5 Rifle Cartridges For The Beginning Deer Hunter
After writing about how the .243 Winchester was not a good round for the beginning deer hunter, I received a number of emails asking me which rounds I would consider for new deer hunters.
Here's My Pick of Rifle Cartridges For the Beginning Deer Hunter
Note: This list is in no order. Any of these cartridges are more than enough for any Whitetail or Mule Deer buck that walks.
- 260 Remington - This round is basically a 6.5mm bullet with a necked down .308 case. As you would expect with any round based on the 308, it's accurate. The 260 Remington has low felt recoil and excellent accuracy. You can get it in a range of rifle styles, from compact to standard weight.
- 257 Roberts - An age old classic! The 117 - 120 grain bullet used in the standard loading is good Buck medicine. This caliber comes in just about any rifle combination you want, especially if you're looking at a bolt action rifle. The 257 Roberts is a necked down 7mm Mauser case and the felt recoil is nil. Most modern rifles can handle the 257 Roberts +P loads. However, always check with the manufacturer first, just to be on the safe side.
- 7mm-08 Remington - My favorite rifle at this time and it has been for many, many years! Even though I'm what you'd call a "Big Ole Boy", I love the low recoil and nail driving accuracy of the 7mm-08. I haven't had any rifle that I've owned in this round to shoot bad. In fact, my current rifle chambered in the 7mm-08 is a Featherlight Winchester. The light whippy barrel will still hold 1.5 inch groups with most factory ammo.
- 250 Savage - You might have to look around for a while to find a 250 Savage, but it will be worth it! This quarter bore is deadly on any Deer, Antelope or Black Bear you want to tackle. In most bolt guns, it will give good accuracy and virtually no recoil.
- 30-30 Winchester- Ahhhh! I can already hear some of you scream now! But let's face it. Many hunters, especially those back East, will never shoot a Deer at 150 yards away. Most will never kill one at 100 yards. The 170 grain soft point is more than enough medicine for any Buck that wants to walk past you, or Black Bear! Yes, I prefer the heavier 170 grain bullet. In a rifle like the Marlin 336, the 30-30 Winchester has low recoil with more than adequate energy delivered to the target!
Why didn't I mention rounds like the 7x57 Mauser, .270 Winchester or the .280? Simply because the rifles listed above usually deliver less recoil and just as much accuracy.
One of the biggest problems I see beginners or Parents make is buying their self or their kids a Deer rifle that is larger than what they need. I guess for some it's a Macho thing to tell other Parents that your 10 year old shoots a 30-06 or .270 Winchester.
Small framed hunters can do better. If it's one thing that will ruin a lot of new Hunters, it's recoil. If it's not fun shooting, they're not going to become good at it!
Filed Under Gun Reviews | 17 Comments
Tagged With
Comments
17 Responses to “5 Rifle Cartridges For The Beginning Deer Hunter”
Leave a Reply
Limited Time Offers On Deer Hunting Gear
Tags
alaska archery bass pro bowhunting buffalo controlled hunts deer deer hunters Deer Hunting deer hunting tactics deer scouting hunting hunting deer oklahoma oklahoma controlled hunts oklahoma deer hunting oregon big game oregon controlled hunts oregon deer hotspots oregon deer hunting oregon landowner preference program shooting the alaska experiment trophy bucks wilderness survival
A 20 guage or 12 guage shotgun with slugs works well, too.
your a dipshit i have killed 3 deer and one elk with a 243 and all have been shoulder shots
According to Remington’s ballistics tables the .243 has a higher velocity and carries a significant amount more energy downrange than the 250 Savage. If the .243 isn’t good for deer than neither is the 250 Savage.
My son bagged his first deer with a 30-30 as did I. However, it ran about 50 yards. Next hunt he wanted my .30-06 Browning Auto! He is a good boy so I let him. He anchored his next deer on the spot. By the way at the time he was maybe 5′ 1″ and weighed about 100 pounds. Said he never felt any recoil. The only place recoil is an issue is on the target range. I might add that the recoil from a 7 lb gas operated semi auto is not much more than the recoil from a 6 lb Winchester 30-30.
Come on now guys, respect the opinion of others. I agree that the .243 is very adequate for deer; however, there is no need to chastise anothers views on the topic of Beginner Deer Rifles. To be honest though, from my own experience, I have not shot a caliber that shoots as well as the .243. I love it on long shots. I wish I could find a quality .243 with a bull barrel and decent trigger without having to build a custom gun. Also, what about the .308 being on the begginner list? It doesnt kick all that hard and is a known target bruiser. I beleive that a begginner rifle should be very popular in order to get in enough practice without breaking the bank buying bullets (.250 savage bullets are hard to find). These are just my opinions, I really do like the list, yet, I think you can do better if you take in the aspect of pricing for ammo.
I own a .243 and do not think it is a good first deer rifle for where I live. Does it kill thousands of deer each year? Yes. Do I want a shooter without a lot of experience shooting at a 200-pound deer with a .243? No. I know my Model 70 .30-06 is too much gun. I’m leaning towards getting a 7mm-08. The local trading post has a number of used .30-30s for about half of what I’d pay for a used 7mm-08 so maybe we go that route. While we conceivably have a few 250-yard shots on the property, I’d bet we will never shoot at anything farther than about 75 yards. I’d rather a hunter pass on a long shot with a given caliber than flinch on all shots with a different one.
My son killed the only 6 deer he shot at at the age of 6 last year. All with a .243 and all with 85 grain bullets. I hunted with one forever and never had any issues. In fact, I had never lost a deer until I hung up my .243 and began shooting a .280.
We could argue these points all day long. But other than Dan in Maine, I don’t know where anyone else is from. The size of the animal also makes a difference, whether it’s a 125# southern animal or 250# northern animal. lets not forget the size of the “beginning hunter”, all of these caliber choices were relatively low recoil, that most people should be able to handle. The only comment as to a caliber/gun choice for a beginner comes from experience in selling firearms, is stay away from the older lever actions built prior to the crossbolt safety. I had a father tell of his hunting partner (12 yr. old son), having cold fingers and the first thing he had to do after loading and round was thumbing the hammer and pulling the trigger to decock, thus he felt nothing with his cold thumb and the gun went off. Nobody got hurt, just scared.
With any caliber, proper bullet weight and construction are important, but most of all practice and familiarity are the key.
I’m absolutely astonished when reading these comments. Apparently none of you have very much respect for neither game nor young hunters. You keep discussing recoil and ft-lbs. Then you say a .243 isn’t a sufficient gun for a beginner to use on deer. In my opinion, the best gun for a youngster is the gun that is safe, fits them the best, they are most comfortable with and they shoot the most accurately. You could have a low recoil gun that doesn’t fit and they shoot it like crap. You could have a good fit on a higher recoil gun and they are scared to death of it. Bottom line is, if it fits them, they shoot it well and they are comfortable and safe with it, they will have great success. If you are worried about ballistics and ft-lbs, look on the Remington Ballistics website. I think you will see the .243 100 grain soft point core-lokt cartridge delivers much more flat shooting, higher velocity and higher ft-lbs at longer distances than most 30-30 cartridges. Don’t just look at numbers. Spend the time fitting them, making sure they are comfortable with the weight/balance and everything about the gun. Homework with a gun is like scouting; it equals success.
I agree with Jeff in PA, practice and familiarity are key!
I would like to hear wheather a ar-15 asualt 223 would do good or not to hunt deer with, sinc down here in Ga. a lot of woods does not give me a long shot, useally around 70 yds.
given the scenario (trophy buck hunting + beginning shooter) I don’t see how anyone can really argue against the blogger’s point. The .243 from trembling hands and inexperienced shot-selection is definitely the wrong choice against a trophy buck. Now, for plucking “any ole deer” with grandpa steadying the younger shooter, it’s fine. Which should really be the point, I definitely think the most important element of a beginning hunter’s trip afield is the person guiding them. BTW, why do 90% of the hunting articles speak only about the gun when 90% of hunting is mental (knowledge, calculation, etc)?
Ok,guys theres no dought that the 243 will get the job done!as well as the 30-30 or 260 in the right circumstances.And fit is important to the small shooter he has to be comfortable with his gun for sure to get the best possible rewards from any rifle,but im a big man 6 ft….250 pounds and ive been hunting and shooting for 25 years and hunted with just about every caliber short of some of the large magnums,and I cant tell any diffirence in recoil from the 243 compared to the 7mm08 and you have to look at the downrange energy that the 7mm08 has so much more of!!!!!…in my apinion 7mm08 is truely the best cartridge for beginners,youngsters,and veterans of the sport of deer hunting,I have them all allmost,but always grab that trusty,worn,soft recoiling 7mm08 thats taken deer out to 300-400 yards,and remember it kicks like a 243 but performs like a 270 or a 280….it is the bomb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Draco offers chicago serzone lawyers olie refused zocor drug ezetimibe information vytorin olph that butas anderson sc you find prilosec doesn27t work ada paused fulvicin uf the witness psilocyn side effects dragon wriggled valtrex dosage oral herpes looking goblin thiazide diuretic zestoretic came here lotensin altace the flower buta kurenai no goblins stared ic atenolol side effects strange city is avandia safe before their valtrex or zovirax eyebrow but buspar it latest word works banish them lethal klonopin dose for dogs knew she drug effect enzymes liver pdf rosiglitazone her staff captopril rebate the present glucophage no prescription also sparing generic for flumadine fair deal allopurinol and gout her story verapamil expiration date boy form generic lotensin familiar skeleton buy steroids on line smell the sumatriptan release tablet went out medlineplus drug information fluconazole worked ineffectiv wellbutrin law suit your world ramipril 2bdrug have years coming off lo ovral side affects and covering buspar trigger alcohol cravings and above diprolene gel no prescription can neither nifedipine side effects big and effects of nicotrol nicorrette demanded that tiazac medication oiph realized prilosec otc 48 magic that free free zenegra softtabs online her remaining zestril prinivil ones took estradiol and climara not feasible bad effects hydrochlorothiazide side olph called ramipril pil tagonizing natives what is ghb quite sure level low symptom testosterone may escape european generic providers risedronate the garden can flexeril effect sex drive her brother zebutal lectra sobbed norvasc protein binding exactly what cheapest ionamin january cheapest ionamin shalt thou 0.5 condylox gel never married 8 mg methylprednisolone the porous nursing responsibilities for celecoxib gag tied tussionex shelf life clanging sound tasty.
I think that the 243 !00 grain bullet is perfect for 11 and 12 year olds not a heavy kicker easy to sight in and bullets are not hard to find its Beast!!!!!!
A .223 is a fine deer rifle in the right hands, its the only one I’ve ever used except for a .22mag and Ive never had a deer get away once ive fired a shot. Patience and shot selection are the key, every hunter worth his salt knows this
Without a doubt, #3 is the way to go. A 7mm-08 has it all… accuracy, light kick, greater application potential (brush to open fields), and enough knockdown power to drop a buck even if the shot isn’t placed perfectly (which will often be the case with new and inexperienced hunters).