifle in hand to take other game during a given hunt, I like having the larger caliber and heavier bullet if needed for larger game (within reason).
That being said, I have witnessed the effectiveness of the 100 gr bullet on deer within 200 yards in both 243 Win and 6mm Rem.
So for OP, which ever cartridge, in the rifle of his choosing, will work for him as long as he places the bullet accurately in the vitals of the whitetail or mule deer.

As for other cartridges/calibers, I too am a fan of the quarterbores (250 Savage, 250AI, 257 Roberts) and other 6.5s (6.5x55, 260 Rem, 6.5x284, 6.5 PRC), 270's (Win, WSM and Wby), and 7mm's (7mm-08, 280, 284, etc.), and have used them here too. All of these have been used effectively to take deer over the years.
 
Personally I like 30 cal or 7mm myself. Bang, flop. That’s what I’m hoping for. It’s not been often I have had to trail deer when those bigger bullets hit home.
 
Um, I can stick with a 270 WSM. Just point and shoot out to 200. Bang flop.
So far it's always been an in and out shot. I've never recovered a bullet from a deer. My longest deer was at 240 yrds.
I feel better about quick harvest.
 
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