- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
Choosing a deer rifle calibre with recent ammo availabilty
- Thread starter Jahnj0584
- Start date
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
True enough. I have a number of the more popular calibres but it was a 'must do' course of action I had to take for a
few items I have available, a couple of which are a 219 Donaldson Wasp and a 375 Chatfield Taylor. Plus, I have a few like the 7x61 S&H, 308 NM, 348 WCF and the 358 NM that are a little off of centre. While there is 'some' ammo available for them from time to time, reloading helps eliminate the scarce times. Ammo and components are some of my quests at gun shows.
Get yourself a nice bolt action rifle with a variable scope (3-9 or 2-7) in .308, .30-06 or .270, will last you a lifetime. Good for deer, bears and if you are lucky some day a moose draw. I was in your same boat when I got into hunting many years ago. Will an old .303 or something work in a pinch? yes, save that for a backup rifle or something you will use if you want to change it up some day.
Good Luck.
hahaha, Yep This is sound Advice mate.....
others have covered what the Store might have or may always have, these three or four above are hard to beat and i know we have 49 threads about splitting Hairs but they will all do a similiar Job for Deer....
Id possibly say to look into the Used Gun 308 Market
it would be plenty an then some!Sometimes the 308 is seen as a bit Boring, in that case i would look at a 7mm08 , You guys should have ammo availbility on par with any 270 etc........ the recoil is awesomely manageable even if your upside down hangin from yer knees to get that shot angle...
Your Son? future? may be able to shoot it more accurately than You
and then by that time You can upgrade to a 30-06 if ya think you need MORE 
And which gurus would those be?
Obviously not the ones that compete or the ones that realize the 6.5 Creedmoor has been around for more than a few years! LOL
As a medium sized hunting cartridge it does well and even Canadian Tire carries a good selection if amo for it .
Cat
I'll vote for either the SKS or a good 308. The SKS can be had for about $400-ish here in the Maritimes and the ammo - 7.62x39 - only about 0.50- .60, Under $10 for 20 rnds. A case of 1440 about $500. Go over to ECC store (Army-Navy) on Agricola to see what they have in stock for used rifles. Often was a good stock when I lived down there. Mil-surp and modern. And lots of surplus gear, too. Enfields are really low priced, but as said the .303 is costly - even if you reload the brass is pricey. Not great for learning accuracy.
And check out ####### .ca for local deals.
And check out ####### .ca for local deals.
Really you are recommending an SKS as a good hunting rifle , for $400 you could probably do much better for a hunting rig.
No crow eating required. Some of us realize that Ken Water's didn't descend from heaven to bestow the 6.5 Manbun on the worthy. It's supposed to be a good ( if somewhat Milquetoast...GS owners word's actually ) cartridge, not unlike a fat stumpy 6.5 MS with a slightly different twist. If you like modular high impact plastic...it's probably pretty cool to you.
I'd rock an Mannlicher Schonauer myself before a plastic rifle... but each to their own.
Mostly it's tit for tat teasing is all
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
The 6.5MB is just a ballistic copy of 6.5x55... been slaying moose for over a 100 years. Very much like the 7mm-08 and the 7x57. In all honesty, nothing new has really impressed me all that much. If you like the MB, stick with it. I have a 6.5x55 and it does everything the MB does, but out of a rifle with history and panache.
So as expected, I did end up at a few gun counters, and the consensus is that 6.5 CM is performing awesome in the market. According to one large retailer with 3 bored counter jockeys, its the top selling cartridge in the Ruger American, Browning X-Bolt, and Tikka T3X which are all three pretty good selling rifles. The other shop I visit regularly can't keep the guns in stock. I'm not sure of there is a back-end rebate structure for the retailers or something but the 6.5 Creedmore is a really popular choice in the Winnipeg area so the ammo is flowing.
Then I bought a box each of Terminal Ascent 175gr for my .30-06 and Berger Hybrid 140gr for my .270 because I'm boring like that but wanted to try the bullets specifically without buying components.
Ahsan Ahmed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
On the basis of your post ….
At this point in time, I would simply side step suggestions to get into reloading. Down the road, when you have attained a reasonable degree of experience and knowledge on rifles/cartridges, then sure, that could be an added activity to indulge into – sky is the limit with such things!
For a first centerfire rifle, select your tool given the type of use in mind i.e. primarily for hunting deer (and perhaps Moose/Black Bear added later into the equation)?
In this aspect, it would certainly help to keep in mind, the more comfortable one is with “managing” a particular CF rifle, the more efficient that person would become in terms of handling/shooting a CF rifle with desirable accuracy.
Therefore, for the time being, it would be best to simply pass on suggestions regarding any/all rifles chambered for magnum cartridges as that very first choice for a hunting tool.
Selection of wood or synthetic stock is purely individual preference. However, the latter version will serve better from a more practical use perspective given the Canadian weather.
As that very first rifle, usually, the intent may be to practise as often as possible. Consequently, select a cartridge that is commonly available in most stores including a wide selection of brands, bullet weights etc and still reasonably priced.
Based on whatever your budget may allow, select the rifle that will generally shoot well with most ammo brands across the board. Consider at least spending on a product with minimum quality standard.
The same should apply in the case of optics and mounts selection.
A 30 cal rifle (ex: 30/06, 308W) as the first and only tool at this point in time could very adequately fulfill your current needs.
Needless to mention, the inventory may likely expand as you become more involved overtime.
Best of luck in your quest ...
Well the Gun Shop owner that said that to me was about 35 years old in Small Town Sask...but right off the No. 1...so not in the sticks. You want to go with the word of an owner operator who hunts as well as target shoots... or the thumbs up from Counter Monkeys?
And it is doing quite well. One of my buddies GF's ( yeah...one of them, lol...he's that guy) has one that she shoots deer with. Loves it... but there is always a crowd who will go with 'The latest and greatest' fad. Only the test of time will tell I suppose.
Do you remember the RUM calibers? I can member them being wildly lauded as the 'end all be all... much better than the old Fuddy Calibers!' and now? Kinda Winter Crickets... silence...
I'll get flamed by the 6.5 MB fans... but I ain't really slagging on it... just don't feel ready to acknowledge it as the 'end all be all' quite yet.
As far as the shorter stroke? Unless you are rocking a platform that has to be shorter... AR type magazines... much ado about nothing that inch less.
I’ve shot deer with 22-250,243,30-30,303,30-06,375ruger.
All work wonders.
For me it’s about if you like the gun you are holding.
I really like my 375ruger but it’s more the m77 Alaskan model that it in. If I had that in a 243 or 7-08 I would be tickled.
243and the 7-08 put deer and bear down no problem I got hunting partners that have used then to drop moose.
Fact a 100g partition in a 243 will pass clear through the boiler room of a bull at 300yrds.
Seen the shot and the aftermath while feild dressing. Really brought up my confidence in the 243.
All work wonders.
For me it’s about if you like the gun you are holding.
I really like my 375ruger but it’s more the m77 Alaskan model that it in. If I had that in a 243 or 7-08 I would be tickled.
243and the 7-08 put deer and bear down no problem I got hunting partners that have used then to drop moose.
Fact a 100g partition in a 243 will pass clear through the boiler room of a bull at 300yrds.
Seen the shot and the aftermath while feild dressing. Really brought up my confidence in the 243.
When I lived in NB, I had all my Alberta rifles with me... I found that .308 offered the best all round calibre with a wide variety of bullet weights and lots of factory ammo to choose from.
I agree with 30/30 and 308 and even the 7.62x39 with softpoint loads works well on deer with low noise and recoil. I used a CZ527 carbine in 7.62 x 39 last year and it worked fine at a measured 258meters on a 4x4 Whitetail. Plus you can find surplus ammo to do LOTS of practice with ( very important).
You likely won't want to go the magnum route, since distances won't be great and Noise and recoil come into play.
I agree with 30/30 and 308 and even the 7.62x39 with softpoint loads works well on deer with low noise and recoil. I used a CZ527 carbine in 7.62 x 39 last year and it worked fine at a measured 258meters on a 4x4 Whitetail. Plus you can find surplus ammo to do LOTS of practice with ( very important).
You likely won't want to go the magnum route, since distances won't be great and Noise and recoil come into play.
I do agree with the "30 cal anything" idea. Just about any 30 cal is a candidate for a "one-rifle-to-do-everything" - if that is actually a thing.
