what cartridge is best for small and deer sized game?

How do you define small game? Ground squirrels, coyotes, something edible? A .243 is a popular varmint / deer round. It’s hard to choose something that would be ideal for both though, so you kind of have to look at a compromise.
 
I like the 7mm-08 personally. I'd rather have a non-marginal round for deer, and not worry about having "too much gun" for the small stuff.
 
If you are planning on eating the small game, unless you handload, most any good deer round isn't going to be satisfactory for small game. Varmints are a different situation, and the destructiveness of the bullets wouldn't matter.
 
A classic deer / varmint round if you want something a bit more than a 243 would be a 25-06 or a 257 Roberts. Picking a dual purpose round is always a challenge but I would pick one suitable for the largest game you would hunt and live with any inadequacies for the smaller game.
 
Turdy-turydy if you're a sissy or the terdy-tew if you sport the man pants.
There shouldn't be too much wounding to ponder with these big game riffle kartrajests......:p
 
Buy two guns.... no such thing as a cartridge that is "good" for both..... many cartridges will kill both... but leave nothing left of "small game" or be too weak for deer....
 
whitetailwoodsarcher said:
hello i just woundering what the best cartridge is to buy for small game and have the capability of taking game all the way up to a deer?
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In nova scotia I use a 243 for all and it works just fine but after hunting and seeing your deer, I would be looking at 2 guns. A 243 and maybe a 270. You have some large animals out there and take long shots;)
 
My votes for buying 2 guns, id be looking at 22-250 and a 270, or for an all around either a .243 or a .270 and just use a smaller grain for the .270. Know quite a few people that run a .270 for yotes.
 
It depends mainly of whether you reload or not:
  • 243 Win if you don't reload
  • 6.55x55, 260 Rem, 257 Roberts if you reload
243 Win is the 6th best selling hunting cartridge in North America and can be found anywhere. It's a fantastic varmint cartridge and a very good deer cartridge.
6.55x55, 260 Rem and 257 Roberts are excellent deer cartridges, can be used to hunt larger game at short-medium range and very good varmint cartridges. The recoil is higher than 243 Win and you need to reload if you want to exploit the potential of these cartridges.

Alex
 
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