what rifle to get for deer hunting

thanks for the advise it sounds good i guess i will need to figure out what the differences between the calibers are other than size .223 is 20 thousands smaller than a .243 (diameter) and bigger boom depending on grain
 
Large brush busting calibers are nothing but a myth regardless of how many people believe otherwise, so don't put any stock in that as a basis for one caliber over another. http://www.chuckhawks.com/myth_busting_calibers.htm

Bullet selection will make more of a difference on this subject than caliber alone.

It's best to go with a very popular caliber so it's easy to find ammo.

I find that you should test the limits of low recoiling calibers so you will be able to shoot accurately while under stress. For this reason I would avoid calibers like the 30-06 and even 270. A 308 is very common and if you can find 125 grain ammo in particular it's a nice balance of power and light recoil with great deer killing performance. If you want to shoot far, then you can generally do that very well too with 150 grain bullets.

I would really set the 308 at the upper limit regarding recoil. So that being said, go with something no bigger, because bigger will help you develop bad shooting habits, flinch and ultimately miss your deer. A 243 is probably about ideal, although I would prefer something that takes about 20 percent less powder for deer if it was a common caliber.

6x47 Swiss Match would be just perfect for deer if ammo was easy to find with bullet weight of 108 grains. If you're into hand loading this would be just about ideal. You'll hit everything you shoot at.

260 Rem is also real nice and accurate for deer with only moderate recoil.
 
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.260 Remington or maybe even a .250 Savage improved to AI
Lots of good 6.5 mm bullets, maybe not so much .25 bullets.
I did read somewhere in some shootin rag that guys that have to cull
hundreds of deer a year say that nothing kills any better than the 25
Could be bull#### tho lol
 
I remember back when i first started hunting deer that the .308 was considered way overkill. It was considered to be
more than any whitetail needed and about right for moose. But them old guys didn't have the interweb to get the
honest to dogs truth from. lol
 
lister said:
30.06 Springfield. Good for anything in North America and goes from 100gr. to 220 gr.
Click to expand...

Boring, but true. huge bullet selection if you reload. Ammo available at any store that sells ammo and can kill big game. Whish I hadn't sold mine (7600 Rem)

For quick reference check out some ballistics charts. Just remember that charts don't kill deer. Good shots do. So don't read too much into them.

http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/ballistics/english-ballistics-chart-2010.pdf
 
We're in the same neck of the woods, so I have a pretty good idea of the terrain you'll be hunting unless you plan on travelling. A .308 is ideal. Nothing wrong with the .270, but it has a lot more velocity than you'll need here. If you're planning on hunting in .275" or smaller areas that might be a better option. If a good used .30-06 falls into your lap, snap it up.

My pick is the 7x57, but since you're new I'm going to assume you're not into handloading yet, and you would need to be to get the most out of the 7mm Mauser. You can get .308 or .270 ammo anywhere.
 
These threads can go on forever. Everyone has a different notion of what makes a good deer rifle. If you want a bolt you have loads of options. My advice would be to keep recoil and weight down, that means everything from a .243 to say the .30/06 if you are not recoil sensitive. Many guys who shoot 12 gauge magnums for waterfowl extensively are over gunned with .30/06 levels of recoil when it comes to shooting a rifle accurately. They are two entirely different kinds of shooting; instintive swing and pull to deliberate holding, contolling breathing, wobbles and trigger squeeze. A deer poked through the boiler room with a 100 grain .24 calibre bullet is preferable to shooting the front leg off one with a 7mm magnum.
 
By getting something like a .30-06, you will be adequately set for anything you will probably hunt. And everyone knows that we only need one hunting rifle ... right?
 
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