Choosing a deer rifle calibre with recent ammo availabilty
- Thread starter Jahnj0584
- Start date
The old standards 30/06,30/30,308,270 etc are usually found in just about any gun store and for deer hunting it s hard to go wrong with any of them .Basically it depends on your style of deer hunting and if you prefer to shoot from a distance or not.For example the30/30 is a great deer cartridge used within it s range limits
I don't know if it matters, but I settled for a 308. I can get box's of 20 for 17 here, everyone has stock and I'm happy for sub 1$ a round. I've blasted a round through some titanium and aluminum and have 0 regards to its lethality LOL. I'm sure someone online says it's good to 600 yards on a deer, but I know for the time being me, and the thick Maritime biomes will be the limiting factor on that one.
On the plus side, only 5 months to go until season opens....
On the plus side, only 5 months to go until season opens....
- Location
- Western Manitoba
You do not mention what kind of rifle, nor what kind of ammo you can buy for 20 rounds for $17 - but anything that goes "bang" is likely better than having nothing.
So now you have a 308 Win. Do some reading, and figure out how to get into hand loading, sooner rather than later. Your hand loaded 308 Win safely and easily becomes a factory 30-06, mostly if bullet weights kept below 180 grains. Since the 1980's, our choice has been the Speer HotCor 165 grain bullet in the 308 Win - measured several time on Shooting Chrony, and others, as per the max loads given in Speer and other manuals - just so 2,800 fps - sometimes 10 or 15 fps more, sometimes 10 or 15 fps less over the years. At same time, if you can, chrony some factory 30-06 in the same weight bullets. Can also back off considerably and be nicely into 30/30 type loads - use the same bullets as used in a 30/30 - round nose 170 grain - at similar 2,100 to 2,200 fps velocity.
Was my reasoning why I picked 308 Win in a Win Model 70 as my first "store bought" deer rifle in late 1970's. Thought I had everything covered - likely did. By mid 1980's bought my second centerfire rifle, which I still have - another Model 70 but in 338 Win Mag - for "big bush up North" - for "bigger than deers" kind of animals. It was, and still is, a very useful pairing for almost all of us big game hunting folk. I took my first elk - a cow - with the 308 Win because it was only rifle that I had then; took several later with the 338 Win Mag. Our son has that 308 Win rifle - same deal - he took a spike elk with it - mostly because it was only rifle that he owned, then.
As far as "good for deer to 600 yards" do not know where that comes from? Very, very difficult to make a one shot kill at 600 yards - I have had a friend do it, with three others, but I was not there, when he pulled off that shot - I do know from other shooting with him that he could not dependably hit a round bale at that distance (5 feet diameter)- but that deer did a bit of circle after the shot and fell over - was dead by the time they got to it. More dependably, I think?? - most bullet makers design bullets to expand at minimum velocity of about 1,800 fps - so spend time in ballistics tables to find where your favourite drops down to that velocity - for most of us, is way hell and gone past the distance that we could hit with a cold barrel shot. And you can prove that to yourself - set up about 10" or 12" diameter gong or paper plates stapled to a lathe -is about the "kill zone size" on a deer - at whatever range - you get one shot - you hit or missed - your one cold barrel shot.
Perhaps a cynical comment about kill "distances" posted on Internet. Most of the prairies where I hunted are divided into 1/4 sections - so 1/2 mile to a side - 880 yards. Some areas have cross fencing into 40 acre pastures, so 440 yards fence line to fence line. In my buddy's case - so many paces from where he shot to this fence, across 40 acres pasture, then so many paces from that far fence to the deer on the ground. Any of us with rangefinders will tell you how viciously "wrong" many old timer "eye ball" ranging has been!!!!
So now you have a 308 Win. Do some reading, and figure out how to get into hand loading, sooner rather than later. Your hand loaded 308 Win safely and easily becomes a factory 30-06, mostly if bullet weights kept below 180 grains. Since the 1980's, our choice has been the Speer HotCor 165 grain bullet in the 308 Win - measured several time on Shooting Chrony, and others, as per the max loads given in Speer and other manuals - just so 2,800 fps - sometimes 10 or 15 fps more, sometimes 10 or 15 fps less over the years. At same time, if you can, chrony some factory 30-06 in the same weight bullets. Can also back off considerably and be nicely into 30/30 type loads - use the same bullets as used in a 30/30 - round nose 170 grain - at similar 2,100 to 2,200 fps velocity.
Was my reasoning why I picked 308 Win in a Win Model 70 as my first "store bought" deer rifle in late 1970's. Thought I had everything covered - likely did. By mid 1980's bought my second centerfire rifle, which I still have - another Model 70 but in 338 Win Mag - for "big bush up North" - for "bigger than deers" kind of animals. It was, and still is, a very useful pairing for almost all of us big game hunting folk. I took my first elk - a cow - with the 308 Win because it was only rifle that I had then; took several later with the 338 Win Mag. Our son has that 308 Win rifle - same deal - he took a spike elk with it - mostly because it was only rifle that he owned, then.
As far as "good for deer to 600 yards" do not know where that comes from? Very, very difficult to make a one shot kill at 600 yards - I have had a friend do it, with three others, but I was not there, when he pulled off that shot - I do know from other shooting with him that he could not dependably hit a round bale at that distance (5 feet diameter)- but that deer did a bit of circle after the shot and fell over - was dead by the time they got to it. More dependably, I think?? - most bullet makers design bullets to expand at minimum velocity of about 1,800 fps - so spend time in ballistics tables to find where your favourite drops down to that velocity - for most of us, is way hell and gone past the distance that we could hit with a cold barrel shot. And you can prove that to yourself - set up about 10" or 12" diameter gong or paper plates stapled to a lathe -is about the "kill zone size" on a deer - at whatever range - you get one shot - you hit or missed - your one cold barrel shot.
Perhaps a cynical comment about kill "distances" posted on Internet. Most of the prairies where I hunted are divided into 1/4 sections - so 1/2 mile to a side - 880 yards. Some areas have cross fencing into 40 acre pastures, so 440 yards fence line to fence line. In my buddy's case - so many paces from where he shot to this fence, across 40 acres pasture, then so many paces from that far fence to the deer on the ground. Any of us with rangefinders will tell you how viciously "wrong" many old timer "eye ball" ranging has been!!!!
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Midnight Rider
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ......the Vanishing Point .
308 is an excellent choice for an all around hunting rifle in the Maritimes . It is good for deer , and can down black bear and moose if you ever go in that direction ; and has a reasonably mild kick . Put a scope on it , dial it in , and you are good to go . Great choice , and congrats on the new purchase .
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Can't ever go wrong with a 308.
6.5 may be outperforming it sales wise in 2021, but that's because there's millions of them out there already. I'm fairly confident 6.5 cm will never surpass 308 in overall use.
6.5 may be outperforming it sales wise in 2021, but that's because there's millions of them out there already. I'm fairly confident 6.5 cm will never surpass 308 in overall use.
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Jahnj0584: Great choice (.308 Win) on your first centerfire rifle for deer, and congratulations! You are going to love it!
Its going to be alot of fun getting to know your new rifle and see what groups with different ammo you can achieve at various ranges.
Online stores right now as I write this have alot of ammo available (fingers crossed for the future). .308 Win is going to be around as a commonly stocked ammo for decades to come. If you get into reloading (save all your brass, you never know!), you have an enormous selection of .308 bullets to choose from, and .308 Win can be loaded with a wide variety of powders. (powder availability is what is very scarce at the moment, but that's a reloading topic for another day).
Enjoy!
Its going to be alot of fun getting to know your new rifle and see what groups with different ammo you can achieve at various ranges.
Online stores right now as I write this have alot of ammo available (fingers crossed for the future). .308 Win is going to be around as a commonly stocked ammo for decades to come. If you get into reloading (save all your brass, you never know!), you have an enormous selection of .308 bullets to choose from, and .308 Win can be loaded with a wide variety of powders. (powder availability is what is very scarce at the moment, but that's a reloading topic for another day).
Enjoy!
Most of the responses on here are excellent, 243, 6.5 (260/CM), 270W, 308, 30/06 and a few more are all excellent options given the task.
If your worried about ammo, just buy a quantity of it when you buy the gun, not like your going to use all that much of it after it’s zeroed.
Plus, reload.
What can't you kill with a 6.5 Manbun?....143 ELDX's at 2760fps (42.1 grs H4350) from a 22" barrel (from a lightweight Montana) and excellent accuracy....puts a 308 to shame @ 600+ yards...
That depends on the nut behind the bolt, not thee cartridge itself.
Cat
I have to good friends who are accomplished shooters who took deer out of a blind one year with a 308 Palma match rifle that was set up for F/TR with a 32X scope.
one was just shy of 600 yards, the other just over.
rifle was shot off a rest in a box blind.
The bullets were 165's and both recovered, barely expanded at all.
The 308 is a fine cartridge but not one i would use as a rule at 600 yards for animals.
Cat
- Location
- Western Manitoba
How hard those shots would be to do - from Nosler Ballistic tables, using B.C. from 165 Partitions at 2,800 fps and 200 yard zero, would require holding 82" high (pretty much 7 feet - twice the height of many deer!!), and at 600 yards, the table says bullet impact speed would have been about 1650 fps. From the limited amount of shooting at those ranges that I have done, could easy be 6 to 8 feet required for wind! (2 MOA or more?) Is definitely the stuff that PALMA shooters have to get good at, I think. If the PALMA barrel that I have here is typical, 27" or 28" barrels get quite a bit more out of the 308, over a "normal" 22" hunting barrel...
Ha! I just re-read what I posted - obviously, I do not shoot enough at ranges like this - 6 feet at 600 yards is 12 MOA adjustment required, not 2MOA!!!
Ha! I just re-read what I posted - obviously, I do not shoot enough at ranges like this - 6 feet at 600 yards is 12 MOA adjustment required, not 2MOA!!!
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Yup, you bet! They also had the advantage of laser range finders, and drop charts as well.
Scope was a Sightron IIRC, but it may have been a 18X, not a 32.
Cat
ALBERTA BOY
Regular
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
No idea what you’re talking about. Lots of ammo in stock available everywhere I look.
If the situation is different where you live, you can order online through any number of places. I don’t see any kind of shortage.
If the situation is different where you live, you can order online through any number of places. I don’t see any kind of shortage.
