No Comments WHY AREN’T YOU HUNTING DEER!? They’re everywhere! They’re made of delicious ingredients, and you can hang their antlers on your shed. Plus, deer are a perfect excuse to go to a remote part of nature and just sit and think and actually exist for a gosh darned minute. Deer hunting: truly the greatest of sports, even if you’ll never be on a Wheaties box regardless of how good you are at it.
If you’re still in the process of becoming a deer hunter, then you may not have figured out the rifle aspect of things yet. Which cartridge (which some mistakenly refer to as a “caliber,” but not you, because you are already aware that “caliber” refers to bullet diameter only) should you use when deer are near? Never fear. Here are some of your best options for deer hunting, complete with excellent examples of each.
Best Deer Hunting Calibers
30-06 Springfield
Let’s kick it off with the second most popular .30 caliber cartridge in the United States. The 30-06 was our military’s primary rifle round throughout both World Wars. Troops primarily carry 5.56×45 rifles nowadays, but not because they are more powerful. On the contrary: the original 30-06 M2 ball load’s power factor is about 2.3 times higher than that of the 5.56.
Modern 30-06 hunting ammo is even more powerful still. Take Hornady Superformance 150 grain SST, for example, which boasts a power factor around 11% higher than the M2 ball. It lobs a polymer-tipped bullet hard enough to carry more than 1,000 ft lbs of energy (the minimum striking power typically advised for whitetail) to any range within 667 yards (with reasonable give and take). If you’re new to the sport, you’re probably not aiming that far.
| Hornady Superformance 150gr SST (24" barrel, 0.415 G1 BC) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 3080 | 3160 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 2848 | 2702 | 1.4 |
| 200 | 2628 | 2300 | 0.0 |
| 300 | 2418 | 1948 | -6.4 |
| 400 | 2218 | 1639 | -18.8 |
| 500 | 2027 | 1369 | -38.3 |
308 Winchester
The 30-06 Springfield is a long-action cartridge, which necessitates the use of a heavier and typically bulkier rifle. The 308 Win, which was designed to exhibit ballistic performance similar to the 30-06’s, is a short-action round. That alone can make a huge difference if you have to carry your rifle a healthy distance until reaching a spot where you reckon deer will be.
Excellent accuracy. Agreeable recoil. Adequate striking energy to ethically hunt whitetail at ranges beyond 500 yards. 308 Win ammo is perfectly satisfactory for the vast majority of American sportsmen’s hunting needs. Granted, its .30 caliber bullet generally isn’t as aerodynamically efficient as the following three recommendations’ narrower ones. But the 308 Win is also a great deal more popular, which makes hunting and target ammo both easier to come by.
| Remington Core-Lokt Tipped 165gr CLT (24" barrel, 0.447 G1 BC) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 2700 | 2671 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 2502 | 2293 | 2.0 |
| 200 | 2312 | 1959 | 0.0 |
| 300 | 2130 | 1663 | -8.6 |
| 400 | 1957 | 1404 | -24.8 |
| 500 | 1793 | 1178 | -50.2 |
6.5 Creedmoor
6.5 Creedmoor is the most popular hunting cartridge to be introduced in the 21st century. Originally intended for competitive long-range shooting, its precision and stopping power were quickly embraced by outdoorsmen in need of an edge.
Contrary to what its name implies, the 6.5 CM is loaded with a 6.7mm diameter (i.e. .264 caliber) bullet. It accordingly encounters less frontal air resistance than a .30 cal, which is a driving force behind its flat, easily aimed trajectory. That it combines that talent with manageable recoil and excellent sectional density (i.e. capacity for deep penetration) only makes it that much more appealing to novice and expert deer hunters alike.
Better yet, the 6.5 Creedmoor’s widespread popularity for target shooting means many affordably priced FMJ and FMJBT range loads are also available. That’s nice if you want to get in lots of target practice before testing your skills on Bambi (the grown up version; not the adorable fawn one).
| Federal Fusion 140gr Bonded SP (24" barrel, 0.439 G1 BC) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 2725 | 2309 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 2522 | 1977 | 2.0 |
| 200 | 2328 | 1685 | 0.0 |
| 300 | 2142 | 1427 | -8.4 |
| 400 | 1966 | 1201 | -24.4 |
| 500 | 1798 | 1005 | -49.5 |
270 Winchester
Unlike the .30 cals we covered earlier, the 270 Win was never used by the U.S. military. It has got a military parentage, so to speak, as it was created by necking down a 30-06 case to accept a .277 cal projectile. That means it too is a long-action cartridge, so it’ll force you to carry more rifle on your hunt.
But you may just not mind that extra heft once you’ve witnessed the 270 in action. Its ballistically efficient projectile enables it to skate by with relatively low muzzle velocity, which means you get commanding downrange performance without having to grit your teeth and bear very much recoil in exchange. Even a somewhat experienced hunter can stretch his claws out to 400 yards when they’re chambering the heavenly 270 Win.
| Winchester Deer Season XP 130gr Extreme Point (24" barrel, 0.450 G1 BC) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 3060 | 2703 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 2846 | 2339 | 1.4 |
| 200 | 2643 | 2017 | 0.0 |
| 300 | 2449 | 1731 | -6.4 |
| 400 | 2263 | 1478 | -18.6 |
| 500 | 2084 | 1254 | -37.6 |
243 Winchester
And now we come to the smallest caliber cartridge on our list: 243 Win, which actually has got a .243 cal bullet. You might surmise that it is also the weakest cartridge, which it is – so much so that it may just be more popular for hunting varmints and predators than it is larger game.
That’s hardly a huge setback. When it is loaded with a heavier bullet (e.g. 90 to 105 grains, as opposed to the 55 to 87 grains generally favored for small game hunting), the 243 is perfectly capable of one-shotting whitetail at ranges out to 350 yards. In conjunction with its characteristically light recoil (the reason why it is frequently preferred by younger and lady hunters), it’s an awfully appealing package – and even more so, if you want to use only one rifle for bagging for small and medium game.
| Barnes Harvest 90gr Tipped GameKing (24" barrel, 0.390 G1 BC) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 3200 | 2047 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 2946 | 1735 | 1.3 |
| 200 | 2707 | 1465 | 0.0 |
| 300 | 2481 | 1230 | -6.0 |
| 400 | 2265 | 1025 | -17.7 |
| 500 | 2060 | 848 | -36.2 |
30-30 Winchester
We’d be remiss not to include at least one lever-action rifle cartridge in our list. And here it is – quite probably the round which has been used to harvest more whitetail than any other in the U.S. – the legendary 30-30 Win.
The 30-30 Win rifle is what’s known as a “brush gun.” Its 150- to 200-yard effective range on whitetail is short relative to the other cartridges featured in this article. That’s of little concern to hunters who stake out in the woods (where trees make long-range shots nigh impossible). The great majority of hunters seldom stretch their shots much farther than the 30-30’s effective range, which makes its limitations all the more moot.
Low recoil. The fun and fast handling that go hand in hand with a lever gun. The satisfaction that comes from hunting with ammo that was introduced during the 19th century. The 30-30 will continue to reign supreme for quite some time.
| Nosler 150gr Ballistic Tip (24" barrel, 0.232 G1 BC) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 2390 | 1903 | -1.5 |
| 50 | 2211 | 1629 | 0.2 |
| 100 | 2040 | 1387 | 0.0 |
| 150 | 1878 | 1175 | -2.2 |
| 200 | 1724 | 990 | -6.9 |
| 250 | 1581 | 832 | -14.6 |
We’ve left too many other great deer loads out of this list to count. We didn’t even touch on the magnums (e.g. 300 Winchester Magnum, 7mm Remington Magnum, 270 Winchester Short Magnum). We have also omitted the 12 Gauge and 20 Gauge, as well as the 44 Remington Magnum, 357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, and other powerful revolver/lever-action rifle rounds that unquestionably get the job done. Why? Because it’s already 5 o’clock, and therefore time for a beer.
