Best Big Game Rifle

[nolte]

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Do not be fooled in to using the lighter 150 grain loads for the deer either, unless you are at long range. It goes too fast and does not give the knock down you want unless you hit bone. I use the 175 grain and have been very happy with it.

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I don't agree with this statemtent and neither do the deer in my freezer. I use a 308 and 150 nosler baliistic tips, After numerous rifles Dad has settled on a 243 with 100 grain bullets, I've also used a 223 in t-zone with 55 grains and done fine.

Biggest thing is find a Rifle you are comfortable with, put some good optics on it, and then shoot it to know your comfortable range. Put the Pill where the Pain is and then snap your tag.

If you want an all purpose go with any 30 caliber or larger. 308, 30-06, 300, 7mm pretty much all the same, except the first two have a slight less distance capability. But 95% of the shooters shouldn't be taking those shots anyway. Like someone else said, Make your first shot your last.

[catman71]

you are correct nolte. Technically the lighter the bullet the less momentum it will have and it will slow faster than a heavy one. more important than a few grains is the bullet construction. a partion bullet will control expansion and stay together, all things that prohibit energy dissipation in a smaller animal like a deer.

[Mikinaak]

I would have to vote for first the 30:06 and second the 7 mm. for deer hunting. I do agree with other posts that you have to be confindent in what you shoot with. I reload so that opens up even more doors with those two guns of mine. I also like good optics on those guns and never pull the trigger if the shot doesn't feel good. I hunted Mn. for years and years and still make it back every so often.

My kids just put down their first elk out here in Colorado. Their ages are 14 (son) and my daughter is 13. They both used the 7mm and only needed one shot each. Their animals only walked a few steps. Very nice clean kills.

just my 2 cents worth. Mikinaak

[Jim Uran]

30-06 hands down. BUT i use a .243 for whitetail. Where are you originally from turtle?

[BigDaddy]

Your post says deer or BIGGER. I'd go with a 7MM. You can shoot factory ammo from 140 to 175 gr. 300WSM would be another good choice.

In my effort to find a good all around caliber, I went with a 270WSM. Although I only plan to hunt whitetail in the near future, I can go down in load for Antelope or up for Bear/Elk.

[catman71]

i already have 2 7mms and am 06. i have been pondering the 25-06 or the .243 next, but you bring up the .270WSM and it makes my decision harder. i wish i had a killed a deer for every rifle i have. but it's hard to switch from one you love. know what i'm saying?

[sakazulu]

Just my opinion. 30.06 with a 165 gr. ballistic tip has dropped numerous deer and black bear. There are a ton of bullet choices for the 30.06. You can't lose when the bullet is available everywhere and in so many varieties. I'll take this caliber anywhere. A shot in the boiler room is meat on the table. Know your ballistics for every grain and tip bullet you shoot, no problem.

[Gus]

What would be the balistics difference between a 30.06 180 grain and 165 grain? I've always only used 180 grain because that's what dad had me shoot from day 1 and it's always worked fine. But could it be better?

Please educate me.

[ASMOLEY]

With a lighter grain bullet you are going to get more distance with less drop. The 180 grain would however be my choice because i hunt in alot of brush and it holds up better if you bust a shot through some branches.

[catman71]

if you zero at 200 you will be 7.7 low at 300 with the 165 and between 8 and 11 inches low with the 180. if you have the exact load and brandname i can look it up exactly.

if you ever want to know, buy a "shooters bible" and look in the back, it has ballistics for almost all popular brands.

[catman71]

ASMOLEY, is it trobec's or howies for you? i live up that way....

[Gissert]

Any bullet will deflect on brush contact. 165 or 180 grain makes no difference. If a bullet hits even a small twig or even grass it will upset it stability and begin to deflect and tumble.

[Steve Foss]

Well, I'm getting in late in the game, but the simple and easy vote is for the ought-six. Period. Here's why. You can kill anything from deer to elk to moose to bear with it, particularly since there are so many different bullet weights. That's versatility. And here's the big one as well: It has been the go-to round for so many thousands of hunters for so many years that you can get shells for it from darn near any mom and pop C-store in America.

Good luck getting shells if you're running short in podunk Minnesota for your .338 Weatherby.

I just picked up a Remington Model 710 30-06 with the Bushnell 3-9 scope new in the box for $100. Went to sight it in and put the first three rounds in the black dead on at 100 yards. Must have been bore-sighted at the factory or something.

Perhaps I'm biased because of that phenomenal deal, but I've been shooting this cartridge on and off for many years, and when it comes to putting down game, you don't need sexy, you need reliable, you need convenient and you need tested-and-true.

There are better pure deer cartridges, in my mind.

For whitetails, I have been in love with the .308 for many years, and my best saddle gun ever was a Model 99 Savage (with the brass counter and full buckhorn sights) in .300 Savage caliber. With an internal hammer, it was the best lever action around for horseback. At least it was when I was [PoorWordUsage]ing around the mountains when I worked for a gold mine in Colorado.

But the ought-six has a lot more power than those deer cartridges, making it a simply great round for big game in the United States. All the ballistic comparisons on earth won't change my mind.

[irvingdog]

I hate to relive the whole "brush-busting" bullet myth, but suffice to say "all bullets deflect". Badly. If you think you are going to need to whistle a shot in through heavy brush, you need to sit down with some kids and talk about hunting ethics and safety.

Clear shooting lanes, take ethical shots, practice with your gun (if you need to gun sight in your gun before friday, you need to sit down with some kids and talk.........) and select the best shooting load for your gun. 30.06, .270, 7mm, whatever you may decide. Know your gun, know your shots.

Be safe.

[sakazulu]

I have to add that almost all bullet manufacturers have awesome websites that show you the all the ballistics you'll ever need to know. stfcatfish seems to be a believer also,so listen to him.

[sakazulu]

you are right irvingdog!

[ASMOLEY]

Why does every post get turned around to a debate on ethics? Do we really need another lecture on it? Every shot comes down to the individual taking it. I don't care what your ethics are if thats what you want to talk about then start a post on that topic. I am here to talk and learn about rifles not to be educated on ethics.

[Ole #1]

The most important part of hunting is safety. Shooting deer isn't important, being safe is. When someone makes a comment about shooting through branches or sound shots people will speak up. We all want to be safe and come out of the woods alive and un harmed.

[Gissert]

I'm sorry if you are riled up a bit, but posting about "busting a shot through some branches" is going to get ethics related responses.

Perpetuating the myth that some bullets can shoot through brush is a personal pet peeve of mine.

Most discussions that are in the vein of "Best Rifle" or "Best ATV" will run into an ethics area should the thread grow long enough.

Let's not throw the bay out with the bath water here. There is a lot of good information in this thread.

[Borch]

I have to aggree witht he guys on the bullet deflecting thing. There have been several studies done on this and , all bullet deflect signifacntly when hitting brush. Even the big slow shotgun slugs. I don't think bringing that up for safety/ethics sakes detracts from the great rifle discussion at all. The greatest rifle...????? The one I have in my hands at the time. Right now that could be a .50 cal blackpowder rifle, .30-06, 7mm-08, .308 or even a shotgun with slugs. All have their strengths and weakness's. All will take most big game up to moose/elk or more.

[lawdog]

Its not so much ethics as just plain really bad advice regarding rifles and shooting through brush. "Brush busting" as you call it, which is stupid and improper with any rifle, should not be a reason to advocate one gun or shell or another because NONE can do it.

[captkev]

If someone actualy thinks that one bullet will preforme better in the brush than another, they probably missunderstood what they were listening to, let me try to help, The term "Brush Gun" is refering to the size of the gun itself, not the bullet that is in it. No bullet will preforme any better than another when its deflcted by brush, grass or yes even the wind. I love to take shots well out to 500yards, but you must know your gun and how it will preforme, and more importantly practice your shooting in all conditions. Give me a target and a calm still day with no wind and with the right rifle and ammo, I'll 10x my target, throw in a 10mph wind and most people wouldn't even compensate for it. but there is no balistic chart to teach me to shoot at game threw the brush, so I don't do it. anyone who thinks I'm wrong, go stick a sheet of plywood in the brush at about 25 yards, take some shots at a target and then tell us how well you grouped your shots. I did this for a friend who thought he could use his 12ga. in the brush "cuz it'd go threw them branches" He could make a coffie can roll every time at 125 yards in the open, and couldn't hit the can once in 10 shots in the brush.

[TUMBLEWEED]

There was once an actual test done simulating the

"brush busting" abilities of bullets. They put a box

consisting of lots of interwoven dowel rods, in front

of a target. they proceeded to shoot thru the dowel rods

(brush) into the targets. What they found, was yes the

heavier bullets did hit the target more than the lighter ones. However, they were putting "key-holes" (the outline

of the bullet) and not punching a neat round hole.This would not deliver any kind of penetration or energy transfer

to get a clean kill. The bullet will merely tumble and

roll into the animal. Sure you may slow the animal down for

a second shot, but if you don't get that second shot, you

have only wounded the deer. The study went on to add, that

using the more accurate lighter bullets, they were able

to pick a hole in the brush and shot thru it.

[FOOT]

Many years ago I read an article by Jack O'Connor and another well known writer/hunter who tried to simulate shooting through brush. They actually took some bushes and replanted them and then surrounded the bushes with stacked logs to catch any that might ricochet.

They then shot 5 different calibers each using 2 different bullet weights into the bushes to see what would happen. Each shot was traced to see what it went. Some went way off target and others got quite a bit closer. Of the ten shots only one was considered to be a killing shot. This was at a deer sized target. The "killing shot" was from a medium size caliber and lighter bullet weight (sorry I don't remember exact details). The killing shot was determined to be more luck at not hitting a piece of brush to cause it to ricochet then anything else.

The other writer/hunter tried the same test later on with the big 454 Holland Elephant Gun plus a couple more shoulder busters and found that more bullets hit the target but they still had some richocet. And who would want to shoot a 454 Holland double rifle with a 500 grain bullet at a deer anyway.

Bottom line there ain't no brush busters.

[captkev]

And as I stated above, TRY IT FOR YOURSELF, see for yourself how many times you can hit your target at 25 yards in a patch of brush, knowing your own rifle and how it will shoot is the key, not what someone else can do. or can not do for that matter. some of us could spin dimes at 100 yards and some might not hit a gallon bucket. I like to use ballons, at many different ranges and sizes. the key is knowing how well YOU can shoot. It takes 100's of rounds to find out what the best laod is for any particular gun. my 243 shoots 95grn. win. balistic tips down to 1/2" groups at 100 yards, try 100grn. fed prem. in the same gun and I can't get a 6" group from it. My dad shoots the 100grn. in his gun and it does fine. and try the 95's in his and its all over the place. all guns shoot different and it takes alot of practice on the range to know what your limitations are.